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Train Sim World

Train Sim World Game Cover
72%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
optimization, stability
72% User Score Based on 3,149 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStation
Train Sim World Game Cover

About

Train Sim World is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Dovetail Games and was released on March 16, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Train Sim World 2020: Deluxe Edition is an immersive first-person train simulator featuring real-world routes, accurate locos, and detailed signalling systems. With the new "Journeys" feature, players can embark on over 24 hours of scenarios, tutorials, and service timetables, while a progress tracker highlights hundreds of available railway jobs. Included are several real-world routes, such as Germany’s Spessartrampe, New York Penn Station, and Manchester’s Victoria Station.

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72%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,149 reviews
graphics448 positive mentions
optimization88 negative mentions

  • Stunning graphics and immersive gameplay that makes you feel like a real train driver.
  • Highly interactive with many functional controls in the cab, allowing for a realistic experience.
  • Variety of routes and trains available, providing a good amount of content for train enthusiasts.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with signals and controls.
  • Expensive DLCs that add limited content, making the overall cost of the game quite high.
  • Lack of promised features such as a scenario editor and multiplayer support, leading to disappointment among players.
  • graphics
    861 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in Train Sim World have received widespread acclaim for their stunning realism and detail, particularly with the use of Unreal Engine 4, which marks a significant improvement over previous iterations. Many users highlight the beautiful scenery, intricate train models, and immersive environments, although some report performance issues and frame rate drops, especially on lower-end PCs. Overall, while the graphics are often described as breathtaking, the game's optimization and gameplay depth have drawn mixed reviews.

    • “The graphics are stunning and it has a unique 'I'm there' feel to it that is rare among simulations.”
    • “Incredible graphics, lots to do and really realistic.”
    • “The graphics are amazing, the sounds are realistic, it's accurate to what a real-life conductor would have to do.”
    • “Though I had such high hopes at the beginning and believed their promises and programming talents to make Train Sim Classic into way better visuals in Unreal Engine with TSW.”
    • “Although the graphics engine and textures are much better than standard Train Simulator 202x, the scenery is mind-numbingly boring compared to TS.”
    • “The graphics are a significant upgrade over the dated graphics used in Train Simulator 20xx, but the game is still not graphically optimized, lacking gameplay and content.”
  • optimization
    317 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received widespread criticism, with many users reporting persistent stuttering, low frame rates, and performance issues even on high-end systems. While some players have noted improvements following updates, the overall consensus is that the game remains poorly optimized, requiring significant hardware to run smoothly and still suffering from various bugs and glitches. Many reviewers recommend waiting for further optimization patches before purchasing.

    • “The graphics are smooth and performance is great.”
    • “Optimization has been improved 100% and runs smooth as butter and looks fantastic!”
    • “Train Sim World is a very realistic train simulator, with good graphics, reasonable optimization and great interior design.”
    • “The stuttering problem has been present for many months, even years, and although my 600 euro medium performance PC meets the recommended requirements, especially on the Long Island Rail Road: New York - Hicksville route add-on, the stuttering is unbearable.”
    • “The fact that there are bugs in the game (red lights that never turn green in a few missions, often reported, never fixed) that have never been fixed and some optimizations that never happened is an absolute no-go and it made me stop buying the DLCs eventually.”
    • “This game is very poorly optimized and it's very irritating that I see posts from 2017 that they have not yet resolved this issue.”
  • gameplay
    179 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its realistic mechanics, immersive experience, and impressive graphics. However, players have criticized the linearity, lack of depth, and high costs associated with DLCs, which limit overall gameplay variety and replayability. While some enjoy the detailed simulation aspects, others find the gameplay repetitive and marred by bugs and performance issues, leading to a sense of frustration among the community.

