| Train Sim World | |
| Developer: | Dovetail Games |
| Publisher: | Dovetail Games |
| First Release Version: | Train Sim World: CSX Heavy Haul |
| First Release Date: | 16 March 2017 |
| Latest Release Version: | Train Sim World 4 |
| Latest Release Date: | 26 September 2023 |
| Genre: | Vehicle simulation |
Train Sim World (abbreviated to TSW) is a train simulation game series developed by Dovetail Games. There have been seven iterations since the initial Train Sim World: CSX Heavy Haul in 2017. The most recent, in 2023, was Train Sim World 4.
After CSX Heavy Haul came the Xbox One-only Train Sim World: Founders Edition in 2018. Train Sim World was released the same year. Train Sim World 2020 followed in 2019. Train Sim World 2 was released in 2020, followed by Train Sim World 3 in 2022. Train Sim World 4 was released in 2023. Train Sim World 5, the eighth iteration in the series, will be released in 2024.
For the first time, Train Sim World allows players to walk around the game world in a first-person mode. This mode is utilised in tutorials, scenarios and services where the first-person mode is required to complete tasks such as refuelling, navigating, doing different types of train driving services or changing switches.[1] It was developed in Unreal Engine 4.[2]
Released on 16 March 2017,[3] Heavy Haul consisted of one playable route, Sand Patch Grade, based in the United States.[4]
The second version was Founders Edition, which was available on Xbox One, containing Great Western Express.[5] It featured three routes plus the Sand Patch Grade from CSX Heavy Haul.
The third version, simply Train Sim World, was available on Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, featuring three routes: Great Western Express: London Paddington–Reading, Rapid Transit: Dessau Hauptbahnhof–Markkleeberg-Gaschwitz and Northeast Corridor: New Rochelle–Newark Liberty International Airport, as well as Sand Patch Grade for the Windows version only.
Players who originally owned Train Sim World: CSX Heavy Haul were automatically updated to Train Sim World, with the existing game being renamed and the new DLC being added to that.
The fourth version, Train Sim World 2020, is available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, featuring four routes: Great Western Express, Long Island Rail Road (Penn Station–Hicksville, Hempstead Branch, Atlantic Terminal, Belmont), Main-Spessart Bahn (Aschaffenburg Hauptbahnhof–Gemünden (Main)) and Northern Trans-Pennine (Manchester Victoria–Leeds route add-on), as well as Sand Patch Grade for Windows only. The 2020 edition featured a Digital Deluxe edition containing, as a bonus route, Caltrain's Peninsula Corridor (San Francisco 4th and King Street–San Jose Diridon route add-on).
On 12 December 2019, Dovetail Games released the East Coastway add-on. In addition to the Brighton to Eastbourne route, there is a branch route between Lewes and Seaford. The release includes the Class 377/4 and the Class 66.[6] Further add-on routes included Rhein-Ruhr Osten (Wuppertal Hauptbahnhof–Hagen Hauptbahnhof), Ruhr-Sieg Nord (Hagen Hauptbahnhof–Finnentrop), Haupstrecke Rhein-Ruhr (Bochum Hauptbahnhof–Duisburg Hauptbahnhof), Tees Valley Line (Darlington–Saltburn), West Somerset Railway (Minehead–Bishops Lydeard), and Canadian National Oakville Subdivision. Several individual locomotives were also released as downloadable content (DLC), including the Class 20 Chopper and the former East German DB BR 143 and DB BR 155.
Players who originally owned Train Sim World were automatically updated to Train Sim World 2020, with the existing game being renamed and the new DLC being added to that version. Despite this version adding the year to the tile, it was the only release to do so, with Dovetail later abandoning the existing release model used by Train Simulator.
The fifth version, Train Sim World 2, was announced on 9 June 2020, with an original planned release date of 6 August 2020. The announcement promoted new features, including the Livery Editor and Scenario Designer. There were two new routes and multiple trains planned for its release: the ICE 3M and Talent 2 running from Köln Hbf–Aachen Hbf, branded as Schnellfahrstrecke Köln-Aachen, and the London Underground 1972 Stock, with the Bakerloo line.[7] The game also comes with Sand Patch Grade route (Cumberland–Rockwood), featuring the following locomotives: AC4400CW, GP38-2 and SD40-2. While the route is not new, it has been updated for Windows and now also available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with major optimisation to the consoles. The Deluxe Edition also includes East Coastway as a Preserved Collection route.
The Preserved Collection allows players to import their previously owned Train Sim World and Train Sim World 2020 bundled routes and DLC into the new game. This means players can continue using them without the need to pay for them again. Dovetail Games announced the game would be delayed on 16 July, with a rescheduled release date of 20 August, back from the original 6 August.[8] This was to allow them to make Preserved Collection add-ons compatible with their new Scenario Designer. They confirmed that content from this category will not be compatible with their new Livery Designer, due to a change in the way they develop trains, although such compatibility might be provided in a future upgrade (this has since been confirmed; Livery Designer compatibility for East Coastway was included in a February 2021 patch, with more routes to follow).[9] They also announced within one of their Community questions-and-answers livestreams that their Northeast Corridor route add-on, as well as their Amtrak SW1000R and CSX GP40-2 loco add-ons were not going to be part of the Preserved Collection due to technical issues.
