| Bus Simulator 18 | |
| Developer: | Stillalive Studios |
| Publisher: | Astragon Entertainment |
| Series: | Bus Simulator |
| Engine: | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Genre: | Vehicle simulation |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
Bus Simulator 18 (also known as Bus Simulator on consoles) is a bus simulator game developed by Stillalive Studios and published by Astragon Entertainment. It is powered by Unreal Engine 4 and was released in June 2018 for Windows and in September 2019 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is the fifth game in the Bus Simulator franchise and is the direct sequel to Bus Simulator 16. A sequel titled Bus Simulator 21 was released in 2021.[1]
Bus Simulator 18 features a sizable map of fictional modern city Seaside Valley, consisting of twelve districts, which is 2.5 times bigger than Bus Simulator 16.[2] The game allows players to drive eight licensed vehicles from four different bus manufacturers including Iveco, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, and Setra ranging from low-floor buses to articulated buses.[3] Like its predecessor, the game also uses a procedural generation system that requires players to complete different missions to unlock new districts. Management-wise, players are able to create their own bus lines, as well as buying, selling and upgrading buses.[4]
An in-game trailer was released in May 2018. In comparison to the Unity-based Bus Simulator 16, Bus Simulator 18 is powered by Unreal Engine 4, which shows considerably improved graphics.[2] It was released to Microsoft Windows in June 2018, with modding and multiplayer mode were featured for the first time in the Bus Simulator series.[5] PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were later made available on September 17, 2019.[6] A map expansion downloadable content was released in May 2019.[7]
Bus Simulator 18 received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.
Chris Jarrard of Shacknews gave a 6 to the game, writing "Bus Simulator 18 is not a game changer and to be honest, it's not the most rewarding experience I've ever had in front of my PC." He had three major issues of the game — a lack of content, multiplayer bugs, and a boring campaign.
Chris O'Connor of Impulse Gamer rated it 4 out of 5. He considered the game to be quite relaxing, but he considered its content not deep enough.[8]
Alec Meer of Rock, Paper, Shotgun enjoyed the atmosphere in the game, which is so great that he even would like to become a bus driver. He says "Bus Simulator 18 leaves me with a deep sympathy for bus drivers and a great terror that I might ever become one."[9]
Andy Kelly of PC Gamer compared the game with the similar-genre video game Euro Truck Simulator 2 of SCS Software, commenting the game maybe not as good as the truck-simulator, but it is full of interaction, which is what the Truck Simulator franchise is missing.[10]