Train Sim World

If you’ve even the remotest interest in trains, whether as a passenger or would-be-driver you’ll get a lot out of Train Sim World; hop on board and you won’t be disappointed.

Train Sim World can be as unexpectedly compelling as it is powerfully soothing. It’s just a shame it lacks some of the polish to make the eccentric gem it is something truly brilliant. Nevertheless, it let us throw about the word ‘pantograph’ with haughty delight.

Yes, the visuals aren’t particularly great, and yes, the game has a couple of glitches here and there, but in terms of recreating the feeling of driving a train, Train Sim World hits the nail on the head and will certainly appeal to its core fanbase.

Train Sim World is a relaxing game where you operate a variety of trains as you travel to specified destinations. There is a nice selection of trains, helpful tutorials, and 17 scenarios to play through. The game isn't the most exciting experience, and sometimes leans towards monotonous and boring. If you love simulation games and trains, this might be right up your alley.

Games like Train Sim World will always benefit from a greater array of content: more trains, more routes, and more services. That said, learning how each of the trains in this title work and mastering the three main disciplines will take you hours at a time, and while it’s very much an acquired taste, we derived a mixture of satisfaction and relaxation from our new role as a railway operator.

Train Sim World is relaxed effort that, despite the visual inadequacies and technical issues, proves enjoyable for fans and newcomers. There's a fairly robust package with a decent variety of trains and scenarios. Above all, anyone curious about rail simulators would get what they need out of this. The controls are consistent and operating a unit feels tactile and methodical. The adherence to schedules and protocol give the game a nice, routine feel but you never feel pressured by it.

Perversely, there is a great joy to Train Sim World once you get past all the niggles, chugging along at a clean 125mph, the world zipping past you as you keep an eye on your next stop, easing the throttle, lightly touching the brakes. The engines themselves are on point, but it’s a bit lacking in reason to drive them. [Issue#153, p.89]

Train Sim World is an average game on PC and bad one on consoles. It has the great advantage of occupying a "niche" genre that is free of competition. Its qualities could satisfy the amateurs of railway simulation, but all the others remain at the station. It's a shame, because by modifying some elements of form and scenario it could have made the exercise attractive for a wider audience. Maybe future updates will improve it? Unfortunately Dovetail's habit is rather to offer many expensive DLCs. We hope this will change ...

Experience life as a train driver or passenger with inexplicably mundane real-time railway journeys.