Simulation games have become a cornerstone for gamers seeking immersive and realistic experiences, and Train Sim World 5 is no exception. Developed by Dovetail Games, this latest installment in the beloved series pushes the boundaries of train simulation with new features, expanded content, and enhanced realism. Released on September 17, 2024, Train Sim World 5 aims to appeal not only to dedicated enthusiasts but also to newcomers eager to explore the intricate world of trains. This article dives deep into the game’s features, gameplay, graphics, and overall appeal, providing a thorough review optimized for SEO.
Gameplay Overview
At its core, Train Sim World 5 allows players to experience the intricacies of train operations. From managing schedules to mastering the controls of different locomotives, the game offers a rich and authentic experience.
New Routes and Trains
One of the standout features in Train Sim World 5 is the introduction of three new routes:
West Coast Main Line South (UK): This iconic route spans 80 km between London Euston and Milton Keynes. Players can control the Class 350/1 and Class 377/2, tackling challenges like high-speed runs and suburban commuter services.
Highlights:
Detailed recreations of 28 stations.
Realistic scheduling for passenger and freight services.
Frankfurt–Fulda Kinzigtalbahn (Germany): A picturesque route covering 103 km, with players operating the DB BR 411 ICE T and DB BR 423.
Highlights:
Authentic German signaling systems.
Varied terrain, including urban and rural settings.
Los Angeles–San Bernardino Line (USA): Spanning 92 km, this route features the MP36PH-3C and F125 locomotives.
Highlights:
Breathtaking scenery of Southern California.
Mixture of commuter and long-haul operations.
Each route offers unique challenges, from mastering advanced train systems to navigating complex track layouts. These additions ensure players remain engaged, with diverse environments and scenarios.
Improved Modes
Driver’s Mode: A new feature allowing players to manage tasks like ticket validation and passenger communication. This adds a human element to the simulation.
Scenario Planner 2.0: An upgraded tool for creating custom routes and schedules. This feature gives players complete creative freedom to design their ideal railway networks.
Dynamic Weather: The game introduces real-time weather effects, such as rain, snow, and fog. These conditions influence train handling, making gameplay more challenging and immersive.
Graphics and Realism
Visual Upgrades
Train Sim World 5 boasts significant improvements in graphics:
Ultra-High Definition (UHD) Textures: Trains and environments are rendered with incredible detail, from rust on tracks to reflections on locomotive windows.
Lighting Effects: Enhanced lighting creates realistic day and night cycles, with stunning sunsets and authentic station lighting.
Environmental Details: Trees sway in the wind, and puddles reflect surrounding scenery, adding depth to the world.
Audio Design
The audio in Train Sim World 5 is equally impressive. Each train features distinct engine sounds, signaling systems, and track noise. These audio cues enhance the realism, making players feel as though they are truly on board.
Accessibility and Performance
Platform Availability
The game is available on multiple platforms, including:
PlayStation 5
PlayStation 4
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox One
PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
Performance Enhancements
Optimized for next-gen consoles, Train Sim World 5 supports 4K resolution at 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. PC players can enjoy additional graphical options for a tailored experience.
Accessibility Features
Dovetail Games has included various options to ensure inclusivity:
Subtitles for all dialogues and tutorials.
Adjustable difficulty levels.
Customizable control schemes.
Community and Add-Ons
Train Sim World 5 fosters a vibrant community through its downloadable content (DLC) and mod support.
DLCs and Upgrades
Players can purchase additional routes, trains, and liveries. Notable DLCs include the “East Coast Main Line” and “High-Speed Line Paris–Lyon.” These expansions add hours of content and are compatible with previous versions.
Community Creations
The game supports modding, allowing players to share custom liveries and scenarios. This feature keeps the gameplay fresh and extends its lifespan.
Live Roadmap and Future Updates
Dovetail Games has introduced a live roadmap system, keeping players informed about upcoming updates, planned routes, and features in development. This transparency strengthens the connection between developers and the gaming community.
Educational and Recreational Value
Beyond entertainment, Train Sim World 5 serves as an educational tool for those fascinated by railway systems. The game’s detailed tutorials cover:
Train operation fundamentals.
Signaling systems across different countries.
Maintenance and troubleshooting.
This makes the game appealing not just for gamers but also for train enthusiasts and aspiring engineers.
Technical Challenges and Player Feedback
Despite its many strengths, Train Sim World 5 has faced some criticism:
Occasional Bugs: Some players have reported minor graphical glitches, such as clipping issues or delayed texture rendering.
Learning Curve: While tutorials are detailed, newcomers may still find advanced systems overwhelming.
