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How Hard is it to Run Cities: Skylines?

The difficulty in running Cities: Skylines is highly variable and depends on several factors, primarily your computer’s hardware, the size of your city, and the number of mods and assets you have installed. At its core, the game is relatively forgiving on low settings with a small city. However, as your population grows and you add graphical enhancements, the game becomes significantly more demanding, especially on your CPU and RAM. A low-end system might struggle with larger cities, while a modern high-end PC can handle heavily modded metropolises with relative ease.

Understanding Cities: Skylines’ Performance Demands

Cities: Skylines is a complex simulation that requires significant computational power to manage its many moving parts. The game’s performance isn’t just about pretty graphics; it’s about calculating traffic flow, citizen behavior, utility usage, and countless other details. Therefore, understanding the components that contribute to performance issues is crucial.

CPU: The Brain of Your City

Your CPU (Central Processing Unit) is arguably the most important factor for Cities: Skylines. The game is heavily CPU-bound, meaning it relies more on processing power than graphics card performance, especially as your city grows. The CPU is responsible for simulating everything that happens within your city, from the behavior of individual citizens to the efficient operation of your transportation networks. A weak CPU will lead to low frame rates (FPS), stuttering, and slowdowns, especially when zoomed into busy areas or when dealing with large populations. Single-core performance is particularly important, as the game relies heavily on one or two cores for its core simulation processes.

RAM: Memory for Your Metropolis

RAM (Random Access Memory) is the second most crucial component. Cities: Skylines requires a significant amount of RAM to store the city’s data. A minimum of 8GB of RAM is generally recommended, but 16GB or more is highly advisable, especially if you plan on using mods or assets from the Steam Workshop. Insufficient RAM will lead to longer loading times, stuttering, and even game crashes as the system struggles to keep up with the data requirements of the game.

GPU: Visual Fidelity and Resolution

Your GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) handles the visual aspects of the game, such as rendering the buildings, vehicles, and terrain. While not as critical as the CPU for simulation, a decent GPU is still necessary to achieve acceptable frame rates and graphical fidelity. A dedicated GPU with at least 2GB of VRAM is recommended, and more is better if you’re aiming for higher resolutions or graphics settings. Upgrading your GPU can improve the visual experience, but it won’t solve CPU-related performance issues.

Storage: SSD vs. HDD

The type of storage drive you use can also impact performance, particularly loading times. An SSD (Solid State Drive) offers significantly faster read and write speeds compared to a traditional HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Installing Cities: Skylines on an SSD will result in much quicker loading times, both when starting the game and when loading a saved city. While an SSD won’t directly improve in-game frame rates, it will make the overall experience much smoother and more responsive.

Mods and Assets: A Double-Edged Sword

Mods and assets from the Steam Workshop can greatly enhance the gameplay experience, adding new buildings, vehicles, roads, and functionalities. However, they also increase the game’s resource demands. Each mod and asset adds to the amount of data the game needs to load and process, which can put a strain on your CPU and RAM. Be mindful of the number of mods and assets you have installed, and consider unsubscribing from those you don’t use regularly to improve performance. Larger, more complex assets will have a greater impact than smaller, simpler ones.

Optimizing Cities: Skylines for Performance

If you’re experiencing performance issues, there are several steps you can take to optimize Cities: Skylines and improve your frame rates.

Adjusting Graphics Settings

Lowering the graphics settings can significantly improve performance, especially if your GPU is struggling. Consider reducing the following settings:

Resolution: Lowering the resolution will reduce the number of pixels your GPU needs to render, resulting in higher frame rates.
Shadow Quality: Shadows can be very demanding on the GPU. Reducing or disabling them can provide a noticeable performance boost.
Level of Detail (LOD): Lowering the LOD will reduce the detail of objects at a distance, which can improve performance without significantly impacting visual quality.
Anti-Aliasing: Anti-aliasing smooths out jagged edges, but it can also be GPU-intensive. Try disabling or reducing it.
Texture Quality: While textures contribute significantly to visual quality, lowering the quality can lead to improved performance, especially on systems with limited VRAM.

Managing Mods and Assets

Remove Unused Mods: Regularly review your list of subscribed mods and assets and unsubscribe from those you no longer use.
Use a Mod Manager: A mod manager can help you organize and manage your mods, making it easier to disable or uninstall them. The Loading Screen Mod is particularly useful as it optimizes asset loading and provides detailed reports on asset usage.
Be Selective with Assets: Choose assets carefully, prioritizing those that are well-optimized and don’t add unnecessary complexity. Avoid excessively high-poly models.

