$19.99Cities in Motion 2 Build the transit network a city runs on
Plan bus and rail lines, set timetables and fares, and watch a living city grow around the routes you choose.
Is Cities in Motion 2 worth it?
Cities in Motion 2 is worth it if…
- you like slow, careful planning more than instant results
- you enjoy tuning schedules, prices and frequencies until a system runs itself
- you want to watch a city grow around the routes you designed
- you like playing a management sim at your own pace, with no timers or punishing failure
- you would rather run the transit network than build the buildings yourself
Screenshots
Build a network that keeps a city moving
You plan routes for buses, trams, trolleybuses, ferries, trains and metros, placing each stop and hooking it into a line. This is not a game of dragging a route across the map and calling it done: every stop is placed by hand, and the first bus line you run will probably end up stuck in traffic. That is the point. You rework junctions, pedestrianise streets, add bus lanes and tweak frequency until the network actually works. When it clicks and your trams trundle through a clogged city while the cars sit still, it is deeply satisfying.
Timetables, depots and the rush hour problem
The city runs on a 24 hour cycle, and rush hour is yours to solve. You decide how many vehicles run a line at which times of day, down to fine detail: fewer buses at night, a flood of them at 8am, weekend schedules that differ from weekdays. Vehicles wait in depots and can be shared between lines, so planning which depot serves what becomes a puzzle of its own. Get the schedule right and your buses leave on time and connections actually connect. Get it wrong and a platform full of angry passengers lets you know.
The tycoon's ledger: fares, zones and profit
You draw your own pricing zones across the city and set ticket prices for each, balancing what passengers will pay against what keeps the network in the black. Passengers judge you on vehicle comfort, frequency, speed and fare, and they vote with their feet: annoy them and they abandon your buses for their cars, filling the streets with the very traffic you were hired to fight. One good metro line can carry a whole budget. The pleasure is in tuning the model until it stays stable no matter what the city throws at it.
A city that grows where you lead it
Here the city builder gets an unusual role: you do not zone districts, you steer them. Roads and transit lines come first, and buildings appear along them on their own. Cheap, practical transport draws middle class housing and workplaces; expensive, exotic choices attract high end businesses. Lay a road through empty land and watch construction start the moment it is paved. In sandbox mode you grow a whole city from the first strip of road, with the network as the plan and the skyline as the result.
Build together, or compete for riders
Multiplayer comes in co-operative and competitive modes. In co-op you and a friend split a city's transport between you, agreeing who runs the trams and who wrestles the metro, and coordinating schedules so the lines meet. It is a calm, social way to play: no timers, no sudden failure, just two people arguing about where the ferry pier should go. One practical tip worth knowing early: slow the game down or pause before demolishing anything, especially in multiplayer. Then get back to arguing about the pier.
What should you know before starting?
Can you play it solo?
Yes. There is a campaign and a sandbox mode, both singleplayer, and most of the game is built around playing alone. Multiplayer with co-operative and competitive modes is there when you want company, but nobody is waiting on you. Many people treat it as a quiet solo hobby: set up a network, let it run, tweak, repeat.
How hard is it to learn?
There is a real learning curve, and it is honest to say so. Stops are placed individually, some tools are fiddly, and your first lines will need experimenting and tweaking before they run smoothly. Once the basics click, the depth is the reward: this is a game for people who enjoy precision and control over their network.
Is it relaxing or stressful?
Relaxing, in a working-with-your-hands way. There are no timers and no game over: you play at your own pace, adjusting lines and watching the city respond. The day and night cycle, changing weather and living streets give it a calm atmosphere, and it suits unwinding with a planning session rather than a tense challenge.
What can you build the network with?
Buses, trolleybuses, trams, ferries, trains and metros, each with its own placement quirks: tram tracks can run on road medians, metro lines can be elevated or underground, and waterbuses need manual waypoints around terrain. You can also build on multiple layers, so bridges and tunnels stack. Roads themselves are editable too, with dedicated bus lanes and pedestrian streets.
