Cities: Skylines – Best Starting Maps

Highlights

• Dive into Cities: Skylines with the best starting maps that offer a seamless gaming experience for new players.
• Maps like Regal Hills and Seven Lakes provide the perfect balance of resources and challenging gameplay elements.
• Experiment with diverse landscapes like Frosty Rivers and Noyou Port to create unique cities with efficient transportation systems.

When it comes to city simulators, the in-depth mechanics of Cities: Skylines make it an excellent avenue for mayor wannabes and city architects out there. After all, Cities: Skylines has a plethora of both DLC and fanmade content that allows players to create the cities of their dreams, from traffic-less utopias, faithful city recreations, and even futuristic cities straight out of science fiction. Of course, the number of features and available elements can make the game overwhelming for them, but never impossible to play.

In fact, sometimes it just takes a great starting map to ensure that players have a breeze when it comes to understanding the game’s mechanics and unleash the full extent of their creativity. With that in mind, which Cities: Skylines starting maps are the best for players to start with?

Updated on April 28, 2024 by Rhenn Taguiam: While Cities: Skylines 2 has had a rather turbulent start since its 2023 release, fans of the franchise who want a more comfortable city-building experience should consider playing its first iteration. Although Cities: Skylines doesn’t have the more updated engine of its sequel, the abundance of DLCs available for the game can help players create their dream cities from scratch. However, for newcomers to the game who feel overwhelmed with its mechanics, they may want to instead try playing their first few games in recommended starting maps. Among must-try maps for new players include a fairly flat map, a resource-sparse location to test a player’s technical mastery, an area with quite a lot of lakes, and a map with a massive river.

27 Regal Hills (Mass Transit)

Use This To Start Learning More Technical Mechanics

Players who want to enjoy their Cities: Skylines experience may want to start their journey with a more flexible map like Regal Hills. Included in the Mass Transit update, Regal Hills boasts a lake to the far east with a long river, and two separated rivers to the west leading to a smaller lake up northwest. The rest of the land is relatively manageable, with Water and Forestry among the area’s most abundant resources.

The relative lack of Ore and Fertile Land can make Regal Hills slightly challenging to work with in terms of resource-collection. However, fans who want to immerse themselves in the more technical side of Cities: Skylines mechanics such as managing shipping systems as well as importing and exporting goods would appreciate the flexibility Regal Hills offers.

26 Seven Lakes (Mass Transit)

It’s not always thatgames/”> cities in city sims like Cities: Skylines are realistically in extremely flat areas. As Seven Lakes from Mass Transit shows, sometimes cities can be surrounded by clusters of geographic features. In the case of Seven Lakes, it’s seven lakes across all directions from the center, sans north. Its inclusion in Mass Transit means there’s an emphasis on using railways and shipping industries to compensate for the relative lack of resources.

Despite the lack of other major resources such as Fertile Land, Ore, and Oil, Seven Lakes makes up for it with buildable areas that can encourage expansion into industrialist concepts. There’s not a lot of pressure to perfect traffic as well, seeing as there are two Airways and Rails, and a single Highway and Shipping Channel.

25 Farmland Flats (Map Pack 1)

Standard Flat Area For Fixed Cities

Players of a city-sim like Cities: Skylines who want a more straightforward take on their gameplay should consider pursuing Farmland Flats from Map Pack 1. At its core, Farmland Flats is indeed majorly comprised of plains and farmlands neatly divided into geometric divisions, courtesy of scattered lines of trees. To the north of the main highway is a river leading to a small lake and splitting into a fork, making it the land’s richest water source.

Due to its structure, Farmland Flats are abundant in Forestry and Fertile Land, as well as Ore, Oil, and Water. The relative presence of these resources can make Farmland Flats a decent map for players to start their experience with, especially with all transport systems except Shipping Channels existing with a pair each for outgoing and incoming traffic.

