Train Simulator Classic

About

Train Simulator Classic is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Dovetail Games and was released on September 17, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Welcome to the ultimate railway hobby! Master complex operations on the DB BR 411 ICE T, BR Class 390 Pendolino, Union Pacific AC4400CW, and more as you explore authentic routes. Whatever you love about trains, Train Simulator Classic lets you take your hobby to the next level.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+17

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71%

Audience ScoreBased on 14,985 reviews

graphics722 positive mentions

optimization209 negative mentions

The game offers a blend of realism and accessibility, with detailed tutorials for newcomers and advanced mechanics for veterans, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
The atmosphere is generally praised for its rich visual experience, with detailed landscapes, dynamic weather, and day-night cycles contributing to a captivating environment.
The game provides extensive modding options and DLCs that significantly enhance replay value, allowing players to tailor their experience.

The game suffers from severe performance issues, including frequent crashes, stuttering, and low frame rates, leading to frustration among players.
Many players criticize the outdated graphics and lack of significant updates, which fall short of modern standards and expectations for a recent release.
The monetization strategy is viewed as a blatant cash grab, with high prices for DLCs and aggressive advertising, making the experience feel more like a marketing ploy than a genuine game.

graphics
2,109 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
52%
14%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the visuals can be charming and nostalgic, they are often considered outdated compared to modern standards. Some appreciate the game's ability to run well on lower-end systems, while others criticize the frequent graphical glitches and lack of significant updates over the years. Overall, the graphics are seen as a strong point for immersion, but they fall short of expectations for a game released in recent years, especially when compared to newer titles in the genre.
- “The graphics are stunning, with high-quality textures and train and station models that capture the essence of the railway.”
- “Graphically, this installment makes noticeable improvements, delivering sharper textures, more detailed rolling stock models, and enhanced environmental effects such as realistic lighting, shadows, and particle systems.”
- “With improved graphics, refined mechanics, and a wealth of content, the game delivers an authentic and satisfying experience.”
- “I'm sorry, but how do you have worse graphics and billions of more bugs than TS2 or TS3?”
- “The graphics are flickery and janky.”
- “The graphics are terrible, and the mechanics are badly explained.”
optimization
468 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
42%
45%
The optimization of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including frequent stuttering, crashes, and low frame rates even on high-end systems. Despite some claims of improved performance in recent updates, the game is often described as poorly optimized, with outdated graphics and a reliance on a 32-bit engine that struggles to run smoothly. Overall, players express frustration over the game's high system requirements and the need for extensive tweaking to achieve acceptable performance levels.
- “To my surprise, the emulation is transparent and the game runs smoothly.”
- “The game is optimized to run smoothly on a variety of hardware configurations, ensuring a stable and satisfying experience.”
- “Dovetail Games also continues to provide ongoing support and updates to improve performance and fix potential issues, which is crucial to maintaining the quality of the simulator.”
- “Genuinely the most poorly optimized game out there.”
- “I have a pretty decent gaming laptop all things considered, and it can handle a lot of poorly optimized games, but this ancient game, that is only a year younger than I am, is the most unstable, poorly optimized game I've ever played.”
- “The performance is complete trash and bad enough that it deserves mentioning especially since the graphics look 10+ years old.”
stability
445 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The stability of the game is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various bugs that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players express frustration over the game's performance issues, particularly on newer systems, and note that despite the potential for enjoyable experiences, the persistent glitches and lack of timely fixes from the developers make it largely unplayable. Overall, the game is described as a buggy mess, with many recommending against purchasing it unless on sale or for those willing to tolerate its numerous issues.
- “The game runs great and I enjoy the scenarios as well as the scenery.”
- “No glitches, but I am running this on a good graphics card that will also run Flight Sim 2020.”
- “Graphics do tend to look a bit dated now, but it means it runs great on my not particularly recent gaming laptop without any glitching or lagging.”
- “It crashes or freezes as soon as I get into a scenario or I press a button (and it's not my PC because other stuff still works while the game is frozen).”
- “This game is a buggy mess, terrible graphics yet still finds a way to run like crap half the time.”
- “The game is buggy, it has poor performance but as a train enthusiast, I forgive this game.”
