Cities Skylines 2 is a city-building simulation game that offers players the opportunity to create and manage their dream cities. With its expansive maps, realistic traffic simulation, and intricate details, it’s no surprise that it is pushing players’ graphic cards to their limit. The game offers endless possibilities, but the experience can be hampered by performance issues, especially if you’re running it at higher resolutions. Don’t worry; we’ve got some tips to help you attain that buttery-smooth 30FPS experience without compromising too much on graphics quality.
Check Your PC’s System Requirements
Before delving into the game, it’s crucial to ensure your computer meets the system requirements. Cities Skylines 2 is a resource-intensive game, so having a capable PC is a fundamental requirement. Here’s a quick recap of the minimum and recommended specs:
Minimum:
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon RX 480
- CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
- RAM: 8 GB
- ROM: 60 GB (SSD)
Recommended:
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
- CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- RAM: 16 GB Dual Channel
- ROM: 60 GB (SSD)
Ensure your hardware meets at least the minimum requirements, and you’ll be on the right track.
Developers Never Targeted 60 FPS
Before moving on let me tell you that the fault is not from your end, developers never targeted 60 FPS for this game, their goal was to get 30FPS constant within the game at any resolution. This means 30 FPS was the peak of performance in the game for the high-end systems. They said:
The target is 30fps because of the nature of the game, (arguably) there are no real benefit in a city builder to aim for higher FPS (unlike a multiplayer shooter) as a growing city with inevitably become CPU bound.
What matters more with this type of game is to avoid stutters, and have responsive UI.
For that reason, our simulation is also built around an expected update rate given 30fps. However, it does not hurt to get 60 fps as it can contribute to better visuals in relation to temporal effects so while our target is 30fps, we don’t intend on limiting or stopping the optimization work just because we reach it on recommended hardware, we just don’t believe there would be a long term benefit in setting the target to 60fps, especially because we face rendering challenges both from close up and far distances.
How To Get 30 FPS Constant in Cities Skylines 2?
Optimize Graphics Settings
One common issue is trying to run the game at 4K resolutions. Unfortunately, as of now, Cities Skylines 2 isn’t optimized for 4K or even 2K graphics, especially on Nvidia cards. To achieve a stable 30 FPS, here’s what you can do:
- Lower the game’s resolution to 1920×1080 (1080p).
- Change the display from full screen to windowed mode.
- Disable depth of field.
- Turn off motion blur.
Following these steps will significantly improve your game’s performance. Sure, it’s not 4K, but you’ll enjoy a smoother experience without sacrificing too much in the graphics department.
Close Background Applications
Another performance booster is to close any unnecessary background applications and processes before launching the game. These processes can consume system resources, potentially slowing down your gaming experience.
Overclocking (For Advanced Users)
For the tech-savvy folks with overclockable hardware, consider overclocking your CPU and GPU to squeeze out that extra bit of performance. However, tread with caution, as this may void warranties and cause instability if not done correctly.
Final Thoughts
As of now, the key to fixing FPS and performance issues in Cities Skylines 2 is lowering your resolution to 1920×1080 (1080p). Even if you have a high-end GPU, it’s unlikely you’ll achieve a stable 30 FPS at 4K. The good news is that developers are probably aware of this issue and working on a fix. While we await the next patch, you can still revel in the joy of building your dream city.
So, there you have it! With these tweaks, you’ll be on your way to enjoying a smooth 30 FPS experience in Cities Skylines 2. Time to go back to perfecting your urban planning skills and watching your city flourish. Happy gaming!