24 Bay Of Rivers (Map Pack 2)

Unique Landscape Encourages Smaller, Tight-Knit Communities

Boasting one of the most unique map setups in Cities: Skylines is Bay of Rivers, accessible from the “Map Pack 2” DLC of the city simulator. The map itself is notable for being split into four segments: a cluster of two islands with a large island strip to the north, a large right-side portion divided by two rivers, a larger lower half that protrudes to the upper left, and an isolated southern island. On top of Bay of Rivers’ eponymous rivers, the map boasts a multitude of mountains and forestry that limits city construction in favor of having large mountain ranges as the backdrop of a growing city.

Despite its 48-percent buildable area, Bay of Rivers is abundant in forestry, water, and oil resources. Its three major highways stretching from the center of the map encourage a more tight-knit internal residential area, with its outer segments closer to the mountains motivating setups for industrial districts.

23 Cliffside Bay

Limited Resource Pathways, Buildable Area Encourages Compact City Build

Being a vanilla map in the original Cities: Skylines game, Cliffside Bay boasts one of the most straightforward layouts in the entire title. Featuring only a quarter of the map as a lake, Cliffside Bay lives up to its name as it features various hills and a high hill on the shore. This would immediately give players visions of an industrial complex and a fishing focus near the shore, with a posh residential area to the cliffside. The map has enough raw materials across its areas, but maximizing them would encourage residential Cities: Skylines areas with American-style buildings closer to the cliffs since ore is located mainly in the plains. Another advantage would be a railway connection in one of the earliest tiles, allowing players to plot out a railway system early on.

However, players must understand that the location has difficulty sustaining a current to power a water plant. Not only that, but connecting highways won’t allow players to wiggle with their road systems. Thankfully, the map does boast enough of a regular appearance to sustain an average city.

22 Lagoon Shore

Limited Buildable Land With More Water Offers Flexible Tropical City Builds

Fans of Cities: Skylines gameplay who want a more tropical spin on their city-building sim might want to consider Lagoon Shore. This map is a rather interesting take on Greece, with the mainland being split into two (2), with the upper half comprised of two (2) rivers and a small cluster of islands, and with the larger bottom half encompassing the rest of the map with a central lake and a river that leads out to the sea, as well as a cluster of islands surrounding it.

The layout of the land alone gives Lagoon Shore a ton of room for waterworks and decent road networks, and perhaps some Airports from the Cities: Skylines Airport DLC. The tropical layout of the land may also be motivating enough for players to explore the full depth of their creative minds, especially since not a lot of Cities: Skylines maps offers unique landscapes outside the usual Western climate.

21 Frosty Rivers (Snowfall)

Limited Building Area Perfect For Compact Cities

Accessible through the “Snowfall” DLC of the city simulator is Frosty Rivers, a winter-themed map to the city builder that challenges players to maximize large stretches of open rivers and isolated island segments to make their dream cities. Unlike harsh arctic environments, Frosty Rivers has quite the expansive set of areas, complete with an abundance in water, forest, and ore resources to give players an easier grasp on city economics.

Despite having 56-percent buildance land, Frosty Rivers more than makes up for lesser customizable land with better accessibility. Its access to four airways, shipping channels, and rails as well as three major highways can make transportation much easier across its many sections. The division of islands in Frosty Rivers can also be taken advantage of on a macro scale, giving newcomers hassle-free ways to do with districts as they see fit in separate locations.

20 Shady Strands

Simulate Instanbul With This Map

Players with a knack for geography would prefer associating Cities: Skylines gameplay maps with familiar real-world locations, and Shady Strands resembles Instanbul in the context of this games-best-metacritic/”>map-management simulator. This map is characterized by a large strait dividing two larger land clusters, making itself a river. On the left is a land cluster divided by half via a river, alongside two islands on top. On the right side is a landmass with an extensive mountain range and a small river leading to a lake.

Players must consider setting up waterfronts and bridges to maximize travel and communication between these two (2) land clusters. However, the land layout doesn’t make it as difficult for players to tinker with various options and city-building mechanisms to see how crazy they could get with this dynamic map.

19 Pearl Bay (Industries)

Differing Landscapes Perfect For Industry Focus

Key to the Cities: Skylines – Industries DLC pack is Pearl Bay, one of the newer maps in the update that highlighted the more complex industry features introduced there. Instead of creating a custom Cities: Skylines map with multiple resource points to learn how to handle numerous industries, Pearl Bay allows players to experience the same thing but with a pre-packaged area set. That way, players already have a basis on studying various Cities: Skylines resources without much effort.

