Trainz: A New Era

For fans of railroading and train simulations, the Trainz franchise has long been considered the premiere sandbox for living out their passion in virtual form. With Trainz: A New Era, developers N3V Games have effectively elevated this legendary series to new heights of realism, customization, and community-driven content.

From the moment you fire up A New Era, it's clear this is the most authentic re-creation of the trains, environments, and operations railfans love. The accurately modeled locomotives, rolling stock, and meticulously crafted routes instantly transport you into a world of railroading brought to life like never before.

All Aboard

What really separates Trainz from the games like Train Simulator Classic, however, is its industry-leading physics and simulation engineering under the hood. A New Era utilizes an overhauled real-time physics engine that factors in variables like engine power, terrain variables, train weight and makeup, and more to deliver unparalleled realism.

Dig into the advanced editing suite, and you can fine-tune performance characteristics down to the smallest details, from monitoring drawbar forces to perfecting a locomotive's tractive effort and brake pipe pressures on-the-fly. It's an incredible sandbox for tinkerers to achieve unprecedented levels of accuracy in recreating real-world train operations.

For those less interested in working triple-valve gradient formulas, don't worry - you can still enjoy New Era's excellent "driving" experience through robust assisted and casual modes. But hobbyists looking to experience railroading in its purest simulated form are in for an unmatched treat.

In that sense, Trainz occupies a unique space similar to ultra-realistic sims like the Arma military games, serving a passionate niche of enthusiasts who crave authenticity above all else.

Railfanning Paradise

Of course, no amount of technical wizardry would matter if Trainz didn't also deliver an amazing breadth of railroading content to experience and operate. Thankfully, A New Era's built-in routes do not disappoint, spanning locales across the U.S., U.K, Australia and more in obsessive detail.

Want to drive the famed Hinton coal lines in 1950s West Virginia? Cruise down under through the Australian countryside in the 1910s? Take on the East Coast Main Line from King's Cross to Edinburgh during its 1976 British Rail heyday? All these and more are included out of the box, with dozens of hours of engrossing operations to attack.

Review: 8/10

But as fulfilling as the core package is, the true magic of Trainz lies in its immense community-driven content. Through the free Trainz Download Station, you can access and install over 10,000 routes, locos, and other assets created by fellow fans - for free. It's an astonishing wealth of high-quality, player-made add-ons that exponentially extends the life and appeal of an already jam-packed experience.

Pros:

• Most authentic train physics and simulation available
• Powerful editing tools for customizing every aspect
• Huge assortment of lovingly recreated routes and operations
• Tons of free community-created add-on content
• Excellent driving experience for newcomers and veterans

Cons:

• Very niche appeal outside of die-hard railfan community
• Extremely dense systems and sim aspects have a steep learning curve
• Some performance hiccups with vast worlds
• Route and asset quality can vary in expansive content library