Cities: Skylines 2 Guide – Maps
Cities Skylines 2 is finally upon us and this city-builder is packed full of features and customisation. Developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox, the first game was a runaway success, and the second looks to be just as enticing.
One of the more important parts of your city-building process will come from choosing a map to craft your perfect metropolis around. But which should you choose? Below, we break down all the different maps available in Cities Skylines II and the pros and cons of each:
Archipelago Haven
Difficulty: Expert
Archipelago Haven is tough. There’s only a 16% buildable area but on the flip side, it does have outside connections to everything. It’s also worth noting though that the rail connections are pretty far from the starting area that you’re likely to build from.
There are countless islands that could be used to connect all of this up together, presumably to create something akin to Italy or Croatia, making for a very visually appealing map.
This is arguably the most creative out of all the maps available, but it’s also one of the most challenging too. There’s a large area to begin building from but the huge mountains and islands on either side provide a big challenge.
Expect there to be plenty of big road networks to connect everything too, which will, of course, lend itself to traffic issues to clear up. On the flip side, it should be a bit easier to separate out industrial and residential areas.
Barrier Islands
Difficulty: Beginner
Barrier Islands is perfect for those who just want to let loose and create a huge, sprawling city. There are connections to all networks, including rail, road and planes, while 41% of the area is buildable.
It’s sunny, temperate, and has a lovely coastline too, There’s a big bridge that connects two islands and this could feel very simple from a visual perspective until you get a sprawling metropolis going. However, if you’re new to the series, this is a great choice to begin from.
Great Highlands
Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate
Great Highlands is a bit more challenging given there are some huge mountains dwarfing a large buildable area in the center of the map. Visually, it looks great and there’s a couple of rivers either side that can lend itself to some nice coastal areas.
You will need a bit of experience with this one though, given the climate which is a bit more on the cold side. The map also has some big highway connections to start off from though, which can be problematic for those just starting out.
However, there’s undeniably lots of potential with this map to create a visually interesting city.
Lakeland
Difficulty: Beginner
Nearly half of Lakeland is buildable, making it a great choice for beginners. There’s only rail, road and power available for outside connections though, meaning you won’t be able to utilize harbours or the sea to bring in goods. On the flip side, that’s one less problem to worry about and will allow you to focus on some of the other aspects for this map.
The starting area to build off from begins with a small grid of roads, making it perfect to create a US-style city. Finally, there’s some nice variation to the visuals, given the amount of water here.
Mountain Village
Difficulty: Intermediate
Mountain Village is not recommended for beginners. There’s only 21% of the map that’s able to be built on, and the climate is very chilly. There’s no shipping connections either, but there’s plenty of natural resources to build off from.
If you want to create a city that’s reminiscent of something akin to Switzerland and Austria, this one is perfect. There’s actually a good deal of variation with the landscape, and the starting area is pretty flat too, allowing you to begin simply before racketing up the difficulty. Although we’ve marked this one as intermediate, there’s actually a good scope of difficulty so it’s on the high side toward expert too.
River Delta
Difficulty: Intermediate
River Delta is another visually interesting map for players in Cities Skylines. There’s a huge river that splits the area right down the middle of the map, and there’s access to all outside connections, including shipping traffic. The latter in particular is absolutely tailor-made for this map.
There’s 42% buildable area, it’s sunny, with wide temperature variation, and there’s a lot of good road layouts. The thing is, there’s a lot going on here given the structure and the islands, which makes it somewhat more messy than it perhaps should be.Â
Sweeping Plains
Difficulty: Expert
Inspired by the New Zealand Canterbury, Sweeping Plains is a challenging map. The climate is cold, there’s only 31% buildable area and it’s difficult to build here, given there’s a deceptive amount of rolling hills and mountains. Even the smaller areas have these rolling hills, making it a challenge even for seasoned players to create the perfect city.
The start square is actually very simple, which is even more deceptive, given it’s quite far from the rail connections too. Even worse, it snows heavily during the winter months, which adds even more pressure on an already difficult city to get right. Experts though should be in their element!
Twin Mountain
Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate
Twin Mountain shares a lot of similarities with Sweeping Plains but with one twist – there’s no rail connections. As a result, all goods will need to be imported through other means.
Visually, the map looks great as it’s dwarfed by mountains on either side, while the road connections are simple, with highways leading off to a four-lane road at the start point. This is way more forgiving than Sweeping Plains, but there’s still a lot of elevation to contend with here.
This is a good one to pick if Sweeping Plains is too challenging but you still want somewhat of a difficult.
Waterway Pass
Difficulty: Intermediate
Waterway Pass is the only North American map set in the northern hemisphere! It’s sunny, there’s lots of weather variation, but there’s a nice river that snakes into the terrain, allowing you to either make individual towns on either side of it, one huge city that swallow it up in the middle, or even two individual cities with distinctive features to set them apart. The sky’s the limit for this one!
The starting area is also quite similar to that seen in the first game. As you branch out, the elevation starts to pick up, making it much more challenging during the late-game sessions.
Windy Fjords
Difficulty: Expert
Windy Fjords is a cold, temperature climate that’s set in the Southern Hemisphere. There’s only 21% buildable area with this one, and it’s dwarfed by large mountains on either side. There are little lakes off from the beaten path, and lots of tiny islands, complete with monstrous, mountainous regions, that make it a challenge to make a huge city.
It’s a very varied landscape and there is a possibility of accessing the top of the fjords via narrow slopes, but that, again, is tough to get right. Whatever you choose to do with this one, you won’t have a whole lot of space to do it, but visually this is definitely one of the most striking maps.
So there we have it! These are all the maps available in the base-game of Cities Skylines II. Of course, if you pre-ordered the game you do get access to additional maps, including San Francisco. Which map are to going to start with? Are you excited to play the second game? Let us know in the comments below!