Train Sim World® 2020

I have a soft spot for sims that put real operational weight behind every lever and dial, and Train Sim World 2020 does that better than most arcade-adjacent alternatives. Dovetail built this on Unreal Engine 4, and the payoff is an in-cab experience where brake pressure, throttle management, speed-limit compliance, and precise station stops all feed into a live Action Point scoring system. Pull up a metre past the platform marker and you feel it in your score. That feedback loop is genuinely compelling in a way the earlier iteration of the game was not, where you could blast through a 15mph zone without consequence. The base package ships with four routes covering three countries: Great Western Express out of London Paddington, the Long Island Rail Road threading through New York Penn, Northern Trans-Pennine between Manchester and Leeds, and Main-Spessart Bahn climbing Germany's Spessartrampe incline. Each one carries its own regional signalling logic, timetable mode drawing on real-world schedules, and the Journeys system that strings together over 24 hours of sequential scenarios, tutorials, and service runs per route. That is a lot of structured content for a newcomer. The improved tutorials here are a genuine step up, walking through locomotive-specific controls, brake coupling procedures, and yard work. They still do not go deep enough on individual loco quirks, so expect some trial-and-error when you first sit in an unfamiliar cab, but the foundation is more approachable than the series' reputation suggests. The first-person walking layer deserves credit for being more than a gimmick. You get out to throw a manual switch, walk the platform, or connect a banking locomotive at the rear of a heavy consist. These moments reinforce the operational reality of railroading and give the open-world sections a purpose beyond sightseeing. The SimuGraph physics engine means each locomotive behaves differently under load, which matters when you are nursing a heavy freight up a gradient versus sprinting a commuter EMU between suburban stops. There are real frustrations to flag. Routes top out between 35 and 75 km, which feels short once you have internalized the timetable. The base game covers only the UK, USA, and Germany, and expanding meaningfully beyond that requires ongoing DLC investment, which has been a persistent community grievance since launch. The graphical options menu is thin, making performance tuning on mid-range hardware awkward. Occasional bugs, including locomotives that refuse to move after a correct startup sequence, have cropped up repeatedly in player reports and require a scenario restart to clear. The AI traffic and signalling interaction also remains light, which takes some atmosphere out of busier network scenarios. Here is the context that matters for anyone asking whether to buy this entry specifically: Train Sim World 2020 has since been succeeded by TSW2, TSW3, TSW4, and TSW5, and most of its DLC routes have migrated forward into Dovetail's Preserved Collection system. If you are starting fresh, the newer entries carry forward this content while adding more. If you already own this edition or find it at a steep discount, the core sim loop, the scoring system, the cab fidelity, and the Journeys structure hold up as a solid introduction to the franchise. Steam user reviews sit at roughly 72 percent positive across over 2,700 reviews, which reflects a satisfied niche audience rather than broad enthusiasm. That ratio is about right. It rewards patience and procedural curiosity. It has no interest in players who want something to happen fast.

Diego · Scout Team

Strategy & simulation

Be the first to comment on Train Sim World® 2020.