These days, a new game launching with less-than-ideal performance is an unfortunately-common occurrence, but it’s still relatively rare for developers to warn potential players about it beforehand. That’s exactly what Cities: Skylines II developer Colossal Order has done though – they’d previously raised their Minimum and Recommended PC specs, and now they warn they haven’t “achieved the benchmark we targeted” implying performance probably won’t be great even with the proper rig. Despite this, Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive are sticking to their October PC release date (the current-gen console versions have been pushed to next summer).

　　“Cities: Skylines II is a next-gen title, and naturally, it demands certain hardware requirements. With that said, while our team has worked tirelessly to deliver the best experience possible, we have not achieved the benchmark we targeted. In light of this, we still think 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.

　　We will continually improve the game over the coming months, but we also want to manage expectations on performance for the coming release. Our ambition is for Cities: Skylines II to be enjoyed by as many players as possible, and we're committed to ensuring it reaches its full potential. Thanks for your understanding and support. We're lucky to have a community as passionate and dedicated as you.”

　　Here are the rather high PC requirements for Cities: Skylines II...

　　Minimum

　　CPU: Intel Core i7 6700k or AMD Ryzen 4 2600XRAM: 8 GBCPU: NVIDIA GeForece GTX 780 (4 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 470Recommended

　　CPU: Intel Core i5 12600k or AMD Ryzen 5 5800XRAM: 16 GBCPU: NVIDIA RTX 3080 (10 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XTColossal Order has also provided an update on mods, with tools not coming until shortly after Cities: Skylines II’s launch. At first, these mod tools will provide a “basic framework,” but the devs promise mods will be a major focus for them post-launch. On the plus side, Colossal Order promises console players will be able to use modded assets once the game launches on Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

　　Cities: Skylines II arrives on PC on October 24 and Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on June 30, 2024. What do you think? Looking forward to the new city builder? Or are there too many warning signs at this point?