All aboard! This is your reviewer speaking, welcome aboard the THUMBSTiX service to our latest review of Train Sim World 5 review. In our first class paragraphs you’ll discover the exciting new routes available as well a brand new mode of gameplay while in standard you can expect plenty of gameplay improvements and some exciting new features.

Train Sim World 5 (TSW5) builds on the solid foundation laid by its predecessors, offering a refined and immersive train simulation experience on the Xbox Series X. With upgraded visuals, more detailed routes, and a variety of gameplay options, it’s a title that truly caters to rail enthusiasts and casual players alike.

The first thing fans of the series always want to know about are the routes, so let’s start there. Starting in California, where you can drive through San Bernardino with Metrolink’s MP36 locomotive. Heading out from LA Union station, you’ll travel out of the LA Suburbs along the 57 mile route. I really liked this route, as we always say, everything is bigger int he US and the trains are no different!

Heading back to Europe players can also experience train travel in one of German’s businest cities, Frankfurt. New to TSW5 is the operator FlixTrain, and the opportunity to drive the BR193 Vectron with its vibrant green, fully refurbished Talbot coaches. You’ll also be able to drive the DB BR 114. On this route you’ll travel between Frankfurt and Fulda. Beyond Frankfurt, the route heads northeast, beyond the suburbs that surround Frankfurt and out into the wider Hesse region via smaller towns and through verdant and open countryside. The route follows the course of the River Main as far as Hanau and then the Kinzig. A total of 24 stations exist on the 103 km route, located at important locations and junctions along the line, with a number of branches and other main routes spurring from the route and heading out of the map. I love driving through Germany, the High speed routes are challenging and this was one of my favourite ones so far, especially as you wind your way out of Frankfurt.

Finally in the UK, the West Coast Mainline is here and with the chance to drive one of the most requested trains, the Class 390 Pendolino. You’ll also get to drive the Class 350 EMU and Class 377/2. Running parallel to the West Coast Main Line is the 7-mile stretch of the above-ground London Underground Bakerloo Line including stations at Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone.

It’s great fun driving the Pendolino, especially at full speed and full tilt and it clear to see how much effort has gone in to the surrounding area, it’s very cool speeding past Wembley.

Talking of performance, I’m playing the Xbox Version of the game and TSW5 really pushes the console to its limit. The trains are highly detailed, the weather effects are impressively realistic, and the scenery along the routes is beautiful. The lighting and environmental effects really help set the mood—whether it’s a peaceful sunset or a stormy afternoon, you can feel the atmosphere shift around you. For the most part the game runs really smoothly but everyone and then you notice some latency in the graphics.

As you would expect, the sound design is superb, much like Turn 10 and the Forza franchise, Dovetail have gone to great lengths to bring as much detail to their trains as possible. Ambient noises are excellent too and really add to the experience.

TSW5 gives you a great experience whether you a veteran the series or brand new to the game. You can easily customise how much help you want from the game, with the huge amount of trains available and their own unique controls it can easily become difficult to remember everything. Then you have the unique signalling in each country. A great place to start is the Training centre, it’s here where you can spend some time with the different trains and ride them round the test centre. There are lots of tutorials and its a great way to learn everything you need to know.

New to TSW5 is a hugely requested feature, Conductor Mode. Available in timetable mode, choose a compatible service to be the conductor on and away you go. During the journey you will prepare the train for departure, and when the journey begins you can start to make your way through the train to check tickets. During each leg of the journey you’ll be asked to check a certain number of tickets. You’ll need to make sure the date and journey matches your train, if the ticket isn’t valid you can inform the passenger and they will alight at the next station. You also need to move luggage blocking the aisles and manage the doors at each station. It’s a unique way to play TSW5 but its not something I’ll personally play very often.

The game continues to inspire fans to be creative thanks to the livery and scenario designer, I’m no artist but there are some incredible designs to download and use in timetable mode. I’ve been especially impressed with the liveries for the LNER Azuma trains that match the current fleet perfectly.

I’m really enjoyed playing with Scenario Planner, where you can create your own scenarios and timetables by combining multiple services, chaining paths and using custom weather settings. The path selection has been increased, giving you more options to play with. You can tell a story with introductory text at the start of a scenario and also add AI driven services that spawn/despawn from off-world portals to create a sense of an interconnected network. It really bring Terminus stations to life seeing the correct services ready to depart,

It’s hard not to be impressed with the depth of the game. After adding all of the updated DLC to the game I’ve literally got thousands of journeys I’m able to drive before I even begin to create my own. Train Sim World 5 improves on the previous games to create the ultimate train simulator experience.

9

Dave Moran
Hello! I'm the owner and Editor-in-Chief of the site. I play too much Rocket League (and Fortnite for that matter) and I wish I was better at Rainbow Six Siege!

    You may also like

    More in:Featured