Cities Skylines: Starting tips Cities: Skylines Guide

Last update: 04 May 2020

Key

Those marking were used in this guide:

Black color - important information and references to images.

Brown color - buildings and constant structures.

Green color - zones.

Orange color - infrastructure.

Blue color - interface elements.

Map

The beginning is only a small 2x2 km square. Someplace in it is a fragment of water and a motorway exit.

When you reach the second milestone you can buy another fragment of the ground with same size for a symbolic price. Next are unlocked each two milestones.

Map contains natural resources - forests, fertile ground, oil, beds. After you reach second milestone you gain access to resource viewer.

It's probably impossible to unlock whole map, and even if it is possible, terrain is so huge that it would require great amounts of patience and self-abnegation.

New ground means new possibilities. Don't buy it if it isn't needed and before buying check nearby resources to determine future growth direction.

For now, there are no natural disasters - build with no worries.

City

At the beginning, stop the simulation immediately after the map loads - it will help you avoid generating unnecessary maintenance costs.

You receive only 70.000 credits at the beginning. Spend them very wisely. For example, if you build too many roads you will bleed out your budget, and you won't receive any loan until you reach first milestone!

At first, build basic stuff - power plant, water intake, sewers. Connect the main street with motorway exit and build few residential zones. Don't forget about electricity (which is not flowing through zones) and water pipes.

Don't build anything new except zones until your budget is secured!

When you place new zones, remember that industry doesn't like residential areas - place industrial zones separately.

Different districts should be too large - it will allow you to maintain different parts of the city more easily.

Try to upgrade your roads when they are too narrow. Main alley should have at least three lanes, but later you will want to upgrade it to highway level, so keep some space for it.

Remember about providing services for residents and industry, as only services allow increasing building level. And higher level means more income.

Public buildings have specific capacity and efficiency. Remember that their reach depends on the road plan and you can always move them to other, more suitable place.

Specialized industry is producing resources needed for standard industry in your city. If traders will have everything available locally, then you will earn more from taxes.

Standard industry produces various commodities, which allows you to supply shops in your city with them. If shops don't need to import anything, their income is larger, which means that taxes are larger as well.

Invest in ecology. Advanced wind turbine is best for that, and then solar power. Try to get as quickly as possible to unlocking incineration plant as well.

Don't poison the life of your citizens - when you build new water pumping station don't place it near water drain pipe, and don't create residential zones near landfill. Sudden disease outbreak won't be good for you.

Large city has large dullness - even if you will react to the needs of citizens, their happiness might increase only slightly or after a long time.