What are the best train games on PC? There’s something very appealing about the prospect of building and operating your own network of railroads, whether it’s the logistics of mapping and routing tracks, or the desire to rub elbows with Vanderbilt and Stanford, some of the greatest railway tycoons in history. Running a railroad company is a stressful, but lucrative endeavor that can make or break even the best business minds – it’s also a lot of fun.

When it comes to train games on the PC, prospective barons have no shortage of options. Railroad management is a decades-old genre with roots in the early 1980s, and its history is rich with classics and modern masterpieces.

Not every one of them is a big, sprawling, complex business management simulation, either. Sure, those exist for those of us who want to flex their tycoon-y muscles, but sometimes it’s nice to just sit down with a toy box of trains and let your imagination run wild.

This list covers nine of the best train games available on PC. It runs the gamut from hyper-realistic sims to quick-play puzzlers, so every would-be railway engineer is sure to find something to suit their tastes.

Here are the best train games on PC:

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Railroad Tycoon II

The first Railroad Tycoon game, released in 1990, is credited for founding the railroad management genre. The brainchild of game design legend Sid Meier, Railroad Tycoon gave you the stovepipe hat of a burgeoning mogul and made you responsible for managing the major aspects of a growing rail empire in the early-to-mid 1800s. Using a starting capital of $1 million, you build stations, lay track, set cargo prices, buy new engines, and grow your network.

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For as revolutionary as it was, there were a few rough edges that were largely sanded down by its 1998 sequel. Railroad Tycoon II takes what was great about its predecessor and expands on it in every way. For instance, rather than just one century, it covers the entire history of railroads, from inception to the present day. There are many different scenarios, each with their own goals and rewards, and you can buy and operate more than 50 different types of locomotive engines. Railroad Tycoon II set the bar for the train management genre and remains a benchmark for quality even today. If you prefer old games with grid views to 3D graphics then this is the Railroad tycoon for you.

Railroad Tycoon 3

In 2003, the Railroad Tycoon series stepped into the modern age. The third entry in the franchise saw a change to 3D graphics, dropping the grid-based track building of the previous games. It also upped the number of available locomotives to 60, the most in any Railroad Tycoon game. A complete economic rework rounds out the major changes, making this one of the best strategy games for train enthusiasts.

A few quality-of-life changes over its predecessor make Railroad Tycoon 3 an overall smoother experience, too. Being able to set trains to automatically load the most profitable and in-demand cargo reduces the amount of micromanagement you need to do, and the overworld button makes it easy to see where in your network to deliver certain goods for maximum profit. In all, this is the Railroad Tycoon formula in its shiniest, most polished form.

Train Simulator

Established in 2009, the Train Simulator series tasks players with operating trains from the inside. If you don’t like the wide, zoomed-out view of railroad management games, then Train Simulator is the antidote. You’ll sit in the cabin of a locomotive, pulling levers and turning knobs in a first-person perspective. It’s a deliberate, meticulous experience that wildly diverges from the business management-focused approach of Railroad Tycoon or Railway Empire.

The Train Simulator community is an active one, and developer Dovetail Games is constantly updating the game with new trains, routes, and challenges. If you’re looking for a change of perspective, fancy yourself a crack engineer, or just want to drive some trains, step into the cabin of Train Simulator.

Train Fever

Train Fever looks beyond the rails and tasks players with establishing a transport empire. In addition to building train routes and stations, you’ll need to manage the transport of goods from mines, forests, farms, and more. You’ll also need to build city roads to ensure carriages containing those goods can reach your stations. It can be a bit like spinning plates, but players who can overcome Train Fever’s steep learning curve will find a hugely satisfying PC simulation game.

Mini Metro

Don’t let Mini Metro’s minimalistic aesthetic fool you. This is a fiendishly difficult network building puzzler that requires quick thinking and even quicker reflexes. Stations are represented by simple nodes and your job is to help passengers reach their destination efficiently. Optimal route building is the name of the game in Mini Metro, as your network will grow fairly quickly. Luckily, you’ll earn upgrades over time that help you in that regard, such as tunnels or higher-capacity stations.

Read more: Mini Metro also made our list of relaxing games

In many ways, Mini Metro is a lot like Train Valley. The distinct ‘metro map’ art style and the upgradable network, however, make this game different enough that it’s worth checking out even if you’ve played the latter.

Train Valley 1 & 2

Not every train game on PC is an in-depth and complicated management sim. Take Train Valley, for instance. In this delightful puzzler, you must direct trains of various types to matching stations by laying track on the fly. Connect a train to the wrong station and you’ll lose points. Because each level is small and self-contained, Train Valley is ideal for shorter play sessions, and a ranking system offers incentive to revisit past challenges.

The first Train Valley is superb, but Train Valley 2 changes up the formula by adding supply and demand into the mix. Different stations provide various goods that may be in demand elsewhere, so the order in which you connect stations suddenly becomes very important. Between juggling station demands and completing timed challenges, Train Valley 2 is a surprisingly tough brain teaser. If you’re in the mood for some train-themed puzzles, you can’t go wrong with Train Valley.

