The other blockbuster addition is the early access open beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Available to download starting August 28th, the beta will be playable from August 30th to September 4th. Since one must otherwise pre-order the title to obtain access, this is a pretty sweet deal for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Other noteworthy releases include Core Keeper, a sandbox survival adventure for Xbox Series X/S, PC, and cloud on August 27th (the same day it exits early access). Star Trucker also arrives on September 3rd for cloud, console, and PC. Xbox Game Pass Core subscribers can also look forward to Cities: Skylines, SnowRunner, and Control: Ultimate Edition on August 21st.

Check out the titles leaving the service on August 31st:

• Atomic Heart (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Guilty Gear Strive (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• NBA 2K24 (Cloud and Console)

Nonetheless, it looks like it has seen solid sales nonetheless. During its recent year-end fiscal report, Paradox Interactive announced that as of the end of 2023, Cities: Skylines 2 has sold over a million units.

The company did, however, acknowledge the game’s rough launch, stating that it was “upset that we didn’t meet player expectations on performance, platform releases, and functionalities at the start”. Paradox says developer Colossal Order is “working hard on improvements” and remains “fully committed to continuing to improve and develop the game”, describing the project as a “long-term engagement”.

In November last year, Colossal Order that it was slowing down its planned frequency for Cities: Skylines 2’s post-launch updates as it looked to focus on bigger patches that would target the game’s biggest issues. Before the end of March, the city builder is also set to receive its first DLC in the form of the Beach Properties Asset Pack.

Cities: Skylines 2 is available on PC. It releases for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S this Spring.

https://youtu.be/f7keZMDhZ6E?list=PL4hR-M4rl7ueJ0iUcCOM6QxHUktR8_sTw&t=378

Hotels and Retreats will be smaller than the typical Cities: Skylines expansion, allowing you to build up tourist hubs by starting out small with hotel chains, and ultimately unlocking more luxurious buildings and tourist attractions.

The expansion is also bringing with it five new maps, with three of them being based around Europe, one based in a tropical region, and one based in a temperate region. Players will be able to build up their tourist hubs in whatever way they might want depending on the regions they decide to focus on.

Colossal Order has also been working on Cities: Skylines 2, and has recently called the sequel its most ambitious project to date.

March 22 will also see the release of a free content update, dubbed Hubs and Transport, which as its name might imply is set to improve the transport system in Cities: Skylines and the After Dark, Snowfall, Natural Disasters, and Mass Transit expansions.

In May, Cities: Skylines will see the release of a new content pack themed after the Japanese railroad system, a pack based on Brooklyn and Queens, and an Industrial Evolution DLC. The final DLC part of the roadmap is set to be a mini-expansion, but further details haven’t yet been announced.

This final set of DLC will lead into the release of the recently-announced Cities: Skylines 2, which will be coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S this year. The sequel will have a host of new features, including hailstorms and over 150 map tiles.

February 9 sees Madden NFL 23 joining the service’s catalog for console and PC via EA Play, while SD Gundam Battle Alliance arrives on the same day for console, PC, and cloud. On February 14, TaleWorld Entertainment’s acclaimed strategy RPG Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord becomes available for subscribers on console, PC, and cloud.

On the next day, February 15, city builder Cities: Skylines will be added to the service for cloud and console (Xbox Series X/S, specifically), while February 16 will bring the recently-announced Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition to subscribers on console, PC, and cloud.

Finally, the biggest release of the batch, Atomic Heart, will be added to the service day and date upon launch on February 21 for console, PC, and cloud.

Earlier in the week we got a leak about how May’s PS Plus titles would be Dying Light and Dark Souls: Remastered. An alleged ad had popped up, much like it had the month before, but it seems that we got got on that one and the ad was a fake. Sony has revealed the actual titles for May and, well, they are quite different.

The two titles that will be free for PS Plus members are two simulation games. The first is Farming Simulator 19, the latest in the long running series that hopes to simulate running a farm, and Cities: Skylines, a building sim all about trying to create and sustain a bustling metropolis. Quite a big difference than zombies and dark fantasy, but variety is the spice of life, as they say.

Farming Simulator 19 and Cities: Skylines will be free to all PS Plus members starting May 5th and will be available running up until June 1st.

Following the recent Inside Xbox stream, Microsoft revealed its ID@Xbox Game Pass showcase for Fall 2019. These represent indie efforts that will be added to the subscription service on PC and Xbox One overtime. We know about titles like Cities: Skylines, Lonely Mountains: Downhill and Genesis Noir but there are a few surprises there.

For instance, Playtonic’s Yooka-Laylee will be joining the roster, bringing its retro-style 3D platforming to the masses. The Escapists 2 is also set to release along with Devolver Digital titles like Minit, The Red Strings Club and The Talos Principle. Dead by Daylight, the popular asymmetrical horror multiplayer title, is also coming.

A number of these titles are coming in 2019. The good news is that there are several titles available today to play. This includes Bad North, GoNNER, Slay the Spire and Enter the Gungeon (along with the previously released SteamWorld Dig 2). Stay tuned for more details on indie releases for the console in the meantime,

Total War: Three Kingdoms has been a huge success for Sega and Creative Assembly, from both a sales and critical reception point of view. In fact, it may even have been bigger than originally thought. We got a look at the first ever weekly digital chart sales for the UK, and it paints a much different picture than its physical counterpoint– and Total War rules the roost.

GamesIndustry got a look at the first weekly digital UK chart, the GSD, and it puts Total War: Three Kingdoms on top, with Grand Theft Auto V in number 2. It’s a startlingly different picture than the physical sales chart. For instance, number 1 there at debut, Team Sonic Racing, didn’t even crack the top 10. According to GamesIndustry, it was number 13. It’s worth noting that the chart did not include statistics from Nintendo (along with Bethesda and Konami opting out), and that could help explain the huge disconnect without the Switch version.

Still, it is quite a difference between the two lists, but it just goes to show there’s still a pretty big difference between how people purchase games physically and digitally, and that discounts can play a big impact in digital charts, as seen by the presence of Cities: Skylines, Uno, and Monopoly Plus.

You can see the top ten for the week ending May 26th below.

1. Total War: Three Kingdoms
2. Grand Theft Auto V
3. Monopoly Plus
4. Minecraft
5. FIFA 19
6. Cities:Skylines
7. Red Dead Redemption 2
8. Uno
9. F1 2018
10. Middle-Earth: Shadow of War

Environmentally conscious and want your city to reflect the same? The latest expansion for Colossal Order’s Cities: Skylines, Green Cities, has you covered. Having launched for PC back in 2017, Green Cities is now officially out for Xbox One and PS4 as well, for $19.45. Check out the launch trailer below.

The new expansion brings 350 new assets into the base game, but also provides the means to create new environmentally friendly cities. You can create parks, build new specialized buildings, make electric cars mandatory for citizens, and much more. There are also three new scenarios to explore, along with four new policies to enforce.

Overall, if making your city as green as possible is the goal, then this expansion should have you covered. Aside from Green Cities, Cities: Skylines has plenty of other content for sink your teeth into with Parklife, Synthetic Dawn Radio, and Industries. They’re all currently available for PC only, but should come to consoles in due time.

Cities Skylines

After what seemed like a long, long time, Cities Skylines arrived and delivered a city-building experience that truly succeeds old-school SimCity. The sheer joy of getting your city up and running, watching it buzz about as you beautify it, manifests excellently in Cities: Skylines. Throw in Steam Workshop support for mods, tons of support from the developer and plenty of content updates for even more long-term replay value.