Martin JørgensenCities in Motion is still one of the best transport simulators
Cities in Motion is a detailed transport and management simulator where you build and run a public transit network in major European cities like Vienna, Helsinki, Berlin, and Amsterdam.
Developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive, the focus is clearly on planning over action. It’s not about creating the prettiest city, but about moving people from residential areas to work, leisure, and shopping—without running your company into the ground.
We tested Cities in Motion on a Windows 11 PC via Steam, and although the game clearly shows its age, the core idea still works surprisingly well. Once your first bus routes are set up, the trams start rolling, and passengers slowly fill the stops, it delivers that classic “just one more route” feeling.
From 1920 to 2020 with buses, metros, and trams
Cities in Motion lets you run public transit from 1920 to 2020. That means both the city’s needs and the vehicles you have access to change over time. According to Paradox, you can choose from more than 30 different vehicles across buses, trams, metro, water buses, and helicopters.
It may sound simple, but the balance between finances, capacity, and route planning is what makes the game compelling. A bus line is cheap to set up, but if traffic snarls downtown, your passengers will get unhappy fast. The metro is more expensive, but it can move a lot of people efficiently across the city. Trams sit somewhere in between and often feel like a smart solution on busy corridors.
There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing a route you designed start to work. On the flip side, it’s very obvious when you’ve created a weak line. In our test we quickly ended up with a few stops packed with waiting passengers because we underestimated demand between residential neighborhoods and job centers.
A game for players who prefer planning over chaos
Cities in Motion isn’t a game where everything explodes on the screen and you get a reward every five seconds. It’s a more patient management sim where you analyze the city, understand passenger flows, and continually fine-tune your network.
In some ways, it’s like the part of Cities: Skylines where you obsess over bus lines, metro stations, and traffic flow. The difference is that Cities in Motion turns transit into the entire focus. That’s a strength if you love this kind of gameplay, but it can also feel a bit dry if you expect broad city-building with zoning, industry, budgets, and high-level politics.
Visually, Cities in Motion looks decent for its age, but graphics aren’t what carry the experience. The cities are easy to read, traffic is clear, and the interface is serviceable—but it won’t feel like a modern game in 2026.
Cities in Motion Collection makes the most sense today
If you want to play Cities in Motion today, the Cities in Motion Collection often makes the most sense because it bundles the base game with a set of expansions. On GOG, for example, the Collection includes add-ons such as German Cities, London, Paris, Tokyo, US Cities, and several design packs.
That’s worth noting because the base game can start to feel a bit limited after a few hours. The extra cities and vehicles add variety and make the game much more engaging—especially if you want to work with different city layouts than the four original European cities.
The Steam page also shows the game still has an active store page with DLC, which makes it a far safer download than many gamle spil that only exist via unofficial archive sites.
Who should download Cities in Motion?
Cities in Motion is best for players who enjoy strategy, simulation, and transit planning. It’s a great choice if traffic and public transportation are your favorite parts of city builders.
The game is especially appealing if you:
🚍 Love bus routes, metro stations, and efficient urban transit
🚋 Want a more focused alternative to Cities: Skylines
🚇 Enjoy slower management sims with budgeting and planning
🛥️ Like managing multiple transport modes in one city
🏙️ Want to play an older yet still charming Paradox title
It’s not the best pick if you want modern graphics, fast-paced action, or a complete city simulator with everything from industry to tax policy.
Top 5 tips for Cities in Motion
Start with buses before building an expensive metro
Avoid overly long routes across the whole city
Watch for stops with long lines
Use the metro on heavy corridors
Design for easy transfers between modes
An older game with a strong idea
Cities in Motion is no longer technically impressive, but it still has a sharp core idea: public transportation as the heart of the entire game. That makes it narrower than many modern city builders, but also more focused.
If you enjoy optimere ruter, løse trafikproblemer and turning a transit company profitable, Cities in Motion is still worth trying. The Collection edition in particular adds enough content that it doesn’t just feel like an old curiosity.
