After 8 months, Cities Skylines 2 players finally have hope

It’s happening. We’re finally there. More than 8 months since Cities Skylines 2 was released to the collective dismay, even frustration, of its loyal player base, it seems like the big change is underway. Like looking at the information panel to gauge your Cims’ happiness, there are certain metrics that can tell us the current state of Cities Skylines 2. The big Economy Patch is one. The follow-up Detailer’s Patch is another. But as Colossal Order transforms money, wages, roundabouts, and service buildings in its city management sequel, perhaps most telling is a sharp uptick in positive Cities Skylines 2 Steam reviews.

The recent one-two of Cities Skylines 2 updates (the Economy Patch was transformative; the Detailer’s Patch delivered new, free service buildings, as well as fixes to wage and money bugs) brings the city building game closer to what we expected and hoped for back in October 2023. Cities Skylines 2 mods can still make a big impact on improving your game, but the official improvements from Colossal Order – strengthening the foundation – are what’s most important. Finally, the developer’s efforts seem to be having a tangible effect.

Looking at the Steam data for Wednesday July 3, when Colossal Order published comprehensive notes for the Detailer’s Patch, there’s a sudden, sharp increase in positive Cities Skylines 2 player reviews. Over the last month, the highest number of positive reviews in a single day has been 32 – on July 3, 78 positive reviews were posted for CS2.

The game is still rated overall as ‘mixed’ on Valve’s store, but there are other signs of a change in fan sentiment. According to figures from Steam Charts, in June, the month that Colossal Order launched the big Economy Patch, the average Cities Skylines 2 player count rose by more than 17%.

“Cities Skylines 2 is finally shaping up to be the game we wanted,” one player writes on Steam today, Thursday July 4. “Sure, it was a mess at launch and some content is still MIA, but it’s getting better. Colossal Order and Paradox are slowly but surely delivering the goods.”

“This game had a slow and terrible start, and we shouldn’t exactly forgive CO for that,” another player writes. “But the game is just a couple updates away from being a genuine successor to the Cities Skylines we all love, and the future of the game looks promising.”

While the future seems bright for Cities Skylines 2, don’t neglect the other best strategy games. You might also be thinking a little bigger with the best grand strategy games ever made.

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