Cities: Skylines’ next DLC will let you create car-free pedestrian zones

More than any other citybuilder, Cities: Skylines requires deep engagement with its traffic simulation. You can spend an endless number of (very satisfied) hours tweaking your road network to try to fix traffic jams. The next Cities: Skylines expansion might offer an alternative, however. The Plazas & Promenades DLC, announced today, will allow you to create pedestrian streets and zones where cars dare not tread. Find the first trailer below.

I thought this DLC would just be about creating parks and recreational areas, but the idea that I could turn whole streets into car free zones is enormously appealing. Mostly because I wish more towns and cities would follow the example and do the same in the real world.

According to the press release, pedestrian streets will be free of “most vehicles”, and you can enact three new zone-specific policies for your cities. Those are Slow Driving, which give roads in the pedestrian zone a 20mph speed limit; Street Music, which increases happiness but also noise pollution in pedestrian commercial zones; and Sugar Ban, which increases peep lifespan but decreases happiness. I’m not sure that last one fits with the others, but then, I don’t own a car but I do drink a lot of fizzy drinks, so perhaps I’m biased.

You’ll also be able to specialise districts as offices, high-density residential or high-density commercial zones, with each including 24 new buildings. Lastly, there are newly attractive City Service Buildings. Alongside the Plazas and Promenades DLC, Paradox also announced two new content creator packs featuring mid-century modern buildings by REVO and seaside resort buildings from Gèze.

There’s no release date for the DLC yet but it will be “available soon” and will cost $15/£13/€15 when it is. For now, you’ll find more screenshots on Steam.