Is Cities: Skylines worth buying in 2026?
PLAY
Yes — Cities: Skylines, the 2015 original, is worth buying in 2026 — and that is the twist: it remains the better purchase than its own sequel, which our city-builder guide still marks as the deliberate skip. This is the genre’s deepest finished sandbox, at a veteran game’s price.
Very Positive — 93% on Steam · Released 2015
from6,30 €checked 31 Aug 2026
The case
A decade on, the original Skylines is still where the genre’s heart lives. The sequel launched in 2023 and years later still trails it in performance and simulation depth — its Steam rating sits at Mixed while the original sits comfortably high. Buying the older game is not settling; it is choosing the finished one.
The DLC mountain looks scary and is optional: the base game is a complete city builder. Play it until your city tells you which itch you have — transit, parks, industry — then add the expansion that scratches it.
Price closes the case: the base game discounts to pocket change regularly, and the checked low with its date is on this page. Few genres let you buy their best entry for this little.
Buy it if
- You want the deepest finished city builder available today
- Watching traffic untangle because of your one clever one-way street sounds like joy
- You want the map, mod and asset ecosystem a decade of community built up
Skip it if
- You must have the newest thing — then wait until the sequel truly overtakes; it has not yet
- You want goals and pressure, not a sandbox — Against the Storm is city-building with stakes
- Simulation obsession runs your purchases: the sequel’s promise was deeper simulation, and if that day comes our guide’s note changes first
FAQ
Cities: Skylines or Cities: Skylines II in 2026?
The original, still. Years after launch the sequel trails it in performance and simulation depth and its Steam rating sits at Mixed. The first game plus a couple of expansions is the better city builder per euro — and if a true turnaround lands, our guide’s note goes first.
Which DLC do I actually need?
None to start. The base game is complete; pick expansions later by theme — transit, parks, industry — once your city tells you what it is missing.
Does it run on a weak PC?
Far better than the sequel, and reasonably on modest hardware if you keep the city and the mod list sane. It is a simulation: the processor matters more than the graphics card.
Played it already?
Built your metropolis already? Our ranked guide sorts ten builders by what they ask you to manage — water physics, supply chains, survival, or feelings.