Already bought the outward journey, pay extra for the return: Is this railway DLC still fair?

JR EAST Train Simulator is taking an unprecedented approach with its next DLC. Instead of releasing a completely new railway line, developer Ongakukan is taking an existing route and offering it in the opposite direction for the first time. The current Tōkaidō Line has run from Tokyo to Atami since November 2022. The new DLC begins in Atami and ends 104.6 kilometres later in Tokyo. JR EAST explicitly describes it on Steam as the first reverse-direction route on an existing line.

On paper, the similarities are therefore substantial. Both DLCs recreate the same section of the Tōkaidō Line with 21 stations and the ATS-P safety system. Atami, Odawara, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Shinagawa and Tokyo inevitably appear in both products. Anyone who owns the existing version already knows every station and the geographical route – but so far only from the opposite direction.

However, JR EAST Train Simulator works differently from a traditional simulation built entirely in 3D. Its route view is based on real motion footage recorded from the driver’s perspective. The opposite direction therefore cannot simply be created by reversing existing tracks inside the game. The journey from Atami to Tokyo requires corresponding footage from that direction as well as suitable operating, signalling and audio data. This is a reasonable technical inference from the simulator’s official operating principle.

The actual operating experience is also different. The new DLC includes five timetables for the E233-3000. Two begin in Ninomiya and Odawara rather than Atami. The complete journeys include a local service from Atami to Tokyo between 07:13 and 09:12, as well as the former Rapid ACTY running from 15:15 to 16:47. Depending on the service, the trains consist of ten or 15 cars.

Players who already own the separate E231 DLC can also use that train on the same timetables. Owners of the Series 185 receive three additional historical services: Shōnan Liner No. 2 from Odawara to Tokyo and two Odoriko services from Atami to Tokyo. Some of these additional timetables are based on the 2013 and 2020 schedules.

The DLC also includes automatic announcements, real railway crew voices and randomly changing signal aspects. The signalling feature in particular is intended to stop every journey from playing out identically. The route runs from the tourist region around Atami along coastal sections through Odawara, Yokohama and Kawasaki before reaching the much denser Tokyo metropolis. Travelling in the opposite direction changes sightlines, gradients, braking points and approaches to stations.

Nevertheless, the pricing question remains valid. The existing DLC is sold separately and already recreates exactly the same 104.6 kilometres. Anyone who wants to own the complete outward and return journey will also need the new product. The Steam page explicitly states that both DLCs together allow players to drive the Tōkaidō Line in both directions. An automatic entitlement for owners of the original version or a discounted complete bundle has not yet been confirmed.

How fair this model feels will therefore depend heavily on the still-unknown price. If the reverse direction is significantly cheaper or existing owners receive a discount, the additional recording and production process will be easier to accept. If it costs approximately as much as a completely new line, criticism is likely to be much stronger. Shortly before release, Steam still lists the DLC as coming soon and does not show a purchase price.

The new DLC is therefore neither merely a button that reverses the existing journey nor a genuinely new geographical route. It offers new footage, timetables, operating patterns and announcements on the same tracks. The decisive debate lies precisely between those two truths: are we reasonably paying for a newly produced simulation of the opposite direction – or is JR EAST selling us a route we already bought for a second time?

Should the reverse direction of a route you already own be sold as a separate paid DLC?