Cities Skylines 2 won’t delay launch despite missing performance benchmark

Publisher Paradox Interactive warned players that Cities Skylines 2 may launch with performance issues, and its decision not to delay the game has fans split.

The sequel to the ever-popular city-building simulator Cities Skylines is releasing on PC soon, but it seems the launch may not be as smooth as fans hoped.

In a forum post, publisher Paradox Interactive shared a note on the game’s performance regarding what players can expect at launch. Here, Paradox warns of potential performance issues players may face, saying it wants to “manage expectations” for the experience.

While Paradox does promise to improve Cities Skylines 2’s performance post-launch, fans are divided on whether or not releasing the game now is the right choice over delaying it until these issues are sorted out.

Fans divided over Paradox’s decision not to delay Cities Skylines 2

In the post, which also announces a new mod platform for the sequel, Paradox explained that “while our team has worked tirelessly to deliver the best experience possible, we have not achieved the benchmark we targeted.”

Though it does not give any specifics on the build or its current issues, the publisher also said “for the long-term of the project, releasing now is the best way forward. We are proud of the unique gameplay and features in Cities: Skylines II, and we genuinely believe that it offers a great experience that you will enjoy.”

This isn’t the first roadblock the game has faced. Last month, Paradox announced it was delaying the game’s Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 launch until Spring 2024.

As the comments on the forum show, fans are split on whether this is the right choice or not.

“I personally trust that you all will work hard to get it to an acceptable level and get this game to more platforms,” one player responded. Others were also grateful to Paradox for being transparent about the issues.

On the other hand, another sarcastically said, “We will release an unfinished game. Thanks for your money.”

Paradox does have a long history of supporting its games for years after launch. The original Cities Skylines received over a dozen DLC packs, the most recent of which was released earlier this year – a full eight years after launch. 2016’s Stellaris also continues to get updates and expansions, so it makes sense that a good number of fans would trust the publisher’s decision here.

As for whether Cities Skylines 2 on PC lives up to expectations or should have been delayed like its console editions, players will have to decide for themselves after the games releases on October 24.