Nine tiles. That was the hard cap on Cities: Skylines for Switch, enough to choke a city long before its first proper suburb. The Expanded Edition, which launched on Switch 2 on October 28, 2026, raises that to 25. That is the headline of this port, far more than the ten DLC packed into the bundle.
Paradox Interactive made this version with Tantalus Media, building on Colossal Order’s game. Suggested retail is $49 (€49, £41.49). If you already own the Switch version, you get 70% off until April 28, 2027.
25 tiles, 60 fps and a mouse: what Switch 2 changes
The buildable area grows from 9 tiles to 25. In practice, a city can finally keep its industrial zone away from its residential neighborhoods instead of cramming everything around the first highway interchange. In a city-builder where traffic decides almost everything, this is the change that matters most.
There are two graphics modes. Performance targets 60 fps using upscaling and lighter settings; Quality targets 30 fps and focuses on image fidelity. Paradox talks about targets, not promises. Whether that frame rate holds in a full 25-tile metropolis is the real question.
The port also supports keyboard and mouse alongside the controller. If you want to lay curved roads or planning bus lines, that is a huge step up from a thumbstick.

Map editor and precision tools
The Expanded Edition adds a map editor, so you can shape your terrain before you build. It also brings precision placement, a distance indicator and updated snapping, three tools that make a real difference when you are lining up streets on a gamepad.
An environmental controls panel adjusts time of day, rain, fog and color grading in real time. A quick selection tool lets you jump between tools and buildings without digging through menus. On paper, these additions target gamepad players; in practice, the map editor is what really extends the game’s life.

The 10 bundled DLC, and the ones left out
According to the eShop listing, the bundle includes After Dark, Snowfall, Green Cities, Sunset Harbor, Map Pack 3, Country Road, Pearls from the East, Deep Focus Radio, Carols, Candles & Candy and Match Day.
What the list doesn’t include: Parklife, Industries or Mass Transit. Those are three of the expansions that change the way you play the most on PC. The press release says nothing about mods either, even though they account for a big part of the game’s staying power on Steam.

Meanwhile on PC and consoles: two Creator Packs the same day
On October 28, 2026, the original Cities: Skylines also got new content on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. Holiday Getaways, by Tomas13TO, adds getaway destinations, vacation spots and holiday parks. Mansions & Manors, by Feindbold, introduces a residential zone of luxury estates. Each pack costs $5.99. Blueprint Beats Radio (16 tracks) is $3.99, and the Estates & Escapes Bundle groups all three for $12.99.
The message is plain: even with Cities: Skylines 2 on the market, Paradox keeps feeding the first game.
Should you buy the Expanded Edition?
If you already own the Switch version, the answer is easy. With 70% off, the Expanded Edition comes to roughly $14.70 at suggested retail, for a city nearly three times larger and a 60 fps mode. Grab it before April 28, 2027.
For a newcomer, $49 is still full price for a game without Industries or Mass Transit. It makes the most sense if you want to build on the couch or on the go. With a decent PC and an appetite for mods, the Steam version remains the one to own. Keep an eye on how the Performance mode holds up in big cities, and on whether the missing expansions ever show up.
Going further
Sources
- paradoxinteractive.com /media/press-releases/paradox-interactive/cities-skylines-e…
- paradoxinteractive.com /media/press-releases/paradox-interactive/cities-skylines-e…
- gematsu.com /2026/10/cities-skylines-expanded-edition-coming-to-switch-…
- nintendolife.com /news/2026/10/cities-skylines-is-building-an-expanded-editi…
- nintendo.com /us/store/products/cities-skylines-expanded-edition-switch-…
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