Moreover, the map offers an extra challenge with regards to expansion as the area features a lot of raised terrain. Players looking to build a manufacturing-leaning city may appreciate the potential of Pearl Bay to provide an industrial aesthetic to their creation.

18 Wolf Creek (Campus)

Unique Forests, Mountain Layout Encourage Nature-Themed School Backdrops

At first glance, Wolf Creek of the “Campus” DLC can stun city-builder fans with its remarkable topography, with the map boasting mountains divided by rivers and filled with delightful nature reserves. Its varied landscape can give the location the impression of an aesthetic-enough backdrop for campuses far from towns that motivate students to take trips, with just the right amount of forests for one’s headcanon of sports training grounds and secret societies.

Technicalities-wise, the map has a rather middling 60% buildable land with heavy focus on forestry and water. Not only that, the complicated topography could limit the structures built onto Wolf Creek’s terrain, with limited highways and railways potentially worsening traffic. Despite these setbacks, the challenging terrain that may force forests and mountains to separate city parts can make for interesting-looking cities. Moreover, forcing beginners to “split” city components in topographical areas can give them a better overview of micromanaging their first city.

17 Islands

Island Layout Encourages Tropical Aesthetic

Compared to other vanilla maps in Cities: Skylines gameplay, Islands resembles Venice in terms of its general layout in games-most-replay-value/”>the simulation game. Comprised primarily of two (2) connecting rivers and two (2) separate rivers meeting in a large sea to the right side of the map, Islands is therefore divided into four (4) mainland clusters with four separate islands. The sheer detail of the map alone is heaven for anyone with the base game, especially since this immediately gives them room to tinker around with overall island aesthetics on the get-go.

In terms of resources, players immediately get many opportunities for bridges and waterfronts to their liking. Not only that, this is the only map in the vanilla title where players can put a dam and have it perform at its maximum wattage. Moreover, there are two (2) islands with separate oil deposits, paving the way for two (2) potential industrial districts. The sheer volume of things to do with the map can make this overwhelming for beginners, but definitely a great gateway for newcomers who want to be more playful with their maps.

16 Windfield (Parklife)

Flat Landmass With Resource Abundance Fit For Safe Playthroughs

Of the five maps available in the Parklife DLC, Windfield is perhaps the most intuitive for starting players. Divided by half water and half land, with a small island pocket on the lower left, Windfield offers a lot of options for players to tinker around without sacrificing the integrity of the space. With 65% space for building and multiple oil reservoirs, this map can give new players ample resources to turn Windfield into a suburban city paradise.

The main landmass itself is generally flat, offering a lot of trees and greenery for color. The highlight of the map, though, comes in its smaller landmarks such as a cave and its island component. On the island, players can join delights such as a lighthouse (albeit at a rather awkward position), and a plateau on its mountainous center. These are perfect for an exclusive village, an industrial district, or even a large forest.

15 Snowy Coasts (Snowfall)

Generic Snowy Area Perfect For Practicing Adjustments To Climate

Observing Snowy Coasts in terms of both plain sight and statistics might make it an unideal location for optimized gameplay. However, newcomers to the game looking to provide citizens with a more serene and human-like city sim environment a la Life By You instead of a hyper-efficient city may want to give Snowy Coasts a shot. Available via the Snowfall DLC, Snowy Coasts has everything players need to maximize the new winter season and features made available in this content pack.

Newcomers looking for a way to learn about handling seasonal changes may appreciate the accessibility of this map. Likewise, new players looking for a moderate challenge may also be able to use this map given its mid-sized forest resources, 68% buildable area, and flat terrain.

14 Black Woods

Abundance Of Water Can Challenge Transportation Creativity

Among the vanilla maps of the game, Black Woods is rather unique in its layout, as it gives a lot of room for players to immediately explore the different landmasses. Characterized by a lake that splits into two rivers before ending in a larger lake, Black Woods has quite a lot of islands: five on the left corner, two central larger islands, and a smaller one on the upper right. The area boasts a building area of 69%, making it an ideal starting map.

