How to Fix Cities Skylines 2 Screen Flickering or Screen Tearing Issue

Colossal Order Ltd. and Paradox Interactive have released a city-builder simulation video game called ‘Cities Skylines 2‘ where players will have to raise a city from the ground and transform a metropolis city that looks realistic. All you need is creativity and planning to experience a much deeper simulation than ever. The title has received mixed reviews on Steam for the PC version due to multiple issues, such as the Cities Skylines 2 Screen Flickering or Screen Tearing Issue.

As a newly launched title, bugs and errors are quite common among players that we can’t deny. The screen flickering or tearing issue may affect your eyesight and ruin the gaming experience. This issue might appear due to an outdated game patch version, outdated graphics drivers, conflicts with DirectX, corrupted game files, screen refresh rate problems, in-game graphical settings conflict, vertical sync setup in the game, and more.

As per the reports, Cities Skylines 2 players are encountering the screen flickering issue when they’re navigating in-game menus or moving the mouse cursor on the display. Strange! But that’s what it is. Sometimes, it can even get worse when players try to get a clear view of the city project layout. In that case, affected players are unable to find out how to fix this issue. Luckily, we’ve managed to share with you some workarounds that should come in handy.

Right-click on the Cities: Skylines 2 executable app on your PC.
Click on Properties > Go to the Compatibility tab.
Select the Run this program as an administrator option.
Click on Apply > Select OK to save changes.

3. Update Cities Skylines 2

In case you haven’t updated your Cities Skylines 2 game for a while, that means your game has become outdated enough. An outdated game version mostly causes several issues.

For Steam:

Open Steam > Go to Library.
Click on Cities Skylines 2 from the left pane.
It’ll automatically search for the available update.
Click on Update if an update is available.
Once the update is done, close Steam and reboot your PC to apply changes.

For PC Game Pass:

Open the Xbox app on the PC.
From My Library, select Cities Skylines 2.
Select More options (…) > Choose Manage.
Click on Files > Select Check for updates.

4. Verify and Repair Game Files

Verify and repair the installed game files on the PC by following the steps below. It’ll ensure there is no issue with the game files. In some cases, corrupted or missing game files may trigger several issues with the game running experience.

For Steam:

Launch Steam > Click on Library.
Right-click on Cities Skylines 2 from the list.
Click on Properties > Go to Local Files.

Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
Now, wait for the process to complete.
Once done, restart your PC.

For PC Game Pass:

Open the Xbox app on your PC.
In My Library, select Cities Skylines 2 title.
Select the More options (…) button.
Choose Manage > Click on Files.
Next, choose Verify and Repair.
Wait for the process and rerun the game.

5. Update the Graphics Driver

Sometimes outdated or corrupted graphics drivers on Windows can cause game launching and even screen tearing issues. You should also try to update the graphics driver on your PC to avoid outdated graphics driver-related issues by following the steps below.

Recommended Update:

Press the Win+X keys > Click on Device Manager.
Double-click on Display Adapters > Right-click on the graphics card.

Device Manager Update Display Adapter

Now, click on Update driver.
Choose Search automatically for drivers.
It’ll check for available updates and install the same.
Once done, restart your PC to apply the changes.

Manual Update:

If you can’t find any pending updates, head over to the official website of the respective graphics card brand below and search manually for the latest update. Do remember that you’ll always have to search for the latest driver version and specific for the model you’re using. If a new version is available for the graphics card, download the driver and install it on your PC. You can jump to the link below to do so:

6. Change to Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA)

Make sure to use the TAA option from the game settings to ensure there is no issue with the graphical glitch.

Launch Cities Skylines 2.
Open the Options menu.
Go to Graphics > Navigate to Advanced and enable it.
Scroll down and select Anti-aliasing Method.
Select TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing) from the dropdown menu.

7. Turn Off V-Sync

Another thing you can do is to simply turn off the vertical sync option from the game settings menu. Vertical Sync can affect the screen’s refresh rate and cause screen stutters or screen tears. It’s better to turn it off to avoid performance issues.

Open Cities Skylines 2 > Go to the Options menu.
Select the Graphics tab > Disable – VSync.

8. Enable Constant Dynamic Resolution

Try enabling the Constant Dynamic Resolution option from the in-game graphics menu to fix several screen flicker or tear issues.

Run the Steam client.
Open the Cities Skylines 2 game.
Go back to the in-game Options.
Click on Graphics > Turn On – Advanced.
Select Dynamic Resolution Scale Quality.
Open the drop-down menu > Select Constant.

9. Turn Off Day/Night Cycle

Several Cities Skylines 2 players have found this method useful to fix the PC’s screen flickering or tearing issue. You should turn off the day/night cycle option from the in-game options menu to avoid interaction with the lighting, such as sunshine or sunsets.

10. Adjust In-Game Display Settings

If you’re still experiencing screen tearing or flickering issues on Cities Skylines 2, follow the steps below to reduce the display resolution and other graphics options to optimize the gaming performance.

Open Cities Skylines 2 > Go back to Options.
Head to Graphics > Reduce the Display Resolution to 1920 x 1080 at 60 Hz.
Now, Turn Off – Depth of Field > Turn Off – Volumetrics.
Adjust the Motion Blur to Off to check for the issue again.

11. Update DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables

Sometimes, an outdated DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables version can also ruin the overall gaming experience. You should try updating DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables on the PC to avoid graphical glitches or screen tearing with video games.

Visit the official Microsoft DirectX download page.
Then, download and install the latest version.
Similarly, open the Visual C++ Redistributables download page.
Download and install the latest version on the PC.

12. Disable Mods

You can also try disabling the Cities Skylines 2 game mods or assets that can help reduce screen flickers or tears to some extent. To do that:

Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
Right-click on Cities: Skylines 2.
Click on Properties > Go to GENERAL.
Go to LAUNCH OPTIONS.
Type -noWorkshop in the field.
Finally, run the game.

13. Run the Game in Windowed Mode

It’s also suggested to run the Cities Skylines 2 game in the Windowed display mode rather than the fullscreen mode to reduce screen flickering issues. To do this:

Open Cities Skylines 2 via Steam.
Go back to the Options menu.
Head over to Display Settings.
Set Windowed Mode.
Save changes and run the game again.

14. Contact Cities Skylines Support

If none of the workarounds did come in handy, then make sure to contact Cities Skylines Support via @CitiesSkylines Twitter. Make sure to discuss your issue to get further assistance on the same.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. For those who are experiencing specific issues like getting stuck on the loading screen, crashing issue, Stuttering, C++ Redistributable Error, Hardware Not Supported, or Textures Not Loading in Game, it’s recommended to click on the provided link to get detailed troubleshooting steps and possible solutions. Always ensure your systems are up-to-date, and be patient as fixes and updates roll out.

How to Fix Cities Skylines 2 Screen Flickering or Screen Tearing Issue