New Update to Train Sim is now live for Android, iOS & Windows Store
In this update:
New Train Sim Update is now Live for Android & iOS. Here’s what’s new:
Most exciting of all: after all these years, Australia is finally represented in Train Sim with the Queensland Rail Diesel Tilt Train, pictured above.
Over the last year, Train Sim had 9 official releases, along with a steady stream of beta updates and behind-the-scenes work.
A release can make development look simple: add a feature, publish a version, move on to the next one. The reality is messier-and, I think, more interesting. Keeping an indie game moving forward means balancing new content with bug fixes, technical cleanup, platform work, and all the small improvements that make the game feel better over time.
During the past year, Train Sim development included:
Those numbers do not tell the whole story, but they do show that a live game is never just “finished.” Even a small update can touch menus, game systems, visuals, testing, store builds, and fixes for issues players may never see.
The visible part of the year included new locomotives such as the ČSD Class 754, British Class 360, and Peckett 0-4-0ST, plus a new Austria–Czech Republic themed level.
There were also larger improvements to how the game works: multiplayer leaderboards, train filtering, vehicle crashes, better track switching, and updates to steam effects and the interface.
Those are the changes that are easiest to point to, because they give players something new to explore or make an existing part of the game more enjoyable.
A large share of development was less visible. That included bug fixes, refactoring, Creative Mode improvements, build and platform work, and general cleanup across the project.
This work is easy to underestimate because it rarely makes for a dramatic screenshot. But it is what helps a game stay stable as new features are added. It reduces the chance that one improvement creates three new problems elsewhere, and it gives future updates a healthier foundation to build on.
For a long-running game, that maintenance is not separate from development. It is development.
Train Sim is not made by a large studio with a full team and uninterrupted workdays. I build it alongside a full-time job and family life, often in the ordinary gaps around everything else-an evening with my MacBook open while the TV is on and the house is still busy
That means progress is rarely dramatic. More often, it is a feature completed in pieces, a bug narrowed down after several evenings, or a release assembled from many small changes that gradually became a meaningful update
Over a year, those small steps added up to nine releases and a much stronger version of the game.
The most useful lesson from this year has been that an indie game does not need constant giant updates to keep improving. New trains and levels matter, but so do smoother systems, fewer bugs, clearer menus, and the unglamorous technical work that keeps everything moving.
That is what this year of Train Sim development really looked like: new content, maintenance, experimentation, fixes, and a lot of small decisions adding up over time.
If you have played Train Sim, thank you for being part of that process. I’m looking forward to continuing to build on it.
If you’d like to see the result of all that work, you can download Train Sim here:
We’ve been busy under the hood – here’s what’s new:
Update now and let us know what you think!
Android Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ogien.trainsim
Apple iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/train-sim/id638826683
I’ve been working on some major improvements to Train Sim’s Creative Mode to make building faster, safer, and more intuitive. Here’s what’s new.
The editor now has three distinct modes, each designed to remove friction from the building process:
Build Mode
Place new buildings and items without disturbing anything you’ve already placed. Existing objects are locked, so you won’t accidentally drag them while building. This was one of the most requested improvements from players.
Edit Mode
Select and modify existing objects. Tap an object to move it, rotate it, or delete it. A contextual panel appears on selection, giving you quick access to all editing tools.
Terrain Mode
Sculpt the terrain by raising or lowering the ground. The active tool is clearly highlighted, so you always know what effect you’re applying.
A label at the top of the screen shows the current mode, and the active mode button is highlighted for clarity.
Editing placed objects is now significantly more flexible:
Undo has been completely rebuilt to be more reliable and scalable:
Objects now snap to a grid by default when placing, making it easier to create clean, organized layouts.
Shared Creative Mode levels now include terrain textures. If you build a desert, it will look like a desert when someone imports it.
This required adding new data to the share format while maintaining backwards compatibility. Older share codes still load correctly, just without texture information.
One of the more subtle bugs involved UI input “passing through” to the game. Tapping a button, like rotate, would also trigger a world interaction underneath it.
Unity’s standard fix works with a mouse but not reliably with touch input unless you pass the correct finger ID. On the frame where the finger lifts, that data can disappear entirely. This has been addressed and should work much better.
These improvements are available in the Train Sim Open Beta.
https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.ogien.trainsim
Your feedback helps make Train Sim better for everyone!
We’re excited to share that 3583 Bytes has been featured by Google for Publishers in a story highlighting the journey behind Train Sim and the work that has gone into building the game over the past decade.
The article looks at how Train Sim first began as a small Unity project created by the company’s founder for his son, and how that simple idea eventually grew into a long-running mobile train simulator played by millions of people around the world.
Being featured by Google is a meaningful milestone for us. Train Sim has been developed and updated for more than ten years, and during that time the goal has always been the same: create a train simulator that is accessible, enjoyable, and easy for players to jump into while still offering plenty of freedom to explore different trains and environments.
The story also highlights the approach we have taken to supporting the game. Advertising through Google AdMob has helped us keep Train Sim free and accessible to a wide audience while continuing to invest in updates, improvements, and new features.
What started as a small personal project has grown into something much larger thanks to the players who have supported the game over the years. Seeing Train Sim recognized by Google is both exciting and a reminder of how far the game has come since its first release.
If you’re interested in the full story behind the game and how it grew over the years, you can read Google’s article here:
https://www.google.com/ads/publisher/stories/3583_bytes/
Thank you to everyone who has played Train Sim and helped make the journey possible.
A New Train Sim Update is now live!
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ogien.trainsim
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/train-sim/id638826683
New in this release:
Train Sim Update for Android & iOS is now live! 📱
👉 Download Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ogien.trainsim
👉 Download iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/train-sim/id638826683
This update includes:
Train Sim Update is Here
We’ve rolled out a new update to make your train journeys smoother, more realistic, and more fun. Here’s what’s new:
Update now for Android & iOS and experience the improvements for yourself.
🚀 Beta Test Alert!
A brand new Beta version of Dinosaur Sim for Android is now live! 🦖📱
👉 Join the beta here: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.ogien.dinosim
This update includes major improvements to the game engine and lots of bug fixes. I’d love your help testing it out to make sure the final release is as smooth and bug-free as possible.
If you have an Android phone, please give it a try and share your feedback—your input makes a huge difference! 🙌
