Cities XXL casts you as the mayor of a growing metropolis, with the city-builder’s focus extending from where people live to how the whole urban system works. Residential locations sit alongside retail, offices and industry, while the wider planning task includes transport, public services and the city’s environmental footprint. Its broad architectural range gives players room to shape cities with distinct visual identities.
The management layer links everyday city planning to traffic, public transport and resident happiness. Players can develop bus and rail networks, provide leisure activities and landmarks, and address localized noise and smoke pollution. Ecological options include park-and-ride facilities, bicycle rentals and upgrades to industrial buildings, making greener development part of the city’s planning toolkit rather than just a visual theme.
Cities XXL also connects its city-building to an economic network across multiple maps: cities can share resources and trade goods such as water, fuel and waste-management services. Steam Workshop support adds a user-created-content dimension, with tools to create, share and download community contributions.