Cost of DLCs: The extensive range of add-ons can become expensive, especially for players aiming to collect all routes.
Dovetail Games has been proactive in addressing these issues, releasing patches to improve stability and enhance the user experience.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Immersive Gameplay: Authentic train controls and real-world routes.
Enhanced Graphics: Stunning visuals with attention to detail.
Dynamic Weather: Adds realism and challenge.
Community Support: Active forums, modding capabilities, and DLCs.
Accessible for Newcomers: Tutorials and adjustable difficulty.
Educational Value: Provides insights into railway systems.
Cons:
Steep Learning Curve: Advanced systems may intimidate beginners.
DLC Costs: Additional content can be expensive.
Limited Route Variety: Some regions remain underrepresented.
Minor Bugs: Occasional graphical glitches.
Final Verdict
Train Sim World 5 is a remarkable entry in the series, setting a new standard for train simulation games. With its realistic gameplay, stunning visuals, and robust community features, it offers an unparalleled experience for enthusiasts. While there are minor drawbacks, such as the cost of DLCs and a steep learning curve, these do little to detract from the overall quality. Whether you’re a seasoned player or a curious newcomer, this game promises countless hours of enjoyment.
For anyone looking to immerse themselves in the world of trains, Train Sim World 5 is an absolute must-play.
Further Exploration
How to Get Started:
Choose Your Route: Begin with a tutorial to familiarize yourself with basic controls and systems.
Experiment with Modes: Try Scenario Planner 2.0 to create unique challenges.
Join the Community: Explore forums and download user-created content to enhance your experience.
Future Potential:
Dovetail Games has hinted at expanding to underrepresented regions, such as Asia and South America. Fans can look forward to new routes and technological advancements in upcoming updates.
worst sim ever the game changes the train controls when ever it wants. for example i play the training game mode to learn how to move the the train and when i drove the train out of training mode i was very different.
In no way more graphically advanced than previous version(s), but a nice new selection of trains and routes. DLCs could be a bit cheaper but great gameplay as per usual.
I switched over from PS5 and I can honestly say the stuttering is just as bad on PC. So if you think you're going to switch from console to PC and get a wildly improved experience, think again.
What other positive reviews? This is all just marketing and nothing more.
The game inherits the same amount of hereditary diseases from series to series - a boring, uninteresting environment, extremely weak optimization. I absolutely do not understand how it was possible to trust the developers and buy this product from them. I will not trust them anymore.
Judge for yourself: on a PC with Ryzen 7 5800 X3D, a 3090ti video adapter, 64 GB of RAM 3200 MHz, an NVME drive - in this game we have - FREEZE. Every 30 seconds. We change the settings to low graphics - but the freezes do not disappear, all the same lags! This is just a disgrace, a complete disgrace, the game becomes practically unplayable, without regard to the variety of trains. Do not fall for the screenshots and posters. The game is still a dull piece of waste with crooked optimization. By the way, in the same RDR2, at the absolute ultra settings, even everything above ultra, in 1440p, there are no lags at all and 100 fps!
Even the rather complex game TrainZ 2022 manages to demonstrate excellent optimization. Even indie games for 1 euro about traveling on the railway and they please with the absence of freezes.
Even in SimRail there is no such shameful freezing of the picture.
I am EXTREMELY disappointed with literally the entire series.
I did not expect miracles from the graphics, from the controls, I just wanted a stable fps, without freezes, which my hardware should provide, significantly exceeding all the requirements of the developers of this game.
If I could, I would return not only this game, but all the previous Dovetail games with all their add-ons.
I Brought This For My Son And He Loves It! This Is A Good Game And If Your Kids Love Thomas And Friends Then Buy The Dlc Theres So Many Adventures For Little Kids And The Controls Are So Easy For Kids!
This game is an amazing train simulator that encompasses details that no game every has. The maps are beautiful, and the trains all feel unique and dynamic.
HOWEVER, while this is an outstanding simulator, it is not a very well designed game. Training modules involve sitting there listening to a guy talk for minutes on end. When the narrator tells you to do something, and you instinctively do the thing, since the narrator technically wasn't done with his 5 minute monologue yet, the training module breaks. Meaning you'll likely have to start all the way over, wasting at least 20 minutes. After about the 5th time of this happening, you'll just want to dive in and play because of how boring training is. Unfortunately, journeys are also broken and unforgiving. Speed limit zones won't update, and if you have a task to drive 100 miles, and you mess up at the very end, you have to start completely over. Moreover, if the game asks you to stop somewhere, and you stop 2 inches short of where the game wanted you to stop, you have to move the train and get it there, wasting another ten minutes.
