: This smooths out jagged edges but can be demanding. Try setting it to a lower level or disabling it if your PC struggles.
Based on our research and testing, here are some recommended settings for low-end PCs:
A technical mod that optimizes the game's internal rendering code, often granting an immediate 5 to 15 FPS increase without changing your visual settings.
Set to Off . Anti-aliasing smooths out jagged edges but eats up valuable graphics processing power. ⚙️ Hidden Windows Adjustments for Peak Performance cities skylines settings for low end pc better
To further improve performance on low-end PCs:
| Hardware config | Before (1080p, med) | After (720p, low + tweaks) | |----------------|---------------------|-----------------------------| | Intel HD 620 + 8 GB RAM | 12–18 FPS, constant stutter | 22–30 FPS, minor stutter | | AMD Vega 3 + 4 GB RAM | 8–12 FPS, crashes >20k pop | 18–25 FPS, stable to 35k pop | | i3-3220 + GT 710 (2GB) | 15 FPS, low simulation | 28 FPS, same simulation |
Cities: Skylines, the popular city-building simulation game, can be a challenging experience for low-end PCs. However, with the right settings and tweaks, you can enjoy a smooth and engaging gameplay experience even on less powerful hardware. In this post, we'll explore the best settings and optimizations for running Cities: Skylines on low-end PCs. : This smooths out jagged edges but can be demanding
Crucially, some of the most impactful optimizations occur outside the in-game menu. The simulation itself—the agents (citizens) and their pathfinding—is almost entirely CPU-dependent. Therefore, even with perfect graphics settings, a weak processor will eventually choke. The player must adopt a “vanilla-plus” philosophy: use no custom assets with high polygon counts, avoid the notoriously demanding Mass Transit or Natural Disasters DLCs if possible, and install the “FPS Booster” or “Patch Loader Optimized” mods from the Steam Workshop. These mods reprogram the game’s update loops to be less resource-intensive. Additionally, always launch the game with the “-noWorkshop” and “-disableMods” command line arguments if troubleshooting, and ensure that background applications like web browsers are closed to reserve every megabyte of RAM.
: Set to Disabled . Turning this off improves visual clarity during camera movement and saves GPU resources.
Set to "Low" or "Medium" if you have limited VRAM (less than 2GB). Anti-Aliasing: Turn this off entirely to save GPU power. Set to Off
If you prefer playing with or sticking to the vanilla game
Vanilla settings only go so far. To truly make , you must use the Steam Workshop. Note: Using mods increases RAM usage slightly, but the FPS gains outweigh the cost.