A look back at a forgotten gem: Do you still remember Berlin’s U7?

Sometimes it is precisely the older simulators that leave a very special feeling behind. Not because they are still technically at the top today, but because they awaken memories. World of Subways 2 is exactly such a game for many people. When the simulator was released on June 12, 2014, it was something special for Berlin subway fans: for the first time, it was possible to virtually experience the entire U7 from Rathaus Spandau to Rudow in this form.

And honestly – the sheer scale of it still feels impressive even today. 31.8 kilometers of route, 40 stations, the longest Berlin subway line, completely underground and running through several districts. Anyone who got on back then probably still remembers these long journeys through the typical Berlin tunnel atmosphere, with stations such as Hermannplatz, Zitadelle, or Rudow, which immediately create images in your mind.

It is exactly this strong Berlin connection that still makes the title so special to this day. For many people, the U7 is not just a line, but a piece of everyday life, memory, and city atmosphere. You know the names, you know the feeling – and that is exactly what gives this simulator its own very special warmth even today.

What makes the title look almost even more charming in retrospect: in many ways, it was surprisingly far ahead of its time. Even back then, the game already offered time-of-day-dependent passenger volumes, announcement systems, left- and right-side door controls, shift operation according to timetable, as well as noticeable train swaying and vibrations. Many of these features are still central elements of modern titles today.

Maybe that is exactly the reason why World of Subways 2 never completely disappeared. On Steam, the simulator still stands at 298 user reviews with 75 percent positive ratings, which means “mostly positive.” For a niche simulator that is now almost twelve years old, that is definitely a figure that deserves respect.

Of course, modern titles have developed much further graphically and technically today. But sometimes it is not just about technology. Some games carry a very specific feeling within them – that calm, slightly nostalgic feeling of driving another round through Berlin late in the evening, hearing the familiar door chime, and rolling station by station toward Rudow.

And exactly here comes a really exciting fact: although the game has “only” around 16,000 owners, even today there are still 4 to 5 players online at the peak at the same time. And that after more than twelve years by now. Quite honestly – for such a specific niche simulator, that is a remarkably strong figure. Especially in this genre, it shows how deeply some titles remain embedded in people’s minds and on their hard drives for years.

Because numbers like these are not created by nostalgia alone, but above all because players keep coming back again and again. Maybe for a short evening session, maybe simply out of memory of old times, or because exactly this Berlin feeling is still not conveyed by any other title in quite this way.

Maybe World of Subways 2 really was a bit ahead of its time. Above all, however, it has remained a small classic for many people to this day, showing how deeply Berlin and the U7 are still rooted in the simulation scene.

Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/283600/Wor…__Berlin_Line_7

Do you still remember World of Subways 2? Did you drive the U7 back then? Which station has stayed in your mind the most? Was the game ahead of its time?