Simulation
City Skylines 2 on PC — Cities: Skylines II requirements & specs 2026
What build makes sense for Cities: Skylines II without overspending.
Quick summary — which PC for Cities: Skylines II?
- Estimated minimum setup: NVIDIA GTX 970 4 Go / AMD RX 470 4 Go (DirectX 12), 8 Go, SSD.
- For smooth 1080p: target a PC around $550 – $875.
- For high 1440p: target $875 – $1100 (NVIDIA RTX 3080 10 Go / AMD RX 6800 XT 16 Go (fiche Steam « recommand…).
- For comfortable 4K: target $1100 – $1300 and above.
- Best price-to-FPS value in 2026: the $875 – $1100 tier.
Find the right PC for Cities: Skylines II — compare by budget
Use the dedicated comparator to filter by budget, brand, and form factor (desktop or laptop).
Open comparator for Cities: Skylines II →Cities: Skylines II on PC: hardware guide and performance
Looking for a city skylines 2 pc build or the official Cities: Skylines II system requirements? Colossal Order’s sequel (Paradox / Steam, App ID 949230) is one of the heaviest city builders on PC in 2026 — simulation load spikes as population and traffic grow, not just at launch.
Steam minimum: Windows 10/11 64-bit, Intel Core i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, 8 GB RAM, NVIDIA GTX 970 4 GB / AMD RX 470 4 GB, DirectX 12, 60 GB on SSD (SSD is mandatory on the store page). Recommended: Intel Core i5-12600K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB DDR4, NVIDIA RTX 3080 / AMD RX 6800 XT. The recommended GPU tier is a high target for maxed visuals — many players run comfortably below it with tuned settings.
For a practical city skylines 2 pc at 1080p with a medium city: €800–€1,000 (RTX 3060 / RX 6600, Ryzen 5 5600 / i5-12400F, 16 GB RAM, NVMe SSD with 80 GB+ free). When your city becomes a megapolis or you use heavy mods, CPU and RAM matter more than the box minimum — 32 GB RAM and a strong 6-core+ CPU reduce simulation stutters.
1440p or dense late-game saves: €1,200–€1,500+ (RTX 4060 Ti / RTX 4070, 32 GB RAM). Unlike shooters, Skylines II rarely needs a flagship GPU if you accept lowering shadow/draw distance when FPS dips — but never install on HDD; Steam explicitly requires SSD.
Specs table, budget links to ready-made builds, and FAQ below. Use the PC4Games comparator to match desktop or laptop — and close background apps before loading a huge save.
Direct answer: which PC to play Cities: Skylines II?
- ▸Minimum budget to run the game : $550 – $875
- ▸Recommended budget (comfortable 1080p–1440p) : $875 – $1100
- ▸Optimal budget (1440p ultra or 4K) : $1100 – $1300
PC4Games estimates — see full configuration below.
PC4Games resources for buying a PC
Guides, methodology and data beyond this game page.
Useful sources
Minimum and recommended PC specs for Cities: Skylines II (Skylines 2 on PC)
| Component | Minimum requirements | Recommended requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | Intel Core i5-12600K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GTX 970 4 GB / AMD RX 470 4 GB (DirectX 12) | NVIDIA RTX 3080 10 GB / AMD RX 6800 XT 16 GB (fiche Steam « recommandé ») |
| Storage | SSD 60 GB (Steam exige un SSD) | SSD NVMe 80 GB+ (ville + DLC + cache) |
| Operating system | Windows 10/11 64-bit | Windows 10/11 64-bit |
| DirectX | DirectX 12 | DirectX 12 |
Swipe horizontally to view the full table.
Which PC for Cities: Skylines II with a large city?
For Cities: Skylines II at 1080p with a medium city, target €800–1,200 (RTX 3060 / RX 6600, 16 GB, SSD). For huge cities or 1440p, move toward €1,200–1,500+ (stronger GPU + 32 GB).
Frequently asked questions about Cities: Skylines II
What are the city skylines 2 pc requirements on Steam?
Minimum: Windows 10/11, i7-9700K / Ryzen 5 2600X, 8 GB RAM, GTX 970 / RX 470, DirectX 12, 60 GB SSD. Recommended: i5-12600K / Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB DDR4, RTX 3080 / RX 6800 XT. «City skylines 2 pc» and «Cities: Skylines II» refer to the same game.
Is «city skylines 2 pc» the same as Cities: Skylines II?
Yes — many searches drop the «s» in «cities» or use «skylines 2» without the colon. This page covers Cities: Skylines II (2023) on PC, not the original Cities: Skylines (2015).
What PC do I need for Cities Skylines 2 at 1080p?
A €800–€1,000 build: RTX 3060 / RX 6600, 16 GB RAM, Ryzen 5 / Core i5, NVMe SSD. Lower shadows and simulation detail if FPS drops in huge cities — CPU and RAM often bottleneck before the GPU.
Why does Cities Skylines 2 require an SSD?
Steam lists 60 GB SSD as a hard requirement. City simulation streams data constantly; HDDs cause long loads and stutters as saves grow.
Is 8 GB RAM enough for City Skylines 2 on PC?
Official minimum only. 16 GB is the practical floor; 32 GB helps late-game populations, mods, and browser guides open alongside the game.
Can I run Cities Skylines II on a laptop?
Yes — a gaming laptop with RTX 4060, 16–32 GB RAM and SSD (often €1,000–€1,200) works for 1080p. Thermal throttling can hurt long sessions; use a cooling pad and plug into power.
RTX 3060 vs RTX 3080 for Skylines 2?
RTX 3060–4060 is enough for 1080p with tuned settings. Steam’s RTX 3080 recommended line targets high/1440p — not mandatory for enjoyable city-building.
How much storage for Cities Skylines 2 with DLC?
Plan 80–100 GB+ free on NVMe: base install ~60 GB, plus patches, DLC and cache. Leave headroom before your city save balloons.
