It isn’t hard to see why railway enthusiasts love the train simulator genre. It gives them the experience of driving their favorite locomotives across the railways in a way that just isn’t possible in the real world. When the games tailored to this interest get it right, it creates an experience like no other. That’s why we’re taking a look at all of the best train simulators you can play in 2024, so you know where to find the best railway experience.
5. Run 8 Train Simulator
Credit: Run 8 Studios
Run 8 Train Simulator was first released back in 2012, yet very few of the best train simulators can compete with its level of complexity. Created by a very small team of rail enthusiasts, Run 8 Train Simulator continues to receive new updates to this day, with comprehensive routes and train sets for enthusiasts to sink their teeth into. Graphically, it looks its age, but it makes up for it with just about everything else about the game.
4. Railroader
Credit: Giraffe Lab
Early Access title Railroader is already one of the best train simulator games on the market, despite not yet being feature complete. Set in transition-era Appalachia, it sets itself apart from many of the best train simulators by giving you control of vintage locomotives, brought to life in staggering detail. There’s even a fun multiplayer mode, that allows you to organize crews as you set out onto the railways. Sadly no crossplay here, but don’t let that put you off.
3. SimRail
Credit: SimRail S.A.
SimRail puts you in the driver’s seat of some of the most popular steam, diesel, and electric vehicles on the railways. There are 500 km of real routes here, so there’s plenty to keep railway enthusiasts excited for a long time. That’s not all, though. In SimRail, you can enter the signal box at one station, preparing the path for a train. It’s often forgotten, even by the best train simulator games, so this is an important feature to have.
2. Train Simulator
Credit: Dovetail Games
450 km of rails over 5 countries. Tons of officially licensed locomotives. Train Simulator also offers an editor to build a world of your own, with Steam Workshop support to easily import the work of others into your game. It’s easily among the best train simulators, made by enthusiasts for enthusiasts.
1. Derail Valley
Credit: Altfuture
Spanning a vast and detailed 256 square kilometers game world, Derail Valley is one of the most intricate train simulators you’re ever going to find. A seamless day/night cycle and dynamic weather bring this world to life, although the locomotives themselves feature an unrivaled level of detail. Each city in the game only offers and receives certain cargo, which makes thinking about your route more important than ever. If you mess things up, you see the consequences of your actions too, with a detailed explosion system showing how dangerous things can be on the railways. A customizable level of difficulty makes this one of the best simulation games ever made, trains or no trains.
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