Cities: Skylines

At its core, this is a genuinely strong city building simulation that successfully recaptures the feeling of classic titles like SimCity. There’s a real sense of satisfaction in watching your city grow from a small town into a sprawling urban center, and the foundation is undeniably solid. That said, the game does a poor job of onboarding new players. It starts you off with very limited tools and explanations, and the tutorial feels either too barebones or poorly paced. I found myself having to rely on external guides just to understand basic systems, which shouldn’t really be necessary for a game of this scale. As you progress and unlock milestones, more mechanics open up and the depth becomes apparent. However, this is also where the experience starts to shift. By the mid-game especially once systems like public transportation are introduced the game can begin to feel less like a creative sandbox and more like micromanagement heavy work. This is a common criticism echoed in other reviews, where players note that traffic, zoning inefficiencies, and service management can become tedious rather than engaging. One of the biggest drawbacks, and something widely criticized across the community, is the DLC monetization. While the base game provides a decent starting point, it often feels like a stripped down version of what the full experience should be. Many key features and improvements are locked behind paid expansions, and over time, the sheer number of DLCs has become overwhelming. To get what feels like the “complete” experience, you’re looking at a very high total cost even years after release. This pricing model has been called out in numerous reviews as excessive and unfriendly to new players, especially when compared to other simulation games that offer more substantial base content. Mods do help fill in the gaps, and in many cases, they’re almost essential for improving quality of life and expanding gameplay. However, relying on the modding community to address shortcomings in the base game and DLC structure isn’t ideal. On the presentation side, the game does a lot right. The visuals are clean and appealing, and there’s a nice level of detail when zooming into your city. The soundtrack is relaxing and fits the tone well, and the inclusion of radio stations is a creative touch. However, the in between commentary on those stations can quickly become repetitive and, at times, irritating. This is a great simulation game at its foundation, but it’s held back by a weak onboarding experience, mid game pacing issues, and an aggressive DLC model that makes the full experience feel unnecessarily expensive.

Great game! Wish I didn't need a mod to turn on infinite money. Frankly I just unlock everything and just build my dream city, I find that to be the most fun way to play! Great for city management and mass-transit, especially with the DLC's. I do wish at least some DLC's were feature updates of the game, however it is still much better than the sequel game. Besides the complaints I thoroughly enjoy this game, as my time played my signify.

This game has seriously been so important to me. I just absolutely love all the logistics that go into it. I bought a whole laptop specifically to play this game more. I have been playing for almost 10 years and it still is so amazing.