gameplay
441 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
62%
9%
The gameplay of "Train Simulator Classic 2024" is characterized by a blend of realism and accessibility, offering detailed tutorials for newcomers while providing advanced mechanics for veterans. While many players appreciate the depth and variety of content available through DLCs and community mods, some criticize the base game for its repetitive nature and reliance on additional purchases for a fuller experience. Overall, the gameplay is engaging for train enthusiasts, though it suffers from outdated graphics and occasional bugs that can detract from the experience.
- “Developed by Dovetail Games, this latest release builds upon the robust foundation of previous versions by introducing refined mechanics, enhanced graphics, and a wealth of new routes, locomotives, and scenarios that collectively broaden the scope and realism of railway operations.”
- “The game provides detailed tutorials and assists for newcomers, but also caters to veterans with advanced driving mechanics and scenario challenges that test precision and timing.”
- “The gameplay gives you the sense of moving freight or passengers through some great locales, and it really feels like you're going somewhere and doing something.”
- “In a given scenario, there's no shunting, no fun, boring gameplay, no suddenly event, truly you are only sit and drive your loco while notice maximum speeding!”
- “The gameplay is also quite shallow.”
- “The graphics are bad, the physics are way too demanding on hardware, and the gameplay is boring.”
story
366 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
83%
9%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many users noting that there is essentially no narrative to follow. Players express frustration over the limited number of missions included in the base game, which often require additional paid DLC for more content, leading to a perception of the game as a cash grab. While some missions are described as enjoyable, the overall sentiment is that the storytelling is minimal and the gameplay is repetitive, with many bugs and issues that detract from the experience.
- “The game has a great storyline and great character progression.”
- “If you like trains, sheer beautiful landscapes, storyline twists and near death situations; this game is for you.”
- “The story line is incredible and full of mind-blowing plot twists.”
- “The game itself comes with no maps, no missions, no trains, and no trailers.”
- “The game's storytelling and modes may lack variety and interest.”
- “The tutorials are very lacking, only giving the most basic of information, and then missions point you to tutorials that do not exist.”
monetization
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
10%
87%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with players noting the exorbitant prices of in-game purchases and DLCs, which can total thousands of dollars. Many reviews highlight the aggressive advertising during loading screens and gameplay, making the experience feel more like a marketing ploy than a genuine game. While some appreciate the additional content offered through DLC, the overall sentiment leans towards frustration over the high costs and constant push for microtransactions.
- “Simple to control, in-app purchases are so worth it!”
- “DLC appears to be a big deal for the game, the equivalent to an Android or iPhone game that lures you in with offers of being 'free', but in order to have any fun, you have to purchase their microtransactions.”
- “This feels like one of those games that EA would make that would be free but laden with microtransactions for more things to do, but Dovetail has the gall to charge a rather high amount of money for it when it's not on sale.”
- “This game has so much DLC it's considered the most expensive game on Steam, with over $4,000 worth in DLC, most of it being low-quality cash grabs.”
- “The entire game, which costs over $30, is just a marketing and advertising scam, offering a never-ending stream of expensive 'extra' offers that are needed to make the already expensive game somewhat playable.”
- “With overpriced DLC and in-your-face advertising, this is a prime example of a developer gone greedy.”
humor
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The humor in the game is often described as quirky and relatable, with players finding amusement in the game's glitches, absurdities, and the sometimes ridiculous pricing of DLCs. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke laughter through its chaotic mechanics and the community's shared experiences, despite acknowledging its technical shortcomings and predatory monetization practices. Overall, the humor serves as a coping mechanism for players navigating the game's flaws, making it a source of both entertainment and frustration.
- “The funny thing is that there are some DLCs which are weirdly underpriced, so I don't know what they're doing at the pricing department honestly.”
- “I found the game rather amusing and funny; you get what you pay for. I suppose I got 0 XP on my first route because I kind of treated the train like a sports car, broke the speed limit, and got massive points deducted... lol.”
- “And most of the glitches are more funny rather than frustrating; I still have some nice screenshots of trains flying high into the air...”
- “I am so dumbfounded, it's not funny.”
- “Not because I didn't save, but the game file says 'no you' and deleted half my track that I have put down. This is not funny at all; over 3 months of track just gone. It would be a great idea if you fixed the problems of game crashing and not just updated the brand tag of the rail sim each year.”
