There are a few ways to start the game without mods enabled:
- After you click Play in your Steam Library select "Play Cities Skylines II with code mods disabled"
If this doesn't solve the issue try launching with a launch command.
- Right click the game in your Steam Library
- Click Properties
- Under "Launch Options" paste in the below exactly and then close the window with the X in the top right corner:
--disableModding
Finally we have the most complete option which is to unsubscribe from all mods. This is particularly useful if you're having issues even launching the game.
- Go to mods.paradoxplaza.com
- Sign in with your Paradox account (the same one you used in Cities Skylines II)
- Click your name in the top right and select My Subscriptions
- Unsubscribe from all Cities Skylines 2 mods
- Restart your computer and start the game again
Alternatively you can installed Skyve (https://mods.paradoxplaza.com/mods/75804/Windows). This mod is a great resource for checking mod compatibility and should tell you if one (or more) mods are causing issues.