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

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.

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By constructing a Race HQ, players can create a racetrack using special motor racetrack roads and pit lanes, build spectator stands, and schedule race events. You can also use the space within the circuit as a recreational centre by building parks, shopping malls, and so forth.

Although racetracks are designed to be separate entities for your city, you can also host races along your city streets by building event roads. These are multipurpose byways that can be used to host motor races, as well as cycling races, running races, and parades complete with floats and marching bands.

Race Day | Trailer | Cities: Skylines – YouTube

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As you’d expect, hosting such major events in your city will require significant planning. It takes time for your citizens to set up for a scheduled event, blocking off roads, preparing for crowds etc, as well as packing everything away once the event is done. I’m intrigued by the potential challenge of ensuring your city can still function as such events are ongoing, requiring you to consider traffic contingencies much more when laying out your roadways.

Race Day bursts forth from the start line on March 10. The launch will coincide with a free update that adds illuminated billboards, fences you can build alongside roads, and a new employment visualiser that shows you which areas of your city are struggling for hires. Not as exciting as the DLC, obviously, but the employment visualiser should come in handy.

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If, somehow, you don’t already own Cities: Skylines, Paradox is hosting a free weekend on Steam between now and Monday, March 9. The game is also on a 90% discount until March 12, letting you grab the base game for just ($3) £2.49. That’s a fantastic price for what is still the best nuts ‘n’ bolts city-builder you can play today, whatever the antics of its troubled sequel.