Bus-Simulator 2012

About

In Bus-Simulator 2012, players assume the role of a bus driver in a fictional European city, navigating through traffic, picking up and dropping off passengers at various bus stops. The game features an open-world environment, real-time weather changes, and a day-night cycle. The ultimate goal is to successfully operate the bus line while adhering to traffic rules and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

35%

Audience ScoreBased on 834 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

graphics24 negative mentions

The game offers a very detailed bus management experience, allowing players to manually toggle various buttons on the dashboard.
For those who enjoy realism in simulations, this game provides a unique experience with its complex controls and operational procedures.
The graphics and environment design are decent, creating an immersive atmosphere for players who appreciate bus driving.

The game suffers from severe optimization issues, resulting in poor performance and lag even on high-end PCs.
Controls are overly complicated and not intuitive, making it difficult for players to start the bus and navigate the game effectively.
The tutorial is inadequate, leaving players confused and frustrated, often leading to a lack of enjoyment in gameplay.

graphics
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
54%
24%
The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users describing them as poor, outdated, and cartoonish compared to previous titles. Despite some praise for specific elements like night lighting, the overall visual quality is considered subpar, leading to a lack of immersion and realism. Additionally, players noted that performance issues, such as lag and unresponsive controls, further detract from the graphical experience.
- “One thing I will say is that the graphics were very nice and the night lighting was superb.”
- “Graphics were great, and after 3 hours, I did learn how to drive the bus.”
- “Real traffic rules from Europe, very good graphics, realistic, exact as the buses here in Sweden (Europe). I like the game, easy to understand and learn; if you like simulator games, then buy this game!”
- “Very poor graphics, keep your money.”
- “The graphics are a disaster; the controls are terrible and the AI are just stupid.”
- “This game is horrible; it lags, it has horrible graphics, don't even think about purchasing it.”
stability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches that render it nearly unplayable for many users. Common complaints include crashes, display problems, and unrealistic driving mechanics, leading to frustration and a sense that the game is not ready for release. While some players find it enjoyable despite these issues, the overall consensus is that it requires urgent patches to address its instability.
- “The game is very buggy; for me, it's unplayable as the display didn't render properly, leaving a black screen with a minimap.”
- “Charging over $14 for a broken/buggy game is unforgivable.”
- “There is just way too many bugs and glitches with it; it shouldn't be on Steam honestly.”
optimization
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
19%
69%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues, bugs, and instability regardless of their hardware specifications. While some users have managed to achieve semi-stable performance through trial and error with settings adjustments, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized and often unplayable.
- “A lot of people have problems with performance and bugs, but with a bit of trial and error and settings adjustments, you can make the game semi-stable on your machine even with low to average hardware.”
- “Admittedly, my specs aren't top notch, but I should be getting better performance than this.”
- “Probably to do with optimization?!”
- “Because of the terrible optimization, the game is unplayable.”
- “The stuttering lag-lag-lag takes any joy from playing this title.”
- “An unoptimized mess.”
gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The gameplay has received largely negative feedback, with users citing numerous flaws such as poor controls, unrealistic mechanics, and frustrating bugs that detract from the overall experience. While some acknowledge potential value in the simulation aspect, many feel it falls short compared to other titles in the genre, particularly in terms of smoothness and intuitiveness. Overall, the game struggles to deliver an enjoyable gameplay experience, leading to refunds and disappointment among players.
- “But while it delivers on great looks and realistic ideas, it fails to deliver on a smooth and enjoyable gameplay experience.”
- “If you get past the initial stage, I'd guess that it has value in the simulator department, but make no mistake, this ain't no Euro Truck Simulator 2, which I found was very easy to get into and had a good level of simulator vs intuitive gameplay.”
- “It really needs a quad-core processor for smooth gameplay.”
- “Gameplay sucks, the bus flies up in the air if you crash and signals don't work with sound sometimes.”
- “I am an avid player of simulation games, particularly bus simulators, and for me this game just didn't hit the right spots. The graphics were very basic even on high settings, and the overall mechanics of the game were rather poor as well, with the turning sending you 180 degrees into the nearest collidable object.”
- “But it's a lousy way to control the gameplay if only by keyboard!”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently praise the game's humor, describing it as incredibly funny and highlighting specific moments, such as getting on the bus, that evoke strong comedic feelings. Overall, the game is regarded as a hilarious experience.
- “This game is hilarious.”
- “We found this whole experience incredibly funny.”
- “The feels you get when you get on the bus, this game is just hilarious.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The reviews highlight a significant disappointment with the story aspect of newer games, which are criticized for lacking depth and substance compared to a previous title that was praised for its compelling narrative. Many users feel that the shift towards simplistic graphics and a focus on story mode detracts from the overall experience, as they believe there isn't a meaningful story to engage with.
- “Bought for the compelling story.”
- “The new games lack something special that this one has. This was the one to end all of them, and it's a shame that they went all bubble graphics and story mode when there isn't a story to be told... you're just a driver.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is not prominently highlighted in the reviews, as the focus is primarily on the mechanics of creating pile-ups and flipping cars through simple interactions. This suggests a more playful and chaotic experience rather than one that evokes deep emotional responses.
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that grinding in various vehicle simulators, including New York City Bus Simulator and OMSI series, can be a significant aspect of gameplay, often requiring repetitive tasks to progress. While some enjoy the immersive experience of managing large vehicles, others find the grinding aspect tedious and time-consuming.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players appreciate the extensive variety of bus routes available, which significantly enhances the game's replayability.
- “I like the variety of bus routes available to drive; it adds a lot of replayability to the game.”

Buy Bus-Simulator 2012

1h Median play time

1h Average play time

1-1h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

83%3.2kreviews

OMSI 2

2013

Casual Racing

63%1.4kreviews

Bus Simulator 16

2016

Open World Racing

74%2.7kreviews

Bus Simulator 18

2018

Open World Simulation

29%750reviews

Autobahn Police Simulator

2016

Casual Racing

74%6.1kreviews

City Car Driving

2016

Casual Racing

72%1.9kreviews

Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop

2021

Racing

67%1.8kreviews

Fernbus Simulator

2023

Casual Racing

67%653reviews

Bus Simulator 21

2021

Open World Racing

77%810reviews

World of Subways 3 – London Underground Circle Line

2014

Casual Simulation

50%1.9kreviews

Ship Simulator Extremes

2010

Open World Simulation

Bus-Simulator 2012

Platforms

About

Buy Bus-Simulator 2012