Train Simulator Classic 2024
- September 17, 2015
- Dovetail Games
- 93h median play time
Get on Steam"Train Simulator Classic 2024 - Deluxe Edition" celebrates 15 years of railway simulation, offering 15 new scenarios and three iconic locomotives including the Pennsylvania Railroad Class GG1, DB BR 411 'ICE-T', and LNER Peppercorn Class A2 'Blue Peter'. Explore over 450 km of realistic routes in five countries, including the North Wales Coast Line, Saxony countryside, and USA's Northeast Corridor. This immersive experience is designed for railfans by railfans.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- graphics1,423 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the train simulator have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the train models and some routes are detailed and visually appealing, the overall graphics engine feels outdated, often resembling visuals from a decade ago. Users have expressed frustration over performance issues, including lag and graphical glitches, particularly on lower-end systems, and have called for significant updates to improve the visual quality. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the realism and immersive experience the game offers, especially when enhanced with third-party mods.
“The graphics are excellent.”
“The graphics are great and I love all the locomotives, routes, and rolling stock.”
“The graphics, considering that this game is 75% about the visual experience, are nothing special though that is hardly surprising given the age of the graphics engine.”
“The graphics are absolutely horrible.”
“The graphics are very dated and many of the trains just don't sound good.”
“The graphics look like tech demos for the iPhone 4.”
- stability336 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players experience issues such as freezing, unresponsive scenarios, and erratic AI behavior, leading to frustration and a lack of confidence in the game's reliability. While some enjoy the core experience, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is plagued by stability problems that remain largely unaddressed by the developers.
“No glitches, but I am running this on a good graphics card that will also run Flight Sim 2020.”
“The game runs great and I enjoy the scenarios as well as the scenery.”
“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.”
“While the idea is nice, the game is very glitchy and buggy, and when driving some trains, sometimes there's a phantom speed change, with no indication neither by the signaling nor by the minimap, so you get penalized for speeding all of a sudden without knowing when and where the zones start and end.”
“This game is a buggy mess, terrible graphics yet still finds a way to run like crap half the time.”
“The game is buggy to say the least and some of the official routes are supplied with scenarios that just don't work or were created for earlier versions of train simulator and have been broken in later versions with no fixes or updates.”
- optimization300 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 41 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, low frame rates, and frequent crashes, even on high-end systems. The outdated graphics engine and lack of significant updates have led to frustration, as users find the game unplayable without extensive hardware and settings adjustments. Overall, the game's performance is considered poor and unoptimized, failing to meet modern gaming standards.
“Great addictive sim that suffers from performance issues.”
“The game now runs smoothly, and only ever lags when there are lots of people and trains surrounding you.”
“Overall, great game, it's finally starting to be optimized by the developers and I hope they can bring it up to the standards of the more recently released sims.”
“The performance is horrible, the graphics for 2024 are pretty bad, the editor is terrible, and everything costs so much and you barely get much in the base game.”
“The game is not optimized to work on modern machines, and even high-end computers can struggle to run it at a smooth framerate.”
“The optimization in this game is non-existent; my game runs like dog sh*t, and I didn't encounter that many bugs but the fps is terrible.”
- gameplay260 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the train simulator is a mixed bag, with many users praising its depth and realism, particularly for train enthusiasts, while others criticize its repetitiveness and reliance on expensive DLC for a fuller experience. While some find the mechanics engaging and the community-generated content enriching, many report bugs, crashes, and a lack of variety that can lead to boredom. Overall, the gameplay is seen as solid but marred by outdated graphics and a high cost for additional content.
“The strong community and abundance of user-generated content on websites like ATS and the Steam Workshop offer endless variety and enrich the gameplay experience.”
“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.”
“Brilliant game for all rail enthusiasts, combines great graphics with engaging gameplay to create a successful simulator.”
“Not very much to the game honestly, there are a lot of bugs and bad gameplay.”
“The gameplay is standard for a simulation game, but the amount of DLC you have to purchase to get the full experience is ridiculous.”
“Driving a train simulation should be joy and not torture, and torture is exactly what gameplay in this game is!”
- story246 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth, with many users noting that there is no overarching narrative or significant storyline. Instead, players encounter a series of missions that often feel disconnected and repetitive, with minimal context provided for the tasks at hand. While some missions are entertaining, the overall experience is marred by bugs and a reliance on downloadable content for additional scenarios, leading to frustration among players seeking a more engaging narrative 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.”
“Train simulator 2015 is the leader of all train simulations to date and with the release of train simulator 2016 due this year there will be even more for the train buff but you will not be disappointed with this game as you have much to do with academy missions and free roam and many scenarios and with nearly 500 steam challenges.”
“☑ no story”
“The tutorials are very lacking, only giving the most basic of information and then missions point you to tutorials that do not exist.”
