Best GPU for Cities Skylines – our top picks
We take a look at which GPUs will suffice for Cities Skylines
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At least 4 GB of RAM is needed by the Cities Skylines system specifications. However, the creators advise a minimum of 6 GB of RAM. The lowest CPU required for Cities Skylines is an Intel Core 2 Duo T7600. However, an Intel Core i5-3470 or above is preferred. If you’re looking for the best GPU for Cities Skylines 2, the newer game, we have a guide for that also.
While an AMD Radeon HD 7870 or greater is advised, the least expensive graphics card you can use to play it is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260. Keep in mind that downloading mods, which are quite popular in Cities Skylines, will require more storage space than the minimum 4 GB specified in the Cities Skylines PC requirements.
The makers may only specify a minimum requirement of 4GB of RAM, but with mods installed or a huge city, this game can easily utilize over 8GB of RAM alone. For the best experience, we recommend installing 16GB of RAM.
Best GPU for Cities Skylines
For a good performance, you want something a bit more powerful. The game suggests only a GTX 580 or RX 560 to run the game. So simply having a GTX 1080 or RX 5600 XT will be plenty powerful to run the game.
ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080
Clock Speed
1703 MHz
VRAM
8GB GDDR5X
Memory Bus Width
256-Bit
MSI AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
Game Clock Speed
1615 MHz
VRAM
6GB GDDR6
Memory Bus Width
192 bit
However for something a bit more recent and more achievable, there is the recent generation. A card like the RTX 3060 or RX 6600 XT will be strong enough to achieve strong framerates for Cities Skylines.
MSI RTX 3060 Gaming X Trio 12G
Clock Speed
1852 MHz Boost Clock
VRAM
12GB GDDR6
Thermal Design
Tri FROZR 2
ASRock Radeon RX 6600 XT Phantom Gaming OC
Core Clock Speed
2607 MHz Boost Clock
Stream Processors
2048
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6X
Dimensions
303 x 131 x 45 mm (2.25 slot)
PSU Required
500W
In this stunning reconstruction of municipal management and governance, cities are represented as skylines. Play this incredibly accurate recreation of managing skyscrapers to learn about the difficulties of growing and maintaining your metropolis.
If you are unable to achieve the system criteria, don’t expect your construction management degree to be of any assistance to you.
FAQs
What GPU do you need for Cities Skylines?
At a minimum the GPU just needs 1 or 2GB of VRAM and DX 9 suport. So the GTS 450 or R7 250 are suggested. But at a recommendation, the memory is upped to 1.5/4GB with DX 11 support. As the GTX 580 or RX 560 are recommended.
