Best CPU for Cities Skylines 2: Max Simulation Speed Guide [2025]

Is your mega-city grinding to a halt? You’ve meticulously planned your zones, your traffic flow is a thing of beauty… but the simulation speed is stuck on slow-mo. We get it. Here in South Africa, we love building big. For Cities Skylines 2, that ambition needs serious processing power. Finding the best CPU for Cities Skylines 2 isn't just about specs; it's about reclaiming your game's performance and future-proofing your build. 🚀

Why Your CPU is the Real Mayor of Cities Skylines 2

While a good graphics card paints the pretty picture, your Central Processing Unit (CPU) does the heavy lifting. It's the engine running the complex simulation that makes your city feel alive. Every car, every citizen (or "cim"), and every piece of garbage has its path calculated by the CPU. As your population grows, these calculations multiply exponentially, demanding more and more processing power.

This is why even powerful PCs can struggle. The game's performance is fundamentally tied to simulation speed, a task that hammers specific parts of your processor. To truly optimise your experience, you need to understand what your CPU is doing and which CPU processors are best equipped for the job.

Key CPU Features for Maximum Simulation Speed

Not all CPUs are created equal, especially for a unique game like this. Forget just looking at core counts; the details matter. The best CPU for Cities Skylines 2 will excel in a few key areas.

Clock Speed and Cache are King 👑

Cities Skylines 2, like many simulation games, relies heavily on a main simulation thread. This means the performance of a single core is incredibly important. A CPU with high clock speeds (measured in GHz) can process instructions for that main thread faster, directly improving your simulation speed.

Even more critical is the CPU's cache. Think of cache as super-fast, on-chip memory. A large L3 cache allows the CPU to store and access vast amounts of simulation data instantly, without waiting for your much slower system RAM. This is where certain processors gain a massive advantage.

Our Top CPU Picks for Cities Skylines 2 in 2025

So, which team should you back for your mayoral office... Red or Blue? Both offer fantastic options, but they achieve their performance in different ways.

The Cache Champion: AMD's X3D Series

When it comes to simulation and gaming performance, it's hard to look past what AMD CPUs with 3D V-Cache technology bring to the table. Models like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D are legendary for a reason. Their massive L3 cache acts like a turbocharger for the game's simulation engine, feeding the cores data at lightning speed.

For those who want the absolute best performance with no compromises, stepping up to the AMD Ryzen 9 series with 3D V-Cache offers even more cores for background tasks while retaining that game-changing cache. This is the top-tier choice for maxing out your simulation speed. ✨

The High-Frequency Hero: Intel's Core Series

Don't count out Team Blue. The latest generation of Intel CPUs are masters of high clock speeds, pushing single-core performance to incredible heights. This raw speed is fantastic for the main game thread and also provides a brilliant all-around experience for productivity and other games.

If your PC is a work-and-play machine, a processor from the Intel Core Ultra 9 series delivers a potent combination of high-frequency performance cores and efficient E-cores. This makes it a versatile powerhouse, capable of running your mega-city smoothly while handling other tasks without breaking a sweat.

Ultimately, the best CPU for Cities Skylines 2 is one that prioritises high single-thread speed and, ideally, a massive cache. Choosing the right one will transform your late-game experience from a slideshow into a smoothly humming metropolis.