You can play Cities: Skylines for free this weekend, ahead of the launch of its first expansion in 2 years

You can play Cities: Skylines for free this weekend, ahead of the launch of its first expansion in 2 years | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Games What’s free on the Epic Games Store right now? Roguelike Slay the Spire 2 dev celebrates its instant success by reminding players to support ‘small indie passion projects’ like Marathon too Games The PC game releases we’re most excited about in March Games The best free games on Steam Action Teardown’s massive multiplayer update arrives next month, bringing a full co-op campaign, competitive modes, and a free-roaming sandbox Card Game After its disastrous launch last year, I’m here to tell you that 2025’s most promising auto-battler finally lives up to its potential Sim After planning 2 more paid acts, narrative scifi power-washer Ambrosia Sky is instead finishing its story in one free update to ‘maximize’ its focus on what players loved: ‘People got in on that sapphic yearning right away’ MOBA After deciding to make a MOBA, Quantic Dream also decides to release it at the same time as the Marathon server slam, the first Horizon Hunters Gathering playtest, and the Steam Next Fest Games Almost all the cozy games of March have demos to try and I’ve been snapping up as many as I can Strategy Civilization 7 players can once again play as a single civilization in a massive overhaul update that’s ‘tentatively’ coming in spring: ‘Together, these updates are similar in scope to an expansion’ Sports Skate is locking a map area behind a paywall after promising no map areas would be locked behind paywalls: ‘We will need to make changes as we go sometimes’ City Builder Cities: Skylines 2’s new developer celebrates the occasion with a debut patch all about death, making citizens pop their clogs around the clock and removing immortality in easy mode: ‘Previously, about 80% of them never died of old age’ Third Person Shooter Nobody is doing live service better than Helldivers 2 because Arrowhead makes expansions, not just updates Games Steam Next Fest is back and you’ve once again got just 7 days to find your favorite demos among hundreds of choices MOBA Deadlock’s new Street Brawl mode is like a better version of the infamous MOBA ‘All Random, All Mid,’ but I think it could stand to be even more chaotic PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!MarathonArc RaidersBest PC gearQuizzes Games City Builder Cities: Skylines You can play Cities: Skylines for free this weekend, ahead of the launch of its first expansion in 2 years News By Rick Lane published 7 March 2026 Try Colossal Order’s original city-builder before Race Day arrives. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Paradox Interactive) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter While Cities: Skylines 2 has been sucking up all the oxygen with its bungled launch, severely delayed updates, and developer switcheroo, Colossal Order’s original city-builder has been enjoying the quiet life. An update here, a community pack there, the odd free weekend away. It’s like a retired middle-manager thriving in its dotage while its replacement burns the office down.But it seems Skylines 2’s shenanigans might have inadvertently brought the Cities: Skylines back in for one last job, as Paradox Interactive has abruptly announced a swathe of new additions to the OG. Across the next week, Skylines is getting an expansion pack, a meaty free update, a free weekend and a massive discount.Let’s start with the expansion, since it has an intriguing concept. Developed by Skylines’s console port specialists Tantalus Media, Cities: Skylines—Race Day lets players outfit their city to host glitzy motor races and bring fame, fortune, and glamour to their metropolis. You may like Cities: Skylines 2’s new developer breaks cover on its plans for the sequel’s future, revealing a patch that will include changes players ‘have been requesting for a long time’ Cities: Skylines 2’s new developer celebrates the occasion with a debut patch all about death, making citizens pop their clogs around the clock and removing immortality in easy mode: ‘Previously, about 80% of them never died of old age’ ‘Brutally honest’ city builder Microlandia gets brutally honest crime simulation: ‘It’s a spectrum of consequences that can become a death spiral every single day’ By constructing a Race HQ,