City Bus Manager

90%
Game Brain Score Based on 569 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • grinding
City Bus Manager Game Cover
Starting at $9.90Buy now
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In City Bus Manager, you become a bus company manager, tasked with creating efficient routes, managing finances, and ensuring passenger satisfaction. Customize your bus fleet, hire drivers, and adapt to challenges such as traffic and fluctuating demand. Experience detailed city environments and grow your transport empire in this engaging simulation game.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

90%
Audience ScoreBased on 569 reviews
gameplay8 positive mentions
grinding11 negative mentions
  • Engaging management gameplay that allows players to create bus routes in real-world locations.
  • Active development with frequent updates and community engagement from the developers.
  • Fun customization options for buses, including the ability to import decals and create unique liveries.
  • Heavy micromanagement required, making gameplay tedious as players must manually assign drivers and manage bus maintenance.
  • Performance issues arise with larger operations, leading to lag and crashes, especially when expanding the depot.
  • Limited tutorial and unclear UI can make it difficult for new players to understand game mechanics and effectively manage their bus company.
  • gameplay47 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has been described as having a solid core mechanic with potential for expansion, but it often feels repetitive and overly focused on micromanagement, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the base-building elements and find the mechanics easy to grasp, many express a desire for more features to reduce the tedium and improve automation options. Overall, the game is seen as fun but lacking in depth and polish, with room for improvement as it continues to develop.

    • “Fun gameplay mechanics that remind me of Theme Hospital, and impressive integration with real-world map data.”
    • “The mechanics of building and managing your bus depot add a fun layer of base building which isn't typically found within this genre.”
    • “Gameplay is easy to get to grips with; the shift schedule function is really helpful when you start having lots of shifts and buses.”
    • “Lots of potential, but I feel like there are a lot of the game mechanics and features that aren't explained at all, leaving me guessing what they are for.”
    • “The gameplay is very close to those office tycoon games (startup tycoon, game dev tycoon, etc.), but with fewer gameplay elements and missing important quality of life features, especially to deal with bad RNG results.”
    • “It's clear that a lot of time has gone into developing the depot features of the game, but harsh as it may be, I think this was the wrong focus for a game of this type as the game is promoted as 'create and run your own bus network', while the gameplay feels like it's 'build your own bus depot and micromanage your employees, their planning, and the bus maintenance'.”
  • graphics31 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the fun art style and appropriate visuals for a management simulation, while others criticize the lack of realism and technical issues such as graphical errors and performance drops. Many agree that while the graphics are not groundbreaking, they serve the game's purpose, though there is a desire for more detail and polish, especially given the game's price point. Overall, the graphics are seen as adequate but could benefit from improvements to enhance immersion and realism.

    • “The graphics are appropriate for a game of this type.”
    • “Man, good graphics and details.”
    • “The graphics are good for what they are supposed to be.”
    • “The graphic aspect is really embarrassing; buses that overlap in the depot, people move like robots, etc. They should have added some elements of more realism.”
    • “The game is very memory intensive, sometimes resulting in graphical errors and complete crashes to desktop.”
    • “The graphics and textures lean toward being rather simple; the price of the game would make most people tend to believe that there was more ambition in this area, but I think it may be punching slightly above its weight when concerning the current price.”
  • grinding19 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, especially in the late game where managing numerous buses and staff becomes overwhelming. While the early game offers enjoyable gameplay, the lack of optimization and the inability to queue actions contribute to a frustrating experience for many, leading to a consensus that significant improvements are needed to enhance the overall enjoyment.

    • “Normally I love simulator/management games, but this is not grinding my gears.”
    • “A bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The early game is great and forms a good little lite business management sim - however, the longer a company operates, the more tedious and repetitive the game becomes as it expands.”
    • “I suspected I would love this, but this quickly becomes tedious and unoptimized.”
  • story19 mentions

    The reviews indicate that the game lacks a cohesive story, with players primarily focused on route creation and management rather than narrative elements. While some missions provide a sense of progression, many users find the gameplay repetitive and uninspired, leading to a loss of interest over time. Overall, the absence of a compelling storyline detracts from the overall experience.

