Hey friend! Have you heard about the incredibly fun and addictive city-building game called Cities: Skylines? If so, you‘re probably wondering – can I get Cities: Skylines for free? Or will I have to pay to construct my virtual urban utopia?
I‘ve got good news and bad news. Let‘s start with the bad news first: Unfortunately, there is no way currently to acquire the full Cities: Skylines experience for free. Being a major commercial title from publisher Paradox Interactive, it remains a premium paid game even years after release.
The good news though? While not free, Cities: Skylines frequently goes on sale and is considered well worth the price thanks to incredible depth and endless gameplay potential. Read on as I comprehensively break down the pricing and availability of Cities: Skylines across all platforms. I‘ll also offer tips on grabbing the game for cheap if you‘re on a budget.
We‘ll cover:
- What Cities: Skylines Is and Why It‘s So Popular
- Standard Pricing Breakdown for Base Game and DLC
- Occasional Free Promotions in the Past
- Console Version Pricing and Bundles
- Trying Cities: Skylines Out with Free Trials
- Why This Game Isn‘t Permanently Free
- How to Get Cities: Skylines at the Lowest Price
- Evaluating if Cities: Skylines Worth Purchasing
- Viable Free Alternatives to Experience Basic City Building
- Final Verdict on Getting Cities: Skylines for Free
Let‘s get to it!
So What is Cities: Skylines Exactly?
For anyone unfamiliar with this smash hit title, Cities: Skylines is a super in-depth, simulation-focused city building game developed by the team at Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive.
First released in 2015, it has since sold over 6 million copies and is widely considered one of the best city construction & management simulators available today.
The core gameplay has you developing residential, commercial, and industrial zones in your city, providing infrastructure like roads and public transit, managing municipal services like healthcare and education, and shaping your urban environment down to fine details.
The excellent simulation mechanics bring your city to life with thousands of citizens each following daily routines, interacting with the city, and generating demands. And with the enormous Steam Workshop support, there are over 150,000 community-created mods to expand the experience.
It‘s an incredibly fun, relaxing, and addictive game for constructors, architects, planners, or anyone who wants to nurture a virtual metropolis from quaint village all the way to sprawling megalopolis.
What‘s the Standard Pricing for Cities: Skylines and DLC?
As a popular commercial title from a major publisher, Cities: Skylines is not available for free. So what are the standard price points if you want to pick it up?
The base Cities: Skylines game currently sells for $29.99 USD across most PC platforms like Steam and Epic Games.
For consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, the prices are slightly higher at $39.99 USD on average. Regional pricing can differ slightly but hovers in that ballpark.
Now that‘s just for the core Cities: Skylines experience. In the 8 years since launch, there have also been 11 major expansion packs released that add substantial new systems.
These expansions usually sell for anywhere between $12.99 to $15.99 each. There are also dozens of smaller DLC packs with unique buildings, monuments, vehicles etc that go for between $4.99 to $7.99 individually.
All combined, you‘re looking at well over $200 USD worth of additional content available beyond the base game!
Here‘s a quick overview of Cities: Skylines pricing:
| Item | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Base Game (PC) | $29.99 |
| Base Game (Console) | $39.99 |
| Major Expansion (average) | $14.99 |
| Minor DLC | $4.99 to $7.99 |
| All DLC + Expansions | Over $200! |
So while the core game is quite fairly priced, accumulating all the added content gets expensive. Keep this in mind when budgeting to construct your dream city!
Rare Free Promotions in the Past
Now at this point, you might ask – has Cities: Skylines ever been made available for free?
The game does still need to be purchased by default across all platforms. However, there have been some exceptional promotional giveaways:
In March 2019, the base Cities: Skylines game was free on the Epic Games Store for 1 week. This resulted in over 6 million copies being claimed!
For the launch of Cities: Skylines on PS4 in 2017, PlayStation Plus members got the game free as part of the Instant Game Collection month.
Occasional free weekends or trials give temporary access, which I‘ll expand on soon.
So yes, there have been brief windows where the game was freely up for grabs. But these were limited-time events, often years ago now, and not something players can rely on moving forward unfortunately.
You may want to closely watch for any future similar promotions, but the game is normally paid.
What About Console Editions and Bundles?
You might be wondering if grabbing Cities: Skylines on consoles like PlayStation and Xbox comes with any savings or free perks.
While normally $39.99 like mentioned for console editions, it does occasionally see discounts, especially when bundled with DLC.
For example, the Xbox Store has offered the Xbox One edition bundled with popular expansions for only $24.99 during holiday sales.
The Nintendo Switch version also includes the After Dark DLC packed in for free. But besides situations like that, expect to pay full price for Cities: Skylines on any console platform.
Try Before You Buy with Limited Trials
While not a way to get the full game for free permanently, there are some limited-time trials available that let you experience Cities: Skylines risk-free.
On Xbox, active Xbox Live Gold members can download a free 2-hour trial to play the game and see what it‘s all about.
The catch is that your city saves will be locked after the trial expires. You‘d need to purchase the full game to resume building. But it lets you test the waters!
Over on Steam, there are occasional free weekend events where anyone can play Cities: Skylines for a set period, usually 3 days. Again, your cities would be locked after the promo ends unless you buy the game.
So time-limited trials can give you a taste without committing funds upfront. But they are just demos and not a permanent pathway to enjoy Cities: Skylines for free unfortunately.
Why Isn‘t Such a Great Game Permanently Free?
With millions of loyal fans and glowing reviews praising the quality and depth, you might ask – why don‘t the developers just make Cities: Skylines free at this point?
