15 Fixes for Cities Skylines 2 Keeps Crashing on Startup on PC

Cities: Skylines II is a city-building game from Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive. It’s a follow-up to Cities: Skylines, with expanded simulation factors such as city size, population size, improved traffic AI, and management schemes. However, some players are facing issues with the game crashing on startup when launching it on their PC.

Why is Cities Skylines 2 Crashing?

Whereas most Cities Skylines 2 PC players often encounter the game not launching or the startup crashing issue. Affected players cannot understand why such an issue appears, even if the PC can run this game. It’s also worth mentioning that there may be several other possible reasons applicable to you that you should know before getting into the troubleshooting guide or any conclusion whatsoever.

The chances are also high that your Cities Skylines 2 game may not start on the PC due to the outdated game patch version, outdated graphics drivers, outdated Windows, missing or corrupted game files, issues with the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, unnecessary background running tasks, etc. Sometimes, issues with the PC compatibility, background running tasks, overlay applications, and more can trigger the startup crashing with PC games.

Fix: Cities Skylines 2 Keeps Crashing on the PC

As you know the possible reasons behind the crashing issue with PC games, it’s time to get into the workarounds below. Here, we’ve shared some troubleshooting methods for you that should be useful. So, make sure to follow all methods until the problem gets fixed.

1. Check System Requirements

First of all, you should check for the PC configuration to see whether it meets the system requirements of the game or not. Sometimes, the compatibility issue between the PC and the video game can cause many crashes. If your PC build is low on specifications or outdated, upgrade the specific hardware/software to make it compatible. We’ve mentioned the system requirements of the game below.

Minimum Requirements:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-6700K | AMD® Ryzen™ 5 2600X
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 970 (4 GB) | AMD® Radeon™ RX 480 (8 GB)
• Storage: 60 GB available space

Recommended Requirements:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit | Windows® 11
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-12600K | AMD® Ryzen™ 7 5800X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ RTX 3080 (10 GB) | AMD® Radeon™ RX 6800 XT (16 GB)
• Storage: 60 GB available space

2. Run the game as an Administrator

If you’re not running your video game using an administrator privilege, it may cause issues with the game launching, startup crashing, or even the game not loading. So, running the game exe file as an administrator on your Windows computer is better to check whether that fixes the problem. To do so:

• Right-click on the Cities Skylines 2 exe shortcut file on your PC.
• Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

• Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
• Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

3. Verify the Integrity of Game Files

If your game files become corrupted or missing for some unexpected reasons, verifying and repairing the game files using the game launcher can help you a lot. To do this:

• Launch Steam > Click on Library.
• Right-click on Cities Skylines 2 from the list of installed games.
• Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.
• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
• Once done, restart your computer.

4. Update Cities Skylines 2

We should also recommend you manually check for the game update at your end via the respective game client to ensure no outdated game version conflicts with the game launching. An outdated game patch version can trigger several potential issues that might trigger crashes. To do this:

• Open Steam and go to the Library.
• Click on Cities Skylines 2 from the left pane.
• Steam will automatically search for the available update.
• If there is an update available, click on Update.
• Make sure to wait for some time until the update is completed.
• Once done, ensure to reboot the PC to apply changes.

5. Update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

Updating the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables on the PC is highly recommended by following the steps below.

Note: If you’re using the Steam or other Games Launcher, you can download the latest version to the official Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables page.

• Head over to the following path on your PC:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\vcredist

• You should see the following folders:
  • 2012\vc_redist.x64.exe
  • 2013\vc_redist.x64.exe
  • 2019\vc_redist.x64.exe
• Just make sure to run all of these executable files that are present. (If you’ve different folders, then run the vc_redist.x64.exe file in those folders)
• Finally, restart your PC to fix the issue.

6. Update DirectX

Sometimes, outdated DirectX versions can also trouble you with the PC games. It’s better to update the DirectX version manually to avoid crashing issues.

• Go to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\DirectX folder path.
• Next, run the DXSETUP.exe file to reinstall/update DirectX.
• Once done, restart your computer to apply changes.

7. Update GPU Drivers

It seems that multiple affected players have reported the outdated graphics driver. If you’re also using the outdated graphics driver for a while then make sure to check for updates by following the steps below:

• Press the Win+X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Now, click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Display adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that’s active.

• Next, select Update driver > Choose to Search automatically for drivers.
• If an update is available, the system will automatically download & install it.
• Once done, restart the computer to apply changes.

This method should fix the Cities Skylines 2 crashing issue on PC. If not, you can head over to the next method.

