OMSI 2 takes minutes to load again? This tool simply hides unused maps and buses!

Anyone who has supplied OMSI 2 with new maps, buses and expansions for years knows the moment: The game is started – and initially, seemingly very little happens for what feels like an eternity. Large installations in particular require patience before we even reach the main menu or can deploy the first vehicle.

The community tool startOmsi does not promise a modernized engine or a magical performance boost. Instead, it follows a surprisingly simple approach: Before starting, we select which maps and buses OMSI should consider for the upcoming session. Everything else is temporarily hidden.

OMSI no longer has to read in the complete collection

In startOmsi, the desired maps and vehicles are selected via a simple interface. After a selection is confirmed, the program starts OMSI with the reduced set of content. According to a detailed user review, buses from the selected map’s AI list are automatically selected as well, while unneeded map and vehicle folders are hidden from OMSI.

The idea behind this is understandable: Anyone who only wants to drive on a specific map with a few buses does not need to present OMSI with dozens of other maps and a huge vehicle collection at the same time. Less visible content means less material that has to be checked and read in at startup.

This is supposed to be particularly noticeable with very large installations. A user with more than 80 installed maps reports in the OMSI WebDisk that startOmsi reduced their loading time from around five minutes to about 15 seconds. That is an impressive user experience, but not a universally applicable test: The actual time saved depends on your own installation, the storage medium used and the selected map.

No FPS booster and no modification of the OMSI engine

It is important to put the effect into perspective. startOmsi does not fundamentally make OMSI 2 more modern. The tool does not automatically increase the frame rate, fix stuttering while loading additional content, or change the graphics or driving physics. The acceleration comes from OMSI having to handle less installed content at startup.

Players who have built up a large collection of freeware maps, payware add-ons and additional buses over the years are therefore likely to benefit the most. With a small or largely unchanged installation, the difference is likely to be considerably smaller.

The reduced selection can also help when deploying a vehicle for the first time. At the same time, we have to remember to activate all the content we need before starting. If a bus used by a map through its AI list or a Chrono event is missing, vehicles may be missing or other problems may occur.

The current version has known limitations

startOmsi is currently offered in version 1.2.8 on the WebDisk. The download is 2.41 megabytes in size, requires no commercial expansion and is listed for OMSI 2 version 2.3.x. Version 1.2.8 was released in November 2024 and added files that had accidentally been missing from the previous installer.

The tool does not seem to work entirely smoothly on every system. In comments and reviews, individual users report that the program does not start, access to OMSI is denied, maps are not recognized, or content remains unexpectedly hidden. A blockage of the installer by Windows Defender was also mentioned.

Security warnings should therefore not simply be bypassed blindly. Download the program exclusively from the specified WebDisk source, use the current version and check the file before installation.

One review also points out that Chrono folders are not taken into account automatically. If a time-dependent AI list uses additional buses, they may have to be activated manually. There is likewise no confirmed compatibility with Busbetrieb-Simulator or Leitstellen-Simulator.

An old tool with continued relevance

startOmsi is not a new release. The developer describes it as an older project that was uploaded to the WebDisk again after the original download page was no longer available. No further functions are currently planned. Anyone trying the tool should therefore not expect a continuously maintained convenience solution or quick bug fixes.

Nevertheless, the idea addresses a problem that almost every long-time OMSI player still knows in 2026. Our installations grow, the old technology remains – and at some point, even the journey to the main menu takes longer than desired.

startOmsi does not solve all of the game’s technical limitations. However, the small program can ensure that OMSI does not first have to process the entire collection of maps and buses accumulated over the years before a trip.

How long does your OMSI installation take to reach the main menu – and would you select maps and buses before every trip if it meant you could set off considerably faster?

Download: startOmsi 1.2.8 in the OMSI WebDisk