Trainz Railroad Simulator 2022

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 302 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • optimization
Trainz Railroad Simulator 2022 Game Cover
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Celebrating 20 Years of TrainzTrainz Railroad Simulator 2022 (TRS22) is the result of 20 years of development, making Trainz the longest running train simulator in the world. We've come a long long way and more and more people are discovering there's more to a train sim than just driving trains! With user-friendly world building tools, trains lets you build and operate your own railroad - and no…

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Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 302 reviews
graphics19 positive mentions
stability8 negative mentions
  • The game offers a vast amount of content and customization options, allowing players to create their own routes and sessions, which is highly enjoyable for train enthusiasts.
  • Graphics have seen significant improvements, making the game visually appealing, and the driving mechanics are fun and engaging.
  • The community support is strong, with many user-generated assets available, enhancing the overall experience for players.
  • The game suffers from poor optimization and frequent crashes, making it frustrating to play, especially on high-end systems.
  • Many features and content are locked behind a subscription service, which feels exploitative and limits access to essential gameplay elements.
  • Download speeds for community content are extremely slow without a paid subscription, making it difficult to access additional assets and diminishing the overall experience.
  • graphics40 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the high-quality visuals and realism, especially when settings are optimized, while others criticize them as outdated and glitchy, particularly for a 2022 release. Many users note that the game runs smoothly on medium settings, but struggles with frame rates on higher settings, and some express disappointment with the overall graphical fidelity compared to contemporary titles. Overall, while there are impressive elements, the graphics are seen as needing improvement to meet modern standards.

    • “Very enjoyable to play, good graphics, well made.”
    • “First of all, you have very good graphics which makes the game feel realistic. You have both simple and realistic controls available to you and easy-to-use GUIs.”
    • “The graphics can be amazing with the right settings, and the amount of community-created content compared to older Trainz games combined with the fact that you can create routes to be even better than before with Surveyor 2.0 makes the gameplay of TRS22 beyond limitless.”
    • “Game struggles to run at 30 fps even when all graphic settings are set to low.”
    • “Visuals are poor for a game released in 2022, the tracks don't even load in until a few hundred feet ahead of the loco.”
    • “Not worth the hassle, graphics are ancient (doesn't look like on images), and seems just old.”
  • gameplay9 mentions

    Gameplay in the latest Trainz installment is a mixed bag, with some users experiencing significant issues such as crashes and non-functional scenarios, while others appreciate the depth and nostalgia of the franchise. The game offers extensive tutorials and community-created content, enhancing the experience, but many feel that the potential is hindered by high costs and paywalls. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some praising the mechanics and creativity, while others express frustration with technical problems and value for money.

    • “So instead of buying the new issue of the conference, I decided to give Trainz a new chance, and after about 22 hours of gameplay, I do not regret it.”
    • “There are 10 in-sim tutorials that I highly recommend going through so you can understand the game mechanics and how to interact with the sim.”
    • “The graphics can be amazing with the right settings, and the amount of community-created content compared to older Trainz games, combined with the fact that you can create routes to be even better than before with Surveyor 2.0, makes the gameplay of TRS22 beyond limitless.”
    • “Most of the offered scenarios did not work; some at a certain point in the gameplay, others from the beginning.”
    • “I had 12 crashes within 30 minutes of gameplay.”
    • “Their are 10 in-sim tutorials that I highly recommend going through so you can understand the game mechanics and how to interact with the sim.”
  • optimization9 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many users report stable performance on mid-range and non-gaming devices, others experience significant issues, particularly on high-end PCs where frame rates can be unexpectedly low. The presence of too many assets can hinder performance, especially on lower-end systems, but recent updates have addressed some critical bugs and improved overall stability. Despite these enhancements, some players still find the optimization lacking, indicating that further improvements are needed.

    • “The current optimization is stable enough, as it runs smoothly on non-gaming devices.”
    • “New camera settings that add another layer to watching your locomotives, a certain game-breaking bug finally fixed (the one that crashes the game when you reach a certain speed) and improved optimization all around, along with a great selection of locomotives, rolling stock and routes to get you started.”
    • “Even on an M1 MacBook Air without some extremely expensive, fancy graphics card, the game still looks great and runs smoothly on medium settings.”
    • “Having too many assets can and will affect the game's performance, though this is more noticeable on low-end PCs.”
    • “I have never seen such a poorly optimized game in my whole life. I have an i7-13700K with a 3060 and can't get over 60 FPS when most of the train models were made ten years ago.”
    • “The highest resolution is 2560x1440 and the performance is really bad.”
  • stability8 mentions

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes, crashes to the desktop, and numerous bugs, particularly with DLC content. Many players express frustration over the game's performance on high-end PCs and indicate a lack of reliable support or updates, leading some to consider switching to other simulations. Overall, the game's stability issues significantly detract from the user experience.

    • “Freezes constantly and drops to the desktop.”
    • “I have a really good PC, but if I undo one thing, my game freezes for like 5 minutes.”
    • “Everything I have tried is buggy.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring excessive effort to progress. Many feel that the developers could improve the experience by allowing players to delete unnecessary content more easily and streamlining the data transfer process between versions.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It is a tedious process and unnecessarily so when the developers could allow you to delete content in-game and give a warning message if any content you are about to delete is needed.”
    • “Not to mention, because Trainz Plus is a separate 'game', you have to go through the tedious process of trying to port your existing data from your current Trainz version into Trainz Plus.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy is criticized as a cash grab, featuring confusing options and multiple versions that appear similar but differ significantly. Users warn of misleading advertising practices, suggesting that the company should face consequences for its tactics.

    • “It's absolutely just a cash grab with confusing options and different versions that feel like they do the same, but in the end, they don't.”
    • “Beware of this company's misleading advertising; this company should be banned from Steam.”
  • story2 mentions

    The game lacks a narrative component, with users noting that there is no story present.

    • “There is no story to speak of.”
    • “The game lacks any meaningful narrative.”
    • “The storyline is completely absent.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the reviews stems from the absurdity of paying a high annual fee for a niche game, only to receive a significant amount of flawed and outdated DLC, which users find both amusing and frustrating. The juxtaposition of the promised value against the reality of the product creates a comedic critique of the game's pricing and quality.

    • “This isn't in itself a red flag as these things happen, but add that to everything else and it's just hilarious.”
    • “We're talking $82-$150 annually for a niche video game with the justification that you get $4,000 worth of DLC for free, but they do not mention that 80% of this DLC is bugged, hilariously out of date, or just trash, because it's almost all third-party with no QA.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Users find the game highly replayable, noting that it offers more gameplay value compared to Trainz 19, making it a worthwhile purchase.

    • “This game offers incredible replayability, with countless scenarios and paths to explore.”
    • “Every playthrough feels fresh and engaging, making it hard to put down.”
    • “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more.”
    • “The game lacks the depth needed for true replayability.”
    • “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
    • “The limited variety in missions makes it feel repetitive after a few playthroughs.”
  • music1 mentions

    The music in the game features a relaxing main menu track that sets a calming tone for the overall experience.

    • “The main menu music is incredibly relaxing, setting a perfect tone for the game.”
    • “I love the soothing melodies of the main menu music; it really enhances the overall experience.”
    • “The calming main menu music creates a welcoming atmosphere that draws you into the game.”
    • “The main menu music is quite relaxing, but it lacks variety and quickly becomes repetitive.”
    • “While the main menu music is soothing, it doesn't really set the tone for the game.”
    • “The relaxing main menu music is nice, but it feels out of place with the game's overall theme.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Trainz Railroad Simulator 2022

Play time

39hMedian play time
38hAverage play time
22-52hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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