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Steam Deck18 Reports
Changed trackpad presses to do other functions
There isn't any controller support at all. I can't get the thumb sticks to work.
Launcher rarely doesn't open and game doesn't start either.
Small but managable when deck is docked and using computer screen
I have only played this for an hour+ but it starts and seems to be working fine.
Main menu loads just fine. Mods/DLC are the issue. C:S loads it all into RAM when loading saves. If you have too many, it will max the RAM and crash the system. Steam Deck has ~14gbs to play with, which is more than any other city builder ever needs, but we're talking about Unity3D now, so you must be VERY picky about mods/DLC. Go to properties, DLC, and uncheck anything useless. Soundtrack or radio DLCs are out. If you don't like sports and aren't making a campus city, then disable those too. CCPs are nice and you can have a few enabled without issue, but old saves can be dependant on them. So it's up to you. But C:S isn't just a memory hog! It's a CPU & GPU hog too! You're going to have a hard time getting it to run at a smooth FPS, free of microstutters. Disable all DoF crap and turn shadows way down if you want a two digit FPS. I've seen people suggest using the following launch option, but it could be a placebo: SDL_VIDEODRIVER=x11 __NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia %command% Oh and don't even bother running the windows version in Proton. AWFUL performance. Force native only. I've heard -force-opengl and -window-mode exclusive make a difference, but what render mode would the native Linux build use besides OpenGL? But wait, there's more! Why stop at awful system usage when it can have trash graphics too? I've seen people claim to get visuals that look like the promo art. But you'll need >10 mods for that and even if you had enough RAM, you'll still have compat issues with mods since the devs love to break them and often do. So all mods are living in a quantum super state of being both alive and dead, and it's really just a matter of time anyways so you might as well never bother. You'll never iron out those jaggies. Learn to love them. And we're still not done yet! Why not put a terrible launcher in between the user and C:S too? To skip the stupid launcher, use launch option: "./Cities.x64" %command% So: 1. Force native Linux 2. Disable all DLCs 3. UNSUB all mods (disabling isn't enough (they still load)) 4. Set launch options: SDL_VIDEODRIVER=x11 __NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia "./Cities.x64" %command% -force-opengl -window-mode exclusive 5. Disable graphics Then it will work. OR! Hear me out! You could play an actually fun and stable city builder, like Tropico, Surviving Mars, or Cities XL. Just saying.
-noWorkshop
Game crashes, SteamDeck reboots. Tried new map and loading existing. Tried with -noWorkshop to ensure mods not loaded, but same results
With a keyboard and mouse the experience is exactly the same as on a PC, with the controller layout it may be less enjoyable.
I expanded the Deck's swap space so that I could use more mods and assets, but this is entirely optional.
various personal tweaks.
Text can be small but not horrible.
Thr game actually works on the Deck, but you must drop the shadow and texture settings down to low, maybe medium. I strongly suspect that the other reports are keeping settings high and running out of memory from the combined AMD pool of video and ram. drop the quality and it'll likely work as I ran into the exact same crashes before lowering settings.
Sadly it seems that this game does not work if you have a few expansion packs, as it will cause the SteamDeck to run out of memory when loading the map (new or existing game) which is a shame.
Cranked all the graphics settings to low, except that I did keep resolution at 1280x800. Never finishes loading a map.
Turned on Steam's performance monitor to its fullest to see what was going on while it was trying to load. Both GE-Proton and Native Runtime, it simply wants too much RAM. CPU-side was taking up 12GiB, GPU-side wanted 5GiB, and...well, do the math, there are only 16GiB! So it never even loads. It's funny, I never think of this game as being that much of a memory hog on Windows, but I'm also playing there on a beefy desktop most of the time.
At any rate, I'm pretty sure that's why so few people have luck with this on the Steam Deck. Maybe it could be mitigated by increasing the Linux swap area, but that's rarely a good idea for performance.
I'd love to see Colossal Order and/or Paradox see what can be done about this, but I don't hold out much hope.
Still cannot get in-game on the Deck. Game keeps loading and then eventually runs out of memory it looks like.
Changed to native version.
"./Cities.x64" %command%
changed left trackpad to act as a scroll wheel
40hz and 40 frame cap
idk if there's a way to increase ui size
the launch argument will bypass the useless launcher, i was actualy able to load most of my mods without issue
Changed some windows shortcuts, also placed esc on the b button to close menus easier
Trees outside of the cities tiles were missing textures
Was able to open the (useless) Paradox launcher and Cities: Skylines main menu, but the game wouldn't actually load. No luck with new maps, existing maps, or even by completely disabling mods.
Tried various Proton versions
Tried all possible Proton versions (Experimental, 7.0-2, GE, downgraded) and the native linux version, and even with all DLCs disabled and lowest graphics settings, I was unable to get in-game at all.
Seems like it's a weirdly "can-work-if-you-get-the-lucky-device" type of game, based on the other reports I've seen, which is such a shame.
The starting menu is difficult to navigate with default controls and even with touchscreen the screen was awkward
Touch screen was inaccurate
"./Cities.x64" %command%
Lots of slowdown when zooming in and out
I had to change the compatibility tool to "Steam Linux Runtime" to get the game to launch.
Use the command above to launch the game directly and skip the useless launcher.
I had no immediate issues loading and playing a medium-ish sized city for ~20-30 min or so.
Performance is.. spotty, but it's playable for being portable and not the Switch version. You'll probably have to tweak the controls to get something really workable.
Menus all fine, crashes near the end when loading a new or saved game.
Menus are flawless but loading and creating games will cause a crash
