How to play Cities: Skylines 2 on Mac

Game Overview

Cities: Skylines 2, developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive, is the sequel to the highly successful city-building game Cities: Skylines, which was released in 2015. The game launched on October 24, 2023, and aims to build upon the robust mechanics of its predecessor with enhanced features and deeper simulation capabilities. Cities: Skylines 2 is touted as the “most realistic city builder ever,” featuring advanced simulation of city management, including transportation, economy, and citizen lifepaths. The game allows players to utilize up to 150 map tiles in a single city, significantly more than the original’s nine tiles. It also includes new environmental challenges like hailstorms, tornados, and forest fires. The game supports extensive modding, allowing players to create and share custom content, which has been a significant factor in the longevity and community engagement of the original game. New features include changing seasons and climate effects, which impact gameplay by introducing seasonal challenges and influencing city management strategies. As of now, Cities: Skylines 2 is not natively available for macOS. However, players can use compatibility tools like CrossOver, Parallels, cloud gaming and BootCamp to run the game on Mac. CrossOver allows Mac users to run Windows applications, including games, by translating Windows commands into macOS commands.

1. Play Cities: Skylines 2 on cloud gaming services (Boosteroid and GeForce Now)

Note: Cloud gaming probably is the best way to play Cities: Skylines 2 on Mac (M1/M2/M3) currently as game is poorly optimized even for high-end PCs. Running it via compatibility layers may lead to low performance and crashes.

Cloud gaming platforms stream games from remote servers, offering high performance without demanding hardware. Cloud gaming services are expanding the accessibility of gaming by eliminating many of the traditional barriers, such as the need for constant hardware upgrades and the initial cost of games. As internet speeds increase and technology advances, cloud gaming continues to grow as a popular alternative to traditional console and PC gaming.

Boosteroid

Boosteroid is a cloud gaming platform that allows users to play video games directly from the cloud on various devices, including PCs, smartphones, and smart TVs. This service provides access to a wide range of games without the need for powerful hardware. With Boosteroid, gamers can stream their favorite games over the internet, bypassing the need for downloading or updating games locally. The platform operates on a subscription model, offering different tiers to accommodate various user needs and preferences. Boosteroid is known for its ease of use, enabling seamless gaming experiences across different operating systems and devices, promoting greater accessibility and convenience for gamers worldwide.

1. Visit Boosteroid, sign up, and subscribe.
2. Search for the Cities: Skylines 2 game and play directly in your web browser.

Note: Boosteroid streams games seamlessly, making it accessible on most internet-connected devices.

GeForce Now

GeForce Now is a cloud gaming service developed by NVIDIA that allows users to stream video games to their devices, leveraging NVIDIA’s powerful cloud-based GPU servers. This service enables gamers to play their own games from popular digital libraries such as Steam, Epic Games Store, and Uplay on virtually any device, including PCs, Macs, Shield TVs, and mobile devices. GeForce Now differentiates itself by not requiring users to purchase games from a specific library, instead allowing them to play games they already own, provided those games are supported on the service. It offers various membership tiers, including a free option and a premium subscription that provides enhanced graphics with RTX technology, reduced waiting times, and extended session lengths.

1. Register for a GeForce Now account on their website. Choose between free or premium plans.
2. Install the GeForce Now app on your chosen device (PC, Mac, or mobile).
3. Use the search feature in the app to locate Cities: Skylines 2.
4. Click Play on Cities: Skylines 2 within the app to begin streaming the game.

2. Play Cities: Skylines 2 using Parallels

Cities: Skylines 2 is playable on Parallels, on Intel or M Macs, however you need to have at least 24 GB of RAM, because Windows 10 or 11 VM eats many resources. Additionally, graphic settings won’t be the best as Parallels currently only supports DirectX 11.

Parallels is a software application that allows users to run Windows and other operating systems simultaneously alongside macOS without rebooting. This virtualization technology is particularly popular among Mac users who need to access Windows applications for work or play. Parallels Desktop is known for its seamless integration, offering features like Coherence Mode, which allows applications from different operating systems to run side-by-side as if they are part of the same system. This makes it incredibly convenient for users to switch between macOS and Windows applications. Additionally, Parallels is designed to optimize performance, ensuring that both the Mac and the virtualized environments run efficiently. This software is a robust solution for those who require multiple operating systems but prefer to use one computer. Here’s how to use it:

1. Go to the Parallels website, download the installer and apply for free trial.
2. Install a Windows operating system within Parallels. You’ll need a Windows license.
3. On Windows, download and install Cities: Skylines 2 as you would on a PC (using Steam).
4. Launch the game within the Windows virtual machine.

Install Windows 11 on Mac with Parallels (Step 1)

Install Windows 11 on Mac with Parallels (Step 2)

Install Windows 11 on Mac with Parallels (Step 3)

Install Windows 11 on Mac with Parallels (Step 4)

3. Play Cities: Skylines 2 with CrossOver via Steam

CrossOver is a software tool that enables users to run Windows applications on macOS and Linux without needing a Windows operating system license. It is based on the popular open-source Wine project and works by translating Windows API calls into POSIX calls on-the-fly, eliminating the performance and resource penalties of virtual machines. With CrossOver, users can seamlessly integrate Windows applications into their native environment, running them as if they were native applications on their Mac or Linux systems. This software is especially useful for those who need access to certain Windows-only programs for business, education, or gaming purposes, providing a streamlined and efficient solution without the complexity of dual-booting or maintaining a separate Windows installation. Here’s how to play Cities: Skylines 2 using CrossOver through Steam:

1. Visit the CrossOver website, purchase the software, and download it. Install CrossOver on your Mac by dragging it into the Applications folder.
2. Open CrossOver, click Install a Windows Application, and select Steam from the list. Follow the prompts to install.
3. On the right side, in the Advanced Settings, switch D3DMetal and MSync toggles.
4. Launch Steam within CrossOver, log into your Steam account, find Cities: Skylines 2 in the Steam store, and install it.
5. Navigate to the Library in Steam, find Cities: Skylines 2, and click Play to start your simulation.

Install a Windows Application -> Steam

Install Steam on Mac via Crossover

4. Use Boot Camp (for Intel-based Macs only)

Note: Boot Camp is not supported on Macs with M1/M2/M3 chips.

Boot Camp is a utility software included with macOS that allows users to install and run Windows on Macintosh computers in a dual-boot configuration. By partitioning the computer’s hard drive, Boot Camp enables a Mac to boot either into macOS or Windows, providing full system performance for Windows as it runs natively on the hardware. This solution is ideal for Mac users who need to run Windows applications that do not have macOS versions or who require the performance benefits of running certain programs directly on the hardware without virtualization overhead. Boot Camp simplifies the installation process, guiding users through the setup with step-by-step instructions and making it straightforward to switch between operating systems.

1. Get the Windows 10 ISO file (Windows 11 ISO file) from the Microsoft website. Choose the version that matches your license.
2. Find Boot Camp in the Utilities folder within your Applications. Open it to start the setup.
3. Use Boot Camp Assistant to allocate space on your hard drive for Windows. Follow the on-screen instructions to adjust the partition size.
4. Follow the prompts in Boot Camp Assistant to begin the Windows installation. Your Mac will reboot into the Windows setup.
5. During the Windows installation, choose the BOOTCAMP partition and format it.
6. Complete the installation by following the Windows setup instructions.
7. To switch between macOS and Windows, restart your Mac and hold the Option key to select the operating system you want to use.
8. Once Windows is installed, set up Cities: Skylines 2 like on any PC.