Train Sim World 4 was my first-ever train simulator, followed by TSW 5. I chose TSW mostly because many YouTube reviews described it as the more modern option. I collected almost all US and UK routes, and about 10 German and Austrian ones. There's still plenty for me to do in TSW, but recently, I decided to give TSC a try—just to broaden my experience. And wow, what a discovery that was. I can't stop playing it. And I identified few things that have the most value for me. (maybe this will help someone else give it a shot too): 1. Sounds This is what kept me from dropping TSC right at the start. Yes, visually the sim looks outdated, but the sounds are very nice (most of the time). It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes them so good. It’s a combination of things, but for me, the biggest factor is the presence of track and wheel sounds. You hear the clatter over switches and joints, and it adds so much immersion. I was getting tired of the “dead silence” in many TSW routes, where a train passes through a switch and you hear nothing. Also, the overall clarity of sounds in TSC is far better. You can discern and recognize different audio cues. In TSW, it often just blends into a kind of white noise. 2. HUD Design I don't understand TSW’s decision to scatter the HUD all over the screen—top left, top right, bottom right. Yes, you can customize it, but even the compact HUD still occupies top corners, and I find that distracting. TSC does it right: everything is at the bottom of the screen, where it should be—right below the windshield, like actual train controls. It doesn’t obstruct your view. In TSW, I was always trying to memorize the route just so I could turn the HUD off. In TSC, I don’t feel the need to hide anything. 3. Scenarios Timetables are both TSW’s biggest strength and its biggest flaw. Every run feels exactly the same. I’m not talking about the schedule—I mean the environment. For example, no matter what time of day or year it is, when I drive from Boston to Providence, the same wagons and locomotives are parked in the same sidings every single time. In contrast, TSC’s scenarios are handcrafted. Each one presents a unique situation. Different consists, different traffic, different little surprises. That keeps things interesting. In TSW, it was very hard to figure out how to install community scenarios, and then some of them don't have a button to start it. 4. Graphics This might sound like blasphemy, but in many cases, TSC looks better to me. Yes, TSW has objectively superior graphics, but somehow still manages to look worse. In TSW, a lot of scenery assets look off. Roads look like bulging dough. Grass on football fields is too green and too neat. Even trash looks stylized. You get high-fidelity trains and track, but then scenery that feels artificial by comparison. In TSC, especially with Armstrong Powerhouse enhancements, everything blends together more naturally. Yes, individual assets might be lower quality, but the composition—the overall look—feels more believable. When I see a grass field in TSC, I believe it. A football field on the Miami route looks like an actual football field. But in TSW? Something about the scale and polish breaks the immersion. Also, objects in TSW often look oversized—trees, houses, cars. I don’t have measurements to back it up, but in TSC, everything looks slightly smaller and more proportionate. It feels more real, even if that’s technically inaccurate. 5. Variety and Community There’s simply more of everything in TSC. More routes, more rolling stock, more scenarios, and an incredibly active modding community. The amount of high-quality third-party content and community engagement is on another level. Edited 6. Challenge I forgot to mention it when I initially was writing the post. I love that obtaining gold medal is a challenge in TSC. You feel that reward is trully deserved. Of course, there are cons, like sometimes clanky controls, less fidelity in some trains and other issues, but pros still outweigh cons by far. I don't know exactly why I wrote all of this—maybe just to share my emotions. Or maybe because I saw a product with depth, character, and realism being quietly left behind by its developers in favor of something flashier and more marketable. I hope I'm wrong about it. Are there people who share my thoughts?
I'm seriously tempted to invest in a PC just to get TSC. There's so much content that appeals to me, and I'm starting to feel like TSW will never have any of it - mainly because the way it's (TSW) built makes it nearly impossible. It's frustrating, really. Things should evolve and progress, not stay stuck and stagnant.
The thing I enjoy about TSW over TSC is that (for the most part and with very rare exceptions) a route doesn't require am entire library of mods and DLC to make it play. I know TSC is varied and not all routes are like that, but it's a little off-putting to a complete Freshie to see that you may need to buy 15 mods/enhancement packs just to get the experience just so.
That is true, especially for third party scenarios. But we have similar thing with layers in TSW, if you want some freight trains on Boston to Worcester buy 5 extra addons. I think it’s just a matter of time until 5 becomes 10 or 15
If you get the PC your experience with TSW will actually improve! But this is mainly to a community of modders who have a great deal of care for their hobby. I'm very thankful for those over at TS community as without their passion and willingness to improve upon what we have, all the scenery enhancements, lighting and LOD fixes along with some excellent TT across a number of DLC just to name a few, in the 3 weeks since I got this game and many of the UK DLCs during the sale in all honesty this game without them is just Meh.. Their mods are the only thing that's kept me playing and away from flightsim for now.
Nice overview. As mentioned above you need to invest quite a lot of money into enhancement packs/routes/assets etc to get the best out of it. That being said it's by far the better SIM of the 2. As you mention the timetable on tsw can become quite boring with the back and forth a to b runs, whereas TSC scenarios have a lot more gameplay. Offering more than the scenarios in tsw. For example on tsw you can drive a intermodal train from a to b on tsw, whereas TSC offers the experience of loading the containers onto a train, traveling to the destination and offloading them. As for the graphics, even though they look a bit dated, there's a hell of a lot more assets than tsw. Buildings, foliage, bridges and tunnels etc, there's a lot of variety. