Cities: Skylines – Expanded Edition launches for Nintendo Switch 2 on October 28, 2026, with a suggested retail price of $49 / £41.49 / €49. Existing owners of Cities: Skylines on the original Nintendo Switch are eligible for a 70% loyalty discount from October 28, 2026 through April 28, 2027.
That makes this more interesting than a normal late port. The original Switch version already works on Switch 2 through backward compatibility, so existing owners have a real decision: keep playing the old version, or pay for the new native Expanded Edition to get higher performance targets, a larger buildable area, more tools and additional included content.
Cities: Skylines Expanded Edition quick facts
| Question | Confirmed answer |
|---|---|
| Switch 2 release date | October 28, 2026 |
| Suggested retail price | $49 / £41.49 / €49 |
| Existing Switch owner discount | 70% loyalty discount |
| Discount window | October 28, 2026 to April 28, 2027 |
| Performance mode | Targets 60 FPS with upscaling and adjusted quality settings |
| Quality mode | Targets 30 FPS and prioritizes visual fidelity |
| Buildable tiles | 25, up from the original 9-tile limit |
| Map Editor | Yes |
| Keyboard and mouse support | Yes |
| Included DLC/content packs | 10 |
| Old Switch save migration | Not confirmed in first-party material reviewed |
How much could the 70% loyalty discount cost?
Paradox says existing Nintendo Switch owners are eligible for a 70% loyalty discount on the Expanded Edition during the six-month launch window.
Using the announced US suggested retail price of $49, a straight 70% discount would reduce the price to about $14.70 before tax.
That is arithmetic based on the announced suggested price, not a guaranteed checkout total. Nintendo controls storefront pricing, regional conversion and rounding, so the live eShop price should be treated as authoritative when the edition goes on sale.
The important point is that Paradox is offering a discount rather than a free upgrade. Existing Switch owners should not assume the new Switch 2 edition is automatically added to their account.
Paradox has not explained the redemption mechanics in more detail. Its announcement does not say how physical-copy ownership is verified, whether the discount is limited by Nintendo Account region, or whether any additional account conditions apply. Those details should remain unknown until Paradox or Nintendo publishes them.
Can you keep using the old Switch version on Switch 2?
Yes.
Nintendo currently lists the original Cities: Skylines – Nintendo Switch Edition as supported on Switch 2 through backward compatibility, with game behavior described as consistent with Nintendo Switch.
That version remains a Nintendo Switch title. It includes the After Dark and Snowfall expansions and currently has a listed file size of 2.2 GB.
This gives existing owners two distinct paths:
- keep using the original Switch release through backward compatibility
- buy the new native Expanded Edition and gain its Switch 2-specific improvements
What does Expanded Edition add over the old Switch version?
The new edition raises the buildable area from the original nine-tile limit to 25 buildable tiles.
Paradox also confirms:
- a Map Editor
- precision placement
- a distance indicator
- updated snapping options
- an Environmental Controls Panel for time of day, rain, fog and environmental coloring
- a Quick Selection Tool
- keyboard and mouse support
These are not just visual upgrades. Several directly change how a large city can be built and managed on Switch 2.
Does Cities: Skylines run at 60 FPS on Switch 2?
The Expanded Edition includes two graphics options.
Performance Option: targets 60 FPS with upscaling and adjusted quality settings.
Quality Option: targets 30 FPS while prioritizing visual fidelity.
The word “targets” matters. Paradox is describing the intended performance profile, not guaranteeing a locked frame rate in every city size and simulation load.
IGZ has not benchmarked the Switch 2 version. Actual late-game performance, frame pacing, resolution behavior and the cost of very large cities should be judged from reliable post-launch measurements rather than inferred from the target alone.
Which DLC is included?
Expanded Edition includes ten specifically named expansions and content packs:
- After Dark
- Snowfall
- Green Cities
- Sunset Harbor
- Map Pack 3
- Country Road
- Pearls from the East
- Deep Focus Radio
- Carols, Candles & Candy
- Match Day
The original Switch release already includes After Dark and Snowfall, so existing owners are gaining eight additional listed packs in the new bundle along with the native Switch 2 improvements.
This should not be treated as an all-DLC or complete collection. Paradox’s announcement separately introduces Holiday Getaways, Mansions & Manors, and Blueprint Beats Radio for PC, PlayStation and Xbox on October 28. Paradox does not announce those three releases as part of the Switch 2 Expanded Edition.
Do old Switch saves transfer to Expanded Edition?
Paradox has not confirmed that in the first-party announcement or product page reviewed for this article.
Nintendo’s original Switch version supports Save Data Cloud, but that does not prove that its save files can be imported into a separate native Switch 2 product.
Until Paradox or Nintendo publishes a specific migration statement, existing owners should not buy the Expanded Edition on the assumption that an old city will automatically carry across.
Is this a free Switch 2 upgrade?
No free upgrade has been announced.
Paradox instead says owners of Cities: Skylines on Nintendo Switch are eligible for a 70% loyalty discount on the new edition.
That wording matters because Expanded Edition is positioned as a separate Switch 2 product with a new feature set and expanded content package.
Upgrade rules differ between Switch 2 games. IGZ’s Switch 2 Upgrade & Compatibility Checker compares 18 Nintendo-published examples, but does not include Cities: Skylines. Follow Paradox’s specific discount terms for this edition.
Is Expanded Edition worth it for an existing Switch owner?
The strongest case is the loyalty price combined with the new technical and building features.
If the announced US $49 suggested price is discounted directly by 70%, the implied price is about $14.70 before tax. At that level, the jump from nine to 25 buildable tiles, the 60 FPS performance target, Map Editor, keyboard and mouse support and eight additional listed content packs beyond the old Switch bundle create substantial value.
The biggest reason to wait is save migration.
If your existing city is the main reason you still play the original Switch version, there is no first-party confirmation yet that the save can be moved into Expanded Edition. For that player, waiting for a clear migration answer is more useful than assuming compatibility.
Is it worth it for a new Switch 2 player?
For a new buyer, the decision is simpler because there is no legacy save or old purchase to protect.
Expanded Edition is the native Switch 2 version and includes the larger 25-tile build area, graphics modes, new building tools, keyboard and mouse support and ten listed DLC/content packs.
The main questions left before launch are final download size, physical availability if any, real-world performance under large-city loads, and whether Paradox adds any further Switch 2-specific limitations or features.
Bottom line
Cities: Skylines – Expanded Edition is a meaningful native Switch 2 upgrade rather than a simple compatibility patch.
Existing Switch owners get a 70% loyalty discount for six months, while the new edition adds a 60 FPS-target Performance mode, 30 FPS Quality mode, 25 buildable tiles, Map Editor, keyboard and mouse support and ten included content packs.
The one major ownership question that remains unresolved is save migration from the original Nintendo Switch edition. Until Paradox confirms that path, existing players with important cities should treat transfer support as unknown.