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Game guide

Top 10 Train Games

Build your own railway, run a transport company or take the controls in the cab. Explore our selection of ten train and transport games below, listed alphabetically. Start with the overview, then compare each game with two alternatives chosen for the way you like to play.

Compare all ten games

Game at a glance Vehicles Building Towns and cities Economy Price and platforms
Cities: Skylines Official Cities: Skylines website ↗ Buses, trams, metro, trains, monorail, ferries, cable carsFreehand roads, grid-snapped zoningThe whole game — fully simulatedTaxes, budget, loans, bankruptcyPaid; CS1 on PC/Mac/Linux + consoles, CS2 Windows only
Mashinky Official Mashinky website ↗ Trains, buses, trucksSquare grid, isometricSimulated, grow with serviceToken economy across seven erasPaid, Steam, Windows only, Early Access
NIMBY Rails Official NIMBY Rails website ↗ Rail only — tram to high-speedFree-form on the real world; no terraformingReal cities from map data, not simulatedFares, costs, simulated passengersPaid, Steam, Windows + Linux, Early Access
OpenTTD Official OpenTTD website ↗ Trains, road vehicles, ships, aircraftTile grid, 45° trackSimulated, grow with serviceFull economy: cargo, loans, AI rivalsFree desktop download; Windows, macOS, Linux
Rail Island Official Rail Island website ↗ Trains, buses, trams, ships, aircraft, cable carsFree-form tracks, terrain tools, bridges and tunnelsGenerated towns and buildings you placeCreative sandbox without a budgetFree in a browser; optional PLUS subscription
Railroad Tycoon (II / 3) Official Railroad Tycoon website ↗ Trains onlyDragged over terrain; grades cost moneySimulated, demand-drivenFull business sim with a stock marketPaid, Steam and GOG, Windows, decades old
Railway Empire (1 / 2) Official Railway Empire website ↗ Trains only; sixty locomotivesFree-form track, automatic signals, fixed terrain269 real cities that grow with serviceBusiness sim with bonds and a share marketPaid; Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Game Pass
Simutrans Official Simutrans website ↗ Trains, trams, buses, trucks, ships, aircraftIsometric tile grid, swappable pak setsSimulated; passengers route themselvesFull economy: fares, freight, upkeepFree and open source; Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam
Trainz (TRS22 / Trainz Plus) Official Trainz website ↗ Trains, driven from the cabFree-form Surveyor editor, huge asset libraryPlaced by you, not simulatedNone — a simulator, not a businessPaid download: Windows, macOS, mobile, consoles
Transport Fever 2 Official Transport Fever website ↗ Trains, trams, buses, trucks, ships, aircraftFree-form, no gridSimulated, grow and re-zoneProduction chains, running costs, campaignPaid: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox

Start with the overview, then open a game’s page to compare its features with two alternatives. This guide is published by the creators of Rail Island. We are not affiliated with the other games featured here. Details are based on official websites and store pages; features, prices and availability may change. Spotted a mistake? Let us know at info@railisland.com.

Explore the games

Each page pairs a closer look at the game with a three-game feature comparison and advice on which to choose.

  • A Cities: Skylines railway station with a red train at the platform, a bus terminal and a car park beside it

    City builder

    Cities: Skylines

    Build a city and keep it moving with trains, metro and buses. Explore how public transport fits into Cities: Skylines and its wider city simulation.

    Explore the game → Official Cities: Skylines website ↗
  • A diesel locomotive hauling freight round a curve through meadows in Mashinky, with a viaduct behind it

    Transport strategy

    Mashinky

    A railway strategy game by Czech developer Jan Zelený. Build on a grid, connect industries and expand your network through a distinctive token economy.

    Explore the game → Official Mashinky website ↗
  • A NIMBY Rails network of coloured lines drawn across a real map of Great Britain and Ireland

    Rail planning

    NIMBY Rails

    Design a railway on a map of the real world. NIMBY Rails focuses on routes, stations, timetables and the passengers who use your network.

    Explore the game → Official NIMBY Rails website ↗
  • An OpenTTD station with several trains on parallel tile-grid tracks, a road bridge over the lines and a town beside it

    Transport simulation

    OpenTTD

    Build a transport company with trains, road vehicles, ships and aircraft. OpenTTD offers deep network planning, multiplayer and community-made add-ons.

    Explore the game → Official OpenTTD website ↗
  • A player-built terminus in Rail Island with a glass station roof, a high-speed train and tracks crossing bridges above a river

    Browser transport sandbox

    Rail Island

    Build an island railway for free in your browser. Shape the terrain, lay tracks, run trains and add roads, ports and airports at your own pace.

    Play free
  • Two steam trains climbing a wooded valley in Railroad Tycoon 3, one heading into a tunnel

    Business simulation

    Railroad Tycoon

    Build a railway business around freight, industry and finance. Explore the Railroad Tycoon series, with a closer look at Railroad Tycoon 3.

    Explore the game → Official Railroad Tycoon website ↗
  • A steam passenger train pulling out of a multi-track station in Railway Empire 2, beside a 19th-century American town with church spires

    Railway business simulation

    Railway Empire

    Run a 19th-century railway company across the USA and Europe. Explore the Railway Empire series, with a closer look at Railway Empire 2.

    Explore the game → Official Railway Empire website ↗
  • An isometric Simutrans container port: gantry cranes loading containers between ships and a rail siding, with an elevated motorway, a freight train and a chemical works beside it

    Transport simulation

    Simutrans

    A free transport simulation built around connected routes. Carry passengers and goods to their destinations by rail, road, water and air.

    Explore the game → Official Simutrans website ↗
  • Two yellow Union Pacific diesel locomotives hauling a mixed freight train round a curve through a pine-forested valley in Trainz, past a level crossing and a few roadside houses

    Railway simulator

    Trainz

    Create detailed railway routes in Surveyor, then drive them in Trainz. Explore its route editor, driving sessions and community-made trains and scenery.

    Explore the game → Official Trainz website ↗
  • A steam train crossing a stone viaduct above a wooded lake valley in Transport Fever 2

    Transport simulation

    Transport Fever

    Connect growing towns and industries in Transport Fever 2. Build routes through a 3D landscape and run trains, buses, ships and aircraft.

    Explore the game → Official Transport Fever website ↗

Which one to choose

Choose by what you enjoy most: building, managing a business or driving trains.

  • Cities: Skylines: Build a whole city and use public transport to connect its neighbourhoods.
  • Mashinky: Plan a railway on a grid and work out how to supply the tokens your next upgrade needs.
  • NIMBY Rails: Design railways on a real-world map and fine-tune routes and timetables.
  • OpenTTD: Run a transport company with complex networks, multiplayer and plenty of add-ons.
  • Rail Island: Build a railway at your own pace, for free in your browser and without a budget to balance.
  • Railroad Tycoon: Turn a railway into a business through freight, investment and the stock market.
  • Railway Empire: Run a 19th-century railway as a business across real cities, alone or with three friends in one company.
  • Simutrans: Build connected routes where passengers and goods need to reach specific destinations.
  • Trainz: Create detailed railway scenery and drive your trains from the cab.
  • Transport Fever: Combine free-form building in a 3D landscape with passenger transport and production chains.