20 Absolutely Essential Cities Skylines Mods & How to Use Them

The question I am asked more than any other in the comments of my videos is what mods I believe are absolutely essential for people just starting out playing Cities Skylines. So today, I am going over my essential Cities Skylines mods and giving a brief tutorial of how to use each them.
** Steam Workshop Link to Mod List **
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CHAPTERS
Introduction - 0:00
City Vitals Watch - 0:40
Move It! - 1:36
Fine Road Anarchy - 4:22
Zoning Toolset - 4:59
Network Extensions 2 - 6:24
Ultimate Level of Detail (ULOD) - 7:27
Dynamic Resolution - 8:53
Camera Positions Utility (+Shadow Distance Fix) - 9:58
Hide It! - 10:55
Picker - 13:30
Extra Landscaping Tools - 14:05
Prop Line Tool (PLT) - 15:41
Ultimate Eye Candy - 16:43
Undo It! - 18:15
Roundabout Builder - 18:34
Toggle It! - 19:34
81 Tiles - 20:41
Traffic Manager Presidential Edition - 21:22
Loading Screen Mod - 26:33
Instant Return to Desktop - 27:33

[@CityPlannerPlays]

This video has been updated for 2022! Check out the new version here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKObiJ-fl5mdp6c I probably should have pinned this.... steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2383463170

[@fesdf273]

great timing lol, just came across the video now

[@warrenash2251]

This isn't a reply on this particular video but on your videos in general. Thank you for not assuming that we, the viewer, know what we are doing in the game. Officially sponsored tutorials really don't teach you anything, they just talk about what things do. Your explanations may seem long-winded to you but they really answer most questions that pop up during the show. Your sense of humor is enjoyable and your voice is smooth and soothing. I know that you have no control over that but there are series out there where the accents and voices really make it tough to watch. Thank you for your videos and please keep up the good work. I know I will be watching as I have subscribed to your channel.😁👍 🎉

[@jhonathanazeredo7660]

I don't know why but the mods are not working.

[@RishiArora]

At least one of the mods was found to potentially contain malware unfortunately so be careful.

[@CityPlannerPlays]

@@RishiArora This list is older and free of the mods in question. But I completely agree - be careful out there!

[@mrpotential11]

A really good mod is "Real Time" which essentially makes everyone a real person. Like the city will wake up and go to sleep. You'll have rush hours, citizens age better and more realistically, whole bunch of customization and it really helps if you wanna go for a real city kind of vibe

[@blah012345678]

Got back into C:S because of this YT channel and this mod is great. I love watching the lights turn off as nighttime approaches and so on

[@stevespain6445]

One of my favourites.

[@SpawnCampGames]

@@springchickena1 They make awesome cities like this with them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKjXcnumodiMla8

[@Shemratov]

Might as well add the realistic population mod too so you can achieve the realest level of simulation, this games modding community is awesome

[@jmajick4415]

@@springchickena1 Some people want to build a beautiful city. Some people want to build a realistic city. Some want both.

[@tiotito31]

3:38 That truck driver is pretty damn good

[@Suisfonia]

For a moment I thought I was watching an ant (been playing to much EDF >_

[@scottheighton5971]

If 500 hours of game ago, I had had a video tutorial like this, I would have felt so much better, starting out. Thank you so much, on behalf of the entire community, for this video! You and Biffa are the best!

[@nicolaiherrmann3643]

agree

[@MrMathsimon]

I've been playing Cities Skylines for a while now and only now have I learned of sloping objects with move it. Saving this to playlist!

[@israkhk]

So am I 😂😂

[@OrangeGenerator]

Your channel has helped me immensely get into this game properly some 6 years after buying it on Steam. Your guide to vanilla 0-10000 and beyond series is great and so was this etc. Love your stuff.

[@elainal6847]

Yay, you listened! And you gave a timestamp table of contents. Huge GIddy Virtual hug from the other side of the country! And now I am heading back down the bunny hole to improve my city. I hit 75K for the first time following your playstyle.