    • “Killer graphics and realistic gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is great too; there are three types: 'scenarios, services, and tutorials'. I would advise watching videos of people playing the game just to make sure that this is a game for you.”
    • “The gameplay feels so much more organic and fluid.”
    • “What you get is linear gameplay, which I think is a thing of the past.”
    • “The first issue is the lack of a scenario editor; with no way to edit scenarios to simulate different workings and to utilize trains from different routes, this means you're effectively stuck with the scenarios Dovetail provided with the game, making the overall gameplay experience stale with relatively low replay value compared to the game's predecessor.”
    • “Short route lengths do not allow for realistic gameplay, rolling stock is recycled for multiple paid DLC, core features are missing and bugs not being fixed for years.”
  • stability
    174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many describing it as "buggy" and "glitchy," often leading to frustrating gameplay experiences. While some players report that it runs well on higher-spec machines, others experience frequent crashes, freezes, and unresponsive controls, indicating a lack of optimization and support from the developers. Overall, the consensus is that the game remains in an unfinished state, with many bugs persisting despite the passage of time and the release of additional content.

    • “My machine does not have the best specs and still runs great; others say they have problems unless your machine is spec'd high, but I just don't see this.”
    • “Runs great on older hardware too.”
    • “It runs great on my medium-level rig (GTX 970, 16 GB RAM) and the settings are easily tweakable; I get 60 FPS and 35-45 FPS in congested areas.”
    • “This game is a buggy mess even after all these years, don't buy.”
    • “Not worth the money, devs abandoned the base game after a few months, full of glitches and bugs, motion blur sucks.”
    • “The game is very buggy and it has now been confirmed that none of its issues will be fixed after the release of tsw2.”
  • story
    114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many users noting that it features minimal narrative elements and repetitive missions. Players express frustration over bugs and mission failures, often due to unclear instructions or technical issues, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the simulation of train operations, the absence of a compelling story or mission variety leaves many feeling disappointed.

    • “I like it how you can do missions to simulate actual train engineer duties.”
    • “The story or main point to this game is you do scenarios ranging from shunting freight around Cumberland train yard to driving long consists from point A to point B while responding to events that happen along the way from signals, weather, speed changes, gradients positive and negative.”
    • “The story mode (scenarios) are worth the money alone.”
    • “This game has no story.”
    • “There is no 'story' yet you are given a character to level up.”
    • “The addition of side missions like a few collect-a-thon missions for each line fails to add to the experience in any way aside from giving you an incentive to leave the engineer's seat every once in a while and race back in time.”
  • monetization
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization model of this game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with players feeling that Dovetail Games prioritizes profit over quality and user experience. Many reviews highlight the excessive reliance on DLCs and microtransactions, alongside broken promises regarding game features and support, leading to a perception of insincerity in their marketing. Overall, players advise against purchasing the game, citing its high costs and lack of meaningful content.

    • “This game is just a huge cash grab.”
    • “Dovetail designed this game and all of their train games to be a cash grab for more DLCs and constantly push you towards it in their game, and requires you to set up an account with them for whatever reason.”
    • “Dovetail is a developer that is not concerned about the product or its users; it's all about the cash grab!”
  • grinding
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is overwhelmingly tedious, with players often feeling the need for a second life to endure repetitive tasks. Many find the gameplay monotonous, particularly due to the lack of engaging scenarios and the necessity to perform the same missions repeatedly. Comparisons to other simulation games, like Farming Simulator, reveal a preference for those that offer more variety and engaging content, making the grinding in this game feel frustrating and unappealing.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “If you think grinding was a thing in MMOs and RPGs, wait till you see DTG's idea of 'a game' when you do the same mission just in the opposite direction 300+ times.”
    • “Once you've done the scenarios, all you have to do is run up and down the lines which is extremely tedious, especially on such a short route like Great Western.”
    • “What really turned me off was how boring and tedious it was to drive a train.”
  • replayability
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players find it infinitely replayable due to various routes and modes, others criticize the lack of a scenario editor, which limits the variety and ultimately leads to a stale experience. Many agree that the service mode enhances replay value, but the absence of customizable scenarios is seen as a significant drawback. Overall, the game offers decent replayability, particularly for train enthusiasts, but it falls short compared to its predecessor.

