The term “golden age” is meant to elicit feelings of wealth, grandeur, and opulence. For the railway in the US, this era is dated from the early 1900s to the late 1940s; it was a time when most people travelled by train, often in luxury. Railroads Online isn’t set in exactly that world but in one reminiscent of it. The open-world train sim puts you in the role of a pioneer shaping the future of the United States. The game can be played solo or with up to 15 friends simultaneously in online co-op mode. Railroads Online has been in Early Access for PC since 2021, and it will fully launch for PC plus consoles later in 2024.
Railroads Online allows you to create and run your railway your way. You’ll have your hand in everything: building tracks, traversing vast landscapes using steam locomotives, earning cash by transporting goods, and customizing/upgrading everything in sight on your path to becoming an industry tycoon.
There are three maps to choose from: Lake Valley, Aurora Falls, and Pine Valley. In each one. you start from the ground up by scouting the best routes before laying down embankments, switches, turntables, etc. After you build tracks, bridges, and infrastructure, travel the land in meticulously crafted locomotives and wagons. Drive your trains in first-person view, interacting with technological bits like valves, breaks, and couplers.
It’s not all about the ride, however. You’ll have to transport goods including timber, ore, cattle, gold, and more to build up your business. Earn money through successful deliveries, then reinvest into the company by purchasing new vehicles or upgrading/customizing your current ones.
During multiplayer sessions, work together seamlessly to lay tracks and move trains, or share the work while operating independently. The ability to save and load your progress makes it easy to return to your favourite tracks and layouts.
Developed by Stefan Kelnberger and published by astragon Entertainment, Railroads Online will be released digitally for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series later in 2024. A physical PlayStation 5 edition will follow.
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