Dovetail Games unveiled their first roadmap on 18 August, which presented their plans for future additions to the game, as well as the timeline for the additional Preserved Collection add-ons.
Train Sim World 2 was released to the public on 20 August 2020. More DLC followed: Haupstrecke München–Augsburg: LGV Méditerranée: Marseille–Avignon, Southeastern High Speed: St Pancras–Faversham, Clinchfield Railroad: Elkhorn–Dante, Hauptstrecke Hamburg–Lübeck and Scottish City Commuter together with Isle of Wight: Ryde Pier Head–Shanklin and Arosalinie: Chur–Arosa (from third-party developer Rivet Games) and Union Pacific Cane Creek: Thompson–Potash (from third-party developer Skyhook Games).
The game also includes locomotive DLC from all versions including: DB BR 182, MP36PH-3C, C40-8W, Class 465, DB BR 101, MP15DC, M3, and Diesel Legends of the Great Western (Class 52, Class 101, and Class 08).
On 4 May 2021, Dovetail Games announced a Season Ticket called Rush Hour, which included three new routes: the Boston Sprinter (Boston–Providence), London Commuter (Brighton–Victoria) and Nahverkehr Dresden (Dresden–Riesa). The routes were released between August and October 2021.
On 19 July 2022, Rivet Games and Dovetail Games released BR Class 484: Isle of Wight 2022, a train and route DLC featuring the Isle of Wight and the BR Class 484, going from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin.
Train Sim World 2: Rush Hour is a season pass containing three routes and comes with a free update to the passenger system within Train Sim World 2.
Boston Sprinter released on 19 August 2021. It covers between Boston and Providence; includes the Amtrak ACS-64 and the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority) F40PH-3C. The CTC-3 Coaches and Cab Car are also included. The CSX GP38-2 from Sand Patch Grade is also layered onto Boston Sprinter; however, there are no extra services.
Nahverkehr Dresden released on 9 September 2021. It spans the line between Riesa and Dresden, and also included the 14miles fast line which runs parallel to the main route. The 3.1miles branch to Großenhain and to Meißen Triebischtal are also included. The route includes the DB BR 442 'Talent 2', DB BR 143, DB BR 146.2, MRCE BR 185 and DB BR 363 as the primary trains, along with the fourth-generation Doppelstockwagen coaches and cab car. The DB BR 101 DLC and DB BR 406 ICE 3M are layered on and includes intercity and ICE services that use the fast line.
London Commuter released on 7 October 2021. It represents the 50miles Brighton Main Line between London Victoria and Brighton, along with the 7miles Quarry Branch and of the North Downs Line (with Reigate being the end). The route includes the Class 377 and Class 387. The Class 375 and Class 465 layer on from the Southeastern High Speed DLC, providing Southeastern AI services out of London Victoria and diverted services between East Croydon and Redhill (Class 375). The Class 166 and Class 43 are also layered on from Great Western Express, including Great Western Railway services to Redhill and Gatwick Airport from Reigate (Class 166). The Class 43 runs diverted AI-only services past Clapham Junction.
On 11 November 2021, the Rush Hour Season Ticket was taken off sale on all stores; however, the three routes can still be bought separately, or as a bundle, in the Rush Hour Deluxe Edition of Train Sim World 2. The Deluxe Edition includes the base routes, Sand Patch Grade, Schnellfahrstrecke Köln-Aachen, the Bakerloo line, as well as the three Rush Hour routes.
The sixth instalment, Train Sim World 3, was announced on 9 August 2022, with its official release date on 6 September 2022, although it released to pre-orders on 2 September 2022. It featured three routes that were available to pre-order: Schnellfahrstrecke: Kassel–Würzburg, an extended version of the Southeastern High Speed route which included Ashford International and Dartford, and the last pre-order route was Cajon Pass. New weather features such as Dynamic Weather and volumetric clouds were also added in; passengers are also now change clothes based on the weather and season including the use of umbrellas.[10] Like TSW 2, preserved collection was brought back and all routes currently playable in TSW 2 are playable in TSW 3, renamed "Train Sim World Compatible" add-ons.
More DLC followed in 2022, such as Birmingham Cross-City, Bahnstrecke Bremen–Oldenburg, and a fictional Christmas themed route called "The Holiday Express Runaway Elf".
DLC available as of July 2023 currently for Train Sim World 3 includes Amtrak's Acela as a loco DLC for Boston Sprinter with Northeast Corridor from New York to Trenton including the NJ Transit ALP-46 and Amtrak ACS-64 including the return of the Metroliner Cab Car, with both released on 21 February 2023.
