Railway Empire 2

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,557 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • stability
Railway Empire 2 Game Cover
With a wealth of options and plenty of ways to build your company, Railway Empire 2 is lots of fun, offering countless hours of content.
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In Railway Empire 2 – Nintendo Switch Edition, take over a small railway company in the early 1800s, grow it into the largest railway company of the continent and outsmart your competitors as you connect cities and companies with an ever-expanding network of rail lines, bridges, and tunnels. Railway Empire 2 features bigger, more detailed and lively maps than ever before, focusing on iconic region…

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,557 reviews
graphics113 positive mentions
stability50 negative mentions
  • Great graphics and improved track-laying mechanics make the game visually appealing and easier to play.
  • The integration of warehouses into train stations enhances logistics and allows for more efficient resource management.
  • The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original Railway Empire and similar train management games.
  • The game suffers from bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as trains getting stuck or not loading goods properly.
  • Limited station upgrades and warehouse capacity can hinder strategic planning and resource distribution.
  • The AI is often criticized for being unchallenging and illogical, making the game less competitive and engaging.
  • graphics325 mentions

    The graphics in Railway Empire 2 have received significant praise for their improvement over the first game, with many players noting the stunning visuals, detailed environments, and smoother performance. However, some critiques highlight that the enhanced graphics can sometimes make it difficult to see important elements, and opinions vary on the new art style, with some preferring the charm of the original. Overall, while the graphics are a major upgrade, they are not without their issues, leading to mixed feelings about their impact on gameplay.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous and the optimization is flawless.”
    • “Right from the moment you embark on your railway-building adventure, Railway Empire 2 mesmerizes with its stunning and visually refined graphics.”
    • “With its enhanced graphics, expanded time period and locations, refined gameplay mechanics, deeper economic and diplomatic systems, as well as engaging multiplayer and co-op modes, it takes the beloved railway simulation genre to new heights.”
    • “This game has bad graphics and bad animation.”
    • “The graphics are shite, it's not complicated at all removing all challenge.”
    • “The graphics somehow feel worse than the original.”
  • gameplay266 mentions

    The gameplay of Railway Empire 2 has received mixed reviews, with many praising its refined mechanics, improved graphics, and engaging track-building features, making it more intuitive than its predecessor. However, some players find the gameplay repetitive and criticize certain mechanics as clunky or frustrating, particularly regarding resource management and train routing. Overall, while the game offers a solid experience with quality-of-life improvements, it is seen by some as a re-skin of the first game rather than a significant evolution.

    • “Personally, I love the style of gameplay and the great track builder. The graphics and soundtrack are above amazing; I highly recommend this game!”
    • “Railway Empire 2 excels in its core gameplay mechanics.”
    • “Developed with a keen eye for detail, a plethora of improvements, and a fresh approach to gameplay, Railway Empire 2 surpasses its predecessor in every aspect, delivering an immersive and exhilarating train management experience that will keep both seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers engrossed for hours on end.”
    • “Very repetitive gameplay.”
    • “What terrible gameplay!”
    • “The game mechanics are very broken once you start to get a complex network of industries and cities connected.”
  • stability56 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs affecting gameplay, particularly in train signaling, track placement, and multiplayer functionality. While some players found enjoyment despite the glitches, many expressed frustration over the game's buggy nature and poor design choices, leading to an overall impression of it being a "buggy mess." Despite a few positive notes on graphics and entertainment value, the consensus leans heavily towards recommending caution due to the stability issues.

    • “The game is not buggy, and is challenging if you crank up the difficulty. I will try to finish the missions and after will try the sandbox mode.”
    • “Yes, it was 50 quid, but the lovely graphics and performance are great.”
    • “The game runs smoothly and provides a stable experience overall.”
    • “A buggy, sluggish mess of a game with poor game design choices all around and an unsatisfying main campaign.”
    • “The automated signaling is so buggy that I can't seem to get going on the first campaign scenario.”
    • “Its a buggy mess with a shockingly cluttered UI.”
  • optimization54 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant improvements in performance compared to its predecessor, particularly in handling large networks without lag. However, many users still report serious performance issues, especially on larger maps and at higher settings, indicating that further optimization is needed. Overall, while there are enhancements, the game struggles with smooth performance for some players, particularly during complex gameplay scenarios.

