In 2025 We Asked: “Is Anything Else Coming to Bus Simulator 21?” – In 2026 Its Successor Is Already Waiting!

Our original article from February 14, 2025 was only a few paragraphs long. Bus Simulator 21 was already three and a half years old and things had become suspiciously quiet after its major expansion period. At the time, we found no indication of another significant development phase, although we deliberately left open the possibility that astragon might still have something planned.

Today, the picture is far clearer: Bus Simulator 21 never entered another major era of expansion.

Its last substantial wave of content dates back to 2023. Ebusco vehicles were followed by school buses and eventually the Official Tram Extension on November 14, 2023. The latter was particularly unusual because it expanded a traditional bus simulator into a game where players could operate and manage tram services as well.

Then things became quiet.

That does not mean Bus Simulator 21 is a small game today. Quite the opposite. Its expanded Gold Edition contains more than 40 officially licensed buses, with manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, MAN, IVECO BUS, Volvo, Scania, BYD, Alexander Dennis and Blue Bird. Angel Shores and the revised Seaside Valley provide two large environments, alongside career and management systems, timetables, electric buses, double-deckers and multiplayer.

Which is exactly why our old question made sense: Why would you simply leave a game with this much content behind?

The answer now has a very clear name: Bus Simulator 27.

And this is not simply “Bus Simulator 21 with another map”. The development studio itself has changed. Bus Simulator 21 was developed by stillalive studios, while Bus Simulator 27 is being created by Simteract. astragon is therefore taking the main series into its next generation with a different development team.

There is another interesting twist. stillalive studios has not disappeared from bus simulation at all. In April 2026, it released Bus Bound, another bus simulation that Steam explicitly markets as being from the creators of Bus Simulator 21.

So we now have an unusual situation: the former BS21 team is developing its own new bus game while the Bus Simulator series itself continues with another studio.

Bus Simulator 27 makes several substantial changes.

Its new world, Felicia Bay, is inspired by Spain and Portugal. Twin cities Alcaztelar and Mequina sit among more than 20 districts, with dynamic weather, a full day-night cycle and an environment powered by Unreal Engine 5.

The fleet will contain more than 45 officially licensed buses from 13 manufacturers, including Solaris, Mercedes-Benz, MAN, IVECO BUS, Scania and Volvo. Compared with the more than 40 vehicles available in the fully expanded BS21 Gold Edition, the raw number alone does not sound revolutionary. The real change is another type of vehicle entirely: for the first time in the series, licensed coaches and long-distance journeys are being introduced.

That potentially changes the game much more than adding another handful of conventional city buses.

The management side continues as well. Players create and operate routes, manage timetables, hire drivers and assign services. Story, Career and Sandbox modes are included, and players can also ride as passengers, work as ticket inspectors or leave the bus entirely and explore Felicia Bay on foot.

Multiplayer expands to four-player cooperative play with crossplay, while PC players are promised mod support through mod.io.

Looking back, this makes the difference between February 2025 and August 2026 strikingly clear. Back then we were waiting to discover the next stop for Bus Simulator 21 – while the franchise itself was heading towards an entirely new vehicle.

And now the timing becomes particularly interesting for us.

Bus Simulator 27 launches on September 8, 2026, but its biggest public test arrives first. astragon is taking the game to gamescom 2026 in Cologne, where it will be part of the official line-up from August 26 to 30 at the joint astragon and Team17 booth in Hall 6, B-060.

That means we can finally do something that was impossible when our original article was written: instead of speculating about what might happen next, we can test the next generation ourselves.

How does the current gamescom build drive? How convincing is Felicia Bay? What has changed in performance, driving behaviour and AI? How do the new coach services work? And does Bus Simulator 27 genuinely feel like a new generation – or more like a major rebuild of the familiar formula?

Those are exactly the questions we are taking to Cologne.

Throughout gamescom, we will collect our impressions, announcements, pictures and new information in our gamescom live ticker. Readers particularly interested in bus simulations can also use our viewer app/PWA to select the relevant categories and receive notifications when something new appears.

gamescom live ticker:
gamescom 2026 LIVE-Newsticker – Vorschau - Simulatoren-News

And that gives our old article a remarkably appropriate ending.

In February 2025, the question was: “Is anything else coming to Bus Simulator 21?”

In August 2026, perhaps the better question is:

Do we even need anything else for Bus Simulator 21 – or is it finally time to move to Bus Simulator 27?

BS21 does not disappear because a sequel exists. Players who enjoy Angel Shores and Seaside Valley, want its tram content, have built a substantial DLC collection or simply prefer its driving experience still own a remarkably large simulation.

But the direction of the main series is now unmistakable. The new vehicles, new world, coaches, crossplay and future development are all heading towards Bus Simulator 27.

So what we were waiting for in early 2025 did eventually arrive.

It simply wasn't another Bus Simulator 21 update.

Do you still drive Bus Simulator 21 today? Which BS21 feature absolutely needs to survive in Bus Simulator 27? Does the studio change make you curious or concerned? And which single thing should we test for you at gamescom before BS27 launches on September 8?