Only two developers are building a complete tram simulation: Why RailWorld is so remarkable!

RailWorld: Tram Simulator is not a project that can be understood only through pretty screenshots. It becomes especially interesting when looking at the size of the team. According to the developers, the project was introduced after almost three years of work, and they explicitly described themselves as a two-person team. They named realistic physics, accurate vehicle modelling and a convincing scenery around early-2000s Poznań as their goal.

That is the real core of this story. Two people are not simply building a small tech demo here, but trying to create a complete tram simulation. This includes vehicles, cockpits, controls, sounds, map, cityscape, overhead wires, road traffic, passengers, technical systems and eventually optimisation. Each of these areas could already keep a separate team busy in a larger studio.

The real names behind RailWorld cannot currently be cleanly verified from publicly accessible sources. The official posts mainly appear under RailWorld: Tram Simulator or as the team. In a DCS forum, however, a user named Zuger describes himself as a 3D artist managing and working on the Poznań map for RailWorld: Tram Simulator. That is not a complete developer profile, but it does at least indicate how strongly the map and 3D work are anchored in the project.

The map in particular is likely one of the largest work blocks. RailWorld does not simply want to recreate modern Poznań, but show the city in a historical state. The information so far includes lines 11 and 12, the special routing in the city centre and concrete historical situations such as diversions from 2004. That means the developers do not just have to place tracks, but research how streets, stops, buildings, line routes and vehicles actually looked back then.

On top of that, the city changes over time. RailWorld does not simply show today’s Poznań. In a later update, for example, the team referred to Roosevelt Street between Most Teatralny and Rondo Kaponiera, which was heavily rebuilt between 2012 and 2016. In the simulator, players are supposed to see how this area looked in the past. Exactly these details make the project interesting, but they also massively increase the workload.

Things become even more complex with the vehicles. RailWorld initially focuses on trams such as 105Na, GT6 and GT8. That sounds like three types, but in reality it means far more work than just three models. The developers have already shown that it is not only about exterior models, but also about different variants, individual driving characteristics and different equipment elements. Even the choice of a specific fleet number is supposed to affect the driving experience and appearance.

That is an ambitious approach. A 105Na drives and operates differently from a GT8. The GT8 is controlled with a rotating master controller, while the 105Na is operated with pedals. In addition, certain vehicles in Poznań were modified, for example with new speedometers, switch control systems and adjusted button functions. These are exactly the kinds of differences simulation fans love – but they have to be modelled, programmed, tested and made understandable for players.

The workload becomes especially clear when looking at the technical systems. RailWorld does not only show nice cockpits, but also interactive technical areas. For the 105Na, an interactive low-voltage cabinet was presented, allowing players to handle simple faults and disable affected motor groups. In the GT8, the implementation is different again: certain switches are not in the low-voltage cabinet but in the driver’s cab, while passenger compartment heating is controlled through fuses in the passenger area.

This is exactly where it becomes clear why RailWorld stands out despite its small team size. Many games would simplify or completely skip such details. RailWorld, however, appears to take the vehicle-specific quirks seriously. That is a plus for fans, but it also increases the risk enormously. Every additional system means more possible bugs, more testing and more explanation for players.

Sound work is not a small side issue either. In February 2026, the team said that thanks to Klub Miłośników Starych Tramwajów w Łodzi, sounds for the 105Na had been recorded and were now being prepared. At the same time, they said this was the final step before showing a full gameplay recording. This suggests that the sounds are not simply coming from generic libraries, but from concrete recordings of historical vehicles.

For a two-person team, that is remarkable. Anyone who wants realistic sounds has to organise access to vehicles, record material, edit it, loop it, implement it in the game and connect it to driving situations. Tram sound is not just a motor noise. It includes acceleration, braking, doors, switches, relays, rolling noise, curves, rail joints, possibly rail squeal and interior acoustics.

Another major work area is traffic. RailWorld is not only about rail vehicles on an empty route. The team has confirmed that road traffic is being worked on and that more period-accurate car models and bus traffic are to be added over time. This turns the project from a pure driving route into a living city environment.

This is also one of the biggest technical challenges. Road traffic has to interact with the tram, must not constantly block it, has to look believable and must not destroy performance. Add to that traffic lights, intersections, stop areas, turning vehicles, congestion, pedestrians and potentially special cases such as diversions. The more realistic it is supposed to become, the harder it gets.

Passengers are also planned. According to the collected developer posts, they are supposed to board and leave dynamically and react to traffic, delays, diversions and player actions, such as hard braking, abrupt acceleration or incorrect temperature. That is an interesting approach, but also another area that goes far beyond pure vehicle modelling.

This makes one thing clear: for two people, RailWorld is not just a graphics project. It is vehicle construction, historical city reconstruction, physics simulation, sound design, traffic logic, passenger system, UI work, optimisation and research project all at once. The fact that visibly connected results already exist is therefore genuinely remarkable.

Still, the project should not be praised uncritically. The small team size is not only charming, but also risky. If two people carry so many tasks at the same time, almost every area can become a bottleneck. If there is not enough time for optimisation, performance suffers. If there is not enough time for testing, bugs remain. If there is not enough time for documentation, players may not understand the systems. And if private or professional circumstances get in the way, such a project can quickly be delayed.

In addition, no reliable public release date is currently confirmed. The OMSI-WebDisk summary of the posts at the time stated that there was no release date yet, that Unreal Engine 5 had been named as the technical basis, that options for creating modifications were planned and that the initial focus was on PC. These details come from a community summary of developer posts and should therefore be treated with caution.

This caution matters. RailWorld looks like a highly ambitious project based on the material shown so far. But ambitious does not automatically mean finished, stable or available soon. Simulations with a high level of detail take time because every technical step creates new dependencies. An interactive cabinet is exciting. A living city is exciting. Different vehicle variants are exciting. But all of this eventually has to work together properly.

The difference to many larger studios is obvious. A larger team can split tasks: one person for vehicles, one for sound, several for the map, one for AI, one for UI, one for optimisation. In RailWorld, these roles likely overlap much more strongly. Two developers constantly have to decide what comes first and what has to wait. That explains why small teams often show impressive details, but also move forward more slowly.

That is exactly why RailWorld should be watched with a clear but attentive eye. The information so far shows a clear ambition: real vehicles, historical context, technical differences and a concrete Poznań instead of an interchangeable fantasy city. That is much more than a simple tram cab on rails.

In the end, the greatest strength is also the greatest risk. RailWorld lives from the passion of a very small team. That passion can enable details that a larger studio might not prioritise for time or budget reasons. But it can also mean that progress takes a long time and a release only comes when enough systems really work together.

If RailWorld works, it could become interesting exactly because of that: not because there is a huge studio behind it, but because two people appear to be trying to recreate tram driving as concretely and historically as possible. The project is not at the finish line yet. But the effort visible so far already shows why this two-person simulation deserves attention in the tram community.

Do you think a two-person team can really handle such a detailed tram simulation? What impresses you the most about RailWorld so far? Do you prefer a small, detailed simulation over a larger but more superficial project?