Train Sim World 2

About

Train Sim World 2 is a single player open world racing game with a historical theme. It was developed by Dovetail Games and was released on August 20, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The evolution of train simulation! Master iconic locomotives on high-speed services, long freight hauls or precise commuter traffic, and get creative with customisation tools in this advanced sequel. Climb into the cab in Train Sim World 2.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+17

Skip User Reviews

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,622 reviews

graphics592 positive mentions

story40 negative mentions

The graphics are stunning and provide a highly immersive experience.
The ability to walk around the train and interact with various controls adds depth to the gameplay.
The game offers a variety of routes and trains, making it enjoyable for train enthusiasts.

The game is plagued with bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
DLC prices are considered overpriced, making it expensive to fully enjoy the game.
The tutorials are often insufficient, leaving players confused about how to operate the trains.

graphics
1,046 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
40%
3%
The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with many players praising their high quality, realism, and attention to detail, particularly in train models and environments. However, some users have reported issues such as stuttering, graphical glitches, and poor optimization, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as stunning, there are calls for improvements in performance and additional graphical settings to enhance gameplay.
- “The graphics are amazing; I would highly recommend.”
- “Everything about this realistic simulation is spot on from the trains to the graphics and the scenery. If you want a game that gives a real experience, then I would indeed recommend getting this game.”
- “The graphics are stunning (if you have a high-end graphics card, you can put it on ultra settings)!”
- “The graphics don't forgive the constant stuttering and hitching when they take you out of a relaxing ride, especially when there are hardly any simulation aspects.”
- “Even though it is a fun game and teaches you real things about a train, I am going to leave a negative review because the game's graphics are disappointing even on ultra, and there is no option in the game to adjust the brightness, so the game is quite dark.”
- “I have a 2080ti 11gb graphics card and 3600mhz ddr4 42gb ram and the game still runs poorly in ultra settings, lazy optimization from a money-grabbing company that only cares about releasing a half-finished game then tries to sell as much DLC as possible.”
gameplay
286 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
72%
3%
The gameplay of the train simulation game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the realistic mechanics, graphics, and immersive experience, while others criticize it for being plagued by bugs, repetitive scenarios, and a lack of clear instructions. Some users find the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, especially with the variety of locomotives and routes, but note that the experience can be marred by technical issues and a steep learning curve for new players. Overall, while the game offers a solid foundation for train enthusiasts, it suffers from inconsistencies that can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “I love the gameplay itself and the graphics and controls are easy enough to understand once you get the hang of it.”
- “Very good indeed, enjoyable and surprisingly realistic, not only the gameplay but the scenery too; it's very easy to recognize real-life locations along the routes.”
- “The gameplay is a vast improvement over the repetitive versions over the years.”
- “Would be an excellent game if not plagued by bugs and gameplay choices that make it very frustrating to play, especially as a new player.”
- “One negative point with the gameplay is that the routes become somewhat boring to play in after about 10-20 hours on them because the timetable mode is very repetitive due to the lack of random events, meaning you always get the same signal aspects at the same areas.”
- “Dovetail has recently developed a reputation for releasing routes and updates that have major bugs within the first five minutes of gameplay that make a route unplayable.”
story
280 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
80%
14%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and clarity, with many players noting that there is no coherent narrative or engaging plot. Tutorials are often deemed insufficient, leaving players confused about mission objectives and mechanics, which leads to frustration and repeated failures. Overall, the missions feel disjointed and buggy, detracting from the immersive experience that players expect from a train simulator.
- “Each route offers a lot of scenarios put together in a journey (you may call them story missions or story quests) that will make you feel how it is to be a train driver.”
- “Train Sim World 2 comes with a decent helping of long-form missions that offer a good balance of challenge and complexity.”
- “A very immersive experience as a train simulator, actual training on the different systems are very good in taking one through various aspects of driving, of course, more train systems explanation missions would be nice.”
- “The tutorials show you how to use the controls and operate the trains, but actually learning how the missions and the world work has never been explained.”
- “I will only recommend it to people who are willing to look up a walkthrough for every mission or learn by failing halfway through multiple missions that can last more than 2 hours.”
- “You will learn quickly that the in-game tutorials, journeys, and scenarios do not provide enough guidance to successfully complete the mission.”
stability
234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly hinder gameplay and overall enjoyment. Players report frequent crashes, unresponsive scenarios, and various graphical issues, leading many to describe it as "almost unplayable." While some appreciate the graphics and potential of the game, the overwhelming instability and lack of timely fixes from the developers overshadow these positives.
- “It runs great on an i7-6700 with a GTX 980 (all 2015-era hardware).”
- “For only being a few days old, it's not very buggy; some things here and there need to be looked at.”
- “I would recommend this game, and so far my experience has been bug-free with no noticeable issues.”
- “The game is riddled with glitches and bugs, and the developers ignore half of them and move onto the next broken & buggy product.”
- “It's riddled with game breaking bugs, from glitches right at the end of 50 minute scenarios preventing you from finishing and forcing you to restart, to audio problems with sounds playing and not stopping.”
- “This game has so many glitches, it's pretty much unplayable!”
optimization
216 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
46%
28%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, lag spikes, and frame drops, even on high-end systems. While some users noted improvements in graphics and overall performance compared to previous versions, the consensus is that the game remains poorly optimized, particularly for lower-end hardware. Overall, players express frustration over the game's inconsistent performance and the presence of numerous bugs, suggesting that optimization efforts have not adequately addressed these concerns.
- “The game optimization is one of the best I've seen in any game, it loads super fast, it's impressive.”
