Iceflake Giving Cities: Skylines 2 UI an “Extreme Makeover” With Their First Big Update

Peter Donnell 2 weeks agoLast Updated: February 2, 2026

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As the dust settles on a turbulent few years for the city-building genre, a new era is officially beginning for Cities: Skylines 2. Following the news that original developers Colossal Order have stepped (or been pushed) away from the franchise, the keys have been handed over to the team at Iceflake Studios, who haven’t wasted any time, revealing a significant overhaul to the game’s visual identity and user interface in their debut “City Corner” developer diary.

Cities: Skylines 2

The transition marks a pivotal moment for a sequel that has struggled to find its footing since a rocky launch in late 2023. However, flaws and all, I do love Cities Skylines 2, and it’s thriving modding scene, as the game has genuinely made great progress. However, while Colossal Order laid the groundwork, sometimes at a slow pace, Iceflake Studios is now responsible for all future development, including the long-awaited console versions and the ongoing refinement of the PC experience. Their first major move isn’t just about bug fixes; it’s about a complete aesthetic and functional rethink of how players interact with their virtual metropolises.

Lasse Liljedahl, Studio Manager of Iceflake Studios, expressed the weight of the new role:

“Taking the reins on a genre-leading franchise like Cities is an immense honour and a great responsibility. There’s a huge, loyal community out there and I want to say to every member of that community that we will humbly carry this legacy with respect, together with all of you.”

The headline feature of this upcoming patch is an “extreme makeover” for the UI. Long criticised for being confusing or cluttered, the interface is being streamlined with more expressive icons and a modernised visual style. Notably, the toolbar is receiving a rounded design, and the demand bars are being given more prominence.

Tell Me More

Beyond the buttons and menus, Iceflake is leaning into the “city painter” aspect of the game. They are officially integrating a feature inspired by the popular “Recolor” mod, allowing players to change the hue of buildings, vehicles, and props directly within the vanilla game. The developers noted:

“Your city is your canvas. Adding a bit of colour can make your city transform from ‘meh’ to majestic! Inspired by the fantastic ‘Recolor’ mod by yenyang, with our first patch, we will be adding an ability to set a custom colour to assets and change the look of your city.”

Weather and atmosphere are also on the agenda. In what the developers describe as “true Finnish fashion,” snow will finally behave as expected, actually sticking to surfaces and covering the ground properly. Lighting has been tweaked to improve visibility at night, and the skybox has been updated with more diverse cloud and fog settings to make the environment feel more alive.

Key Features of the Iceflake Update:

UI Overhaul: A modernised toolbar with rounded shapes and clearer, more expressive icons.
Onboarding Improvements: Streamlined processes to help new players navigate the simulation.
Native Recolor Tool: Inspired by community mods, players can now customise the colours of buildings, vehicles, and props.
Weather & Snow Fixes: An overhaul of snow textures ensuring white-out conditions actually cover the ground and assets.
Lighting Pass: Improved daytime and nighttime visibility with updated sky textures and cloud balancing.
In-game Encyclopedia: A searchable database (planned for a future update) to help players understand complex mechanics and DLC features.

What We Think

It is no secret that Cities: Skylines 2 has had a rough ride, but it’s clear that Iceflake is creating a new foundation for what they have planned for the future. While the game has deeper issues at times, this new UI and unification of some elements is going to be a good step forward. Albeit, maybe it’ll break a few mods at first, but we’ll have to wait and see. By integrating popular mod ideas and fixing the oddly immersion-breaking snow effects, they are showing a willingness to listen to the community’s complaints. It isn’t the total simulation overhaul some are still wanting, but it’s a solid foundation.