Your first city in Cities: Skylines: a beginner walkthrough

A simple step-by-step plan for the first hour on a new map, from picking the map to your first milestones.

Starting a new city can feel overwhelming. This walkthrough gives you a simple plan for the first hour.

1. Pick a forgiving map

Choose a map with lots of buildable land and a few highway and rail connections. That gives you space to make mistakes. Start with the maps with the most buildable land and read how to choose a map.

2. Start at the highway

Your city is connected to the outside world by the highway entrance. Build your first road from the highway and keep your main roads simple. A basic grid is easy to expand and easy for traffic to use.

3. Zone in small steps

Zone a little residential, commercial and industrial land along your roads. Watch the demand bars and add more of whatever is in demand. Keep industry away from housing; put it close to the highway so trucks do not drive through neighbourhoods.

4. Add the basics

Your citizens need power, water and sewage. Add them early, and add services such as health care, fire and police as your population grows. Place them where the people are.

5. Watch your budget

Check your income and expenses regularly. If you are losing money, slow down your growth, adjust taxes slightly or remove services you do not need yet.

6. Grow towards milestones

Each milestone unlocks new options. Read the milestones guide to see how they work, and check your map's milestone table so you know the next target.

7. Use resources and connections

Once the basics are running, look at your map's natural resources and outside connections. A specialised industry district on a nearby resource can give you strong exports. See natural resources explained and outside connections explained.

Common beginner mistakes

• Building too fast and running out of money.
• Putting industry next to housing.
• Making roads too narrow for the traffic they will carry.
• Ignoring your map's resources and connections.

Have fun and keep experimenting. Every map is different, and you can browse them all in the map list.

More guides