Cities Skylines 2 Development Trees guide: All unlockables and costs

James Lynch
A city of skyscrapers at night in Cities Skylines 2

Cities Skylines 2 has finally arrived and there are several changes to the original that players need to understand before building their first settlement.

The first game measured progression almost entirely via the Milestone system. This has been altered and expanded this time around to include an extra mechanic called Development Trees. These two systems then combine to unlock features as players advance through the game.

In the sequel, XP is earned towards Milestones via growing the city, building city service buildings, roads and signature buildings, and controlling citizen happiness. In turn, this unlocks development points every time a new milestone is hit.

The Development Tree unlocks different construction options

A vast road network in Cities Skylines 2
Development Trees are a huge part of the sequel

Players are now able to spend the development points that they have earned in the Development Trees section. This section is further divided into different areas of city planning and management to allow for prioritization that can address specific issues or areas that allow further growth. Here’s a full breakdown of the developments on offer.

Roads

  • Roundabouts (1dp)
  • Parking Areas (2dp)
    • Underground Parking Building (4dp)
      • Automated Parking Buildings (8dp)
  • Advanced Road Services (1dp)
    • Highways (2dp)
    • Large Roads (2dp)
      • Intersections (4dp)
        • Grand Bridge (8dp)

Electricity

  • Gas Power Plant (2dp)
    • Coal Power Plant (4dp)
      • Nuclear Power Plant (8dp)
  • Emergency Battery Station (1dp)
    • Geothermal Power Plant (2dp)
    • Solar Power Plant (4dp)
    • Hydroelectric Power Plant (2dp)

Water

  • Water Treatment Plant (2dp)
    • Advanced Water Pumping Station (8dp)

Healthcare & Deathcare

  • Hospital (2dp)
    • Disease Control Center (8dp)
    • Health Research Institute (8dp)

Garbage

  • Incinerator Plant (2dp)
  • Recycling Center (2dp)
    • Industrial Waste Processing (8dp)

Education & Research

  • College (1dp)
    • University (2dp)
      • Radio Telescope (4dp)
      • Geological Research Center (4dp)
        • Large Hadron Collider (8dp)
  • Technical University (2dp)
  • Medical University (2dp)

Fire & Rescue

  • Small Emergency Shelter (1dp)
    • Large Emergency Shelter (4dp)
      • Early Disaster Warning System (8dp)
  • Fire Station (2dp)
  • Firewatch Tower (1dp)
    • Firefighting Helicopter Depot (2dp)

Police & Administration

  • Welfare Office (1dp)
    • City Hall (4dp)
      • Central Bank (8dp)
  • Police Headquarters (2dp)
    • Prison (4dp)
    • Central Intelligence Bureau (8dp)

Transportation

  • Train (1dp)
    • International Airport (8dp)
    • Tram (2dp)
      • Subway (4dp)
  • Water (2dp)
  • Air (4dp)
    • Space Center (8dp)

Parks & Recreation

  • Park Maintenance (1dp)
    • Large Parks (2dp)
    • Sports Parks (2dp)
      • Large Sports Parks (4dp)
        • Tourist Attractions (8dp)

Communication

  • Port Sorting Facility (2dp)
  • Server Farm (4dp)
  • Telecom Tower (4dp)
    • Sattelite Uplink (8dp)

That was a full breakdown of Development Trees and their associated costs in Cities Skylines 2. With further hints from developer Colossal Order that new features could be on the way post-release, it could only be a matter of time before these become more extensive.

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About The Author

James is a Gaming Writer who specializes in Destiny 2, WoW, Assassin's Creed, Strategies, RPGs and Yu-Gi-Oh! When he isn't writing, he can usually be found supporting Brentford F.C.