Aiming to re-define the perennially popular city builder video game genre, CITIES XL offers an experience that pushes the limits of scale, realism and sophistication both in solo play and with the vast connected online community in the game’s massively persistent multiplayer ‘Planet’ mode.

Online or offline, CITIES XL lets gamers develop cities on realistic 3D maps using a painstakingly crafted collection of unique structures and monuments based on European, Asian and American architectural styles. The numerous maps feature a variety of environments including mountains, hills, canyons, beaches and islands, all set in different climate zones ranging from tropical to desert, Mediterranean to temperate.

To get their city anywhere near the top ten best places to live list, players will need to cleverly combine and manage the resources, industries, social services, leisure activities, special events and employment opportunities in their cities. Whether it’s staffing the local fire department with heroes, building a new mega-highway, handling troublesome agricultural waste, or building a shiny new play park for the kids, there’s always a new and interesting challenge round the next corner to test the skills and grit of wannabe mayors and managers.

Christmas is early this year: Monte Cristo has released a very special Christmas content pack! This new pack brings seasonal decorations and new lightnings at night, both to solo and online cities, as well as a few other changes you can find below.

Christmas decorations

The festive season has started in all cities and a series of decorations are automatically added to the streets:
* Electric decorations in the streets
* Christmas trees in city halls' gardens and other buildings
* A Christmas market with an animated merry-go-round
* Santa Claus and his sledge

Night lights
When night falls on your city, streets now light up as a smooth glowing light falls from lamp posts and headlights from cars are turned on.

Other Changes

- ONLINE -
[OPT] The obscenity filter has been updated, with common words such as "yellow" removed

- INTERFACE -
[NEW] New loading screens with city stats and hints
[NEW] Solo or Planet mode is now selected direclty from the launcher, after login
[NEW] Selecting a road now allows to display routes for that specific road (pedestrians, cars, buses, trucks...)
[OPT] The game options window has been redesigned

- SIM -
[FIX] All decoration areas now properly generate positive quality of life (except the construction area)
[FIX] The cost of the Golden Gate bridge has been fixed for consistency with the metal bridge

- GRAPHICS -
[NEW] Christmas decorations and surprises (temporary)
[NEW] Glowing particles for lampposts and headlights
[FIX] Level shots (Ctrl + F11) now show water properly
[FIX] Bus zebras don't show systematically on some bridges any more.

- TRAFFIC -
[OPT] Bus traffic has been improved
[OPT] Vehicles stopping at traffic lights have been improved

- PERFORMANCE -
[FIX] A crash when deleting some bus lines has been fixed

Solo mode offers players 25 maps, approximately 500 buildings, a complex and diverse citizen structure, rich enterprise selection, complex yet accessible resource simulation, an ambitious traffic system, unique real-time construction tools, and an avatar studio with web-based profile pages.

The massively persistent online ‘Planet’ mode, offers players the chance to enjoy and manage their multiplayer experience both in-game and via the internet. Interactive features include trading resources with other players, cooperative working to build Mega Stuctures, web-based city management from any computer in the world, the ability to visit cities created by other players, the chance to create and participate in online events with other players, and regular additional content including new buildings and gameplay functionality.

In Solo mode, Cities XL will offer:

• 25 maps featuring varying landscapes - from canyons to grassy hills and snowy mountains
• Around 500 buildings based on various architectural styles (European, American …)
• Diverse citizen structure: Four levels of wealth, four main different needs (Services, Environmental, Prices and Traffic) split into many sub-categories (Police and Fire departments, Education, Leisure, Commerce, multiple types of Pollution, Taxes, Cost of Life, Distance to work and more)
• A rich enterprise selection ranging from agriculture to heavy industry, services, tourism…
• A complex, but easy to access, simulation based on 12 resources to trade with an opportunistic AI (electricity, waste management, agriculture, water, fuel, etc.)
• An ambitious traffic system including many type of roads (five different widths, costs, quality and capacity), highways, airports, ports, and much more
• A set of never-before-seen real-time construction tools allowing players to create curved roads, building zones of various shapes, elaborate bridges...
• An avatar studio and Web-based profile pages

The massively persistent Planet Offer.

Multiplayer gameplay both in-game and on the web:

• Trade resources with other players to develop economic strategies, specialise your cities, maximise your possibilities in a global economy
• Work cooperatively to build Mega Structures – special buildings that enhance your city aesthetically and economically
• Web-based city management -- check your trade contracts, receive alerts, adjust your decisions from any computer in the world

Persistent MMO world:

• Each player receives five slots to build five persistent cities on different Planets
• Contribute to the life and statistics of the Planets (economics, population, pollution…): what you do has an impact on the world

Community features and animations in-game and on the web:

• Visit one another’s cities, see other players’ creations and content, chat with other players
• Create and participate in online events, discover virtual cities and real people

Regular upgrades :

• All Buildings, Maps, simulation and functionality upgrades are free with the planet offer

Monthly costs:

• 1 Month = 7€
• 3 Months = 5€/month
• 6 Months = 4.5€/month