Cities Skylines 2 Struggles to Bring Console Version Up to Speed

As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I’ve seen my fair share of delays and challenges in the gaming industry – but Cities: Skylines 2 seems to be taking the cake. Despite the initial excitement for its console release, it’s been a rollercoaster ride filled with setbacks and hurdles that even the most dedicated city planner couldn’t foresee.


The scheduled console launch of Cities: Skylines 2 is still up in the air as developer Colossal Order struggles with technical hurdles on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. Originally slated to debut alongside the PC version in October 2023, the console versions encountered delays because they didn’t meet the desired quality benchmarks. While the PC release went ahead, it was met with criticism due to performance concerns.

In their latest announcement, Colossal Order explained the persistent console delays as being due to ‘hardware constraints.’ They pointed out challenges with both processing speed and graphics performance, particularly when players perform actions that lead to frame rate decreases or memory overloads. For instance, constructing big buildings can strain the system during calculations, resulting in visible slowdowns.

To tackle these problems, the developers have successfully stabilized and made the game playable on consoles by reducing the graphical quality substantially. However, they are hesitant to make such drastic reductions. Instead, their primary focus is on improving the graphics to an acceptable standard, followed by enhancements in simulation efficiency and memory management.

The developers of Cities: Skylines 2 have attributed the continuous console release delay to “technical constraints” or “hardware limitations”, emphasizing that it still ranks as their “primary focus” or “highest priority”.

— Eurogamer (@eurogamer) November 25, 2024

Although they’ve been putting in significant work, Colossal Order hasn’t been able to set a specific launch date for the console versions yet. Their goal is to avoid giving out early or potentially misleading information. They want you to know that the console release remains a top priority, with numerous possibilities being investigated and experts working diligently on it.

The circumstances surrounding Cities: Skylines 2 have been marked by a string of difficulties, such as a rocky PC debut and postponements or cancellations of additional content. However, Colossal Order’s determination to address these problems underscores their commitment to ensuring a top-notch gaming experience on every platform they support.

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2024-11-26 04:43