How to choose a Cities: Skylines map

The five things that really matter when picking a map: buildable land, natural resources, outside connections, milestones and climate.

Cities: Skylines has 57 maps in this database, and they play very differently. The best map is the one that fits the city you want to build. Here are the five factors that matter, with a ranking for each so you can shortlist quickly.

1. Buildable land

Buildable land is the share of the map you can actually put roads and zones on. A high percentage gives you room for a sprawling grid; a low percentage forces compact, dense districts and clever use of terrain. These maps have the most:

1. Farmland Flats 90%
2. Desert Pass 89%
3. Grand River 84%
4. Pine Rivers 84%
5. Meandering River 83%

Full ranking →

If you want a relaxed first city, start with a high-buildable map. If you want a challenge, check the maps with the least buildable land.

2. Natural resources

Every map has some mix of forestry, fertile land, ore, oil and water. They matter because specialised industry districts depend on them: farms need fertile land, forestry needs trees, and the ore and oil industries need deposits. Read our natural resources guide for details, then browse the richest maps for oil, ore, fertile land and forestry.

3. Outside connections

Highways, railways, shipping channels and air routes link your city to the outside world. They bring in new residents, tourists and goods and let you export what you produce. A map with strong rail and highway connections is easier to grow; a map with no rail link needs more road capacity. See our guide to outside connections and the rankings for shipping and rail.

4. Milestones

Milestones are population targets that unlock new buildings, services and policies. The required populations differ from map to map: the final Megalopolis milestone ranges from 20,000 to 95,000 citizens. Maps with lower thresholds unlock content sooner. See the easiest maps to reach Megalopolis and our milestones guide.

5. Climate and weather

Temperature, rain, fog and the Northern Lights change the look and feel of a city. Warm maps suit desert and beach cities, cold maps suit winter cities. See the coldest maps, the hottest maps and our weather guide.

A quick decision guide

• First city: pick a map with lots of buildable land and several highway and rail connections.
• Industry-focused city: pick the map with the resource your industry needs.
• Port city: pick a map with many shipping routes and plenty of water.
• Challenge run: pick a map with little buildable land and few connections.
• Screenshots: pick a map with water, hills and varied weather.

Ready to browse? Use the map list to filter by DLC and sort by any resource.

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