Closing Background Applications

Close any unnecessary background applications that might be consuming CPU or RAM. This includes web browsers, streaming services, and other programs that you’re not actively using.

Adjusting Page File Settings (Virtual Memory)

Ensure your system has sufficient page file (virtual memory) configured. This allows Windows to use your hard drive as additional RAM when your physical RAM is full. The recommended size for the page file varies depending on the amount of RAM you have.

Upgrading Hardware

Ultimately, the best way to improve performance is to upgrade your hardware. If your CPU is struggling, consider upgrading to a faster processor with more cores and threads. If your RAM is insufficient, add more memory. And if your GPU is struggling, upgrade to a more powerful graphics card.

Cities: Skylines – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about Cities: Skylines performance, addressing the most common concerns and offering helpful solutions.

1. What are the minimum and recommended system requirements for Cities: Skylines?

The minimum requirements are usually outdated, but currently the recommended requirements includes an Intel Core i5-3470 or AMD FX-6300 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870 GPU with 2GB of VRAM. These requirements are good to start but larger cities and mods will require higher specs. For the ideal experience you should aim for an Intel i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, 16GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. This will handle much larger cities with medium to high graphics settings.

2. Why is my CPU usage so high when playing Cities: Skylines?

Cities: Skylines is a CPU-intensive game, and high CPU usage is normal, especially in larger cities. The game’s simulation processes rely heavily on the CPU.

3. How much RAM do I need for Cities: Skylines?

8GB of RAM is the bare minimum, but 16GB is highly recommended. If you plan on using a lot of mods and assets, 32GB may even be beneficial.

4. Will upgrading my GPU improve my Cities: Skylines performance significantly?

While a better GPU can improve visual fidelity and frame rates, Cities: Skylines is primarily CPU-bound. Upgrading your CPU will generally have a greater impact on overall performance.

5. Does Cities: Skylines support multi-core CPUs?

Yes, Cities: Skylines does support multi-core CPUs, but its reliance on single-core performance means that a CPU with strong single-core performance will often perform better than a CPU with more cores but weaker single-core performance.

6. What is the “Loading Screen Mod” and how does it help with performance?

The Loading Screen Mod is a popular mod that optimizes asset loading, reduces memory usage, and provides detailed reports on asset usage. It can significantly improve loading times and reduce stuttering.

7. How do I reduce the number of vehicles in Cities: Skylines to improve performance?

Use mods like Traffic Manager: President Edition (TM:PE) to optimize traffic flow and reduce congestion. Also, improve public transportation and encourage citizens to use it.

8. My game is stuttering. What can I do?

Stuttering can be caused by various factors, including insufficient RAM, a weak CPU, or too many mods and assets. Try closing background applications, reducing graphics settings, and unsubscribing from unused mods.

9. Why does my game slow down as my city grows?

As your city grows, the game needs to simulate more citizens, vehicles, and buildings, which puts a strain on your CPU and RAM.

10. Is it better to play Cities: Skylines on an SSD or an HDD?

An SSD is highly recommended for significantly faster loading times and a more responsive experience.

11. Can I run Cities: Skylines on a laptop?

Yes, you can run Cities: Skylines on a laptop, but performance will depend on the laptop’s specifications. A gaming laptop with a dedicated GPU, a powerful CPU, and sufficient RAM will provide the best experience.

12. Are there any mods that specifically improve performance?

Yes, the Loading Screen Mod is the most popular. Also consider FPS Booster.

13. How can I monitor my CPU and RAM usage while playing Cities: Skylines?

Use the Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) or other monitoring tools like MSI Afterburner to track your CPU and RAM usage.

14. Why does my game crash frequently?

Game crashes can be caused by various issues, including insufficient RAM, corrupted game files, or conflicting mods. Try verifying the integrity of your game files through Steam and disabling potentially problematic mods.

15. Will Cities: Skylines 2 be more demanding than the original?

Given the graphical and simulation enhancements expected, Cities: Skylines 2 will likely be more demanding than the original. However, improved optimization and more efficient game engine could mitigate some of the performance impact. It is wise to expect and prepare for the new version to push computer hardware to even higher limits than the original.

How hard is it to run Cities: Skylines?