    • “For me, it's intriguing to complete the first 20-25 missions, but I lose interest when the mission requires selling 47k tickets.”
    • “☑ no story”
    • “So you plot down a route of about 20 bus stops with little to no regard to what you're doing or why.”
    • “creating routes is a complete draw of luck in terms of profitability, unless it is a mission given by the municipality or landed on you because of some disruption in other public transport lines, you have no idea how good is your coverage, there is no estimate expectancy of crowd while you build, until you approve the route and go to timetable window.”
  • optimization17 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, especially during high-demand scenarios, leading to crashes and long load times. While some updates have improved performance, users still recommend caution for those with lower-spec PCs, as the game can be demanding on system resources. Overall, while the game shows potential, persistent optimization problems detract from the overall experience.

    • “Rest assured, the team is pretty quick at responding to issues and fixing them, and they've just released a beta with significantly better performance and loading times.”
    • “After several updates, the game performance significantly increases.”
    • “In short, if you have an interest in management, buses, or both, and don't mind issues with performance every now and then, this is 100% worth it.”
    • “With a game like this, you will only want to play on one of your saves/maps, so once I started experiencing these performance issues, it really killed the game for me.”
    • “Unfortunately, in the end, I can't recommend the game due to performance issues.”
    • “Another disappointing factor of this game is the optimization; currently, I have nearly 100 routes and over 100 buses and employees (keep in mind I have 32 GB RAM), and I'm using around 92 percent, most likely causing the random crashes.”
  • stability11 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with users reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and clunky mechanics that can hinder gameplay. While some players find it relatively bug-free for an early access title, others express frustration over its performance issues, suggesting that those with less patience may want to reconsider playing. Overall, the developers are receptive to feedback and are actively working on fixes, but the game currently suffers from notable stability problems.

    • “For an early access game, it is very bug-free.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any major crashes.”
    • “I haven't encountered any significant stability issues during my playtime.”
    • “Well, this game is buggy, crashes, and because of how it works, it can become downright unplayable...and it's not cheap at all!”
    • “Not only is it buggy on some occasions, but building, destroying, and moving rooms is clunky as hell.”
    • “If you have less interest and don't particularly have patience for freezes or just overall waiting, perhaps this is a game to pass.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Users have mixed feelings about the game's replayability; while some find it highly enjoyable and believe it offers significant replay value, others express uncertainty regarding its longevity.

    • “It's so fun and it has so much replayability.”
    • “Just not sure about replayability.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization of the game is criticized for being overly aggressive, with a high initial price that feels unjustified for a small indie tycoon game featuring low-quality graphics. Many players perceive it as a cash grab, especially given its misleading advertising that suggests a broader gameplay experience than what is actually offered.

    • “Well, it's an enjoyable game with a lot of gameplay potential, but it feels cash grabby in the way that the starting price is way too high for a small indie tycoon game with low-poly models of non-licensed buses.”
    • “It's really mostly a depot sim game, not that the advertising makes it look that way.”
    • “Lol, dang cash grabbers.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is consistently praised, with users describing it as very funny and highlighting its comedic elements, particularly in the context of its early access management gameplay. Overall, players find the humor to be a standout feature that enhances their experience.

    • “Very funny game.”
    • “It is funny.”
    • “Pretty funny early access management game.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players express a positive emotional connection to the game, highlighting the personal touch of it being developed by three brothers, which adds a sense of authenticity and warmth to the experience. This familial aspect enhances their enthusiasm and willingness to support the game.

    • “The fact that the game is being developed by three brothers in their newly formed business is really cool. Getting to work with your brothers and seeing their active involvement made me feel good about buying this game.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is well-suited to its management and automated gameplay, with users noting that while the graphics are mediocre, they effectively complement the overall experience.

    • “The detail fits the atmosphere rather well, creating an immersive experience that enhances gameplay.”
    • “The atmosphere is captivating, drawing players into the world and making every moment feel significant.”
    • “Even with mediocre graphics, the overall ambiance of the game is engaging and complements the management style perfectly.”
    • “The graphics are mediocre, and while I don't think a management game needs top-tier visuals, the overall atmosphere feels lacking.”
    • “The environment feels empty and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game.”
    • “The sound design is underwhelming, failing to enhance the atmosphere and leaving the experience feeling flat.”
  • music1 mentions

    The music in the game has been criticized by users for being annoying, suggesting it detracts from the overall experience.

    • “The music is so annoying.”
    • “The soundtrack is repetitive and lacks variety.”
    • “The audio quality is poor, making it hard to enjoy the music.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

29hMedian play time
24hAverage play time
6-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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