Community Court #1: The community has decided – OMSI 2 is old, but far from finished!

The first Simulatoren-News Community Court is over – and before we even look at the numbers, we first have to say thank you. Really: Thank you. The format hit like a bomb right away. Many of you did not just quickly tick a box somewhere, but really took the time to vote on our website, explain your own verdict, and in some cases explain in quite some detail why OMSI 2 still works for you today – or why it no longer does. That is exactly how this format was intended. Not as a cold mini survey that is forgotten after two clicks, but as a small digital courtroom in which the community itself negotiates.

And we would also like to thank you for the many suggestions for the new format. You have already sent us new cases by comment, message, and in various ways that we could take up in future Community Court sessions. That is exactly what makes this exciting: This format is not supposed to come only from the editorial team, but grow from the community itself. We ask the disputed question, but you bring the mood, the arguments, the examples, and sometimes exactly those little sentences where you notice: Yes, we really need to talk about this.

The first case was deliberately a big one: Is OMSI 2 still more realistic today than modern bus simulations? That was not a harmless question. OMSI 2 is old, technically clunky, and sometimes so moody that you internally order replacement transport before the first stop. Missing splines, long loading times, performance drops, crashes, 32-bit limits, additional objects, old folder structures – OMSI can still test you today as if you first had to complete a small apprenticeship before you can even start the engine. And yet many players come back again and again. Not because it is convenient. But because, when driving, it hits something for many that modern bus simulations still do not quite reach.

The voting result shows quite well how differentiated your assessment of this case was. 41.93 percent say: Yes, OMSI 2 still feels more realistic today. 12.90 percent see modern bus simulations as further ahead by now. But the strongest group, at 43.54 percent, is the middle position: OMSI for the driving feel, modern sims for graphics and comfort. Only 1.60 percent hardly play OMSI 2 today and found it difficult to judge. So the verdict is not simply “OMSI wins” and not “OMSI is done” either. It is much more exciting: At its core, the community says that OMSI 2 is still incredibly strong when it comes to the actual bus feeling, but modern bus simulators have clearly caught up or even overtaken it in technology, graphics, comfort, and accessibility.

Exactly that also came through again and again in your explanations. The first big camp still sees OMSI 2 as the reference for driving today. Driving physics, sound, vehicle weight, braking behavior, compressed air, engine sounds, operation, and depth of detail were mentioned especially often. Many of you described that a bus in OMSI simply feels heavier, more direct, and more believable. You feel every curve, every bump, every braking maneuver, every struggle up the hill. One comment summed it up pretty well in essence: OMSI does not only simulate the everyday life of a bus driver, but above all the vehicle itself – with gearbox simulation, on-board computers, IBIS, displays, sound engine, compressed-air model, and countless possibilities to customize everything yourself. That is deep inside the engine room of the simulation, but for many, that is exactly where the appeal still lies today.

Another major argument was the community itself. OMSI 2 does not live only through the base game, but through maps, buses, repaints, scripts, payware, freeware, and a modding culture that has grown over years. Many wrote that no modern bus simulator has yet reached comparable variety. In OMSI, you can build maps, expand existing maps, modify buses, swap ticket printers, create skins, customize vehicles, and shape the game the way you want it. That is exactly what makes OMSI not just a game for many, but an open workshop. Of course, this workshop is sometimes chaotic, dusty, and there is always a wrench missing somewhere – but it belongs to the community.

The second and ultimately strongest camp does not see OMSI 2 ahead everywhere, but actually wants the perfect mix. This thought ran through many answers: OMSI driving feel with modern graphics, better performance, and stable technology. That is perhaps the most important insight from the first Community Court. Many do not simply want to go back to the past. They want modern bus simulations to adopt what made OMSI so strong in driving, sound, and depth of detail – without dragging the old problems along with it. One user wrote, in essence, that OMSI feels more realistic, while modern games feel more modern. You can hardly summarize the result more accurately than that.

Modern bus simulators were not simply trashed either. The Bus was mentioned several times for visuals, future potential, and the more modern technical foundation. City Transport Simulator 2026 was even seen by some as the title that could come closest to OMSI in driving physics. Bus Bound was categorized more as a more accessible, more game-like bus game. But again and again, the same point came back: Modern games look better, run more pleasantly, and are clearly friendlier to new players. But as soon as it comes to the heavy feeling of a real bus, the sound, the braking, the little quirks, and the characteristics of each vehicle, OMSI remains the benchmark for many.

The opposing camp was smaller, but not unimportant. 12.90 percent clearly say: Modern bus simulations are now further ahead. And this view also carries weight. Because realism does not end at the steering wheel. If a modern simulation offers a more believable world, better lighting, weather, atmosphere, smoother performance, better accessibility, and less frustration, then for many that is also more realistic. Some comments described OMSI in essence as technically outdated, as a game with charm, but also with a lot of dust on the bodywork. For new players today, OMSI can quickly feel like a technology museum: fascinating, important, but not necessarily what you want to start calmly after work.

And this is exactly where the real strength of this verdict lies: You did not romanticize nostalgically, but separated the points quite cleanly. For many, OMSI 2 is no longer the most modern, most beautiful, or most comfortable bus game. But in decisive simulation areas, it has still not been replaced. Modern titles win in graphics, comfort, and entry. OMSI wins in driving feel, sound, modding, depth of detail, and that hard-to-explain everyday line-service feeling that sometimes feels astonishingly real – even if the game technically acts again as if every stop were a personal stress test.

The verdict of the first Community Court is therefore not: OMSI 2 is better at everything. It is more like: OMSI 2 remains the reference for many in driving feel, sound, depth of detail, and modding – modern bus simulations are clearly further ahead in graphics, technology, performance, and comfort. The perfect bus simulator would have to emerge from both worlds. Or, put very simply: OMSI 2 is no longer ahead everywhere, but to this day it has not truly been replaced.

That is exactly what this format was intended for. Not to create a simple headline, but to make visible how the community really thinks. And this first verdict shows: You do not only want to vote, you want to argue. You do not only want to say “I like it” or “I don’t like it,” but explain why a game still has not let you go today. That is extremely valuable for us as an editorial team, because real pictures of the mood emerge from that. Not from gut feeling, but from your voices.

The Community Court will of course continue. Next Monday at 2 p.m., the next case lands on the table – and a small spoiler is allowed: This time, it will not be about OMSI. So it remains exciting, and we are already looking forward to your next verdicts, your explanations, and your suggestions for further cases. The first trial showed: When the community judges, it does not get dry. It gets honest, sometimes uncomfortable, often surprising – and that is exactly why we are continuing.