Public safety becomes real\nPolice officers are now agent-simulated. Police stations will need to hire citizens to function, so an understaffed precinct loses effectiveness, and a precinct that hires nobody is just an expensive monument to wishful thinking.

Gamepad and Steam Deck feel native\nController support is meaningfully improved across dialogs and map interactions, so playing with a gamepad, or on Steam Deck, stops being an exercise in patience. Rendering optimizations also reduce battery drain and make crowded cities feel smoother.

Crime gets an appetite\nCriminals can now attempt armed robberies, not just mug citizens. The newspaper also tells better crime stories, with outcomes that reflect reality, what happened, who got caught, who slipped away, what kind of crime it was.

Housing crisis stops being abstract\nUnhoused citizens now appear in the city. The unlucky ones will camp in empty lots and parks, giving you visual proof that a housing shortage is not just a number in a spreadsheet.

Growth and approval systems reworked\nBuildings with culture aura now plays a major role in immigration, cities with more culture points pull grow faster. Also, approval points are now awarded every month according to the happiness index, so leveling up a city requires constant attention to popular demands.

Transit clarity, less guesswork\nMap mode warns you when buses are not attached to bus stops. The fleet dialog now shows real ridership numbers, instead of the count of buses in use. Buses also accumulate mileage even when running empty, because reality charges you even when nobody is watching.

New things to build\nNew retail building: Supermarket. New park amenity: Pergola.

Visual polish\nCar traffic animations are improved, the city reads better at a glance.

Localization grows up\nTranslations are improved across languages. German, Spanish, and French are now officially supported, with Polish coming soon.