Cities: Skylines

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Linux • 2015

2015

Quick resume

Cities: Skylines is a modern take on the classic city simulation. The game introduces new game play elements to realize the thrill and hardships of creating and maintaining a real city whilst expanding on some well-established tropes of the city building experience.

Global score

93/100

Genres

Simulator, Strategy

Similar games

Pros

Extensive mod support and customization
Large, expandable maps
Deep and realistic city simulation
Addictive and long-lasting gameplay
Active developer and community engagement

Cons

Expensive dlcs
Traffic management can be frustrating
Performance issues with large cities and many mods
Lack of multiplayer or cooperative modes
No narrative or story mode

Motivations

Autonomy

Game with the same Autonomy vibe

5

"Players have full control over city planning, zoning, terraforming, and regional management with extensive modding freedom."

SimCity™ 4 Deluxe Edition
"Players have full control over city planning, road design, zoning, policies, and mod customization, enabling high personal freedom and decision-making."
Competence

Game with the same Competence vibe

4

"Game offers complex challenges in balancing economy, politics, and citizen needs, requiring skillful management and strategic planning."

Tropico Reloaded
"The game offers complex challenges like traffic management, budget balancing, and infrastructure planning that require skill and learning."
Competition

Game with the same Competition vibe

-3

"Focus is on personal city development and resource management without emphasis on player-vs-player competition or leaderboards."

Highrise City
"Focus is on personal city building and management without direct player-vs-player competition or leaderboards."
Continuation

Game with the same Continuation vibe

5

"Highly addictive with long play sessions and players investing hundreds to thousands of hours."

X4: Foundations
"Highly addictive with long play sessions and players often spending many hours continuously building and optimizing their cities."
Cooperation

Game with the same Cooperation vibe

-4

"Primarily a single-player experience focused on individual city management; limited multiplayer or cooperative elements."

Zeus + Poseidon
"Primarily a single-player experience focused on individual city management with minimal multiplayer or cooperative elements."
Creativity

Game with the same Creativity vibe

5

"Strong creative freedom in building design and world shaping; players can customize structures extensively."

Sapiens
"Extensive creative freedom in designing cities, roads, districts, and using mods to customize assets and gameplay."
Domination

Game with the same Domination vibe

-5

"No elements of exerting control or superiority over other players; interactions are solo and non-competitive."

Grand Pigeon's Duty
"No elements of exerting control or superiority over other players; interactions are individual and non-competitive."
Escapism

Game with the same Escapism vibe

4

"Players use the game as a relaxing and immersive escape, enjoying the city building and resource management away from real-life stress."

Highrise City
"Players use the game to immerse themselves in city building and management, often as a relaxing escape from real life."
Expectation

Game with the same Expectation vibe

-4

"Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and enjoyment rather than obligation or external pressure."

inZOI
"Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and enjoyment rather than obligation or external pressure."
Experimenting

Game with the same Experimenting vibe

5

"Players experiment with city layouts, policies, and mods to optimize and customize gameplay."

SimCity™ 4 Deluxe Edition
"Strong emphasis on experimenting with layouts, mods, policies, and city designs to optimize and personalize gameplay."
Exploration

Game with the same Exploration vibe

3

"Players explore large custom layouts and community maps, discovering new creations and secrets."

Rolling Line
"Players explore large maps and unlock new tiles, discovering new areas to develop and customize."
Expression

Game with the same Expression vibe

5

"High level of self-expression through building customization and town aesthetics."

Stonehearth
"High level of self-expression through city aesthetics, custom assets, and mod-driven personalization."
Fantasy

Game with the same Fantasy vibe

-2

"Simulates realistic city management and urban planning rather than imaginative or fantastical scenarios."

SimCity™ 3000 Unlimited
"Game simulates realistic city management scenarios, focusing on plausible urban planning rather than imaginative fiction."
Fellowship

Game with the same Fellowship vibe

-3

"Community exists for support and discussion, but gameplay is solitary without social group identity or collaboration."

Unnamed Space Idle
"Community exists around mods and sharing creations, but gameplay itself is solitary without social gameplay."
Growth

Game with the same Growth vibe

4

"Players learn mechanics, optimize resource flows, and develop city management skills over time."

Foundation
"Players learn and improve city planning skills, traffic management, and economic balancing over time."
Health

Insufficient data

No nearest game available
Idle

Game with the same Idle vibe

-4

"Requires constant attention and active management of policies and city development."

Citystate
"Requires continuous attention and active management of city systems rather than passive or background play."
Intimacy

Game with the same Intimacy vibe

-5

"No close relationships or emotional social interactions; focus is on individual experience."

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered
"No close personal relationships or emotional social interactions; focus is on city management."
Leadership

Game with the same Leadership vibe

4

"Players act as mayor, leading and managing their cities with decision-making authority."

SimCity™ 4 Deluxe Edition
"Players act as city mayor, leading and managing all aspects of the city’s development and policies."
Progression

Game with the same Progression vibe

4

"Unlocking buildings, upgrading citizens, and expanding city represent clear progression."

Foundation
"Progression through unlocking new buildings, districts, policies, and map expansions as city grows."
Relaxation

Game with the same Relaxation vibe

3

"Many players find the game relaxing and satisfying, though traffic issues can cause frustration."

InfraSpace
"Many players find the game relaxing and enjoyable, though managing traffic and budgets can create tension."
Sensation

Game with the same Sensation vibe

2

"Visual and auditory feedback is pleasant but not extreme; some excitement from strategic victories."

Legion TD 2 - Multiplayer Tower Defense
"Visual and auditory feedback is pleasant but not intense; focus is on strategic and creative engagement."
Status

Game with the same Status vibe

-3

"Achievements and community recognition exist but social status is not a core gameplay element."

Definitely Not Fried Chicken
"Achievements and community recognition exist but social status is not a core gameplay element."
Story

Game with the same Story vibe

-4

"No narrative or plot; gameplay is context-free city building and management."

Foundation
"No narrative or plot; gameplay is context-free city building and management."
Strategy

Game with the same Strategy vibe

5

"High emphasis on strategic planning, resource allocation, and problem-solving in city management."

Pharaoh™: A New Era
"Strong strategic and problem-solving elements in managing traffic, budgets, zoning, and city services."
Thrill

Game with the same Thrill vibe

-2

"Gameplay is predictable and low risk; lacks suspense or intense thrills."

Gachi Heroes
"Gameplay is generally controlled and predictable; lacks suspense or risk-driven thrills."
Value

Game with the same Value vibe

3

"Players perceive good value for time invested, especially with ongoing updates and mod support."

Session: Skate Sim
"Players perceive good value for time invested, especially with mod support and DLC content."
Violence

Game with the same Violence vibe

-5

"No combat or destruction focus; gameplay centers on constructive city-building."

SimCity™ 4 Deluxe Edition
"No combat or destruction focus; gameplay centers on constructive city building and management."
Survival

Game with the same Survival vibe

2

"Some elements of managing threats like heretics and disasters, but overall low risk and stable conditions."

Deisim
"Some elements of managing threats like disasters and resource shortages, but generally stable conditions."

Analysis

Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fantasy, Violence, Story, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Survival, Expression.

How to use the graph

Similar games map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

Where to buy

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Last update: 30/04/2026

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