Cities Skylines 2's new developer has made big strides, but there is "plenty of work ahead"

After years of struggle, there's the prospect of dawn on the horizon for Cities Skylines 2. Developer Iceflake Studios, which took over from original creator Colossal Order at the start of 2026, has been making steady improvements to the troubled city-builder sequel, and it's beginning to show. Recent reviews are in the blue, and while its overall user score still sits in the 'mixed' mire, there is a feeling of hope. There's a long road ahead, however, and so the team has taken a moment to reflect on its work so far, and what the future holds.

"Since we took over, we have been working on improving the nooks and crannies of every corner of the game," Iceflake says. "Some of these changes have been easier to spot, while others have happened behind the scenes, quietly making sure everything runs a little better." The developer is currently working on its upcoming Park Adventures DLC, which will allow you to build everything from community hangout spots to zoos and amusement parks, and also brings some fundamental improvements to the way citizens and leisure are simulated throughout the base game.

The simulation aspects of Cities Skylines 2 are something Iceflake plans to focus even more on. "Citizens need to get around, companies need to find places to operate, services need to do their jobs, and all of this needs to happen without bringing your carefully planned city to a full stop." Its work so far has been on ensuring that such mechanics integrate more consistently, with the goal being to ensure the simulation "behaves more reasonably, puts less unnecessary strain on performance, and gives you a more reliable foundation to build on."

Performance is also "an important part" of Iceflake's work. The team acknowledges that it remains a key frustration among much of the player base, and promises to continue honing CS2 in this regard. "Unfortunately there is not one magical line of code that would make everything run perfectly," it notes. "It is a continuous process of identifying bottlenecks, testing changes, and finding ways to make the game handle your ever-growing cities a bit better."

All of those are important elements, although they're not especially 'fun.' More entertaining are Iceflake's plans towards "making the building experience more flexible and giving you greater control over the little details." Whether it be road layouts, neatly fitting buildings into their surroundings, or offering more ways to shape and reshape the landscape, the team is attempting to "remove some of the limitations and give you more ways to make your city feel your own."

Importantly, the developer knows that "building and creating your city does not stop with the tools and assets included in the base game." In order to continue supporting the modding community, it's been building improvements to the asset editor "and the overall modding workflow." It teases, "There is quite a bit happening behind the scenes, and making these tools more accessible and reliable means fewer obstacles between your ideas and the finished product."

Iceflake's most recent patch has just rolled out, and acts as "groundwork for the upcoming expansion." It includes fixes for problems such as cities accumulating more companies than they could support, and Hydroelectric Power Plants not functioning as intended. "We will continue to monitor the situation," it remarks, "since we know there are still some issues that need to be addressed." The update also includes an updated UI framework with support for upscalers, and yet more technical boosts are being polished for release soon.

"We know that there is still plenty of work ahead of us, and we know that there are many more things you would like to see improved," the team notes. "That said, there is something quite huge coming in December alongside Park Adventures, and we can't wait for you to see it. In the meantime, we will keep chipping away at our to-do list, and we will continue to rely on your feedback along the way. Thank you for sticking with us. Now, back to work."