There are a few critical reasons why Cities: Skylines remains a paid title years after initial release:
Development Costs Need to be Recouped – Crafting such a complex simulation game with extensive mechanics and gameplay systems was not cheap! The developers have invested heavily into Cities: Skylines over the years when factoring salaries, tech costs, ongoing server expenses etc. These costs need to be recouped through sales.
Ongoing Licensing Fees – Cities leverages the Unity game engine which carries standard licensing fees, typically based on product revenue. While affordable for smaller projects, major releases have hefty licensing costs.
Post-Launch Support and Development – Releasing the game is only the beginning. There have been 8 years of ongoing patching, expansions, and technical support since launch. Transitioning to a free game would jeopardize resources available for this extensive post-launch development.
Publishers Want to Keep Earning Revenue – Game publishers like Paradox are businesses first and foremost. As an actively maintained game with a large audience, they want to keep earning money from such a valuable IP with paid expansions and DLC.
No Urgent Need for Wider Audience – With 6M+ sales already, Cities: Skylines has a very healthy player base. There‘s less incentive to "go free" for mass reach as there would be for a struggling game bleeding players.
Risk of Diminishing Perceived Value – Completely removing the price tag could backfire by making the game seem like a cheap freebie rather than premium title. Paid games are more "committable" to players.
Add up all these factors, and you can see why both the developers and publishers want to keep Cities: Skylines as a paid title rather than permanently free game. The economics simply align better that way.
Getting Cities: Skylines for the Lowest Price
Just because Cities: Skylines isn‘t free doesn‘t mean you have to pay full price either though! Here are some tips if you‘re trying to grab it for the lowest cost possible:
Wait for Steam Sales – Major seasonal sales like the Summer Sale can see the game 50-75% off.
Watch for Discounts on Key Sites – Sites like GreenManGaming often sell discounted game keys.
Utilize Cashback Sites – Get partial cash rebates on qualified purchases through sites like Rakuten to effectively pay less.
Buy Used Physical Copies – Check eBay or used game stores for deeply discounted pre-owned console discs.
Share with Friends Using Steam Family Sharing – Take turns playing one shared copy of the game.
Pick it Up in Bundles – Humble Bundle and Fanatical sometimes offer Cities: Skylines in discounted game bundles.
Consider CD Key Marketplaces – Sites like CDKeys sell digital codes at rates competitive with major sales.
Keep it on Your Wishlist – Wishlisting on Steam lets you get alerts for sales.
With the right patience and deal hunting, you can realistically grab Cities: Skylines for 50-75% off retail pricing. That makes the premium experience much more accessible!
Does Cities: Skylines Justify Its Asking Price?
At the end of the day given it‘s not free, the big question becomes – is Cities: Skylines worth paying for? Or should you keep holding out for a free promotion?
In my opinion, absolutely grab Cities: Skylines if you have any interest in immersive city simulations. Even at full price, you get tremendous bang for your buck thanks to:
Incredibly realistic and responsive simulation mechanics. Citizens react dynamically to changes you make.
Huge maps to build on with tons of customization options. Want to recreate your own hometown? Go for it!
An engaged modding community that expands the game exponentially. Over 150,000 mods on Steam Workshop and counting!
Ongoing post-launch support years later with new expansions still releasing.
A relaxing, engaging gameplay loop that is easy to lose hours or days at a time to.
Options to play casually or ultra in-depth for serious city planning fans. Appeal for all commitment levels.
Considering everything that‘s included, Cities: Skylines offers superb value for money as one of the highest-rated city builder franchises out there. Don‘t let the lack of a free option deter you from playing this masterclass in virtual urban creation.
Viable Free Alternatives to Scratch That City Building Itch
Maybe you still aren‘t in a position to purchase Cities: Skylines right now but want to get a free city fixing in the meantime. Not to worry, here are some decent free-to-play alternatives worth checking out:
SimCity BuildIt – A mobile spin-off of the classic SimCity series. Simplified mechanics but still fun, especially on the go.
City Mania – Web-based city builder with retro visual style. Basic but can kill some time for free.
Urban Empire – The free demo on Steam lets you play a sizeable chunk of the full game.
TheoTown – Mobile city simulation for Android and iOS. More advanced than typical mobile builders. Monetized via in-app purchases.
Citystate II – Web-based city simulation game inspired by classics from the SimCity 2000 era.
While not as deep as Cities: Skylines, these free options can satisfy the urban planning itch when you just can‘t buy the full experience yet. Building cities doesn‘t have to break the bank.
The Final Verdict on Getting Cities: Skylines for Free
Let‘s review the key points one more time:
Cities: Skylines is not a free game. It remains a premium paid title across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch, typically priced at $29.99 to $39.99 for the base experience.
You may very occasionally find it temporarily free during special promotions or with PlayStation Plus for example. But it‘s rare.
With 11 major expansions plus dozens of DLC packs, the complete version easily exceeds $200+ in total content costs!
Time-limited trials do allow a free peek, but don‘t confer permanent access.
Several valid reasons like development costs and publishing strategies keep Cities: Skylines a paid title rather than free-to-play.
However, with discounts and deals factored in, you can often grab the game for 50-75% off full price.
Most importantly, Cities: Skylines offers tremendous gameplay value and is considered well worth paying for even at full price. Don‘t let the lack of a free option stop you from playing this masterful city simulation!
So in closing, while you may not get Cities: Skylines entirely free, it remains a worthwhile game to budget for, especially given the frequent discounts. If city building is your passion, few games can compete with the engagement, depth, and attention to detail offered in this modern classic simulator.
Thanks for taking the time to read this complete breakdown on acquiring Cities: Skylines for free or at the lowest possible price point. Whatever you decide cost-wise, I hope you ultimately get to construct and manage the virtual metropolis of your dreams! Let me know if you have any other questions.