Tracks – The Toy Train Set Game

After the number crunching and micromanaging of heavy-duty train sims, it can be nice to unwind with something more light-hearted and leisurely. That’s where Tracks – The Toy Train Set Game comes in. Tracks is a sandbox-style building game with no real objective other than to build the most whimsical little town you can imagine using wooden toy trains and tracks. You know, like the ones from your childhood.

That nostalgia is what makes Tracks so engrossing. It’s the perfect venue to realize all the grand designs your younger self couldn’t quite articulate through toys. Equal parts charming and creative, Tracks is the perfect way to stretch that dormant sense of childhood artistry.

Railway Empire

One of the more recent train sim/management games to hit the market, Railway Empire introduced a wide variety of changes to the formula established by Railroad Tycoon all those years ago. Most prominent among those changes is the ability to research over 300 technologies via a tech tree inspired by 4X games, such as new locomotives, more efficient engines, station upgrades, and plenty more.

Staff management plays an important role in your burgeoning empire; you must hire and pay everyone from engineers to stationmasters. Railway Empire also gives players the ability to sabotage the competition through the use of espionage, leading to some devious tactics. It’s relatively rare to see new train games in the classic Tycoon style, and Railway Empire’s additions to the formula make it worth the wait.

Metro Exodus

As you can see in our Metro Exodus PC review, this is as much a train game as it is a survival horror scare-’em-up. You’ll meet plenty of nuanced characters during your journey across nuclear war-ravaged Russia, but the most important character is the giant, steam-belching metal one that takes you through it: the Aurora.

This locomotive will be your abode throughout the series’ third outing, and you’ll extend it as more survivors join you in your quest to seek a more picturesque home than the stuffy underbelly of the metro. You even get to drive an Aurora extension back to your mobile base – you have to escape a massive mutant whale and a slew of Humanimals, but it’s totally worth it. Prepare for the Aurora to change significantly from when you first ride it up to the different Metro Exodus endings.

The more you expand your motley band the more homely the Aurora becomes. You can while away the hours between monster-infested destinations by jamming on the guitar, sharing meals and beers, and having a smoke with your father-in-law, Miller. As the world outside becomes increasingly upsetting – and sometimes full of murderous cannibals – the more comforting the Aurora becomes. Whenever Russia just gets too much, it’s the Aurora that never fails to get Artyom’s arduous adventure back on track.

Train board games on PC

Train games have a long and storied history in the tabletop realm. In fact, there’s an entire genre of board game dedicated to building tracks and running trains. And luckily, two of the best are available on PC.

Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is a modern classic in terms of board game popularity. Players must connect cities via routes. Each route is assigned a different colour and you must discard matching cards from your hand to place trains along that route. Building routes scores points, as does having the longest connected chain of trains at the end of the game. It’s a quick and simple board game that translates very well to PC.

Steam: Rails to Riches

Steam: Rails to Riches is a bit more complicated, but no less entertaining. Here, building routes is only part of the experience. Players must also deliver goods of various colors to matching cities, as well as manage a budget and participate in an auction for first player rights. Steam: Rails to Riches is the kind of brain teaser that fans of train-themed board games thrive on, and the PC version is great, too.

Related: Here are the best management games on PC

Train games may lack the attention afforded to other, flashier genres like the best RPGs and FPS games, but the choices players have are no less varied. Whether you’re looking for a heavy business management sim, or just want to play in a toy box full of wooden trains, there’s sure to be a train game here that suits your tastes. So don your conductor hat, fire up the steam engine, and hit the rails.

Super Street: The Game

In Super Street: The Game it’s all about building your own ride. Start from scratch as you build your own supercar part by part. Use over 700 authentic car parts from the biggest aftermarket brands to create your ultimate ride and unleash it on the streets.

Gear.Club Unlimited 2

The most successful racing game on the Nintendo Switch is back
With the pedal to the metal, race along more than 1800 miles of roads! On the mountainside, through a nature park, in the middle of the desert or along the coast, defend your position over the course of more than 250 races, including championships, missions and challenges.
As you progress through the races, admire the growing collection of cars in your personal garage. Gear Club Unlimited 2 has more than 50 licensed cars from the world’s most famous manufacturers, such as the Porsche 718 Boxster, 918 Spyder, 911 GT2RS, Dodge Viper, Lotus 3-Eleven or McLaren 720s.
Personalize them and make them unique! You can change their appearance with the paint and bodywork, or change their driving performance with engine tuning.
You would be nothing, however, without your Club! Create and manage it with your friends, recruit the best drivers and take on rival clubs from all over the world, reach the top of the podium and enjoy exclusive content reserved for the best players.
No more borders. Drive with freedom!

Team Sonic Racing

Team Sonic Racing combines the best elements of arcade and fast-paced competitive style racing as you face-off with friends in intense multiplayer racing.

