Islands & Trains

About

Islands & Trains is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Akos Makovics and was released on May 29, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Build Islands. And Trains. No goals, no timer, no stress. Just build, relax, enjoy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 317 reviews

graphics17 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

Islands & Trains is a charming and relaxing sandbox game that allows players to build their own miniature worlds with trains, offering a stress-free creative experience.
The visuals are cute and well-crafted, with a plethora of decorative pieces and dynamic weather options that enhance the overall atmosphere.
The game is easy to pick up and play, making it suitable for all ages, and it provides a nostalgic experience reminiscent of childhood train sets.

The controls can be clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to place objects and navigate the building interface effectively.
Players are limited to only one train at a time, which restricts the potential for more complex railway systems and interactions.
There are several quality-of-life issues, such as the lack of an undo button, and some terrain pieces do not blend well, leading to frustration during the building process.

graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
45%
8%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their clean, polished, and charming aesthetic, featuring a soothing low-poly art style that enhances the cozy atmosphere. Players appreciate the attention to detail in the visuals and animations, which contribute to a relaxing and immersive experience. However, some users noted that the pale color scheme of the interface can hinder usability, despite the overall appealing design.
- “The world of islands & trains is brought to life through a soft, low-poly art style that perfectly complements its meditative tone.”
- “The visuals are fun and pleasant on the eyes, and the small details and animations really make your islands come alive.”
- “I really want to like this game, but the graphical interface is almost impossible to use due to the pale pastel color scheme they used for this game.”
- “Liked the art style though just can't really recommend it as is.”
- “The visual aesthetics of the game are clean, polished, and of very good quality, portraying a beautiful countryside scenery.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
27%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and pleasant qualities, effectively enhancing the relaxing atmosphere of gameplay. Players appreciate the unobtrusive soundtrack that blends well with the game's visuals and sound design, creating a soothing experience. While some found the music memorable, others preferred to play their own tunes, indicating a mixed but generally positive reception of the audio aspect.
- “The sound design ties it all together: gentle ambient noises, the soft clatter of wheels on rails, and a calm, melodic soundtrack that helps you lose yourself in the moment.”
- “This game is so cozy and makes me very relaxed, it captures the perfect atmosphere, the art style is super cute and the music calming.”
- “Delightful little game, peaceful music and lots of creative freedom.”
- “I tend to put my own music on instead.”
- “Played a different relaxing game where you could only turn off all sound, no option for just music. Did not like that, so this is much better; glad these devs were thoughtful.”
- “The soundtrack is both relaxing, upbeat, and light.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The gameplay is characterized by its stunning visuals and approachable mechanics, making it easy for players to engage with the game. While it offers a relaxing experience with a soothing soundtrack, some players feel it lacks essential quality of life features and depth, leading to a sense of repetitiveness and limited longevity. Overall, it caters well to those seeking a chill gaming experience, though it may not satisfy players looking for more challenging or goal-oriented gameplay.
- “The simplicity of its mechanics makes it approachable for anyone, yet the depth of customization ensures that dedicated builders will find plenty to explore.”
- “This is a tremendously relaxing game; I've been looking for a nice simple game where I can alternate between active and passive gameplay, and this has that in spades.”
- “The movement and gameplay is so smooth and nice.”
- “The toolset, while extensive, can also feel repetitive over long stretches, especially once you’ve built several islands and mastered the mechanics.”
- “No challenge – great for relaxing, but if you need goals or gameplay loops, this might feel too shallow.”
- “I love the vibe and the general gameplay, but I think my biggest issue at the moment is, I see all these beautiful landscapes in the screenshots and trailer, but it's kind of hard and tedious to do all of that from scratch!”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
88%
Players find the building aspect of the game to be both rewarding and frustrating, as it allows for immediate access to construction without the need for grinding or unlocking features. However, many describe the building system as awkward and tedious, with challenges in piece placement and terrain manipulation that detract from the overall enjoyment. While the game offers a cozy atmosphere, the tedious nature of building can lead to frustration, especially when trying to replicate the beautiful landscapes seen in promotional materials.
- “You can build with everything right away: no grinding, unlocking, or waiting.”
