Cities: Skylines 2 developer Colossal Order has shared an update on the city builder sequel’s long-delayed console release – confirming it still has “more things we need to address” before it can launch, and that it won’t be arriving before summer.
Cities: Skylines 2’s Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 versions were originally due to launch alongside the PC release back in October 2023, but Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive announced a last-minute delay into 2024. Its release was then delayed indefinitely following Cities: Skylines 2’s disastrous launch on PC – which continues to attract complaints about poor performance and simulation issues, despite multiple updates over the 18 months since then.
Colossal Order’s most recent news on Cities: Skylines 2 console release came last November, when it admitted it was struggling to overcome “hardware limitations” impacting performance on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. It noted it had managed to get the game “stable and playable” on consoles by “significantly lowering the graphics quality”, but said it wasn’t happy with the compromise and wanted to bring graphics quality up to an “acceptable level”.
Skip ahead six months and Colossal Order has addressed Cities: Skylines 2’s console release once more, and while progress is apparently being made, it sounds like there’s still some way to go. “We continue to make steady progress on the console version,” it wrote in an update, “and our core focus has been on further improving performance and stability. However, despite these advancements, we have more things we need to address before we reach the level of quality and the experience we want for you as our players.”
“We know many of you are eagerly awaiting the console release,” it continued, “but to set expectations clearly: we will not have a release before summer. We want to avoid any premature estimates and instead commit to providing you with reliable information when we’re closer to a launch-ready state. Our goal remains unchanged: to bring Cities: Skylines 2 to console in the best possible shape.”
News isn’t entirely positive on the PC front, either. Colossal Order has also admitted it’s struggling with Cities: Skylines 2’s custom asset editor – a modding feature it called “crucial” last September, when it announced it was delaying its DLC plans in order to get the asset editor finished and released. But in its latest update, the studio has said the feature is proving “more technically challenging than initially anticipated due to the hefty amounts of built-in assets affected by the changes, but it is moving forward.”
“Rest assured that we’re committed to solving these challenges,” it wrote, “and our dedicated team is actively making progress to overcome them. We know how much custom assets mean to you and, honestly, to us, too, and we will continue to keep you informed of our progress as soon as we have something more concrete to share.”
“We appreciate your patience and enthusiasm,” the studio concluded, “and we will share more updates as we continue shaping the future of Cities: Skylines together.” It added it’ll be back next week when the original Cities: Skylines celebrates its 10th anniversary.