Train Simulator

Pros

• It's a realistically rendered railway simulator
• The game controls are easy to master
• Real routes and challenging game scenarios

Cons

• Those routes are often only available as DLC packages

If keen railway enthusiasts want to get a taste of the railway building experience, they can sate their curiosity by installing Train Simulator. Designed to operate on Windows computers, this game allows players to recreate real-world track systems. Realistically rendered locomotives then speed along those tracks, each carrying their loads towards distant virtual destinations.

Children have been playing with train sets for decades. Some of those kids never lose their love for trains. Train Simulator is arguably designed for fans of this system of mass transportation, but it's also accessible enough to attract regular gamers, too. Indeed, the sim has gone through a major gaming engine update over the last few years, so it now looks visually stunning. Just as important as the sharper graphics, though, the quality and depth of the simulated railway operating experience is very satisfying, even for the casual gamer.

This means entire track networks have been faithfully recreated in their entirety. A player can run their virtual trains down urban London lines or switch over to a gaming scenario that takes a heavier locomotive through a winding mountain pass, complete with high-altitude scenery. Alternatively, a North American lumber hauler can be carefully controlled as it takes its heavy cargo over a series of rough Oregon lines. Be careful, those air brakes will squeal on high gradient slopes. That's where the substance of the game lays, in the ability to finely regulate every element of a fledgling railway empire.

So, Railway Simulator includes numerous locomotive types and all sorts of routes to send them barreling down. Going back to a child's first toy railway set, there's a lot more on offer here. For one thing, that detailed graphics engine comes into its own when international scenarios are employed. Expect to see trains chugging along German or British tracks, or they'll be using a detailed scenario that's somewhere deep in some other gorgeous European locale. To gain more realism, there's even an option to switch between viewpoints. Windows players can therefore switch perspective to the inside of the train. From here, they'll use the easy to operate controls to maintain the locomotive's speed. For instance, when back on a flat track, take the opportunity to run the camera through the cabins to see how the passengers are doing, or relax while the scenery unfolds.

The goals of the game are simple but also challenging enough to suck gamers into this immersive sim. Keep the engine speed low enough to navigate a route while also sticking to a set schedule. Don't gain a reputation for arriving at a destination late. Passengers hate it when their trains turn up late, so keep arriving at those platforms in a timely manner to keep their digital spirits high.

Pros

• It's a realistically rendered railway simulator
• The game controls are easy to master
• Real routes and challenging game scenarios

Cons

• Those routes are often only available as DLC packages