- “The building system is not very intuitive; it's slightly awkward and tedious, and it lacks in choices. It takes some time to figure out which pieces might fit together.”
- “I love the vibe and the general gameplay, but my biggest issue at the moment is that I see all these beautiful landscapes in the screenshots and trailer, but it's kind of hard and tedious to do all of that from scratch!”
- “Building terrain is tedious; I shouldn't have to manually rotate and place every diagonal.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The game's story aspect is minimal, focusing on a sandbox experience that emphasizes creative freedom over structured narratives or missions. While players appreciate the charming character animations and the potential for storytelling, many express a desire for optional missions or scenarios to enhance engagement and provide a sense of direction. Overall, the lack of a traditional story may appeal to those seeking a relaxing experience, but it leaves others wanting more depth and structure.
- “Instead of offering missions or challenges, it simply hands you the tools and says, 'make something that makes you happy.' That design philosophy is what gives Islands & Trains its unique charm; it’s a game that doesn’t demand your attention but gently earns it through its quiet, creative freedom.”
- “It all has a lot of character and it's very easy to tell a story - I love the little animal animations in particular.”
- “While I understand this is a cozy sandbox game, I think it'd be a good idea to include missions to act as a broader tutorial for some of the aspects such as vertical variance, connecting rails, overlapping, etc. This game simply needs more time to cook, and I'm hoping to amend this review ASAP.”
- “I expected there to be missions or scenarios to complete as well as basic research elements to unlock, but it literally has nothing.”
- “If you are looking for a story, there is none.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its cozy and relaxing qualities, enhanced by charming visuals and soothing music. Players appreciate the nostalgic and restorative feel, which fosters a sense of mindfulness and tranquility, making it a perfect digital escape. Overall, the combination of art style, sound, and customization options creates a picturesque and inviting environment.
- “I find it very relaxing and soothing as the art style and music create a pleasant atmosphere.”
- “This game is so cozy and makes me very relaxed, it captures the perfect atmosphere, the art style is super cute and the music calming.”
- “The atmosphere is very effective.”
- “The sound is simple but relaxing; it fits the game and harmonizes with the game's picturesque atmosphere.”
- “The result is an atmosphere that feels both nostalgic and restorative, a digital escape that invites mindfulness rather than mastery.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Overall, players express concerns about the game's optimization, citing issues such as limited build area size, performance instability, and significant stuttering when zooming out or managing numerous assets. Many feel that improvements in stability and performance are essential for a more enjoyable experience.
- “The canvas size feels limiting; I would love support for a larger, optimized canvas.”
- “I would like to see the build area size made considerably larger, but performance-wise, the game doesn't seem to be optimal, so this might bring a few issues.”
- “Strong idea with a lot of potential, but stability, autosave, and performance optimizations are badly needed to fully enjoy the experience.”
- “The performance is poor; when I zoom out a bit, there are massive stutters, which is ridiculous for a game this small.”
- “Only complaint is slight stuttering when you zoom out fully and have too many assets in one save.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is generally criticized, with users reporting various bugs and glitches that hinder the experience, such as slow controls and menu responsiveness. While some players note that the issues are not severe, the overall impression is that the game lacks the polish and reliability found in other titles.
- “Islands & trains is much more user-friendly than, for example, tracks, which I also have but found it difficult and quite buggy.”
- “The controls are buggy and poor; zooming with the mouse wheel is super slow, panning around is super slow, and even something as simple as clicking on a menu item doesn't always work.”
- “Very buggy; the opposite of relaxing... can't be compared to other games.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players feel that the inclusion of optional missions could enhance the game's engagement and replayability, offering a dynamic experience beyond its main relaxing objectives. Additionally, those who appreciate cozy, creative gameplay find that it can provide virtually unlimited replay value.
- “If you enjoy cozy, creative tools, this could easily offer unlimited replayability.”
- “I also think that adding optional missions would give the game a different kind of engagement compared to its main goal (relaxation), while providing more dynamism and replay value.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its cute and wholesome emotional tone, complemented by a fitting graphical style and pleasant music, creating a relaxing experience. However, the lack of certain quality of life features detracts from its potential for a more immersive and lasting emotional impact. Overall, it is described as heartfelt and beautifully crafted, yet somewhat limited in longevity.
- “This game is wonderfully heartfelt and beautifully crafted.”