[@muhammadraflihkhadafi8439]

Dude nice list, I've been looking for this types of Mods. Thanks a bunch. Love your content, gives me a nice logic how to build city from scratch to advance. Keep up the great work :D

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Thank you, Muhammad! I really appreciate the kind words!

[@lordMaroza]

Amazing tutorial, man! I've been wanting to get back into the game for quite some time, and I believe there's some incentive to do so, now. So much freedom with these mods.

[@Darkwolfe73]

As useful as this video is, I _really_ appreciate the links to the mods you listed. I tried just searching on Steam as you went through, a couple didn't come up for whatever reason. Finally at #17 I saw your list. That is an incredible help and a bit of extra work that saves a whole bunch of time. Thank you so much for the vid _and_ the links to them!

[@CityPlannerPlays]

I'll pin the list in the comments

[@wizkashifa]

I really appreciate that you used a previously unmodded city to demonstrate! Really lets us see the difference between modded and vanilla.

[@bigbeb4901]

Have been playing CS for almost 1000h, but didn’t know about some useful mods)) Thanks man for such a great video! One of the best for CS mods👌

[@jasoncoates1835]

Fantastic video, Phil! "Top 10 (20)" lists are neat clickbait and all, but the in-depth explanations and examples of usage really make this a great look at some fundamentally useful mods. Well done. =)

[@AndrewClarkePhotography]

Just wanted to say thankyou. As a long term player of the game and just got to update the PC I can now run it again. I have watched peoples videos and often wondered how do they get such great arrangements to their cities. You answered so many of my questions. This video is excellent.

[@CoryyJ]

I've snagged quite a few mods off this list. For someone like me who just picked the game up this is a HUGE help getting a bunch of great mods together and showing what they all do.

[@stevea1008]

OUTSTANDING! I have been hoping you would put together something like this, and it was even better than I had hoped for. The pointers to the mods themselves and pointers to the explanation of them within this video makes this a video I imagine I will study again and again as I load up on these mods. Great work!!

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Thank you!

[@ENDERMOUS]

Thanks a lot man, been watching your videos quite a lot, recent days, like the verde beach one, and having your stream as my background ambience just like listening to calm podcast. and after from that i decided to trying the game for myself. even tho im having one copy of cityskylines from giveaway epic, recently i just bought it from steam and try to following with all essential mods you've been provides here.

[@Shahadvs]

i love how much your video is organized its the best, thanks im getting most of these mods now

[@capngramma8960]

Thanks so much for this. I haven't played for a couple of years, but decided to get back into it. I have the DLC's you recommend, but couldn't remember the mods i used to use. I used to work as a GIS technician for a major US city water department, and love playing with city planning.

[@cannedcream]

Super helpful video. Not only did I download some new quality of life mods from this, but it actually taught me some functions of mods I already had that I didn't know existed!

[@brendanbagwell]

Wonderful Review! If I could make a small suggestion; be sure to list to the author in the future of the video. Not only for "credit", but more than anything so it's easy to distinguish which mod your using as opposed to all the attempted copies on the workshop! Thank you for the video! Super helpful!

[@CityPlannerPlays]

That's a great suggestion that I'll be sure to incorporate in future videos! FYI - there is a list of the mods in the description, so you can be sure that you're getting the one I'm referring to.

[@TheMateuszek19]

This is the best MODS presentation ever !! I was always wondering why all those youtubers city skylines looks so great and mine like crap and fogy. thanks man !! Now i want to play it even more.

[@douglastempleton9719]

THANK YOU. I have been playing for almost a year now, but I have always been intimated by the sheer amount of mods on the workshop and which to use

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Glad I could help!

[@bazzakrak]

good list @@CityPlannerPlays and also nice that you show some of the things that you can do with the mods, not all who make lists like that do that. And to Douglas, yeah the workshop can be very intimidating. Best advice is to check out people like City Planner, Biffa, Czardus and Imperial Jedi, see what mods they use, perhaps even find out which ones they all use, and then try them out 1 by 1 to see if you like them.

[@Efebur]

@@CityPlannerPlays Hey just a heads up, that terrain undo that you did was not showcasing the Undo it! mod, that's part of the game's map editor and accessible in-game via Extra landscaping tools. Undo it! is for undoing "Building/bulldozing roads, buildings, props and trees". Just in case you didn't know. I think that makes the mod much more interesting.

