Community Court #3: Are DLC prices in simulations still fair?

The Simulatoren-News Community Court is in session again. After OMSI 2 and buses in Euro Truck Simulator 2, this time a topic lands on the table that almost every simulation player has probably swallowed hard over at some point: DLC prices. New vehicles, new routes, new maps, new passes, new packs – all well and good. But at some point, you stand in front of the shopping cart and ask yourself: Is this still fair, or are we slowly at a point where a DLC has to deliver a lot for the price to still fit?

For everyone joining for the first time, here are the rules once again briefly: In Community Court, we regularly present a major controversial question from the world of simulations every Monday at 14:00. You vote on the website, justify your verdict in the free-text field, and of course you are welcome to discuss additionally in the comments. Before the weekend, we close the hearing, and the evaluation follows at the weekend. And as always, we do not just bluntly look at percentages, but also at your reasoning, examples, and comments. So the judge’s chair does not belong to the editorial team. The judge is you.

The third case is exciting because it does not only affect one single community. DLC prices have long been a permanent topic in the railway, bus, truck, subway, farming, and construction simulation sectors. On the one hand, it is completely clear: Simulations are niche, licenses cost money, vehicles and routes do not build themselves, and a good add-on takes time. On the other hand, many players also know how quickly small additional purchases pile up. A vehicle here, a route there, a pass on top, another map DLC later – and suddenly the favorite game no longer costs only the entry price, but becomes a fairly long bill over the years.

There are enough examples. The Gisela DLC for SubwaySim 2 is regularly priced at €17.99, but was available at launch with a discount for €16.19. In return, you get a fully playable Berlin U-Bahn classic that, according to Steam, is integrated into timetable and career mode. For fans of the Berlin U-Bahn, that sounds understandable at first, but it is still exactly the kind of case where the question is allowed: Is a single vehicle for almost €18 fair if it is well made – or does a DLC in this price range already have to offer more than just a new vehicle?

The debate becomes even clearer with Train Sim World 6. The Expert DB BR 145 costs €35.99 on Steam. Dovetail, or the Steam page, speaks of an expert locomotive with many special functions: internal simulation, engine room, fuses, fault system, Expert Coupling, temperature and braking behavior, tutorials, and further details. At the same time, the Bahnstrecke Leipzig–Dresden route is recommended for the full experience, which can also be purchased separately. This is exactly where the typical TSW price question begins: Is a very detailed expert DLC for €35.99 justified – or does it still feel heavy for many because you often also need to own further content for optimal use?

Bus Bound also provides a current point of comparison. The base game costs €29.99 on Steam, the Deluxe Edition €39.99, and the separately available Bus Pass is €14.99. This Bus Pass immediately delivers an additional bus and retro skins and is also supposed to provide access to three planned content expansions scheduled for 2026. You can see that positively: Anyone who wants more gets a clear additional track. But you can also ask: How soon after release does a pass still feel like sensible future planning – and at what point does it feel as if the next purchase is already waiting next to the base game?

And that is exactly why this case is not about badmouthing DLCs in general. Good content is allowed to cost money. Nobody seriously expects elaborately built vehicles, licensed brands, new routes, maps, or systems to simply fall from the sky. Especially in the simulation world, target groups are smaller than with major mainstream games, and many projects live from content continuing to arrive after release. A good DLC can keep a game fresh for months or even years. Just think of new routes, new vehicles, new tasks, new machines, or new map areas that suddenly make you want to start a game again.

But it is just as clear: The price also has to feel like the content. If a DLC is expensive, players expect more than just a nice addition. Then it is about scope, quality, integration, replay value, technical cleanliness, and sometimes also the question of whether the base game is already polished enough at all. It becomes especially critical when a game still has construction sites and at the same time sells new additional content. Then perception quickly tips: From “cool, there is more coming” to “wait a minute, why should I pay again already?”

Another point that is especially important in the simulation world is this: Mods and freeware create a strong counterbalance. In OMSI, ETS2, The Bus, Farming Simulator, or Train Simulator Classic, community content has shown for years how much can be created for free or significantly cheaper. Of course, not every mod is professional, not every installation pleasant, and not every freeware project maintained permanently. But they change expectations. Anyone used to getting free maps, vehicles, or improvements from the community will naturally look more closely at an expensive official DLC.

At the weekend, things will get serious again: We will then close the third case, count your votes, and deliver the next verdict together in the Community Court. We will not only look at the percentages of the survey, but very deliberately also at your comments, your reasoning, and your examples. That is what defines this format: It should not be a quick click-away survey, but a real picture of the mood in the Simulatoren-News community. Where do you draw the line? When is a DLC fair? When does it become too much? And which contents, in your view, are allowed to cost more sometimes?

Now the case is yours. Are DLC prices in simulations still fair? Or is this slowly tipping because vehicles, routes, maps, and passes are increasingly being planned directly alongside the base game? Vote in the survey and justify your verdict in the free-text field. This time, your reasons are especially important, because when it comes to prices, it is rarely only about a number. It is about what you get for it. And that is exactly what the community needs to talk about.