    • “Although there are visual changes and a different art style, the biggest improvement comes with performance.”
    • “The game is very smooth and feels optimized in comparison to its predecessor; large networks do not cause lag or slower performance.”
    • “Simply put, if you loved re1, you're going to adore the streamlining, optimizations, and improvements made in this sequel.”
    • “The performance is still rather atrocious though.”
    • “Poor performance when scrolling around the map, especially on the bigger maps.”
    • “Despite many of the optimizations and features Railway Empire 2 has offered compared to the original, they hardly make it worth it.”
  • story50 mentions

    The story in the game is praised for its captivating narratives and well-crafted missions, which immerse players in the quest to become a railroad magnate across diverse regions, including Canada, Mexico, the British Isles, and Europe. While the campaign missions are considered engaging and a significant improvement over the previous installment, some players note that the AI can detract from the experience by requiring excessive micromanagement. Overall, the storyline is seen as a strong point, enhancing the gameplay despite some minor issues.

    • “The captivating storylines, coupled with well-crafted missions, keep players immersed in their quest to become the ultimate railroad magnate.”
    • “It's a train sim game, it tells the story of how trains came to be, and in a fun way.”
    • “Cgi and background story is a nice addition.”
    • “Railway Empire 1 is far superior in gameplay; this one is only better in graphics and storyline.”
    • “They could make over 9000 train management games and they would still all be reskins, simply because there is only one story to tell.”
    • “It's okay in the beginning; everything appears to be going well, but once you lay a couple of 8-wide railroads with junctions and gridiron, the AI just loses the plot to the point where you end up having to spend all of your playtime micromanaging the traffic jams that the AI should be dealing with.”
  • grinding48 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the game has made strides in reducing tedious tasks associated with track laying and signaling, many players still find aspects of the gameplay labor-intensive and repetitive, especially in the late game. The introduction of auto-signaling and streamlined mechanics has improved the experience for some, but others feel that certain complexities have been simplified to the point of limiting strategic depth. Overall, the balance between reducing tedium and maintaining engaging gameplay remains a point of contention among players.

    • “To keep the two types of trains separate, you need to manually add waypoints for each track section, which becomes very tedious in the late game when you have 100 routes.”
    • “Delivering late game goods becomes a nightmare that makes the game tedious and annoying.”
    • “Once you learn the tricks on how to be successful in the early game and start making money, then it just becomes a labor-intensive, tedious track building and reconstruction game.”
  • music36 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it largely recycles tracks from the original installment, leading to a lack of freshness. While some appreciate the fitting soundtrack and its nostalgic elements, others find it forgettable and wish for more variety and control over the music. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a weak point compared to the graphics and gameplay, with calls for improvement in future updates.

    • “Personally, I love the style of gameplay and the great track builder. The graphics and soundtrack are above amazing; I highly recommend this game!”
    • “The graphics are crisp and colorful, and the soundtrack is fitting for the era.”
    • “The soundtrack is nice, but not very long.”
    • “They simply recycled all the songs from the original and DLCs.”
    • “Now for the scummy aspects: the soundtrack is exactly the same as the first game, with just a handful of tracks being new.”
    • “The new soundtrack is very forgettable; the old soundtrack echoed the works of Ennio Morricone.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    The game's replayability is primarily driven by its scenarios, which offer engaging gameplay, while the campaign itself lacks significant replay value. However, the absence of a random map generator and a map editor has been noted as a major drawback, limiting overall replay potential compared to its predecessor.

    • “However, the real replay value lies in the scenarios.”
    • “Not to repeat what everyone already said, the absence of a random map generator is a massive blow to replayability compared to the first one.”
    • “While the campaign might not have much replay value, the scenarios promise hours of engaging gameplay.”
    • “Not to repeat what everyone already said, the price is bad and should be $20 less at least. The absence of a random map generator is a massive blow to replayability compared to the first one, and the map creation/editor is still not there, which was overly complicated in the first game.”
    • “Let's be realistic, I'm only about 20 hours in, so I am not sure about replayability at the moment.”
  • humor2 mentions

    Users find the humor in the game primarily through its intentionally inaccurate maps, which add a comedic element to the gameplay experience.

    • “The maps are hilariously inaccurate.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    Users note a significant lack of atmospheric presence due to the absence of power plants in urban settings, suggesting that this absence detracts from the overall immersive experience of the game.

  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with many users feeling that it should have been released as a quality-of-life update for the original Railway Empire instead of a full-priced sequel, given the reuse of the same assets.

    • “This feels like it should've been released as a QoL update for Railway Empire rather than a ~$50 cash grab 'sequel.' It's literally the same exact assets.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

Buy Railway Empire 2

Play time

112hMedian play time
156hAverage play time
7-220hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 24 analyzed playthroughs

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