SnowRunner

SnowRunner: A MudRunner Game is an upcoming sequel to MudRunner developed by Saber Interactive and expected to be released by Focus Home Interactive in 2020 on Epic Games Store, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Zombie Driver: Immortal Edition

New and specially improved version of the zombie smashing hit, exclusively for the Xbox One. Insane mix of cars, speed, explosions, blood and zombies! Fight through an epic narrative campaign or test yourself in the Slaughter and Blood Race modes. Engage huge bosses, save survivors, drive crazy vehicles such as a bulldozer, fire truck or even a tank and smash everything in your way. Take part in the Blood Race tournament - chase other cars and take them down without mercy on brutal racing tracks. Jump into the Slaughter mode and survive as long as possible on specially crafted arenas. Experience super smooth gameplay at 60 frames per second and extra crisp visuals. Zombie Driver Ultimate Edition includes all DLC content that was ever created for the game.

NASCAR Heat 3

There are more ways to race than ever before in NASCAR Heat 3! Jump into the enhanced Career Mode, build your own race team and compete in the Xtreme Dirt Tour. Prove that you are the best in the world in the new Online Tournaments feature. Plus, all your favorite modes are back and better than ever.

Arizona Derby

Arizona Derby is action-packed racing game set at the world's harshest off-road conditions and fascinating landscapes. It’s home to the most intense racing adventures and place for showing off your ultimate driving stunts while pimping your rides and beating the gangs and their bosses around the globe.

MotorStorm Complete

A Japanese re-release of the hit PS3 racer, MotorStorm Complete adds a number of features and content not included in the original Japanese release, most importantly online play as well as over 60 newly added elements from download packs (including new tracks, racers and more.)
Developed by Evolution Studios, MotorStorm delivers visceral off-road racing, plunging players into a frenzied environment awash with grit, mud and petrol, in a game that leaves the standard rules of racing in the dust. Gone are the limits of power restrictions, limited classes, and qualifying rounds. Players simply choose their vehicle from a massive range – including dirt bikes, ATVs, sand rails, rally cars, monster trucks, and everything in between – then hit the track in a no-holds-barred sprint to the finish line. Carving a swathe of destruction through the ever-changing wilderness, players must compete in a gasoline-fuelled, horsepower spectacle where the only rule is to try and stay alive.

RISE: Race The Future

A racing game with futuristic cars, by automotive designer Anthony Jannarelly, using next-gen technologies.

Option Tuning Car Battle Spec-R

Option Tuning Car Battle Spec-R is the third in a series of PlayStation racing games sponsored by the Japanese magazine Option.

V-Rally 4

Get ready to take on the challenges of rallies, rallycross, drifts, buggies and hill climbs, and set off on a spectacular journey across continents. At the wheel of the most legendary off-road vehicles in each category, you’ll have to be prepared to take on the most difficult routes in astonishing surroundings.
Over 50 car models will be featured, including the most famous in rallying and extreme motor sport. Ready for you to test drive, collect, upgrade, customize, and above all excel at!
As no trip is worth anything unless it is shared, V-Rally 4 will feature a career mode and an innovative online mode.

Forza Motorsport 8

The Grand Tour Game

Ever wish you could get behind the wheel with Clarkson, Hammond, and May from The Grand Tour? Now it’s your turn! One moment you’re watching the hosts attempt some questionable automotive antics… the next you’re at the wheel yourself – same car, same location, same chance to make a massive mess of it. Drive the Cars and Ride the Roads from the Amazon Prime Hit Series. 15 episodes available now: over 200 playable scenes from the show featuring more than 70 cars and 36 tracks.

Dirt 3: Complete Edition

Dirt 3: Complete Edition includes 2011's rally racing game as well as four expansion packs previously available as downloadable content. In addition to the Dirt 3 base game, players will receive the following car and track packs: the Monte Carlo Rally Pack, the X Games Asia Track Pack, the Power and Glory Car Pack, and the Mud and Guts Car Pack. Featured vehicles in the bonus content include the Saturn Sky, Ford Mustang GT, Lancia Delta S4, BMW M3 Rally, and Lancia Stratos, among others.

Drive Isle

Drive Isle is an open world driving game mainly focused on random driving and drifting, if you will.

Gear.Club Unlimited

Gear.Club is much more than a quick adrenaline rush; it is an authentic world of cars. Realistic driving and racing experience, with fully simulated engines, powertrains, suspensions and aerodynamics.

Need for Speed: Heat

Hustle by day and risk it all at night in Need for Speed Heat, a white-knuckle street racer, where the lines of the law fade as the sun starts to set. By day, Palm City hosts the Speedhunter Showdown, a sanctioned competition where you earn Bank to customize and upgrade your high-performance cars. At night, ramp up the intensity in illicit street races that build your reputation, getting you access to bigger races and better parts. But stay ready – cops are waiting and not all of them play fair

Showcar Simulator: German Lowriders

Ridge Racer Type 4

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 (Ridge Racer Type 4 in Europe) is a racing video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation. It is the fourth title in the Ridge Racer series and the last to be released for the PlayStation. It was later re-released on the PlayStation Network in 2011. It is the first Ridge Racer series game on the PlayStation to use Gouraud shading on polygons.

MXGP 2019 - The Official Motocross Videogame

Experience the excitement of the 2019 season for the first time in the series! Race in official MX teams, share your gaming experience with the community thanks to the Track Editor and the Waypoint mode and practice in the Playground to learn to ride like a real pro!

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