Bikes Roll Into Cities Skylines 2
Cities Skylines 2 is getting one more big upgrade from Colossal Order before the game changes hands to a new developer. The latest update, nicknamed the bike patch, finally brings bicycles and electric scooters into the city builder, along with a bunch of new parks, transit options, and utility buildings.
If you enjoy designing realistic and efficient cities, this update is a pretty big deal. It is not just a cosmetic add on. It changes how citizens move around your city and how you plan your streets.
Out of the box, citizens who love two wheels will just ride on your normal road network alongside cars and trucks. That works, but it is not exactly safe or efficient. To help with that, the patch adds new tools so you can build a city that is properly friendly to cyclists.
- Bicycle paths let you create fully separated routes that only bikes and scooters can use.
- Bicycle lanes can be added to roads so cyclists have dedicated space without removing the road entirely.
This means you can design proper bike corridors that cut through districts, link neighborhoods, and keep slower traffic away from heavy vehicles. If you like min maxing traffic flow, these new routes give you another layer to optimize.
The patch also tackles something many city builders forget about: parking. It adds different types of bike parks where citizens can leave their bikes once they reach their destination. Just like car parks reduce street parking and calm congestion, bike parks encourage people to cycle more and drive less.
The end result is a city that can shift away from car dependency if you plan it well. More parking for bikes means more people choose them, which can lower traffic jams, reduce noise, and make your city feel more alive.
Parks, Plazas, And New Transport Toys
The bike patch is not just bikes. Colossal Order decided to squeeze in a bunch of extra content that rounds out your city building toolbox.
First up is a fun one. There is a new park that is literally a bike park in two senses of the word. It is a recreational area themed around bicycles, and at the same time it works as a parking spot for bikes. So citizens can roll in, leave their ride somewhere safe, and enjoy the park itself. It is a small touch, but it fits nicely into a city that is built around cycling.
The update also adds:
- A campfire area for more natural, cozy recreational zones at the edge of town or in your forest parks.
- Several business plazas that give your commercial districts more variety and a more believable corporate feel. These areas are designed as places where workers can gather but not exactly forget they are at work.
On the transport and infrastructure side, the patch goes even further. None of these are bike related, but they are great if you love building complex transit networks.
- New train depot to manage your rail services more effectively.
- Railway terminus station that can be extended with a multiplatform bus station and a tram stop for a fully integrated hub.
- Cargo transfer station for handling freight traffic more smoothly across your rail network and roads.
- Three new tram stations to flesh out your tram lines and better connect districts.
The patch also introduces two new types of wind turbines to diversify your renewable energy grid. These give you more options when you want cleaner power without relying only on the same few buildings.
And finally there is a small cemetery. It is a dark little addition, but a useful one. When your city grows and you start running out of space for the dead, this helps you handle that late game problem without always dropping huge graveyard complexes everywhere.
Colossal Order Hands The Reins To Iceflake Studios
As exciting as the content is, the bike patch matters for another reason. It is likely the last big mechanical update that Colossal Order will deliver for Cities Skylines 2.
The studio is not quite done yet. Before they leave the project early next year, they plan to implement Asset Mods support. That should open the door to more modding and community creativity, which is a big part of why the first Cities Skylines became so popular.
After that handoff, development moves to Iceflake Studios, another Finnish team under the same publisher, Paradox Interactive. Iceflake will take over ongoing updates and improvements for Cities Skylines 2 and is expected to share its long term plans in the near future.
The exact reasons for this change have not been clearly explained. Cities Skylines 2 had a rough launch which definitely made life harder for Colossal Order, but it is still unusual to see a sequel handed over to a different studio after release.
Paradox however has started to build a pattern here. The publisher has already switched developers on other big projects, such as Prison Architect 2 and Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2. Cities Skylines 2 is now another example of a game changing creative hands mid life.
For players, the takeaway is simple. The bike patch gives you more ways to shape traffic, parks, transit hubs, and utilities right now. And in the background, a new studio is gearing up to steer the future of the game. If you bounced off at launch, this might be a good moment to check back in and see how your dream city handles life on two wheels.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/cities-skylines-2s-bicycle-update-adds-a-lot-more-than-just-bikes-as-colossal-order-prepares-to-hand-over-development-to-a-new-studio/
