Solo Dev’s Train Sim Earns Title of Best Ever Made

I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to line up Running Train’s hyper‑realistic tracks and Japanese landscapes with the real world, and in doing so I found myself giving the game the highest compliment it could receive. Developed by the solo studio Novatetsu Games, this simulation is set in a fictional Japanese region, yet its meticulous detail convinces even the most skeptical player that it’s a genuine slice of life.

While I’m not a train aficionado nor deeply versed in the breadth of train simulators out there, Running Train has captured my full attention. Strangely, I discovered its allure not by actively playing, but by letting the game run itself and then following its free‑camera view. The experience of watching the engines glide along the tracks, guided by the game’s polished controls, has been surprisingly delightful.

When played as intended, Running Train challenges you to manage speed, braking, and timely arrivals at stations, rewarding precision and punishing mistakes. By disabling in‑game tutorials and the UI, you can achieve higher scores and earn more credit, which boosts your overall rating across its 42 routes. These include ten 12‑minute journeys on the fictional Fukugawa Line and 32 varied routes on the equally fabricated Sankai Main Line, ranging from six to 44 minutes and set at different times of day.

And the visual fidelity is breathtaking. The game spans an impressive 40 kilometers of track through sprawling, lovingly rendered Japanese towns and countryside. Every element feels intentional: power lines trace logical paths from substations across pylon networks; roads bustle with traffic and cars neatly parked outside apartment complexes; Shinto shrines dot hilltops; ferries glide across the sea while waves kiss the shore. The level of detail transforms the virtual landscape into a living, breathing world.

The most striking aspect of this title is that it delivers a level of detail rarely seen from a train’s perspective. If you were to stick with the driver’s camera, you would miss almost everything that makes this experience so immersive. The developers invested significant effort to include these features, and the payoff is undeniable.

When you zoom out far enough—something the game surprisingly allows—you’ll notice the tiles, the roads that don’t perfectly align, and the clever techniques that make the scenery look so authentic from a low angle. However, it’s best to keep your focus on the train; after all, this is a train simulator, not a flight simulator.

Steam reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. One reviewer began, “Honestly, I really, really do not know what to say,” before adding, “Hands down the most beautiful train sim that has been released on the market thus far. The modeling is top tier. The environment details, the clouds, the lighting, the weather effects—all of it is just absolutely insane!” Another praised it as “Best train simulator game so far!” while a third highlighted the solo developer’s inclusion of support for the Zuiki MASCON, a bespoke peripheral for train driving sims.

In its current Early Access form, the game already delivers a polished train‑simulation experience, but the developers have ambitious plans to elevate it further. They intend to introduce a dynamic passenger system—so far the trains are empty—and a conductor mode, with the ultimate vision of extending the network to a staggering 100 km of track. The team aims to realize this comprehensive expansion by the end of next year.

While the current release already stands out as a top-tier train simulator, my personal enjoyment has come from watching the model railway operate autonomously as I glide through the virtual landscape—a truly rare and delightful experience.