Train Sim World 7 Review – A Part of the World At Least

The seventh instalment in the world-famous franchise of train simulators that tops itself every year is back with another launch that focuses on European routes (again), along with cosy views that remind me of Euro Truck Simulator days minus the traffic. What changed, and has it gotten better? Well, you’re at the right place to find that out.

For the seventh time in a row, developed and published by Dovetail Games, Train Sim World 7 is now available worldwide on Steam. The game comes with a Free Starter edition that gives you access to the best part of the game – Training. Upgrade to Standard, and you get access to a whole chunk of modern and classic locomotive engines to ride on their respective routes. Let’s dive right into Gameffine’s review for Train Sim World 7.

The Behemoth Moves

The most exciting part of any train sim game is to finally figure out how to get the train moving. And this time, Train Sim World 7 gives you a bit more freedom to go at it yourself or receive hand-holding support, which is great for all types of players to come together and figure it out. The train, right from the get-go, offers you an elaborate library of tutorials for each class of engine for all types of scenarios, making sure you’re trained for every button and lever the train has to offer. It really depends on you: if you’d like to explore how the older locomotive engines worked, like the SD40-2 CSX or Class 66 D, or better yet, dive straight into modern overhead electric engines. You even get to get your hands on the latest BR 412 that can go up to 300 Kmph (way above the speed limit). The modern engines are great to watch views, as they offer much easier controls and auto systems that can limit speeds automatically instead of having you brake.

The game continues to add the same level of immersion by giving you a realistic timetable and having to do a full immersion of how an actual route operates in a day, just like the previous year. But unfortunately, you still have to go to the main menu to select the next part of the routine. Bringing the train from the dock to the station is a segment and requires a new level load to explore the next part, which should be seamless after 6 instalments of the franchise.

All about Reversers

Here’s how a train works. You press W, and the train starts moving. Right? Well, of course, if it was a GTA game, but a train sim really requires you to boot an engine and get the power going, along with making sure all the gates are secured. For maximum immersion, you walk into the train from the station and can even do a nice inspection.

The authenticity and realism in terms of getting all offered classes of engines is very authentic and lovely to look at. Almost every button in the cabin is interactive and is not just for show. The displays can be customised and, like any other quality sim game, work brilliantly as the train responds in real time.

The training segments, once again, are well voiced, supported by real-life scenarios and explained adequately well to make sure you actually retain everything you’re learning. Steam locomotives were indeed a hassle to get going, but I guess I can land a job as a loco foreman should we travel back in time.

The game gets added with fresh new content every once in a while, and at the time of writing, the Tadami-Japan add-on is priced at ₹1649, which is almost the price of the game itself. So my question really goes on to ask whether we can actually look forward to content being added to the game for free or keep paying to add more stuff as DLCs, just like the previous franchises?

Great for Enthusiasts, Dealbreaker for the Rest

Massive appreciation to Dovetail, who decided the Train Sim 7 World will be free for existing players of Train Sim 6. Almost all of the previous instalment’s DLCs are also supported in the newer title. Therefore, fans can enjoy the next-gen upgrade, which comes with massive improvements in terms of lighting and texture for free. This is therefore a very consumer-friendly move towards the people who have been supporting and carrying the franchise for almost seven years now.

The livery designer also works very efficiently, along with various options to go crazy with creative methods.

For my mid-generation (i5 10600K + 3080 Ti) PC, I barely go over 50FPS, and lows can hit up to 20 FPS for no reason, with stuttering on various occasions. This recently improved drastically with the latest patch, but it did not work for all maps and engines.

Now, for people who are new to the franchise, you only get about 18 engines in four to five routes that mostly look the same after a while. The announcements are limited and usually AI-generated. You can go into very immersive settings, but stuff breaks apart every once in a while, and often you’d have to use the reset sim setting button from the pause menu. After you’ve settled in and want to explore more engines and maps, you’ll soon realise most if it require more money to unlock. In my opinion, the base game should receive free add-ons for some time after release, or a progression system to unlock them.

And lastly, having to be asked to make a Dovetail account each time I sign in seems a little extra and unnecessary.

Final Word

Train Sim World 7 is a fantastic successor to the existing franchise, which is very economical and a free upgrade for existing players. It really matches the expectations of current-gen lighting and textures that should be expected from a sim title, but suffers FPS drops and stutters every so often. For newer players, the price tag seems to offer not much content with the base game, and you’d have to shop for some add-ons. And yes, even after six installtions, the devs still don’t want to explore south asian routes and engines.