grinding
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
64%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time to progress. Many reviews highlight the repetitive nature of missions and tasks, which detracts from the enjoyment and can feel more like work than play. While some appreciate the realism and graphics, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding mechanics need improvement to enhance the overall experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Missions are incredibly boring and tedious.”
- “The game very quickly becomes tedious and can only be enhanced by the addition of ridiculously priced add-ons.”
music
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
79%
7%
The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the ability to listen to their own music or podcasts while playing, as the game itself lacks a significant soundtrack. Some users find the sound effects and ambient noise soothing, while others criticize the absence of music and the repetitive nature of the audio experience. Overall, the game is seen as a relaxing environment for players who enjoy customizing their audio experience during gameplay.
- “This game is for people who like to chill; if you enjoy ETS2 for chilling, I would recommend this game for you because all you gotta do is just look forward, listen to music, and drive forward.”
- “I find it quite therapeutic driving around Europe and testing myself; I usually stick some music on too, it's certainly more entertaining than most of the rubbish on TV.”
- “Playing this game while listening to music is very relaxing; unfortunately, I don't think you're allowed to listen to music while driving trains in real life.”
- “There's no music whatsoever, just sound effects.”
- “This game is probably the worst train simulator that exists... when I first launched the game, I had no music, no sound at all... but this is nothing compared to the whole gameplay.”
- “The loading and title screen music are particularly dreary and depressing.”
replayability
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
69%
12%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising the extensive modding options and DLCs that significantly enhance replay value, while others criticize the high cost of DLCs and rigid scenarios that limit replayability. Many users find that the ability to create custom scenarios and diverse content can extend playtime, but issues like poor optimization, bugs, and a lack of engaging career modes detract from the overall experience. Ultimately, while some players enjoy the replay potential, others feel it is capped by various limitations.
- “This ecosystem significantly extends the game’s replayability and allows the community to tailor their experience.”
- “A diverse selection enhances replay value and caters to different preferences.”
- “There's plenty of content to keep you busy (if you've got the cash), and replayability is nice and high.”
- “Replay value fades quickly; loading screen times are silly, and the game is fairly poorly optimized. It crashes easily if you alt-tab out. If you really like trains and are okay with the above, then you will probably like this.”
- “Dovetail's DLCs are expensive, low quality, lack support, lack aftermarket content, lack replayability, and are generally one of the worst ways I can think of to spend money on the train sim genre.”
- “The AI is appalling, and the replayability of the scenarios is close to zero.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
15%
14%
The atmosphere in the game is generally praised for its rich and varied visual experience, enhanced by detailed landscapes, dynamic weather, and day-night cycles. However, some players note inconsistencies in sound effects and character models, which detract from the overall immersion. While many find the atmosphere captivating and relaxing, others feel that certain elements, like simplistic controls and outdated graphics, hinder a fully satisfying experience.
- “Weather conditions and time of day affect visibility and atmosphere, providing a rich and varied visual experience.”
- “Detailed and well-designed landscapes, landmarks, weather effects, and day-night cycles contribute to a more realistic and captivating gameplay atmosphere.”
- “The more recent routes have so much detail and atmosphere - whether it is a rainy day on the line from Portsmouth to Woking or the sun-drenched Amtrak Surfliner.”
- “To me this is just missing one thing that would make the experience so much more worth it: atmosphere, or immersion even... the sounds are weird and it doesn't present itself well, heck the passengers still consist of like 32 polygons with a face slapped onto their flesh-colored cubic head.”
- “The 'Walt Disney-ish' atmosphere has a 'greenish soft tint' which I do not like.”
- “No atmosphere.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is polarizing; while some players found it deeply moving and even cried within minutes, others felt it was dull and frustrating, highlighting issues like bugs and gameplay mechanics that detracted from their experience. Overall, it evokes strong feelings, both positive and negative, among its audience.
- “Sad game made me cry”
- “Perhaps the most emotional game of 2015, had me in tears about 5 minutes in.”

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86h Median play time

377h Average play time

10-551h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 73 analyzed playthroughs

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