So here we go again, what has become an annual event, there's another Train Sim World arriving at stations in England, Germany and the US. With new features promised as well as performance enhancements and the usual backward compatibility with just about all existing TSW routes (which let's face it, is remarkable), this year's edition was much-anticipated, and we were delighted to be sent the Deluxe version to review, which includes the CrossCountry Class 220 Voyager (UK), NJ Transit ALP-45DP (US) and the DB BR 294 (Germany) plus the revised Nahverkehrsnetz Dresden legacy route.
For us south-westerners at GameCell the first route up was obviously the Riviera Line: Exeter-–Plymouth & Paignton. A route made famous due to its stretch that literally runs alongside the English Channel and, during storms, has been partially washed away in the past–I had great hopes…
The Riviera line is serviced by the popular Class 150, the Crosscountry BR Class 220 Voyager and the Class 802, which has a larger diesel engine & fuel tank, and higher power output than its 801 all-electric counterpart.
The route itself feels right and the scenery looks like Devon, but ugh–the sea looks like there's been a huge oil spill in the English Channel. There is absolutely NO danger of the waves breaking over the railway tracks, because there aren't any. I know TSW is all about the trains, but this is visually disappointing. On the good side, one of the scenarios introduced us to a new role, that of train dispatcher.
New Jersey is the location of the Morristown Line: New York & Hoboken–Dover route. This line features the classic workmanlike Arrow III EMU, which was built by General Electric in late 1970s, and the ALP-45DP & ALP 46 NJT Diesel/Electric locomotives pulling passenger consists.
I'm not sure how popular yet another New York route will be, but I love passenger services and US trains so I found this one highly enjoyable.
Bahnstrecke Leipzig–Dresden features the striking DB BR 411 ICE T (Tilting) Triebwagen (EMU), which despite having familial cosmetic similarities to fast ICE trains, only has a top speed of 230 kmh. The BR 143 DB pulls some passenger trains and the popular BR 185.2 hauls some freight. The route also has jobs for the BR 363 Diesel Shunter, and its larger relative the DB BR 294–which we could only get to move at the training center, but as soon as brakes were applied it wouldn't go anywhere. After several attempts I managed to complete this training module but only by repeatedly using the "I'm Stuck" (Reset Simulation Physics) button on the pause menu. At this point I may have said a rude word or two and politely enquired where the "Driver Assist" feature had gone? Annual leave perhaps? Maybe it's suffering from anxiety or stress–I know I am. All I want is a feature that tells me what I'm doing wrong and why a locomotive won't move when it's supposed to, but despite promising it TSW has yet to supply the feature that would open up the game to a whole new demographic. Dovetail have already introduced a simplified controls system with the kiddy & beginner-friendly Thomas the Tank Engine DLC, so why not bring two or 3 easily selected preset levels of challenge to the main sim?
And now one of my favourite niggles. Should you fail a mission or scenario, which will usually be because of a SPAD (Signal Passed At Danger) you still can't reload a save and quickly continue, you have to return to the main menu and "Resume Last Played". Why? It's pretty obvious what most players are going to want to do, so why not simplify and hasten your return to the action?
As for TSW6's improvements, "Random Behaviours" are new, Signal Delays, Temporary Speed Restrictions and Train Faults can all be adjusted from 'High' to 'Off', but to be honest I have enough problems getting trains to their destinations without added issues. On the good side, should a fault occur, you’ll get a popup to help guide you through how to fix it–so it’s not just a penalty, but part of the challenge.
In-train and platform announcements are also now on all stations and passenger trains, as well as ambient passenger sounds, and definitely add atmosphere and authenticity to the game.
Something that's bugged us since Train Sim World 3 is the silly multicoloured, beginner-friendly but ugly Stop Marker zone that turns back on Every Single Time you do a tutorial or introduction. Why? I don't want it, I turned it off, why doesnt it stay OFF? Another returning niggle is that someone at Dovetail Games still can't spell the word 'RECEIVE'. After me now: "I before E Except after C." (Except in Efficient Ancient Science.)
So what has changed? Well, the passengers and station platform dwellers are just as low detail, bizarrely dressed, ugly to look at and robotically-animated as ever. They also still sometimes end up on the line, which is as disturbing as it's funny as it's disappointing. Road vehicle traffic is plentiful but just as robotic and detail-free as ever. I also found when doing the Riviera Line Introduction that if you stayed at the start point one passenger could completely pen you into a corner, rendering movement impossible! (See screenshots.)
While the trains and rolling stock are as well modelled as we've come to expect, and having avoided reading any TSW6 blurb pre-release I'd still managed to hear about performance improvements. I must say I think the pop-up and LOD distance have been pushed out, but the trackside scenery seems unchanged in look or detail, it's by no means ugly (apart from the sea at Dawlish) but nothing suggests "Unreal Engine 5" to me, and the further you get from the tracks the lower the detail gets–you can often see huge swathes of low detail or even unfinished countryside from the exterior cameras. The trees are varied and other fauna looks fine, but a certain other kind of scenery (water) that has been made to look so good in many other games, looks terrible. Honestly, the sea at Dawlish looks like every oil tanker on the planet pulled into the bay and dumped its contents! I've seen more convincing water in cartoony platform adventures.
Taking TSW6's additions into account, is there anything here that couldn't have been an update for TSW5? The actual technical improvements seem scant.
Free Starter Pack–At launch, there’s a free Starter Pack for new players or players upgrading—this includes the Training Center complete with locomotives (the Stanier 8F TTC, Class 66 TC, Arrow III NJT, SD40-2 TTC, Class 140/2 GWR and the Class 323 TTC), rolling stock and tutorials to learn with. This allows access to core TSW 6 features without owning all the add-on routes.
Improvements include Memory & Performance Optimisations, which should allow for Improved memory handling to reduce blurry textures, make things more stable, and improve overall visual fidelity. There are also new settings to better manage memory usage.
Live Map & Fast Travel
A reworked “Live Map” with better UI, train service info, and Fast Travel, so you can quickly move between stations within the route is a welcome addition, but I'm not sure how many players will actually use the feature.
Timetable Layer Control gives you more control over which timetable “layers” / service patterns are active, letting you customise how busy or varied services are.
New Challenges & Rewards, including new Mastery awards which unlock in-game events/dioramas.
So although I personally doubt how popular it would be, we still have no multiplayer mode. Another common complaint is that the external free camera still drops too close to a moving train to get a nice "passing shot"–amazingly it also sometimes pops inside the scenery (and not just in tunnels), and I cannot believe Dovetail haven't fixed that, particularly as the issue was actually solved years ago with the Bakerloo Line.
Enough of the grumbles, Train Sim World 6 on Xbox delivers an immersive and polished train simulation experience. With realistic train physics and some nice, if not exactly stunning or groundbreaking, graphics, it’s a treat for railway enthusiasts. The controls are mostly intuitive, and the variety of routes and trains keeps gameplay engaging. Performance is solid on Xbox Series X, making it a great choice for both newcomers and seasoned players–just don't expect a revolution. I've said it before and I'll say it again–given the impracticality of model trains, this is the best "train set" you can get on console right now–bar none.
Thanks to Dovetail Games & Indigo Pearl