Given its proximity to water and the prominence of islands, Black Woods easily relies on fishing for its major industry. As the name implies, the map is populated with tall trees and forestry, giving players a lot of room to transform it into a suburban paradise. The foliage around the roundabouts and the scattering of trees gives Black Woods a pristine feeling.

13 Diamond Coast

Varying Landscape Options Perfect For Different District Aesthetics

Perhaps one of the best maps among the offerings of the vanilla game, Diamond Coast not only serves as one of the few tropical maps in the game, but also one that offers a games-ever-ranked/”>realistic take on the surrounding landscapes of the city. Bordered by a sea with a triplet island cluster on top, Diamond Coast is populated by mountains on almost all its sides, alongside rich foliage. Its starting block is neatly placed along the center, allowing players to explore its areas at their own pace.

Diamond Coast boasts 69% buildable area, which is decent considering to the sheer natural beauty of its landscape. Its rich, detailed build extends to the technicalities, offering all resources and all connections to transportation.

12 Murky Coast (Campus)

Unique River Pattern Makes For Interesting Backdrop Of Schools

Fans looking for a serene, quiet landscape for their city might appreciate Murky Coast from the Campus DLC. Characterized by its two-pronged rivers, Murky Coast is bordered by the sea to the right and is divided into three major land masses in the three other directions, with a mountainous island separated games-ranked/”>from the rest of the city.

What perhaps makes Murky Coast quite attractive is its 71% buildable land area, making its quieter surroundings perfect for serene city life. The division between foliage and mountainous regions gives the Murky Coast great openings for resource, transportation, and fishing.

11 Green Plains

Vanilla Map Perfect For Experimentation

As stated by the name, Green Plains is perhaps one of the most basic maps offered in the vanilla game. Characterized by a central river that splits into lakes in the north and the south, Green Plains is a games-like-cities-skylines/”>vanilla yet flexible map for beginners.

Boasting a buildable land area of 74%, Green Plains has a lot of foliage for newbies to appreciate. It also has a sizable transportation network with up to four incoming/outgoing routes for land, air, and sea transport, making it great for shipping-focused cities. Not to mention, the two lakes to the north and south make for a decent change of pace from the map’s three main land divisions.

10 Foggy Hills

Rivers Leading To Sea Pave Room For Easy Resource Transport

Players who want a starter map with prominent atmospheric effects like fog and perspiration will appreciate Foggy Hills. Boasting a buildable land area of 74%, Foggy Hills is notable for its forked river system that splits the map into three land masses, alongside a smaller lake closer to a larger one at the bottom.

It’s this division of areas that give Foggy Hills more than enough basic resources for players, including foliage, fertile land, ore, and water. Quite notable is its starting block, beginning at the central island, which allows the players to create three bordered city sections, removing the pressure of creating a grand city layout.

9 Lavender Lake (Green Cities)

Sea Border, Central Lake Perfect For Water Industries

Of the maps offered in the Green Cities DLC, the straightforward nature of Lavender Lake makes it viable for starter players. The map is characterized by the sea border to the left and a lake at its right-center side, with the coastal area giving it the appearance of a sideways face. Landmass-wise, the area also has an upwards slope, which players can capitalize for creative city builds.

Lavender Lake boasts a buildable land area of 75%, alongside a decent division of fertile land, ore, oil, and water. Its simplistic appearance offers a lot of travel channels, particularly four routes for airways thanks to its large floor area.

8 Riverrun

Mountain Gates Offer Unique Terrain Options

The base game’s Riverrun remains iconic due to its inherent majesty, especially when explored. Riverrun is best entered from the bottom, as it’s characterized largely by the mountain ranges that run on both sides of its southern section. Its main river splits into two along the top, offering an islet. To its right is a rather odd tadpole-shaped lake, with a larger island to the center.

Despite this rather mundane makeup, Riverrun has a 76% buildable land area that gives players a lot of room to build a hidden gem in this mountain-gated city. Not to mention, the large yet straightforward room offered by its central river gives it a lot of potential for aquatic shipping opportunities.