New Xbox Game Pass Day-One Addition Is Greatly Disappointing Fans

A new game has today released directly onto Xbox Game Pass, but unfortunately, it seems to be failing to meet expectations so far. By all accounts, the past few months have been incredibly strong for Game Pass as titles such as Starfield, Sea of Stars, Lies of P, Cocoon, Solar Ash, and Payday 3 have all launched directly onto the Xbox service. Sadly, this run of excellent day-one arrivals for Game Pass seems to have now met an end for those on PC. 

As of today, Cities: Skylines II has finally been released and brings a new city builder game to Xbox Game Pass. The original Cities: Skylines, which launched back in 2015, has been incredibly popular over the years, which led to quite a bit of excitement and fervor for this sequel. Sadly, Cities: Skylines II seems to have already run into some big problems that have rendered the game very difficult to play out of the gate. 

When looking at Steam, Cities: Skylines II is currently being met with "Mostly Negative" reviews from players. Those who have played the game have pointed to its performance being the main issue with some saying that its framerate has dipped to near 10fps. These problems are also impacting those who have powerful PC rigs as well, meaning that this isn't a situation where Cities: Skylines II has only been optimized for higher-end computers. 

The good news with this situation is that Cities: Skylines II doesn't seem to be getting much negativity when it comes to the core of the game. As such, once publisher Paradox Interactive pushes out a few patches to improve the title's performance, it could end up becoming a big hit. Until that time, though, Xbox Game Pass subscribers might want to steer clear of downloading the service's latest release. 

Cities: Skylines II

"Raise a city from the ground up and transform it into the thriving metropolis only you can imagine. You've never experienced building on this scale. With deep simulation and a living economy, Cities: Skylines II delivers world-building without limits. Lay the foundations for your city to begin. Create the roads, infrastructure, and systems that make life possible day to day. It's up to you – all of it.

How your city grows is your call too, but plan strategically. Every decision has an impact. Can you energize local industries while also using trade to boost the economy? What will make residential districts flourish without killing the buzz downtown? How will you meet the needs and desires of citizens while balancing the city's budget?

Your city never rests. Like any living, breathing world, it changes over time. Some changes will be slow and gradual, while others will be sudden and unexpected. So while seasons turn and night follows day, be ready to act when life doesn't go to plan. An ever-expanding community of Builders means more opportunities to build a truly groundbreaking city with mods. They're now more easily available in Cities: Skylines II.

The most realistic and detailed city builder ever, Cities: Skylines II pushes your creativity and problem-solving to another level. With beautifully rendered high-resolution graphics, it also inspires you to build the city of your dreams."