The sound of Cities Skylines 2. The city-building simulator will delight with radio and more

Cities Skylines 2 is not just about building cities. Audio design plays a significant role in the simulator

The creators of the city-building simulator Cities Skylines 2 are back with a new dev diary. This time, the focus is on audio design: sound effects and music.

Sounds in Cities Skylines 2 not only set the overall mood, but are also informative. For example, virtually all service buildings and their upgrades have received unique sounds reflecting their functionality and providing information about their operational status.

Examples of how the system works: at night, school buildings are “silent,” and birdsong can only be heard when the temperature exceeds a certain threshold.

There are many buildings and other objects in Cities Skylines 2, so the sounds could easily blend together. The developers took this into account: the game engine recognizes the distance and number of sound sources relative to the camera. This process is called “audio grouping,” and it is designed to reduce the number of potential sound sources active simultaneously — you won’t have to hear the sounds of 100 cars at once (observing a point from afar and up close will sound different).

Selecting a citizen in Cities Skylines 2 will also trigger an audio cue: it will reflect their age, gender, and mood.

Radio is available in the world of Cities Skylines 2: there are two radio networks featuring stations with different musical genres and styles. The radio is not just for entertainment; you can hear news about events in the game world, as well as natural disaster alerts.

The game's soundscape is also affected by the weather: when rain hits the city, you don't just see it — appropriate sounds are added as well.

Cities Skylines 2 is scheduled for release on October 24, 2023, for PC and next-gen consoles.

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