Sid Meier's Railroads!

 PC
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 125 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 125
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 125
  3. Negative: 48 out of 125
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. silentghost4
    Sep 23, 2010
    10
    I love this game,, no problems at all.. It has been pretty fun. The supply/demand and cargo changing between cities has been very much simplified and is a lot easier to use. The railway layout has been simplified a lot as well, so that it automagically lays the track for you and you don't have to worry as much about minor/small gradients in the track.
  2. ScottS.
    Oct 20, 2006
    8
    Fun game for those who aren't sticklers for detail. I've never played RRT2 or RRT3, so you can categorize me as a casual train-game kinda guy. I have the boardgame Railroad Tycoon, and in general I've never been disappointed by a Sid Meier's game; and I'm not now. I can see how the hard-core crowd wouldn't like it, but that being said I think it's a fun Fun game for those who aren't sticklers for detail. I've never played RRT2 or RRT3, so you can categorize me as a casual train-game kinda guy. I have the boardgame Railroad Tycoon, and in general I've never been disappointed by a Sid Meier's game; and I'm not now. I can see how the hard-core crowd wouldn't like it, but that being said I think it's a fun romp and a good game. If you are like me, and think games like MS Flight Simulator IL2 and Harpoon! are too detailed to be called "games", then you might very well like this one. Let's be honest gang...Sid isn't known for hard-core simulations...Pirates can't be called a true simulation of the Age of Sail any more than the Civ games aret detailed historical simulations. Sid has always made games that were on the simpler side...but fun. There are some bugs, which unfortunately is pretty much the rule rather than the exception these days.… Expand
  3. Vincent
    Nov 12, 2006
    8
    I only had a few problems with the game. The time scale of the game is just a little too quick, and there aren't enough track optioons. You are unable to really create any realworld switching stations or properly setup rails to minimize wait times.
  4. JeffG.
    Oct 18, 2006
    8
    Well, so far Railroads! has been pretty fun. The supply/demand and cargo changing between cities has been very much simplified and is a lot easier to use. The railway layout has been simplified a lot as well, so that it automagically lays the track for you and you don't have to worry as much about minor/small gradients in the track. The downside to this new system is that it seems Well, so far Railroads! has been pretty fun. The supply/demand and cargo changing between cities has been very much simplified and is a lot easier to use. The railway layout has been simplified a lot as well, so that it automagically lays the track for you and you don't have to worry as much about minor/small gradients in the track. The downside to this new system is that it seems kind of buggy and is hard to get it the way you want it. You also have to worry more about switching between double tracks and signals and such. It does the switching automatically, but with the new layout system again, it's hard to get it to work right. It appears to be somewhat unstable, my roomate crashed multiple times in the first 30 minutes, but has been fine for the past hour or so. I just crashed for the first time when trying to delete a complicated piece of track (trying to get it just right...) So far overall I think it's definitely worth a purchase, and I hope more Shackers will pick it up. If they can get it more stable, and hopefully work on the auto track layout, I think it'd be incredibly engrossing. Oh, and more maps would be nice as well. There's no US south east map! Worrrd. Look forward to a patch, but until then I will enjoy it. Later impressions: Played a couple more hours and it didn't crash, but the automatic track making was very frustrating as the trains did not work very well, or atleast the trains would stop where there was available track to use up ahead. It also runs pretty shitty once cities got larger. I JUST built this system last week, an OCed C2D with a 7900gto and it slowed down quite a bit. Also, NO ONE was playing multiplayer. No one even in the lobbies. At most, 2 people. So yeah, great game, worth picking up, but hopefuly they will patch this with some graphics optimizations and fixes for the track laying.… Expand
  5. JackW.
    Oct 21, 2006
    9
    Wow, Ryan H is upset! That sure is a lot of text! In any event, I've enjoyed this game a lot - removes a lot of the clutter from the past Tycoon games to clear the way for fun. I've enjoyed the multiplayer games I've played immensely - I'd recommend picking it up for MP alone...
  6. Mobius
    Oct 23, 2006
    8
    let me start by saying that ive never played a train sim before. i enjoyed this and i imagine for someone who like train sets that this is a bit of simple fun. the first thing I thought is that it sort of looks similar to Civ4 but that aint a bad thing, its a very easy game to get into and i feel theres enough there to keep it a challenging game, i imagine where the main part of the game let me start by saying that ive never played a train sim before. i enjoyed this and i imagine for someone who like train sets that this is a bit of simple fun. the first thing I thought is that it sort of looks similar to Civ4 but that aint a bad thing, its a very easy game to get into and i feel theres enough there to keep it a challenging game, i imagine where the main part of the game lies is in its multiplayer and that looks intresting. overall good looking simple and fun.… Expand
  7. TroyM.
    Oct 27, 2006
    8
    I am not normally a railroads game player, but am more of a Civ die-hard fan. I tried this game based on the Sid Meier's name alone, and am pleasantly surprised. While this game is not as deep or involving as Civ, it offers an extremely fun, casual escape. I haven't run into the crashing problems that others have (i'm not saying they don't happen, I just haven't I am not normally a railroads game player, but am more of a Civ die-hard fan. I tried this game based on the Sid Meier's name alone, and am pleasantly surprised. While this game is not as deep or involving as Civ, it offers an extremely fun, casual escape. I haven't run into the crashing problems that others have (i'm not saying they don't happen, I just haven't seen it). If you are looking for an all-around solid game, with traditional Sid Meier's strategy, Railroads gets the job done. As for multi-player, I think this is where the game really shines. While single player is a bit on the easy-to-win side, multi-player is a serious challenge, and is a seriously fast moving game where if you don't pay attention, your apt to get most of your cargo stolen. Thumbs up. It will not disappoint.… Expand
  8. IsaacB.
    Nov 5, 2007
    8
    A fun and light strategy game which might be seen as a good introduction to transportation games. I was concerned when I began playing because I felt the economy wouldn't be deep enough. As it turns out, once you've got a few stations and trains running, I felt the game has struck a great balance. A lot of fun. (I'm sure my experience is colored by the fact that I A fun and light strategy game which might be seen as a good introduction to transportation games. I was concerned when I began playing because I felt the economy wouldn't be deep enough. As it turns out, once you've got a few stations and trains running, I felt the game has struck a great balance. A lot of fun. (I'm sure my experience is colored by the fact that I haven't suffered wioth the instability others have complained about.) Weak spots: track laying UI is a bit clumsy and you can't manually set switches to better control the routing.… Expand
  9. MillyK.
    Feb 16, 2007
    10
    WOW RYN nice talk about your frustration ever considered just not playing sim games, hell that solve all your problems don't take it serious just laugh at it and play for about half our the quit laugh some more play something else p.s have fun with the sending it back.
  10. JarodV.
    Feb 14, 2008
    10
    I absolutely love this game. If you are experiencing bugs, download the patch! A couple of my friends and I play this every week online. This is one of those 'easy to learn, lifetime to master' type games. I highly recommend it!
  11. StrategistJVG
    Jun 15, 2014
    9
    I have thoroughly enjoyed this Railroad game by Sid, thanks Sid ^_^
    But there is only One problem i have, and that is every time i hold down the mouse button and drag long out for a long railroad it crashes. This is definitely a windows 7 memory problem with the game.
    Apart from that I give it a 9 out of 10 ^_^
    it truly reminded me of Locomotion back in the day.
  12. Paikia
    Feb 12, 2014
    8
    I love simulation games in general, and while Sid Meier's Railroads does have a few problems and drawbacks, I am having a lot of fun with it.

