Community Court #1: Is OMSI 2 still more authentic than the new bus simulators?

The Simulatoren-News Community Court is in session for the first time. And no, don’t worry: Nobody has to appear in a suit, nobody needs a folder full of evidence photos, and the judge’s gavel remains virtual for now. The idea is much simpler: We regularly present you with a major controversial question from the world of simulations, you vote, you join the discussion, you justify your verdict – and afterward, we evaluate how the community really decided. So this time, the editorial team is not sitting in the judge’s chair. The judge is you.

For the first case, we could hardly have chosen a better topic. It is about OMSI 2. In other words, this game that has probably cost more nerves than some real bus ride during rush hour. Missing splines, forgotten fonts, hof files, performance drops, installations that feel like half an archaeology degree in the download folder – OMSI 2 really does not always make things easy. And yet, something strange has been happening for years: Many players keep starting it again. Not because it is so convenient. Not because it feels so modern. But because, for many, it still hits something while driving that modern bus simulations do not always reach.

That is exactly where our first case begins. On one side stands OMSI 2 as an old, rough-edged classic. Not a game that overwhelms you with comfort. More like a game that first checks whether you really want to drive buses or were only pretending. But when it runs, when the bus sounds right, the line fits, the map has character, and after a few minutes you are back in that typical OMSI feeling, then many immediately understand why this game is still alive. For many, the buses feel more direct, the sounds are often surprisingly strong, and many maps have corners, quirks, and recognition value. OMSI is not smooth. For some, that is exactly the point.

On the other side, we have to be honest: Modern bus simulators are not simply prettier pictures with less soul. The Bus brings Berlin to the screen in a much more modern way, City Transport Simulator 2026 thinks public transport more broadly, and Bus Bound tries to make bus driving more accessible and more playful. New players today would probably notice quite quickly with OMSI 2 that sometimes there is only one double-click between “I’ll just drive a bus in a relaxed way” and “why is some object missing again?” Modern games are more comfortable, easier to understand, graphically stronger, and often much friendlier to people who have not been living in OMSI folders since 2013.

And that is exactly why the question is not that simple. It is not about whether OMSI 2 looks better. Most of the time, it does not. It is also not about whether OMSI 2 is technically more pleasant. Not really either. The real question is: Does OMSI 2 still feel more authentic while driving? Is this old, sometimes stubborn game still stronger than many modern titles when it comes to sound, driving behavior, route atmosphere, and the bus feeling? Or is it mostly habit, nostalgia, and the famous rose-tinted destination display?

The court is now open. We put the controversial question on the table, but the verdict comes from you. Vote in the poll and write in the comments why you decide that way. A simple “yes” or “no” is of course enough, but it gets more interesting with a reason: Is it about driving feel, sound, graphics, mods, maps, performance, controls, or simply that hard-to-explain feeling that OMSI 2 somehow still has despite everything? We will include the best arguments and most interesting voices later in the evaluation. In the end, it is not one single editor who decides, but the community.

At the weekend, things get serious: We will then close the first case, evaluate your votes, and deliver the first verdict together in the Community Court. We will not just bluntly look at the percentages of the poll, but also deliberately take your comments, your reasons, and your examples into account. That is exactly what this format is about: It should not become a cold click poll, but a real picture of the community’s mood. You vote, you discuss, you bring in your perspective – and afterward, we turn it into an evaluation that shows how the Simulatoren-News community really thinks. And if you like the format, it will not stay with this one case: The Community Court is set to meet regularly every Monday at 14:00 in the future. Every week a new controversial question, every week your votes, every week a new verdict from the world of simulations.