RailWorld: Tram Simulator becomes playable for the first time: Closed playtests start this autumn!

In autumn 2026, RailWorld: Tram Simulator faces its most important practical test to date. The small development team has announced closed playtests in which selected players will be able to try out the simulation themselves. At the same time, the official Steam page is scheduled to be published. RailWorld therefore still has not announced a release date for the finished game.

The announcement is accompanied by new footage of the Słowiańska stop. It belongs to the route of the Poznański Szybki Tramwaj, or PST for short, which the team is currently working on. According to the team, the virtual implementation is getting closer to its real-world counterpart with each passing day. However, the latest announcement does not yet reveal which sections of the route will already be driveable in the first test.

Słowiańska is not just any stop in Poznań’s street network. It is located on the rapid tramway, which is largely separated from the rest of the traffic and is usually called “Pestka” in everyday use. The real PST main route opened in 1997 and originally covered around 6.1 kilometres with six stops. On appropriately developed sections, according to MPK Poznań speeds of up to 70 km/h are possible. For a tram simulation, this means a clear transition between classic urban traffic and a significantly faster, independent route.

That is precisely why the announced playtests are more important than another attractive screenshot. Images can show whether buildings, platforms, tracks and overhead lines look convincing. Only driving oneself reveals whether acceleration and braking feel believable, signals and switches work correctly, performance remains stable and the historic vehicles actually differ from one another.

RailWorld has not yet announced how large the test will be. There is still neither a specific start date nor information about the number of participants or the application process. “Closed” also means that we cannot automatically assume a freely accessible demo. Invitations to a small group or a limited application process are conceivable – at present, the only confirmed detail is that the playtests are scheduled to begin this autumn.

The announced Steam page must also not be confused with the release. Initially, it will provide a fixed location for screenshots, a description, system requirements, news and the wishlist. Nevertheless, this is an important step for RailWorld: the project is leaving behind its exclusive presentation via social networks and will be visible directly on Steam for the first time. The price, release model and release date remain open.

The team also hints that it will soon be showing more with a “somewhat livelier medium.” This could mean moving gameplay scenes or a new video, but this has not yet been explicitly confirmed. Back in spring, RailWorld had explained that work on the recorded sounds of the Konstal 105Na was a final important step before a more extensive gameplay presentation. The new wording therefore increases the chance that we will soon see the PST route not only in still images.

The framework confirmed so far remains unchanged: RailWorld is initially focusing on Poznań’s tram network at the beginning of the 2000s. The lines 11 and 12 as well as the Konstal 105Na, Düwag GT6 and Düwag GT8 vehicles have been presented, among others. The project aims not only to distinguish these cars externally, but also to reproduce their operation, technology, sounds and driving characteristics in a comprehensible manner.

This makes autumn the decisive stage of development. A Steam page will make RailWorld easier to find, but only feedback from the playtests will show how well the many individual systems really work together. For us, it is therefore not only interesting how closely Słowiańska visually resembles its real-world counterpart. The more important question is: Does this detail-oriented tram simulation also work convincingly when players outside the development team are allowed to take the controls themselves for the first time?

Would you apply for the closed playtest? And which of the three trams would you drive first – the 105Na, GT6 or GT8?