[@DtF2611]

Thank you!! As always, delivered in such a coherent and approachable manner. I use quite a few of these already but there are some real gems there!

[@mad_god_mcmullen]

Extremely useful video. I know I asked you this question just a couple of days ago. Many thanks for taking the time to do it.

[@ODP_Guru]

Great video. I use quite a few of the mods already but definitely a few I will try out too.

[@donjuanscroggins3918]

Thank you this video is concise, just what I needed. Please upload more like this when time permits. 😊

[@georgemcfly8390]

Just what I was looking for bro...Great video. Thx

[@bisem433]

Wow! Thank you for this video. I have only been playing for a few months and always wondered why I can't accomplish what the content providers are doing in Cities videos. You just gave away the secrets!

[@wipeoutmax]

You might want to have a look at "Node Controller" and, especially, "Intersection Marking Tool".

[@forceinfinity]

Yeah, those two are mandatory if you want to do smoother transitions to merge/exit only lanes, or even cooler is to do sloped interchange without the stair stepping. The marking tool can let you add gore points, lane stripes of your choice, and more. A must use for me...

[@cookienator7964]

Thank you very much! I am new to the game and this is just what i was looking for! Especially from a professional city planer who knows what real life city planning is like and what would be realistic as well!

[@neilbrideau8520]

I'm sure this was not the most fun video to make but it truly is appreciated.

[@lickkittysplit3871]

Although I just watched this video 1yr later, I find it to be the most watched video ever. I've lost count how many times I've re-watched it...lol. Excellent Vid. Can't wait to add to it!

[@quaide78]

YESSS! You did it! This was so helpful. Thanks!

[@Pampskoen]

I've been an Overcharged Egg fanatic for a while but definitely going to get into some of your stuff now. Thanks for the great content

[@kturner2727]

Thank you so much City Planner!

[@WillGame4Beer]

This is an EXCELLENT list! Thank you!

[@allanf931]

Very nice mods mentioned!! I played a bit at release and then when after dark came out, recently got back into it and already started installing a crapload of mods ;D

[@Lunariant]

I am so grateful for this. Thank you!

[@crenshawshank]

Every other mod on this list made me audibly go "whoa... forreal?" Thanks for the very helpful video! Giving 20 different mods a worthwhile explanation in

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Glad to hear it it was helpful! Thanks for the kind words!!

[@deepjoes1072]

Thank you so much! You helped me a lot!

[@metalfreaque]

Im completely new to the game (and love your way of building cities) but many of those mod features they should be in the base game imo

[@Wreckthesausage]

Great list this really helped me a lot!!

[@hersheyam]

Thank you for this! There was a couple mods I couldn't remember that I recognized here. :)

[@PainterCM]

This is so awesome! Thank you for the vid!

[@eliisaac]

Nice! Thanks for taking up my suggestion!!

[@foobietv]

Thanks for the video! I kept looking for a specific mod and couldn't find it till now (network Extensions)

[@Xanthelei]

Biffa is probably wondering why he felt a disturbance in the traffic the day you recorded this. xD

[@captaincapslock8654]

Very informative for someone like me who just jumped into the sheer endless waters of this game and its community. I'm stunned what people do just for fun. Now I got plenty to try out! Thanks a lot! :))

[@editiondutch]

Great mods, using almost all of them... Really prefer the Cital vitals mod, easy overview of youre city's needs!

[@swallowtailnerd1986]

I literally purchased the game today because of your channel and then you post this video. Perfect.

[@hustledude]

I love network extensions 2! I like to use them over the wide 4 and 6 lane roads, I just prefer the smaller town look of the smaller roads

[@Justathought81]

incredibly useful thanks man

[@bustercat1]

Great Video! Learned a lot and you were really concise thanks

[@rustylittle7356]

Thanks for putting the list in the description

[@lnstall_Wizard]

Super helpful video. Thanks.

[@Saribous]

Thanks man, really helpful!

