⚡ TL;DR — THE VERDICT
Cities: Skylines II launched rough in October 2023. Two and a half years later, under new developer Iceflake Studios, the game is finally turning a corner. Recent reviews on Steam are Mostly Positive, performance has dramatically improved, and the latest patches are fixing the game’s most painful issues. It’s not perfect yet — but it’s getting genuinely good.
📋 IN THIS ARTICLE
- The Rocky Road From Launch to 2026
- New Developer: Iceflake Studios Takes Over
- Latest Patches — What’s Been Fixed
- Traffic AI — The Eternal Struggle
- Performance & Visuals in 2026
- Modding & Community Content
- DLC & Content Roadmap
- Should You Play It Now?
💥 1. The Rocky Road From Launch to 2026
Let’s not sugarcoat it. Cities: Skylines II had one of the most disappointing launches in city builder history.
October 2023: Launch
- Unplayable frame rates even on high-end PCs
- Broken economy simulation
- Traffic AI that made no sense
- Missing features that existed in CS1 with mods
- Steam reviews: Mixed (33,000+ reviews overall)
2024–2025: Slow Recovery
Colossal Order, the original developer, struggled to address the game’s core issues while also shipping DLC. The community grew frustrated with the pace of fixes. Performance improved incrementally, but fundamental simulation problems persisted.
🔄 2. New Developer: Iceflake Studios Takes Over
The biggest behind-the-scenes change: Iceflake Studios has taken over active development from Colossal Order. And the difference is noticeable.
Iceflake’s approach has been refreshingly focused:
- Fixes first, features second — Prioritising bug fixes and simulation improvements over flashy DLC
- “City Corner” developer diaries — Transparent communication about what’s being worked on and why
- Community-requested changes — Directly addressing the most-upvoted issues from forums and Reddit
- Faster patch cadence — More frequent updates than the Colossal Order era
The community reaction has been cautiously positive. One popular Reddit comment: “After finally getting into the game, I was really surprised with the performance upgrades this patch brought. Areas I used to get ~20 fps in I now get double.”
🔧 3. Latest Patches — What’s Been Fixed
Patch 1.5.9f1 “Morning Dew” — May 27, 2026
- Vehicle pathfinding improvements — cars choose turn lanes earlier at highway exits
- U-turn penalties — vehicles are now penalised for unnecessary U-turns, reducing road chaos
- Bug fixes for various reported community issues
Patch 1.5.7f1 “Spring Cleaning” — April 2026
- Dog population fix — Reduced excessive pet counts that were tanking performance (yes, really)
- Taxi swarm fix — Reduced the absurd number of taxis flooding city entrances
- Transport AI improvements across the board
- Improved wind transitions for vegetation LOD changes
Earlier 2026 Updates
- Shadow rendering fixes — Eliminated flickering at distance, jagged edges near camera, and shadow cut-offs
- Historic Building Toggles — Lock building visuals as they level up
- Zoning Toggles — More control over zone types and density
- Integrated Benchmark Tool — Test your performance directly in-game
⚠️ Known issue (May 29): There’s a saving bug that can cause save actions to get stuck. Iceflake is actively working on a fix. If you’re affected, try launching saves from backup files.
🚗 4. Traffic AI — The Eternal Struggle
Traffic has been Cities: Skylines II’s most complained-about system since day one. Here’s where it stands in June 2026:
✅ What’s Fixed
- Vehicles now penalised for U-turns
- Highway exit lane selection happens earlier
- Delivery truck export routing improved
- Taxi overcrowding at city entrances reduced
- General pathfinding significantly smoother
❌ Still Problematic
- Last-second lane changes still happen
- Complex intersections can still gridlock
- Public transport routing needs more work
- Highway merging behaviour is inconsistent
- Roundabout priority logic is basic
💡 Building tip: Use dedicated turning lanes at major intersections, avoid 4-way stops where possible, and build highway exits with long merging lanes. The AI handles gradual lane changes much better than sudden ones.
⚡ 5. Performance & Visuals in 2026
This is where the biggest improvements have been made. The game is dramatically more playable than it was at launch.
Players are consistently reporting:
- Frame rates have doubled in areas that previously struggled
- Shadow rendering is smoother and no longer flickers at distance
- LOD transitions for vegetation and buildings are less jarring
- Overall stability has improved significantly
Recommended Specs (for a smooth experience):
CPU
i5-12600K / Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU
RTX 3080 / RX 6800 XT
RAM
16 GB
Storage
60 GB (SSD recommended)
⚠️ Steam Deck: Still officially unsupported.
🛠️ 6. Modding & Community Content
Modding was what made the original Cities: Skylines legendary. CS2’s modding scene has taken longer to mature, but it’s getting there.
Where Modding Stands
- Paradox Mods is the official platform (replacing Steam Workshop for CS2)
- Custom assets, maps, and gameplay mods are available
- Mod compatibility can break with major patches — check before updating
- The community is growing but still smaller than CS1’s peak
The mod ecosystem is the long game. As the base game stabilises, more modders will invest time in CS2. If Iceflake continues their current trajectory, the modding scene could explode in late 2026.
📦 7. DLC & Content Roadmap
Cities: Skylines II now has 21 pieces of DLC/add-on content available:
Major DLC
- Bridges & Ports ($19.99)
- Expansion Pass: Waterfronts (bundle)
Creator Packs ($7.99 each)
- City Stations, Office Evolution
- Skyscrapers, Supply Chains
- Dragon Gate, Leisure Venues
- Mediterranean Heritage
- Modern Architecture, Urban Promenades
The base game is $49.99 and the Ultimate Edition is $89.99. Given the rocky launch, many recommend waiting for a sale if you’re buying in fresh — the game regularly drops to 50% off.
🎮 8. Should You Play It Now?
Yes, if…
- You have a capable PC
- You enjoy vanilla city building
- You’re patient with ongoing development
- You want the best-looking city builder
Wait, if…
- You need heavy mod support
- Traffic perfection matters to you
- You want Steam Deck support
- You want to buy at a discount
Skip, if…
- CS1 with mods does everything you need
- You have a lower-end PC
- You expect a finished, polished product
The bottom line: Cities: Skylines II in June 2026 is a fundamentally different game from the one that launched in 2023. Iceflake Studios is doing the right things. If you’ve been waiting to jump in, the window is opening — and it’s only going to get better from here.
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