Options → Audio → Set channels to Low or Mono. Surprisingly, audio processing can steal CPU cycles on very weak machines.
Access via: Options → Graphics
| Setting | Recommended Value | Why? | |---------|------------------|------| | Display Mode | Fullscreen | Gives slightly more FPS than borderless window. | | Resolution | 1366x768 or 1280x720 | Lower pixels = less GPU work. Avoid 1080p if you have integrated graphics. | | VSync | Off | Prevents frame drops when FPS dips below 30. | | Shadow Quality | Disabled or Low | Shadows are extremely costly. Disable completely. | | Texture Quality | Low | Reduces VRAM usage. Note: roads will look blurry. | | Level of Detail (LOD) | Low | Objects at a distance switch to low-poly models sooner. | | Shadows | Disabled | (Duplicate of above) Ensure it's off. | | Anisotropic Filtering | Off | Minimal visual gain for big performance cost. | | Anti-aliasing | Off | FXAA can be turned on only if edges bother you; otherwise off. | | Depth of Field | Off | Unnecessary blur effect. | | Ambient Occlusion | Off | Big GPU hit. | | Motion Blur | Off | Purely aesthetic and costly. | | Film Grain | Off | Saves tiny resources. |
Pro Tip: Set Resolution Scale to 80% or 90% (if available). This renders internally at lower resolution and upscales. Looks softer but runs faster.
By following this, you should see a massive jump in FPS and a reduction in the "simulation lag" (where cars stop moving in real-time).
Cities: Skylines smoothly on a low-end PC, you must prioritize CPU and RAM management
, as these are the primary bottlenecks during late-game simulation. 🛠️ Essential In-Game Graphics Settings
For the best balance between performance and visibility, use these manual adjustments instead of the default presets:
Disable them entirely or set to "Low" with a "Short" distance. This can boost FPS by approximately Level of Detail (LOD):
. The difference between Low and Medium is minimal in FPS, but the visual gain is significant. Texture Quality: Match this to your for less than 2GB and Anti-Aliasing & Anisotropic Filtering: Disable both. Use a mod like Render It! later if you need sharper edges with less cost. Special Effects: Depth of Field Film Grain Color Correction
to "None" or "Disabled" to improve image clarity and gain a hefty frame boost. 🚀 Critical Performance Mods
Vanilla settings can only do so much. These community-made mods are essential for low-end systems: FPS Booster cities skylines settings for low end pc better
Modifies the game's code to reduce CPU usage and increase frame rates. Loading Screen Mod
A must-have that optimizes RAM usage and drastically speeds up load times. Mini FPS Booster A lighter alternative specifically for older hardware. 🖥️ Windows & System Tweaks Optimizing your OS can provide a boost depending on your hardware.
How To Optimize Cities Skylines 2 and Increase Your FPS By +400% 21 Oct 2023 —
Boost Cities: Skylines Performance on Your Low-End PC You can play Cities: Skylines on a low-end PC by aggressively optimizing your graphics settings and managing your simulation load. This guide will help you achieve playable framerates without completely sacrificing the look of your metropolis. 🛑 Critical Display Settings First
Before tweaking graphics, adjust these basic display settings to instantly reclaim lost frames.
Lower Your Resolution: Drop from 1080p to 720p or 900p. This provides the biggest performance jump.
Use Fullscreen Mode: Exclusive fullscreen grants the game top priority over your Windows hardware resources.
Disable VSync: Vertical sync causes massive input lag and stuttering on low-end systems. Disable it. 🎮 Best In-Game Graphics Settings
Navigate to your graphics menu and apply these specific settings to keep your GPU from melting. High Impact Settings (Turn These Down)
Shadow Quality: Set to Low or Disabled. Shadows are the biggest performance killer in the game.
Shadow Distance: Set to Short. This prevents your PC from rendering shadows far away. Options → Audio → Set channels to Low or Mono
Tilt Shift Amount: Set to None. This depth-of-field blur effect wastes valuable GPU cycles. Moderate Impact Settings (Find a Balance)
Texture Quality: Set to Medium or Low. If you have at least 2GB of VRAM, Medium is usually fine.
Detail Level: Set to Low. This reduces the distance at which high-quality models load.
Anisotropic Filtering: Set to Low or Off. It makes textures look sharp at an angle but costs FPS.
Anti-Aliasing: Set to None. Edge smoothing is heavy on low-end graphics cards. 🧠 Managing the CPU Simulation Bottleneck
Cities: Skylines is notoriously heavy on your processor (CPU). Graphics settings alone will not save your game once your city grows large.
Cap Your Population: Keep cities under 50,000 citizens to prevent massive simulation lag.
Limit Public Transit: Too many buses and lines force the CPU to calculate thousands of paths. Keep it simple.
Clear Traffic Jams: Stuck cars force the game to constantly recalculate routes, eating up CPU power.
Minimize Game Speed: Running the game at 3x speed crushes low-end CPUs. Stick to 1x or 2x speed. 🛠️ Essential Performance Mods
If vanilla settings are not enough, the game's active modding community offers powerful performance tools. You can find these on the Steam Workshop. By following this, you should see a massive
Loading Screen Mod: A must-have. It drastically reduces RAM usage and speeds up load times.
FPS Booster: Optimizes the game's internal code to give you a direct frame rate increase.
Remove Decoration: Removes small sprites like grass and rocks that clutter the map and drain power. 💻 Quick PC Maintenance Tips
Ensure your computer is actually ready to run the game at its best.
Close Background Apps: Shut down Chrome, Discord, and Spotify before launching the game.
Enable High Performance Power Plan: Ensure your Windows power settings are not throttling your CPU.
Increase Pagefile Size: If you have low RAM (8GB or less), expand your Windows virtual memory on an SSD.
If you are playing on PC, the Steam Workshop is your best friend. You need these mods to play on a low-end machine. (Note: These require the "Hard Mode" mod to be active to change settings, or specific UI mods).
Cities: Skylines on a low-end PC is playable if you manage expectations. Expect 20-30 FPS in a new city, dropping to 15-20 FPS at 40k population. Avoid ultra-high resolutions, never use dynamic weather, and always play in fullscreen. The FPS Booster mod is non-negotiable – it alone can double your framerate on integrated graphics like Intel HD 620 or AMD Vega 3.
Would you like a list of specific low-spec city plans (e.g., grid-only, no props) to further reduce lag?
If you have only 4GB RAM: