Early Access has begun! If you’ve pre-ordered Train Sim World 4: Deluxe or Special Editions, you can play from today and enjoy everything that the new features, new routes and new locomotives have to offer.
You’ll also get to enjoy the incredible soundtrack created by Senior Community Manager Ben, showcased in our latest Early Access Trailer:
If you pre-ordered on Steam, you can download the full Train Sim World 4: Official Soundtrack for free!
The things you need to know
Before you dive into Train Sim World 4 for the first time, it might be worth looking through some handy tips and bits of advice we’ve got, particularly if you’re completely new to the game.
Here’s What You Need to Know About Train Sim World 4 – Early Access.
Still time to pre-order... and play straight away!
If you’ve not pre-ordered yet, then don’t worry! There’s still time to get immediate access to Train Sim World 4: Deluxe Edition or Special Edition between now and launch day on 26th September. Pre-ordering these Editions before then will grant Early Access.
Play Train Sim World 4: Deluxe Edition from today!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2362300/Train_Sim_World_4/
What’s in store for Train Sim World 4?
As a reminder for what’s in store for Early Access Players, see the infographics below:
If you want to learn more about each of the individual routes and locomotives, you can head back to our regional focus articles that also highlight some of the key new features in Train Sim World 4:
- Austria Focus + New Features
- USA Focus + PC Editor
- Germany Focus + Creative Tools
- UK Focus + Free Roam
9 New things you should try out in Early Access
There’s plenty to do in Train Sim World 4 – so what should you do first? Here are some suggestions for new things to discover in Early Access:
1: Cross the border and into a new country – Austria
S-Bahn Vorarlberg straddles the border between between two European nations: Germany & and Austria! This new route, with a new operator ÖBB, will see you pass into Austria for the first time in Train Sim World and there’s plenty to see and do! Admire the towering mountains, learn new signalling and signage and collect some Austrian hats along the way.
2: Hit 100 mph with Flying Scotsman
World-famous locomotive Flying Scotsman broke the 100mph barrier on 30 November 1934, becoming the first steam locomotive officially to do so. Owned by the National Railway Museum, Flying Scotsman celebrates its centenary in 2023, with a number of visits and rail tours taking place across Britain. There’s no better time to step into the cab in-game and take control of this legendary engine.
Matt went ahead and showcased this (going a little bit beyond 100mph...) in our Preview Stream this week:
3: Break Timetable Mode with Free Roam
Free Roam is arguably one of the biggest new features in Train Sim World 4. Spawning trains, setting paths and playing in a ‘sandbox’ style can be done on an empty route, allowing you to create your own set of trains and movements, OR you can get really clever by adding, moving and removing trains in an existing timetable!
Be careful though! The dispatcher will have to work your paths and trains around existing AI and with this comes the real danger of really messing things up... all part of the fun in getting your trains from A to B successfully!
4: Show us your best shot with Photo Mode
Screenshot taken in Photo Mode by James Lewis
If you’re a regular entrant in screenshot competitions on the Dovetail Games Forums, then things just stepped up a notch! Photo Mode brings Exposure, Saturation, Rotation and more, all whilst part of the live action. With improved functionality with Dovetail Live, sharing shots has never been easier and we can’t wait to see the variety of shots from our Early Access players.
5: Re-livery Vectron, then run it wherever you want!
Livery Designer and Scenario Planner are two very popular features of Train Sim World, but both have received updates for Train Sim World 4. Now with 1,000 layers to place on your creations, you can cover locomotives in logos and decals, and type lettering directly onto them with an easier to use UI. If you make a mistake along the way, no worries! Undo / Redo will save the day before you upload your new livery to Creators Club.
Once you’ve adorned your favourite locomotive in whatever you like, you can use Scenario Planner to place it on any route in-game. Fancy running Flying Scotsman in LA? Or maybe take Vectron to Britain? Plot a path, set a time, choose the weather and select your livery before taking to the tracks. Then have other players enjoy the experience by sharing it with Creators Club as well!
6: Learn to operate two extra trains, (without owning extra content)
If you’re brand new to Train Sim World, then you’ll want to learn to operate the easiest trains available and in Training Center, we have them! The Class 323 EMU and LMS 8F steam locomotive are available to play in Training Center for all Train Sim World 4 players, even without owning the routes they’re associated with (Birmingham Cross-City / Spirit Of Steam). Tutorials will guide you through from scratch and the knowledge learned will help ease you into more complex locomotives like Flying Scotsman and Vectron.
The Training Center Class 323 even includes some exaggerated suspension physics to try out that are unique to this version and represent something that we're working on for other trains and locomotives in the future.
7: Try the new Controller Haptics (Console players & Console Controller users)
Feeling the power as trains trundle along tracks is now possible with the new controller haptic functionality in Train Sim World 4. But what’s more exciting for PlayStation players is the additional lightbar and audio functions that feature as part of the signalling!
The lightbar will light up in the colour of the next aspect and for players making use of the in-cab safety systems like AWS, an audible warning will come through the built-in speaker when activated.
8: Take time to have a ‘Moment’
One of recent Dev Diaries alluded to the concept of some in-game moments that players can experience during certain Scenarios. Linked intrinsically to the in-game music composed by Senior Community Manager and composer Ben Symons, these ‘Moments’ will become obvious when players achieve a task within the game. But when and where are they? You’ll just have to find out.
9: Go and find some unique NPCs with ‘Dioramas’
Coffee Cups, pull-along cases, conversing track workers and cell phone users can now all be found across each of the core Train Sim World 4 routes. They exist within the new ‘Diorama’ feature, which sit as set pieces amongst the normal hustle and bustle of Train Sim World’s passengers. They may be obvious to spot in some places but will blend into the wider scenes of stations and yards to make them look ever more authentic!
Have questions? Feedback? Get in touch!
Matt and the Railfan TV team will be back to talk Train Sim World 4 and answer any questions during our next livestream on Tuesday 26th September at 1800 UTC.
In the meantime, our handy FAQs should give you all the information you need at this stage of Early Access, along with the various information threads on our Forums.
You can also follow us on socials to keep up to date with everything happening through Early Access, into launch and beyond!
Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.