A City-Planner’s Dream: Cities: Skylines 2 Finally Adds Official Quays and Piers

For a city builder with a name like Cities: Skylines, the inability to easily construct beautiful, functional waterfronts has been a long-standing point of frustration for the dedicated community. Players, ever resourceful, have resorted to a number of ingenious but often clunky “makeshift substitutes” to achieve their desired look, using everything from fill roads to elevated paths to create the illusion of quays and piers. In a major win for the creative-minded among us, developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive have announced a new, free patch for Cities: Skylines 2 that finally introduces official quays and piers, a direct response to a community need that has been present since the game’s launch.

The Problem and the Patch

The “Quays & Piers” patch, officially known as version 1.3.3f1, was released in June 2025 and was a momentous occasion for the game’s fanbase. As a developer diary from Paradox Interactive put it, “We’ve seen how you have used the cut-and-fill roads to create makeshift quays in your cities, but we also know how challenging they can be to build.” The new patch is designed to solve this problem by providing a proper, built-in solution that is both easier to use and more effective. Instead of forcing players to manipulate the landscape with roads and bridges to create retaining walls, the new quays and piers tools automatically detect changes in elevation and create a proper retaining wall on the lower side, making the process of creating a waterfront a thousand times simpler.

The patch, which was originally intended to launch alongside the delayed “Bridges & Ports” DLC, now serves as a standalone update that gives players a taste of what’s to come. The free content includes:

• Two New Quays: A pedestrian-only quay and a medium-sized quay with a driving lane, which can be upgraded with bus lanes or tram tracks.
• Three New Piers: Narrow, medium, and wide wooden leisure piers that are perfect for creating bustling recreational waterfronts. These are pedestrian-only and can be used to create intricate, custom pier networks.

In addition to these new tools, the patch also includes a “Snap to shoreline” feature, which allows players to quickly and easily line their waterfronts with a consistent height, while still giving them the option to turn off the feature for more detailed and custom construction. The fact that the new quays can also be used on land to create terraces and elevated walkways is an extra layer of creativity that the community is already taking advantage of.

A Testament to Listening to the Community

The release of this patch is a clear and powerful signal that the developers are listening to their community. From the very beginning, Cities: Skylines 2 has had a rocky road, with a number of performance issues and missing features that frustrated fans. However, Colossal Order has been steadily releasing patches and updates to address these issues. The “Quays & Piers” update is a perfect example of this. It’s not just a bug fix; it’s a new, free feature that directly responds to a long-standing, known community pain point. By observing how players were forced to improvise and then providing them with a better, more elegant solution, the developers are rebuilding trust and showing a commitment to making Cities: Skylines 2 the game it was always meant to be.

The addition of quays and piers is a monumental improvement for city-building aesthetics. For many players, a waterfront is the heart and soul of their city, and the ability to create realistic and beautiful shorelines is a huge part of the game’s appeal. Now, with these new tools, players can finally realize their dream cities without the frustration of fiddly workarounds. The fact that this content was released for free, ahead of a paid DLC, is a commendable move that further strengthens the goodwill between the developers and their loyal fanbase.

Conclusion: The Future of Urban Planning is Bright

The “Quays & Piers” patch is a turning point for Cities: Skylines 2. It’s a testament to the power of a dedicated community and a responsive development team. By providing these essential tools, Colossal Order has not only made the game easier and more fun but has also opened up a wealth of new creative possibilities for players. So, whether you’re a veteran city planner or a newcomer looking for a reason to jump in, now is the perfect time to start building your waterfronts. The game is finally providing the tools to turn your makeshift, Frankenstein-like creations into a beautiful, sprawling metropolis, one perfect quay at a time.