Linke Rheinstrecke from Koblenz to Mainz featuring the DB Class 103 and DB Class 110 was released on 16 March 2023.
The Peak Forest Railway: Ambergate–Chinley and Buxton add-on, released on 9 May 2023, includes the LMS Fowler 4F, LMS Stanier Jubilee and LMS Stanier 8F, portraying the route from Ambergate to Chinley and branch line to Buxton as it was in 1963.
The Glossop line from Manchester Piccadilly to Hadfield and Glossop featuring the Class 323 in Northern livery was released on 27 June 2023.
The Thameslink Class 700/0 was released on Southeastern High Speed as a separate loco add-on on 11 July 2023.
Third-party content such as a steam railtour for West Cornwall Local: Penzance - St Austell–St Ives and ScotRail Express: Edinburgh–Glasgow (developed by Rivet Games), Niddertalbahn: Bad Vilbel–Stockheim (developed by TrainSimGermany) and the Midland Main Line section from Leicester to Derby and Nottingham (developed by Skyhook Games) are available.[11]
Train Sim World 4 is the seventh installment in the Train Sim World series, announced on 22 August 2023, and officially released on 26 September 2023. This version of the game includes three routes: the Antelope Valley Line, the East Coast Main Line from Peterborough to Doncaster and S-Bahn Vorarlberg.
The Deluxe Edition includes the Flying Scotsman in a preserved state as part of its centenary. It also includes the Railpool BR 193 Vectron for an upgraded version of the Nahverkehr Dresden route add-on.
Just Trains' first route was the Blackpool Branches: Preston–Blackpool and Ormskirk, set in 1986, from Preston to both Blackpool North and Blackpool South, included along with the freight-only Fleetwood branch line. Also included is the branch to Ormskirk. Motive power includes the Class 142 and Class 47/4.
In April 2024, LIRR Commuter: New York–Long Beach, Hempstead & Hicksville was released, including the M9 electric multiple unit (EMU), which was brought into service in 2019. The route includes 57 miles, which is an additional fifteen miles of the Long Beach Branch compared to the original TSW 2020 release of the original Long Island Rail Road add-on. An additional ten stations have been added, bringing the total to 37.
The eighth iteration of Train Sim World was announced on 20 August 2024, to be released the following month, one year on from the release of Train Sim World 4. The Standard Edition will include the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes (featuring the Class 350/1 and Class 377/2 EMUs), the Frankfurt–Fulda Kinzigtalbahn line (featuring the DB BR 411 ICE T, BR 114 and DB BR 193 Vectron) and the Los Angeles–San Bernardino Metrolink line (featuring the MP36 locomotive). The Deluxe and Special editions will include the three aforementioned routes, plus the Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino EMU, the FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron and Talbot Coaches and the Cajon Pass. The Deluxe Edition will add the Kassel–Würzburg line, the Bakerloo Line, the Northeast Corridor Line's New York–Trenton route, the Suffragette Line and the Bahnstrecke Bremen–Oldenburg line.[12]
Train Sim World 5 will also include a Conductor Mode, Route Hopping, Fast Travel and an updated Live Map.
Just Trains' second route for the Train Sim World series will be the 90miles Preston–Carlisle stretch of the West Coast Main Line, including Shap Summit.[13]
Dovetail Games' first foray into virtual reality, Train Sim World VR: New York, was announced on the same day as Train Sim World 5. Developed in partnership with Just Add Water, the game will allow the Harlem Line route to be played on the Meta Quest.
Train Sim World 2 features a livery editor and a scenario editor, with further plans on adding features to the current toolset.[14] Train Sim World 4 adds an editor for routes, locomotives and gameplay.
Originally, there were plans to bring Unreal Engine 4-based editing tools to Train Sim World. In a September 2018 studio update, it was revealed that the tools would be the same as that used by Dovetail Games to create content, allowing users to create routes, locomotives, wagons, coaches, scenarios and services.[15] However, it would not have been possible to edit existing routes released by Dovetail Games at launch.[16] It was planned for an open beta of the editing tools to be released. Dovetail Games also planned on creating a series of video tutorials for the editing tools.
However, during a Train Sim World 2 Q&A livestream held on 11 June 2020, the developers announced that tools related to Unreal Engine 4 would not be released to the general public. Community managers further confirmed this on Dovetail Games' forums, arguing that "additional considerations make a public release impossible". However, the tools are available to third-party developers.[17]
As part of the release of Train Sim World 4, an beta version of the Unreal Engine 4-based editor was introduced for PC players via the Epic Games Store.[18] The editor allows users to create custom routes, trains, and other assets. However, due to limitations, Custom content is not available for console players.
The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Train Sim World were released to "mixed or average" reviews, according to the review aggregator Metacritic.