If you’re really in the mood to play Cities: Skylines on the Steam Deck, chances are you might be disappointed to know that the game doesn’t work properly, but with a few workarounds, you’re sure to boot into the game. So, let’s get right into the optimized Steam Deck settings and make sure that Cities: Skylines runs optimally as you raise roads and build your dream city.
Here are Steam Deck Settings for Cities: Skylines. Set all visual settings to low or none. Set the resolution to 980×600. Change the TDP to 13W. Limit the FPS to 24. Disable all DLC content.
Cities Skylines – Steam Deck Performance
Cities Skylines will initially run on a solid 30 FPS when you first boot into the game, but at the cost of eye candy. But to play it on the Steam Deck, you’ll have to get used to jaggies. When done with building a full city, you can expect the FPS to drop to the low 20s.
Make sure to disable any DLC content from the get-go. Otherwise, the game might crash at any time.
Steam Deck Controls
Valve has rated Cities: Skylines partially playable because the game requires mouse and keyboard support from the get-go. But don’t worry you can change the layout by going into community layouts and picking what works for you.
In-Game Visual Settings
Before you even load into Cities: Skylines, change the visual settings in the main menu. This is because Cities: Skylines might try to boot using your PC Steam Settings, which will crash the game.
Sadly, you can’t use the patch loader to use FPS Booster as you’d normally do to get some extra juice out of the game.
| Settings | Value |
| Aspect Ratio | Default |
| Resolution | 980×600 |
| Display Mode | Full-Screen |
| Color Correction Override | None |
| Depth of Field Type | Disabled |
| Film Grain | None |
| Shadows Quality | Disabled |
| Texture Quality | Low |
| Level of Detail | Low |
| Shadows Distance | Very Short |
| Anisotropic Filtering | Enabled |
| Anti-Aliasing | Disabled |
Cities Skylines – Steam Deck Settings
Cities: Skylines is notorious for being a ram hog and a CPU hog. So, crank up the TDP in the Quick Access Menu and limit your Refresh Rate to a Cinematic 24 Hz.
| Settings | Value |
| TDP | 13 Watts |
| FPS Limit | 24 FPS |
| Refresh Rate | 24 Hz |
| FSR | On |
Conclusion
It’s not a fun experience playing Cities Skylines on the Steam Deck, but you can get some city-building in with a bit of fiddling. Just make sure you’re used to those lovely jaggies. Did you know that you can even build an underground Metro in Cities: Skylines as well? Check out our linked guide to find out more.