- “Performance is buttery smooth, graphics are phenomenal and gameplay is logical and streamlined.”
- “I am extremely impressed with this optimization.”
- “I came back to this on my brand new computer thinking maybe it would run better now, but they legitimately just made a horribly unoptimized game.”
- “The game is really overpriced, very poorly optimized for low-end computers but also for normal and high-end computers with frequent lag spikes.”
- “The optimization is horrible, a lot of frame stutter, walking around in the station drops my frame rate to 23.”
grinding
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
44%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, with many players feeling that it requires an unrealistic time commitment. Users express frustration over monotonous missions and a lack of clear instructions, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay. While some acknowledge the game's potential, the grinding experience is often described as a significant barrier to fully engaging with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “More tedious than any other train sim I've ever played.”
- “Really developers, this tedious back and forth is this what you thought would be a new player's introduction to your game?”
monetization
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The monetization of the game has been heavily criticized by users, who label it as a blatant cash grab, particularly from Dovetail Games. Many reviewers express frustration over the reliance on microtransactions, the lack of substantial new content compared to previous versions, and the presence of intrusive in-game advertising, leading to a perception of exploitation rather than genuine value. Overall, players feel that the game's pricing and monetization strategies are deceptive and unworthy of support.
- “I implore you to not support this horribly expensive and exploitative soulless cash grab of a game.”
- “This game is not worth your money if you already own Train Sim World 2020; it seems like a cash grab with little effort put into it as this easily could have been an update for Train Sim World 2020.”
- “It's just another classic cash grab scam from Dovetail Games.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the ability to zone out to lo-fi tracks while playing, while others criticize the lack of engaging entrance and menu music compared to previous versions like Train Sim World 2020. Many users express disappointment over the repetitive use of old music assets and call for improvements, particularly the reintroduction of menu music, which can currently only be restored through mods. Overall, while the in-game sounds can enhance the experience, the music aspect feels underwhelming and in need of fresh content.
- “In Train Sim World 2020, the music sounds exciting and makes you want to play the game 24/7.”
- “Put some lo-fi music while choo-chooing along and blasting past the station at 200+ mph because I forgot to check how far away the next stop is.”
- “- The sound that some of the trains make is a soundtrack on its own.”
- “Entrance music: it's not that exciting when you enter the game.”
- “No menu music (please add back DTG) - you can re-enable menu music with mods.”
- “(You seriously couldn't get another piece of music for your intro/menus DTG?)”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive quality, enhanced by dynamic day and night cycles and varied weather conditions. While some users note a lack of liveliness in train stations, the overall sound design and visual elements contribute to a captivating experience, particularly during high-speed journeys in challenging weather. The game successfully evokes a strong sense of place, especially in iconic locations like the London Underground and the Ruhr area.
- “The atmosphere is unimaginable, I love it.”
- “The day and night cycle and different weather really adds a lot to the atmosphere as well.”
- “The atmosphere and visuals commanding the train from Cologne to Aachen at 250 km/h (155 mph) in pouring rain are incredible.”
- “- the atmosphere in trains and stations gives the impression of a funeral; no one talks (even OMSI 2 simulates passenger chatter and is a 32-bit/x86 ancient game), the screens are off, and the passenger information system barely works on some maps.”
- “The day and night cycle and different weather really add a lot to the atmosphere as well.”
- “The atmosphere is unimaginable; I love it.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
Overall, the replayability of the game is mixed; while some users appreciate the ability to run realistic timetables and customize trains and environments, others criticize the lack of replay value given the game's price. However, titles like TSW2 are praised for their immersive experience and infinite replayability, particularly due to their stunning visuals and challenging gameplay. Specific routes, such as the Bakerloo line, also offer decent replayability through varied services.
- “Being able to run timetables that are realistic, at any time of day and in any season or weather, adds so much realism and replay value for me.”
- “You can also customize the trains and the environments, which adds to the replayability.”
- “But if one wants immersion in a surprisingly challenging activity, often in some truly stunning scenery, and with infinite replayability (even without the steady DLC releases), then TSW2 is as good as it gets.”
- “Dovetail Games should kind of be ashamed of themselves because there is very little replayability for such an expensive business model.”
- “I think it is leaps ahead of ts20xx as far as visuals and replayability.”
- “Being able to run timetables that are real world-ish, any time of day and any season or weather adds so much realism and replay value for me.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The humor in the game is often derived from its glitches and absurd scenarios, such as contradictory subtitles and unexpected interactions, which players find amusing despite their frustrations with bugs. Instances like having to manipulate AI trains and the comedic imagery of riding cars down a slide contribute to a lighthearted, albeit flawed, experience. Overall, while the humor can be entertaining, it often stems from the game's shortcomings rather than intentional comedic design.
- “Funny story: there was a mission with the 'ice' train where I had to use the spectator camera to fast forward the next 3 stations and hit the doors of that AI passenger train stopped there for them to close, so that train can continue their route and free my track; otherwise, I was waiting forever in a station for the red light to turn green.”
- “It would also be hilarious riding the cars down the 'slide' in the CSX yard with others.”
- “The funny thing is I'm bringing the Bakerloo line to the depot with passengers while the subtitle said the train is empty.”
- “I am just so disappointed with TSW2; it's not funny.”
- “I am just so disappointed with TSW2; it's not funny.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of frustration and immersion in the emotional aspect of the game, highlighting both the comedic and exasperating moments caused by technical issues, such as trains not coupling and objectives not registering. While some find moments of laughter and emotional engagement through sound quality, the overall sentiment reflects disappointment with the game's persistent bugs and the developer's lack of substantial updates.
- “I laughed, I cried, I wet my pants...”
- “These two trains in particular made me feel pretty immersed in everything just from the sound quality.”