[@ja.1473]

Good stuff man. Keep up the good work!

[@chadtopia]

thanks for the guidance. V helpful

[@JR-rv8ww]

Another great video. I'd love to get a map recommendation video from you if your up for doing one. The game has a ton of maps especially if you have the DLC and some are definitely not newbie friendly.

[@CityPlannerPlays]

That's a great idea! Maybe I'll do a video like that with a super fast timelapse of a quick small town build on each

[@joshburgin4379]

I'm pretty surprised that precision engineering didn't make the list honestly. That mod has been a staple for me since I started years ago.

[@yryum7749]

In the latest (yet to be named; 5 youtubers 1 map) series, they said they are not the fan of a mod that is unnecessary. And it’s in their opinion that precision is not necessary.

[@CityPlannerPlays]

I really tried to keep it to 20 and it was #21. Main reason - I use the freeform tool a lot and you can use money to measure.

[@thedeadcannotdie]

It's an awkward one, I totally forget about it for long amounts of time but then suddenly need it and am glad its there for me

[@markvogel5872]

Yay thanks for making this so easy!

[@AbleAnderson]

I really like parallel road builder for building highways. Also; can't live without better bulldozer. If you use default maps, sometimes you need to clear large swaths of trees at once. I would consider better bulldozer a must have. If you play without this mod, I'd genuinely like to hear how you deal with building in areas with tons of trees, bc deleting them one at a time is tedious.

[@arancibian.m]

Thanks for the video man :)

[@jrm78]

Node Controller is pretty indispensable anymore and the Pavement Marking tool is great for improving the aesthetics of your city. And when you're done with Verde Beach, hand it over to Biffa in order to fix the traffic. That should be fun.

[@davecrupel2817]

This! So much this!

[@Coren999]

Well maybe not even wait for it to be finished, that big roundabout at around the 17:50 mark could use some fixing already ;-)

[@dropitlikeitshot815]

Explain a little more the purpose of node controller? I have it, and have been using it. But I don't really know what it does.... lol

[@jrm78]

@@dropitlikeitshot815 Biffa did a pretty good run-down of how to get the most out of the new and improved Node Controller a couple of weeks ago. Don't know if that answers your question, but it does showcase some of its power. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJKuZIyvhqx2epI

[@dropitlikeitshot815]

@@jrm78 I actually just watched that video, and I think I got it now. Thanks.

[@JMWZ_E]

26:02 An alternative way of roundabout configuration would be the (Ctrl)-Shift-Click in priority sign mode. The shortcut is also shown below the TMPE-window at 22:22 ... btw your meant-to-be-horrible lane connector examples stay no matter which auto-configuration method you use. Just a hint for other users: remove those before applying the shortcut.

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Great tip!

[@MikaelHakmi]

Thanks for that great job! However, if I may, it would have been useful to mention each mod creator's name because some mods have different versions (not to mention it would have been nice to the creators too).

[@carstenzimmermann4435]

Most of the mods mentioned are so Well incorporated, I almost forget they don't come with the base game. Don't know If you still read this, since it's been out for a while now, nevertheless let me express my gratitude for such high quality content. Even after many years, the game keeps elvoving so much, thanks to an outstanding community, it deserves great presentation. An occasional update might help: NE2 has become sort of an issue and you can get similar results from assets today (like Vanilla++, not questioning the epic value NE has brought to the game); I personally wouldn't like to miss Node Controller, Intersection Marking Tool, Find it! and Network Multitool, but the list will never be complete

[@Michael2227]

Very useful tools in your list. Subscribed to at least 5 that I didn't already have.

[@ChrJahnsen]

Awesome, mate. I definitely found a few that I still didn't have. 🙂

[@jmannUSMC]

I had no idea I could move pillars with Move it and I've had it installed for a year 😂

[@randomhobbies5796]

You can literally move anything you want with move it

[@madkirk7431]

I keep accidentally doing it instead of moving the bridge

[@yosyp5905]

@@madkirk7431 you can disable it in the options

[@JDKempton]

Very helpful, thanks

[@YYCUrban]

Do you think you could also do this type of video for assets and props? I just wanna get to know some good looking buildings and vegetation to use like you! Great vid!

