Paradox Interactive, the publisher of the popular city-building game Cities: Skylines, has announced that the console release of its sequel, Cities: Skylines 2, has been delayed to 2024. The game was originally scheduled to launch on October 24, 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, but the developer Colossal Order has decided to postpone the console versions to ensure quality and performance across all platforms.
In a joint statement released on September 28, 2023, Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order said:
We are hard at work getting the game ready for our release on October 24th. While doing so, we have come to realize that we need more time to reach the quality targets we have set. As we want to provide the best experience for our players, we are updating the release window for Xbox and PS5 to Spring 2024. The additional time allows us to focus on matching the quality and performance across all platforms.
The statement also confirmed that the PC version of Cities: Skylines 2 is still on track for its October 24 release date, and that it will be available to play via PC Game Pass from day one. The PC system requirements have also been updated, with the recommended specs being quite high-end, requiring an Intel Core i5-12600K or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X processor, 16 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD equivalent graphics card.
Console pre-orders will be automatically refunded
The delay of Cities: Skylines 2 on consoles has also affected the pre-order customers, who will receive an automatic refund from their respective platforms. The refund process may vary depending on the platform and region, but Paradox Interactive has assured that it will communicate with the customers as soon as possible.
The pre-order bonus content, which consists of a Landmark Building pack with nine famous landmarks from around the world, will still be available for console players when the game launches in 2024. However, the details on how to obtain it will be revealed at a later date.
Cities: Skylines 2 promises new features and improvements
Cities: Skylines 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Cities: Skylines, which was released in 2015 and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The game is a city simulation game that allows players to create and manage their own urban environments, with realistic traffic, weather, pollution, and population dynamics.
Cities: Skylines 2 aims to improve upon its predecessor by introducing new features and enhancements, such as:
- New road tools that allow more flexibility and creativity in designing road networks
- A deeper simulation that takes into account factors such as noise pollution, water quality, crime rate, and education level
- A larger scale that supports up to 16 million citizens per map
- A revamped user interface that is more intuitive and customizable
- A modding support that enables players to create and share their own content
Cities: Skylines 2 is expected to be one of the most ambitious and immersive city-building games ever made, and fans of the genre are eagerly awaiting its release. However, console players will have to wait a bit longer than PC players to enjoy it.