In summary, the simulation itself is an outstanding representation of how trains operate. However, the game tutorial is incredibly boring, unforgiving, and broken worst of all. Therefore, if you can get past the bad game, it's a great simulation.
Realistic game, I really reccomend it for feeling like your actually driving a train, good for if your applying for a Train Driving job at places like Southeastern, and good for practice.
I upgraded from Train Sim world 3 to 5. There are no improvement in terms of performance and general game play. The game's immersion factor is spoiled by trains jumping all over the place in external views. Scenery tiles are loading slowly causing lagging in between areas in scenery.
I want to love TSW5. There's nothing about it that doesn't tickle everyone of my sim loving bones. Graphics are excellent, physics are well done, and content/routes/scenarios are plentiful.However, the learning curve if you're wanting to play with all the various countries' signalling and speed rules is STEEP. And the training is annoyingly redundant while also not properly setting you up for success. For example, I have gone through most of the Training Center's content and end up being forced to go through all the various train intro training again when getting into the journeys and routes. Then, the training gets you enough to get going but there will be so many situations where you'll think you're doing it right and then WHAM.........alarms start going off and the train is braking and stuck in traction lock. If you're lucky you can get the super specific sequence of events to get out of the traction lock right the first time or you're starting all over again. Entering the Konami code is easier to hit successfully the first time than it is to get out of a speed/signal restricted traction lockout.Your only option is to lose some XP and sacrifice realism to keep your sanity.There is soooo much potential here. Gets kinda ruined due to a lack of solid training around the finer details when it comes to the actual rules of the rails.
I'd say this game is great in general. Probably equally great as Microsoft Flight Simulator just instead of flying planes for driving trains. However, there are some big drawbacks for me:
1. All routes are extremely linear and rather small / confined. The linearity is great for high speed services but driving at high speeds gets boring after a couple times. What I really want is to go back and forth between various stations all around a region not just on one straight line / route but with a lot of options and ways in and out each station.
2. Overlapping routes are still apart. So I bought some DLCs with routes that irl overlap. However, in the game I have to switch the map. I want a seemless switch between maps on the fly. I sincerely believe my PC can handle that.
3. Pricy DLCs considering (1) and (2). They would be worth it if the new routes would be directly merged into existing ones so you can essentially grow your map.
4. Route planning in free roam is rather confined. You are only able to set a linear set of stops but I don't see the option to set a stop somewhere not directly reachable but instead via a change of direction. It would be great if you could set your destination anywhere and the route is calculated even if it contains the necessity to change ends as long as there is some path.
5. Ability to drive every train everywhere ("cheat option"). I'd like to drive my ICE train through the London underground or through America. But sadly the americans forgot to electrify their tracks :/
6. Whacky AI & scenario setups. I've noticed that the AI ICE trains followed the same path I took with my freight train just so they could overtake me one signal later. The repeat with the next. A clever solution, but I'd prefer a more realitic approach where the trains spawn at a given time on the edgw of the map and blast with 300km/h behind me and I'm directed more dynamically by the signaller depending on how I drive - e.g. overspeeding and thus arriving earlier at a location means I get to pass a meant stop for overtaking while on the other hand crouching at half the speed leads to a pile up and thus longer waits and more overtaking at a stop.Despite this I'd still recommend this game if you really like a chill train simulator. Very newbie friendly (options to deactivate train control measures, derailing, etc.), great graphics, many details, smooth performance and works out of the box with Proton on Linux. So get it if you're looking for a train simulator but don't get it of you are looking for a sandbox train simulator.
This game is absolutely fantastic if you love trains. Have only played 'Timetable' mode so far and am hooked just watching the trains, with tiny little details that make a huge difference, like trains having their headlights on a little bit before departure for example. I'm not into driving trains personally so it amazes me that can just hop on any train and just be a passenger if wanted. absolutely brilliant... can not wait to try 'Guard' mode out.'DTG' get their stick by no denying they have some serious talent with them as this must of taken some serious making.
I was excited to play this game as I got the previous simulator game for free on Epic and bought this game in the summer sale playing for short time this game started lagging and crashed my entire system multiple times.I thought this was a hardware issue but even after multiple resets and analyzing my pc hardware this game was still crashing my system. my pc has a 3080ti and a ryzen 9
Really good sim. The trains are modeled really well, especially the German train's. The only drawback is that its is not a really optimized sim, like sometimes my graphic card's fan goes fast as a Lamborghini. But overall really good.