    • “There's lots of replay value here, and while the rest of the addons are quite expensive, I personally don't think you need them to have fun.”
    • “Regardless, I find it to be an extremely entertaining game to play and the variety of routes leads to the game having lots of replay value.”
    • “It's probably the most solid and value-rich feature the software package offers with its near infinite replay value.”
    • “The first issue is the lack of a scenario editor; with no way to edit scenarios to simulate different workings and to utilize trains from different routes, this means you're effectively stuck with the scenarios Dovetail provided with the game, making the overall gameplay experience stale with relatively low replay value compared to the game's predecessor.”
    • “Very poor replay value and variety, but that was okay because we had been promised a scenario editor from before it was released.”
    • “Lacking an editor is a major flaw and it's quickly lost its replayability.”
  • humor
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of unintentional hilarity and amusing glitches, with players sharing moments of laughter from buggy AI behavior and absurd physics. While some find the game entertainingly flawed, others feel that it relies heavily on DLC for comedic value. Overall, the humor is seen as a redeeming quality, making the experience enjoyable despite its shortcomings.

    • “I've not experienced anything major but have had some hilarious moments - such as a runaway loco even though the brake was on and I could not climb back into the cab even though I could open the cab door.”
    • “If you want a good laugh, go ahead, because this is one of the most hilariously bad games I've ever played.”
    • “This has made my day, I'm sat here laughing my head off at them.”
    • “This game is not funny without DLC.”
    • “The humor feels forced and falls flat.”
    • “I expected more laughs, but the jokes are stale.”
  • atmosphere
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in the game is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate the immersive first-person experience and detailed environments that enhance the overall ambiance, there are notable issues such as glitches, inconsistent sound, and a lack of liveliness in certain areas like Paddington Station. Some users find the atmospheric effects, particularly weather-related ones, to be well-executed, but others feel that the missions suffer from a stale atmosphere. Overall, the game's visual fidelity contributes positively to the atmosphere, yet technical shortcomings detract from the experience.

    • “I love the first-person atmosphere, as well as the ability to ride passenger trains.”
    • “TSW provides a fantastic atmosphere to just kick back and drive, with enough challenge to make it compelling.”
    • “The detail is great; you've never seen trains look so good, and even the surrounding houses and factories add a lot of atmosphere to the game.”
    • “The stale atmosphere of the missions also put me off eventually.”
    • “Lack of atmosphere in Paddington Station, also station announcements.”
    • “When it comes to cons: I would say there are a number of glitches, script errors, sound inconsistencies, and the atmosphere needs to be more lively.”
  • music
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed feedback from users; while some find the main menu music acceptable, others find it annoying and wish for a radio feature to play their own music during longer sessions. Additionally, the music changes when selecting scenarios or tutorials, which some players find disruptive. Overall, the music aspect could benefit from more customization options to enhance the gaming experience.

    • “I go to any station in France, and that great SNCF music and announcements take place regularly.”
    • “Sound/music: the game main menu music is fine; I personally am not bothered by it.”
    • “The music when you open the game is very annoying.”
    • “Coming from ATS/ETS2, I listen to the music radio, but it seems TSW does not have a radio feature just yet (when some sessions do take hours).”
    • “Another thing is the music; it changes when you go to select a scenario or tutorial.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users express a deep emotional connection to the experience of driving trains, highlighting a sense of immersion that makes them feel genuinely involved. However, there is also a strong sense of frustration and heartbreak over the lack of attention to persistent issues and the perceived decline in content quality with new releases. This duality reflects both the passion for the subject and disappointment in the game's development direction.

    • “It really made me feel like I'm driving the train, not just sitting at the computer!”
    • “It's absolutely heartbreaking that railfans have nothing to call their own at this point.”
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8h Median play time
44h Average play time
2-56h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 27 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Train Sim World is a simulation game.

Train Sim World is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 44 hours playing Train Sim World.

Train Sim World was released on March 16, 2017.

Train Sim World was developed by Dovetail Games.

Train Sim World has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its optimization.

Train Sim World is a single player game.

Similar games include Train Sim World 2, Train Sim World 3, Train Sim World 4, Train Simulator Classic 2024, Train Simulator and others.