Only because of Vienna, back to CTS 2026? What has really changed since release!

First of all, one point needs to be clearly separated: Dynamic weather, seasons, the revised ticketing system and the expanded Free Roam mode were already part of CTS 2026 at its release on April 14. They therefore are not among the things that have changed only afterward. Since then, however, ViewApp has released several updates that have both fixed bugs and expanded the actual game.

Shortly after launch, crashes while loading and spawning AI vehicles, as well as problems with driving-time profiles and certain route patterns, were among the issues fixed. In May, for example, a freely selectable payment method for tickets, a traffic reset for stuck AI traffic and further corrections to the map, vehicles and performance followed. These are not changes that alone would make someone install CTS 2026 again, but they do show that the release version was not simply frozen in place.

It became more noticeable in June. Steering-wheel support was expanded, Force Feedback could thereafter be configured separately for individual input devices, and standard profiles were added for supported steering wheels. At the same time, the route editor learned ring routes, the weather can be changed directly in the pause menu, and further problems with stops, displays and performance were fixed. A later update also reduced the sometimes intrusive honking of the AI, improved the buses' collision behavior at curbs and revised the driving behavior of several trams.

The bigger step, however, came with Update 26.2.0 in early September. Bus routes can now be created as express routes, individual stops can be deliberately skipped, and buses or trams no longer necessarily have to stop everywhere if nobody wants to board or get off there. In Free Roam, you can now also sit down as a passenger and ride along on your own routes. This was joined by manually triggerable special announcements, custom announcement files on PC, additional passenger voices and numerous changes to sounds, vehicles, passengers and pedestrians.

These small changes in particular have a greater impact on everyday play than many purely technical bug fixes. CTS 2026 remains a game in which you build your own routes and operations, but the flow now feels less rigid in several places than it did in April. At the same time, this should not be taken to mean that it has become an entirely new simulator: Anyone who fundamentally could not get on with the basic driving feel, the game's structure or its management approach will not get a completely different game through the updates released so far.

Something has also happened with the fleet since release. At the end of June, the Tatra KT4D arrived as a new paid vehicle DLC. The tram brings, among other things, pedal control and multiple-unit operation, and was revised once more after launch via a hotfix covering controls, sounds, driving behavior and stability. For returning players, it is therefore additional content, but it is not automatically part of the Vienna Expansion. It is included in the Season Pass, however.

And this is precisely where Vienna differs significantly from the previous additions. So far, CTS 2026 has primarily been set in the fictional city of Tramau. With the Vienna Expansion on October 13, 2026 , a realistically recreated city is entering the game for the first time. Included are tram lines 37 and 38 from Schottentor toward Hohe Warte and Grinzing respectively, as well as bus route 35A between Spittelau and Salmannsdorf. According to ViewApp, more than 1,000 buildings along these routes have been recreated realistically.

For returning players, this is probably more important than any individual update since April. Those who basically liked CTS 2026 at the time but could not get much out of Tramau as a fictional game world are getting a completely different setting with Vienna for the first time: real routes, real streetscapes and vehicles created specifically for Vienna's operations. These include ULF A and ULF B as well as Viennese variants of the C2 and C2G. These four vehicles are part of the Vienna expansion.

Here, too, it is worth having realistic expectations. Vienna expands CTS 2026, but it does not replace its underlying framework. AI traffic, passengers, route operations and the other systems still come from CTS 2026. So anyone who has been waiting exclusively for a new city will have a fairly clear reason to take a second look on October 13. Those who set the game aside because of its fundamental mechanics, on the other hand, should not expect Vienna to suddenly turn it into a different simulator.

For existing players, the Vienna Expansion costs 49.99 euros. In the official CTS Shop, you can use our discount code SIMULATORENNEWS and receive 5 percent off, bringing the expansion mathematically to 47.49 euros .
View the Vienna Expansion in the official CTS Shop

Those who have completely skipped CTS 2026 so far and want to get started because of Vienna can get the Vienna Edition for 69.99 euros with the base game and Vienna Expansion together. Our discount code SIMULATORENNEWS also applies there for 5 percent off.
View the CTS 2026 Vienna Edition

Those who want several of the 2026 DLCs anyway should also compare the Season Pass for 64.99 euros . In addition to Vienna, it includes the Citybus C2, the already released Tatra KT4D and the upcoming Flexity Graz, among other things. Here, too, SIMULATORENNEWS can be used for 5 percent off in the official shop.
View the CTS 2026 Season Pass

All in all, Vienna is a significantly stronger reason than the previous updates alone, especially for two groups: players who basically liked CTS 2026 but finally wanted to drive through a real city, and those who have not looked in since April and can now experience several features added in the meantime alongside Vienna. The past five months have not completely reinvented CTS 2026, but the version in October will no longer be the same as it was on release day.

Did you continue playing CTS 2026 after release or set it aside at some point? And is Vienna enough of a reason for you to give the simulator another chance on October 13?