Cities: Skylines II Is Free to Play on Steam Until November 16, With a 30% Discount Following

Cities: Skylines II free weekend and discount on Steam, Digi Mart USA News: Cities: Skylines II, the city-building game in which players construct a town from a few roads into a large metropolis or a small village, is free to play on Steam until November 16, according to a Notebookcheck report published November 13, 2026.

The game has had a mixed reception. Professional critics were fairly positive, with GameStar (in German) awarding it 74 out of 100 and PC Gamer giving it 77, and praising its creative possibilities and improved road-building tools.

Reviewers also pointed to poor performance and sometimes underdeveloped simulation. On Metacritic it holds a Metascore of 74, while the user score is 4.2.

Player sentiment on Steam has been weaker. The report says just 55% of more than 95,000 player reviews are positive, with complaints about technical issues, unpredictable traffic AI, economic systems that do not always behave logically and the game’s DLC policy.

The report says things appear to be improving. Since early 2026, the game has been developed by Iceflake Studios, which has released updates intended to improve performance and the underlying simulation.

According to the report, 72% of Steam reviews from the past 30 days are now positive, although the problems have not all been resolved.

Players who want to keep playing after the free period can get a 30% discount until November 19, bringing the price to $34.99 from just under $50. According to SteamDB, as cited by the report, this matches the game’s previous all-time low, last reached during the Steam Autumn Sale. The report also notes that the game is officially rated “Unsupported” on the Steam Deck, although ProtonDB gives it a “Gold” rating, and that its demanding hardware requirements mean it is likely only worth recommending on the handheld with reservations.

Notebookcheck notes that it is not responsible for price changes made by retailers, and that the offer may be subject to time restrictions or limited availability.