    I read many complaints about crashes and technical problems, but I rarely encountered any by now (15-16 hours of gameplay). The game did crash once for me, but it seems to have been an isolated incident. Generally - the game plays just fine    I love simulation games in general, and while Sid Meier's Railroads does have a few problems and drawbacks, I am having a lot of fun with it.

    I read many complaints about crashes and technical problems, but I rarely encountered any by now (15-16 hours of gameplay). The game did crash once for me, but it seems to have been an isolated incident. Generally - the game plays just fine (Windows 7 64bit).

    I don't have much to say about the graphics and music, which I suppose has a lot to do with this game being 7 years old by the time this review is being written. Obviously, I can't expect it to look and sound like games released during the last couple of years, so this is not a issue for me.

    As for the gameplay - I really love the general idea of building a railroad network, connecting cities and industrial sites. The game does offer a fairly deep, balanced and complex gameplay, but I must admit, that as a Civilization series veteran, I was expecting more. In every scenario I play, I usually end up with quite a network and a lot of money, so I start working on the scenario goals, but I can't escape the feeling that something is missing. I'm not sure if the problem is a lack of challenge, or maybe the scope of each of the scenarios is too small, or maybe something else that I'm missing.

    In conclusion, I love this game, I wish I had discovered it before, but what I'd really love - is an improved sequel. I doubt Firaxis games are even thinking about it, but maybe someone else will step up to the challenge.    … Expand
  13. Jonasac02
    Jan 23, 2022
    10
    I love this game, is so much special for me because was my introduction to RTS genre (Starcraft, AoE series and so on)

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Best PC Game of 2006
31
#31 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
45
#45 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Game Informer
    80
    The only real problem with the game is that it sticks pretty close to its prescribed formula. You build trains, make money, and drive competitors out of business. You won’t uncover layer upon layer of depth, you’ll just get more efficient.
    Read full review
  2. GameSpot
    81
    But as complex and rewarding as building a railroad empire can be, it rarely feels daunting or tedious, which is perhaps the best thing that can be said for a game of this type.
    Read full review
  3. 1UP
    70
    In the end, it's hard not to fall a little bit in love with Railroads!, because it's just a lovable kind of game. Now if only they'd release some scaled-up maps to match the game's ambitions.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »