Cities: Skylines 2 has been available to PC gamers since October of 2023, and originally, the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation versions were in development for a simultaneous release. A last minute delay pushed these versions back to spring 2024, and then later to October. Now, publisher Paradox Interactive and developer Colossal Order have announced another delay to the console versions.
"Dear console players, we wanted to update you on the console release schedule. Unfortunately, we have not yet met the stability and performance targets we set for the console release," says the announcement from today, July 8. "Without a Release Candidate (RC), we are now unable to meet an October release window."
Paradox has been under a lot of pressure from the PC audience following the lackluster launch condition of Cities: Skylines 2 on the platform. Recent updates are making major strides in improving the PC version though, with Steam user reviews even showing positive spikes following the beta modding tools and economy changes that have hit the title recently. The developer has delayed DLC and expansions to focus on updates to fix the experience.
Paradox goes on to say that the console version"s delay is due to issues that the development team is still trying to fix. A new release candidate is being prepped for August, and if that is received well internally, a new launch window should arrive then:
While we are making slow but steady progress, there are still unresolved issues impacting the game in ways that harm the player experience we want to deliver. We expect to receive a new RC, which will undergo a thorough review in August. This evaluation will determine whether we can begin the submission process and provide a solid release date, or if further issues need to be addressed.
Fans will have to wait and see until August at least to see whether they will be able to jump into the console versions in 2024, or wait even longer.