Lego Skylines first look: an obvious concept works out perfectly
It seems so obvious, yet it’s taken this long for someone to combine Lego with a city-building simulator. With Lego Skylines, the dream becomes reality – or at least, a digital plastic reality, as I was able to discover for myself.
They come in pirate, Roman, beaver and now in [Lego] versions. Colossal Order, with its two Cities: Skylines titles, is partly responsible for the revival of city builders. At the end of 2025, they were replaced by Iceflake Studios, another Finnish studio, who are now combining that winning formula with Lego’s popular building blocks. At Gamescom (and at home), I got to try it out for myself.
Easy to understand, even for non-Skylines veterans
If you’ve played Cities: Skylines before, you won’t need a long introduction to Lego Skylines. It’s a laid-back «I’m building with Lego» version of what claims to be the most realistic city-building simulator of all time. The developers are ambitious: «Lego Skylines is going to be the most accessible city-building game ever,» they explain to me. Story Mode gently introduces you to the game’s systems.
First, I pick out my Lego minifigure. I go with the model in a penguin costume. There’s only one real name I can give it: Pingu. Pingu acts as mayor, chatting with the people in a very down-to-earth way. For people to move in, there need to be houses. Whether it’s a stylish brick look or a modern single-family home, I can either choose or let the game decide. Adjusting colours, changing house model? Easy. As soon as I click Build, a building is assembled from individual bricks, accompanied by satisfying clicking sounds.
Source: Paradox
The world itself isn’t made of Legos, but a white Lego grid helps with placement. Not having a fully Lego world was an intentional choice: «We wanted the city to really stand out from the rest of the world.» They’ve definitely succeeded in doing that.
As soon as the house is built, a family moves in – with the typical expectations found in an urban planning simulation. One of the most essential is a job, so I build a farm. Or is it a mill? It doesn’t really matter, the differences are purely visual. Just like in Cities: Skylines, I can unlock milestones that expand my options.
Source: Paradox
Next, I’m supposed to increase the farm’s productivity, so I build a barn and a vegetable garden to go with it. All buildings in Lego Skylines require a road connection. If there’s already one there, I just click on it and drag it along. Unfortunately, building diagonally isn’t possible – after all, that wouldn’t work with real Lego either.
Any requests?
Residential and industrial zones are followed by the commercial area. My little yellow characters want to spend their hard-earned money somewhere, after all. So I set up a few stores. This is where the happiness system comes into play: I can increase a property’s appeal by meeting its resident’s needs. A café owner wants some decorations? With just two clicks, a little table and parasol are right outside the door. The large billboard by the roadside also helps create a positive atmosphere for neighbouring businesses.
No modern city-building game would be complete without electricity and water. I place both of them a little ways off to the side. Pollution also plays a key role in the well-being of my little plastic people. Iceflake Studios doesn’t want to make the game unnecessarily complicated, though. As a result, the traffic is relatively straightforward compared to the complex road system in Cities: Skylines 2.
Source: Paradox
I don’t have to lay the electrical and water lines manually. As long as everything is connected by road, business keeps flowing. Nevertheless, there’s a sphere of influence. My first farm had neither electricity nor running water – which I didn’t notice at first, since the game had hidden the warning quite subtly. The developer, who was looking over my shoulder, finally gave me a hint: I had simply placed my farm upgrades between the farm and the road. I gave it a quick 90-degree turn and everything worked.
Where’s the editor?
Little by little, my village grows into a town. A park here, a fountain there – the Lego design is just wonderfully fun to play with. It’s so much fun to watch the little guys scurrying about. Occasionally, residents show up with quests: «Build this for me,» «Make that look nicer.»
I feel like I could spend countless hours here. It’s complex without being complicated. There’s just one thing missing: an editor. The developers assure us that every building and vehicle can be recreated using Lego bricks. Does that mean I can also create my own designs? After all, that’s what Lego is all about! Unfortunately, there’s currently no editor, and when asked if one is being planned, the developers are evasive. There’s enormous potential there, especially for the Community. I can hardly imagine there won’t be anything more coming here.
Source: Paradox
To wrap things up, Iceflake Studios shows me one of its big cities. And wow. As a child, I used to dream of a massive Lego city like that. Skyscrapers, fire stations, massive bridges – such a bustle that you don’t even know where to look first. Still, the city remains more manageable than anything in Cities: Skylines 2. If only I’d had an empty gym back then – and parents who would’ve immediately said yes to every single Lego purchase…
Even though Lego Skylines is much more accessible than its bigger, more serious counterpart, you still need a basic understanding of the genre. Or you can just play with others. I’m definitely going to do that with my kids as soon as the game’s officially released.
Lego Skylines doesn’t yet have a release date, but it’ll come out for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch.
Correction: Colossal Order developed Cities: Skylines, not Iceflake Studios.
As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
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