I’ll admit, it’s taken me this long to feel the need to expand Cities: Skylines above it base offerings. Now I understand why. Each expansion brings heaps of free content to owners of even just the base game, so you might only pick up the full bag if it focuses on what you need. For me, Mass Transit feels unnecessary; whereas for others that may have been all they ever wanted. Green Cities is like sugar in this case. I don’t need it, but I want it.

The gameplay isn't overhauled here, but it doesn't need to be. Cities: Skylines - Green Cities adds new content and refreshes current content, making for a more whole and diverse gaming experience, which is just about everything a good add-on needs to do. It might not be a must-have, but it does add to the Cities: Skylines experience, which is one the development team at Colossal Order has kept running strong since launch.

The Green Cities expansion pack contains a lot of nice buildings and a very welcome change to the traffic system, but it doesn't introduce anything to necessitate what it offers. That being said, it's being sold at a reasonable price, and the changes it offers are fun to tinker with in their own right. And by not taking any risks with altering the pollution mechanics, you can feel free to boot up any old city you have without everyone becoming sick and the air filling up with vaporized sludge. Plus, it's kind of awesome to have a new library of slick buildings and tourist attractions (the climate research station being a personal favorite). It does what it promises, and I will say that if you see it on sale, you really might as well pick it up.