Cities: Skylines gets long-awaited Xbox One X upgrade

Many months ago, Paradox Interactive promised that Cities: Skylines would be upgraded for Xbox One X. Unfortunately, the publisher didn't provide a concrete timeline and many gamers were left wondering if the day would ever arrive. It was unclear if the upgrade was still in the pipeline.

Out of nowhere though, that changed today. Cities: Skylines is now listed as Xbox One X Enhanced on the Microsoft Store! We tested out the upgrade and it appears as though the game runs at 4K 60 FPS now. The listing also mentions "4K Ultra HD". However, until an in-depth analysis is conducted, there's no way to say for sure. It definitely looks much crisper, features better textures, and runs at a higher frame rate.

Management games, such as SimCity, are often very complex. Not only are you managing the game itself, but also the various overlapping menus that govern the game. As such, the preferred input method has been mouse and keyboard.

Cities: Skylines has proven that controllers can be a worthy input method for this type of game. It has set the standard for city-building games for years to come, as EA famously flubbed SimCity's 2013 version, forcing users to participate in an awful online experience that would go on to kill the franchise almost entirely.

In our review, we were "resoundingly impressed with how well the control schemes have translated to a controller, and it gives me hope that we could one day see more complex management-type games hit Xbox One, now that Cities: Skylines has shown us the way forward."

Cities: Skylines is currently available as part of Xbox Game Pass. The subscription costs $9.99 each month and provides you with Netflix-style access to over a hundred games.

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Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.