“The story mode is okay but it's on rails.”
- monetization75 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 85 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of Train Simulator Classic 2024 has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with numerous users highlighting the excessive reliance on expensive DLC and in-game advertisements. Players feel that the game is essentially a platform for promoting additional content, with many expressing frustration over the high costs associated with achieving a complete experience and the intrusive nature of ads during loading screens. Overall, the monetization approach is seen as greedy and detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
“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.”
“All right if you can survive the hate against the in-game purchase screen... the game won't leave you be if you change train or track in the free roaming mode, pushing you to buy more.”
“This can quickly add up to a substantial amount of money, and it feels like a blatant cash grab on the part of the developers.”
“On top of that, it is absolutely advertising fed even though I paid good money for it.”
“With overpriced DLC and in-your-face advertising, this is a prime example of a developer gone greedy.”
- humor40 mentions
- 95 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often described as quirky and amusing, with players finding joy in the absurdities of train simulation, such as glitches and unexpected scenarios. Many reviews highlight the comedic potential of creating bizarre train configurations and the humorous nature of the game's DLC policies, though some players express frustration over technical issues and the high cost of additional content. Overall, while the game can be entertainingly funny, it also has its share of frustrating moments that detract from the experience.
“Ehemm, train simulator is very fun and funny, and you can download expansion packs for your trains like my all-time favorite, the DDA40X, and have fun!”
“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 at all.”
“Not because I didn't save, but the game file says 'no you' and deleted half my track that I had 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.”
- grinding33 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 82 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time for minimal reward. Many reviews highlight the repetitive nature of missions and tasks, such as shunting and assembling trains, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the game's realism and graphics, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding elements are a major drawback, making the experience feel more like a chore than fun.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Missions are incredibly boring and tedious.”
“This sim is strictly about driving your train, with many scenarios requiring you to perform tedious 'shunting' tasks to assemble your train, a task made even more tedious by the game's lack of user-friendly options.”
“The game very quickly becomes tedious and can only be enhanced by the addition of ridiculously priced add-ons.”
- replayability30 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The reviews present a mixed perspective on the game's replayability. While some players appreciate the potential for replay value through track building and scenario creation, many criticize the rigid scenarios, high DLC costs, and lack of a persistent career mode, which significantly limit replayability. Overall, the game's replayability is seen as highly variable, depending largely on the willingness to invest in additional content.
“I feel like this game has lots of replay value for me and I will probably play this for years to come.”
“Track building really adds to the replayability of this game.”
“There's plenty of content to keep you busy (if you've got the cash), and replayability is nice and high.”
“Because this game has very poor replay value as a result of the DLC cost, I cannot recommend it to others and will let this become abandonware in my Steam account.”
“There isn't very much thinking required, and since the scenarios are so rigid, there isn't much replayability either.”
“The AI is appalling; the replayability of the scenarios is close to zero.”
- music27 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the ability to listen to their own music while driving, creating a relaxing atmosphere. However, many criticize the lack of an engaging soundtrack and sound design, noting that the game often features dull or absent music, particularly during loading screens. Overall, while the game can be therapeutic for some, its audio experience is generally seen as lacking and inconsistent.
“It's a chill game in which you can sit back and relax, listen to music or podcasts.”
“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.”
“It has everything you need to put on some soft music and go train riding for hours.”
“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.”
“There is very little game here, it has a couple of freight and passenger trains and a couple of tracks to run them on but, you're constantly being bombarded with advertisements for the DLC when you open the game and when it's loading (which takes a very long time!) the loading and title screen music are particularly dreary and depressing.”
“If you are a hardcore train fan and willing to put up with things that don't work, very long load times, so-so graphics, bland music, repetitive pitches, general inconsistencies, and a truly sloppy workshop then this may be the game/simulation for you.”
- atmosphere18 mentions
- 78 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is generally praised for its immersive qualities, with many players appreciating the realistic visuals and varied soundscapes that enhance the experience of driving trains. However, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in sound effects and graphical quality, particularly with older models and simplistic passenger designs, which detract from the overall immersion. Despite these issues, the game is recognized for its ability to create a sense of place and achievement, especially in more detailed and recent content.
“This is great for atmosphere.”
“Very atmospheric.”
“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.”
“No atmosphere.”
“Like trains, peace, and immersive atmosphere?”
- emotional2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game evokes strong emotions, with players reporting that it made them cry, highlighting its impactful storytelling despite some technical flaws. Users are willing to overlook minor issues in favor of the emotional experience it delivers.
“This game made me cry; it was incredibly sad and emotionally impactful.”
“The emotional depth of the story really resonated with me, making me feel a strong connection to the characters.”
“I was deeply moved by the narrative; it evoked a range of emotions that stayed with me long after playing.”
