Mastering Roundabout Construction in Cities: Skylines 2

Roundabouts are highly effective in managing traffic flow, both in real life and in the game Cities: Skylines 2. Unlike traditional traffic control systems such as signs or stoplights, roundabouts allow vehicles from all intersecting streets to continue moving, resulting in shorter average wait times.

In Cities: Skylines 2, the process of creating roundabouts has been made simpler with the introduction of a new feature in the roads tab. This feature allows players to easily add a roundabout to any existing road intersection without the need to demolish and rebuild the entire road. However, players still have the option to construct larger intersections using the traditional method if necessary.

The Roundabout Tool

When initiating a regular game, players are granted access to the roundabouts tab within the road construction section. Initially, only the smallest roundabout is accessible, catering to intersections of small and medium roads.

To proceed, simply choose the desired roundabout and position it over an intersection. Subsequently, the roads at the intersection should naturally extend around the central median of the roundabout. At this point, players will observe the transformation of the intersection silhouettes into circular shapes.

In Cities: Skylines 2, players can unlock three additional sizes of roundabouts by using development points. These roundabouts can be unlocked with just one point, allowing players to purchase them early. The larger roundabouts are particularly suitable for busy intersections with larger roads, as they require drivers to slow down and give way to other vehicles entering the roundabout.

However, one drawback of roundabouts is their space requirement. A roundabout will overlap with any building located next to a straight intersection, and larger roundabouts will take up even more space. While this is not a major issue for zone buildings, players will need to relocate civic buildings situated next to intersections before adding a roundabout. Additionally, roundabouts do not have zoning squares, so it is generally advisable to avoid zoning next to intersections.

Manually Designed Roundabouts

To design their own roundabouts, players can utilize the same techniques that proved successful in the original game. The initial step entails creating a circular road by employing the curved road tool. It is vital for this road to be one-way, although players have the flexibility to choose from a range of road sizes, spanning from a narrow two-lane road to a spacious highway.

Subsequently, players need to unlock the Advanced Road Services feature. This particular advancement incurs a cost of one development point. It is advantageous for players to prioritize unlocking this feature early on, as it opens avenues for constructing significant roads and highways. Among the benefits offered by Advanced Road Services is the capacity to modify intersection signals, which are conventionally set as stoplights on medium and large roads.

In the Advanced Road Services tab, choose stoplights and hover over each intersection of the roundabout. To eliminate the stoplights, press the cancel button, which corresponds to the right mouse button on PC. The stoplights will vanish, and players will notice the appearance of "Yield" signs on all roads that lead to the roundabout.

The roundabout will be enclosed by zone squares, but just like the smaller ones, players should refrain from zoning squares that are adjacent to roundabouts. Additionally, players should replace the regular parking spaces with grass, trees, or wider sidewalks to prevent drivers from parking on the roundabout.

Manually constructed roundabouts are most effectively situated at highway intersections with guaranteed traffic congestion. The larger size of these roundabouts provides vehicles with ample space to occupy while waiting to enter or exit the intersection.

Cities: Skylines 2 is now accessible on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.