Cities XXL

Release Date: February 5, 2015

Strategy, economic, sandbox, city builder, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet

4.5

OpenCritic

38%

Steam

Rate It!

A sequel to the popular economic strategy Cities XL, released in 2009 and re-relased twice in enhanced editions. The game was produced by Focus Home Interactive, which purchased the brand license after the original publisher, Monte Cristo, went bankrupt. The basic mechanics remain unchanged: you play as the mayor of a virtual city and your task is to manage its development and to make sure everything is functioning as it should.

Cities XXL is a real-time strategy game focused on managing a contemporary city. It was developed by an in-house studio of Focus Home Interactive, the creators of Cities XL 2011 and Cities XL 2012.

The game is based on solutions similar to those from the two previous installments in the series. The players assume the role of a mayor of a virtual city. During the game, it is important to ensure proper development, satisfy the needs of our citizens and to balance the budget. In order to do so, we construct all kinds of buildings (e.g. industrial, residential and public), establish infrastructure, as well as handle taxing and social welfare.

Before we start, we may freely set starting conditions, such as landform and climatic conditions. All of these elements significantly influence the gameplay because a tropical city requires a different approach from, for example, a mountainside metropolis.

Alas, the developers did not introduce many changes in the gameplay mechanics, they merely created a few new maps, while most of the already known solutions remain pretty much the same. Cities XXL is also powered by the very same engine, so it presents the exact same quality even in technical terms.

Last updated on August 14, 2015

guide

Last Update: March 4, 2015

Cities XXL Game Guide

If you were always interested in how it feels to move in some secluded places and to establish a new village, the game Cities XXL will let you experience that. Become founder of one of the largest cities. Unfortunately, a mayor doesn't live in clover.

Cities XXL Game Guide

Videos and Screens

[1:04] Cities XXL launch trailer

[1:15] Cities XXL Life in the city

4.5

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 3% of Critics. There are 8 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

We Got This Covered: 2 / 5 by Chaz Neeler

Cities XXL feels more like a sidegrade than a true upgrade, as it offers little more than a performance patch for its $40 price tag.

Full Review

PCGamesN: 3 / 10 by Fraser Brown

As a sandbox for building stupidly large cities, Cities XXL can be a fun diversion when performance issues aren't rearing their ugly heads. But once the buildings are plonked down, there's little to do aside from plonking down more of them. The management aspects are shallow, and made entirely redundant by how easy it is to reach Scrooge McDuck levels of wealth. And there's a serious dearth of good reasons for veteran Cities players to return. They've seen it all before.

Full Review

Game Debate: 6 / 10

Part of the satisfaction of a city builder is looking down at your creation, watching it grow and develop. Just whizzing the camera around your constructed world in Cities XXL can be satisfying. It's just a shame it forget the other half of what makes the genre great - management. At its core it's a fun game with some solid tools and the potential for absolutely massive creations, but you'll have to overcome a pretty bland art style and a lack of challenge to get the best out of it. The makings are so nearly there for a great city builder, but Cities XXL just falls short in too many of the key areas.

Full Review

38%