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Absolutely!

[@YYCUrban]

@@CityPlannerPlays awesome!! Thanks!

[@LolGetAJob]

Bless you for making this

[@damian1782]

amazing and helpful

[@Ashraf0182]

This is the only useful city skylines video I've watched so far 🤣🤣

[@user-do5xe7ks1e]

i’ve played the game with all dlcs on ps4 and just a pc first thing i did was get cities skylines, can’t wait for the mods🤩

[@jonathanallard2128]

Thanks! Just set myself up!

[@lolsbarry2248]

just got the notif! nice video :)

[@435i.]

i just got the game and these mods are maing my day thanks so much

[@isabellem7292]

*instantly goes to the workshop* TM:PE and Move it! are the two mods I could not miss!! And prop and tree anarchy, fine road tools, ... I also like random tree rotation, forest brush mod and Find it! Once you get started with the mods, you can't stop right? Right!? 😳

[@grafvonrotz2233]

Oh no! I only figured out yesterday how to get steam-mods into my epic games account, and i saw there are over 1000 AND NOW U SAY I WONT BE ABLE TO STOP AND I AM AFRAID THAT YOU ARE RIGHT, aaaah :D!

[@isabellem7292]

Yeah, it's an addiction 😅 I can spend hours going through the workshop!

[@jarnomiedema]

Great! I'd been using seperate mods to hide pollution effects and certain hideous props, but looks like I'll replace that with Hide It! Lots of really great mods in this list. Definitely going to try out most of the ones I'm not subscribed to yet..

[@chevrolet-poitiers9507]

How long until people realise that they don’t need mods to almost completely remove all types of pollution.

[@ConfusedRaccoon]

Been meaning to lean out my list to better load times and this seems like a pretty decent place to start over.

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Same here!

[@phillipbrittain9174]

Finally!!!!

[@bbbenj]

Thanks a lot!

[@bertbertsonson]

Really useful, thank you 😊

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Great to hear!

[@runningfromcake]

Thank you!

[@svenerik73]

Outstanding video, thank you so much. One question, is Ultimate Eye Candy still available? Unless I am being a total klutz I cannot find it on Steam Workshop.

[@Dlemonaid]

This is one of the most helpful Cities Skyline videos I've watched. Can you recommend 1st person mod?

[@kuromiauph]

I'm like a year late, but I'm only starting out on this game and this video helped a lot! Thanks!

[@soundproductionandadvice]

My man, an M1 user, awesome. Not up there yet on graphics for CSkylines but the M1X is very interesting.

[@Poppa_Capinyoaz]

Yay! Thankyou.

[@MGstaR17]

Roundabout builder is my favourite beside the Move it! and NE2 mod!

[@DocNo27]

Another great video :)

[@BenedettoTargaryenBufanio]

Thanks!

[@larrote6467]

we need Skylines 2, Cities Skylines has become too much of a mess: in between mods, expansions and the base game, with multiple redundant functions and sometimes conflicting ones, etc. Every time I get an urge to replay it it takes me hours to set up the game. It really needs to be rebuilt from the ground up

[@emmlegend]

Guess what we are getting

[@spacedcityskater]

@@emmlegend😂😂😂

[@Baiofarms]

helpful and relaxing for night time

[@TarbenXsi]

With the Roundabout Builder, you don't have to place it on a node. That's what the "Free Cursor Mode" button does. You can place a perfectly round circle of roads anywhere on the map (though if you don't reinforce it, it will distort like hell).

[@sinanyildirim92]

Very useful

[@CadenMHolmes]

*cries in PS4*

[@RandomRetallingsofRiggins]

I’m getting a pc in a week but this makes me even more impatient

[@jt5765]

@@RandomRetallingsofRiggins make sure you have plenty of RAM.

[@RandomRetallingsofRiggins]

@@jt5765 okay but I feel like that is pretty basic

[@CityPlannerPlays]

especially if you love mods and assets!

[@niccolom]

Why would you play this on a PS4...... They aren't made for this type of games anyways. Desktop >>> console