8. Disable Overlay Apps

According to some affected players, disabling the Steam overlay on the Windows computer has helped them fix the game not launching issue easily. As the in-game overlay app is always running in the background whenever you launch the game client, it’s quite possible to have issues with the processes or system resources.

• Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
• Now, right-click on Cities Skylines 2 > Select Properties.
• Head to the General section > Here, uncheck the Enable Steam Overlay checkbox.
• Return to Library > Re-open Squad to check for the not launching issue.

9. Install Pending Windows Updates

It may possible that somehow any of the Windows bugs or system files conflict with the game to run it properly. Sometimes an incompatibility issue can also take place when you didn’t update the software for a while. So, make sure to install all the pending Windows updates individually and keep it to the latest OS build. To do that:

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Next, click on Update & Security > Select Check for updates under the Windows Update section.

• If there is a feature update available, select Download and Install.
• Wait for some time until the update gets completed.
• Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes immediately.

10. Disable Antivirus and Firewall Program

• Click on the Start menu > Type Control Panel and click on it.
• Now, type firewall in the search box > Click on Windows Firewall.
• From the left pane, click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
• Select Turn off Windows Firewall for the Private, Domain, and Public Network Settings.
• Finally, reboot the PC to apply changes and try checking the issue.

Now, you’ll have to disable the anti-virus protection (Windows Defender) as well by following the steps below:

• Head over to Windows Settings > Privacy and Security.
• Now, go to Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection.
• Click on Manage settings >Then turn off the Real-time Protection option.
• Once done, make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.

If in case, you’re using any third-party antivirus program, then make sure to turn it off manually.

11. Launch the Game in Windowed Mode (Steam)

Try launching the game in Windowed display mode to check if that helps you. Sometimes a computer with an average hardware specification can cause several issues with the fullscreen display mode while running the game.

• Open the Steam client and go to Library.
• Right-click on Cities Skylines 2 > Select Properties.
• In the General section, click on Set Launch Options.
• Next, copy & paste the following command-line argument:

 -windowed -noborder

• Make sure to save changes and try running the game again to check if Cities Skylines 2 launching properly or not.

12. Perform a Clean Boot

• Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Now, type msconfig and hit Enter to open the System Configuration window.
• Go to the Services tab > Enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.

• Click on Disable All.
• Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
• Now, click on the Startup tab > Click on Open Task Manager.
• Under the Startup tab from the Task Manager interface, click on the tasks enabled for startup boot > Click on Disable.
• Select the high-impact startup programs and disable them one by one.
• Once all is done, restart your PC to apply changes.
• Finally, check whether or not the Cities Skylines 2 crashing on the PC has been fixed.

13. Close Background Processes

• Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab > Select the task that you want to close.

• Once selected, click on End Task. Make sure to do the steps for each task individually.
• Once done, restart your computer to change effects immediately.

14. Reset Cities Skylines 2

• Press the Windows (Start) + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Select Apps and Features > Click on Cities Skylines 2 from the list of installed programs to select it.
• Now, click on Advanced options > Select Reset.
• Once done, reboot your computer and try to launch the game.

15. Reinstall Cities Skylines 2

If none of the methods worked for you, try reinstalling the Cities Skylines 2 game to check if that helps you fix the game not launching issue. To do so:

• Click on the Start menu and search for Control Panel.
• Open Control Panel > Click on Uninstall a Program.
• Locate and right-click on Cities Skylines 2 > Select Uninstall.
• If prompted, click on Uninstall again to confirm.
• Wait for the uninstallation process to complete. You can follow the on-screen instructions to do so.
• Once done, make sure to reboot the PC to apply changes.
• Finally, head over to your specific game launcher (Steam Games Launcher) and reinstall Cities Skylines 2.

Dealing with crashes, especially when you’re eager to play a game like Cities Skylines 2, can be frustrating. However, many of these issues can be resolved with the right approach and a systematic troubleshooting process. We hope the steps outlined in this guide have clarified and helped address the “Cities Skylines 2 Crashing” issue. Always remember while such technical hiccups can be challenging, you can ensure a smoother gaming experience with persistence and regular updates. So, the next time you encounter “Cities Skylines 2 Crashing” on startup, you’ll be well-equipped with the knowledge to tackle it head-on.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. For those who are experiencing specific issues like getting stuck on the loading screen, Stuttering, C++ Redistributable Error, Hardware Not Supported, or Textures Not Loading in Game, it’s recommended to click on the provided link to get detailed troubleshooting steps and possible solutions. Always ensure your systems are up-to-date, and be patient as fixes and updates roll out.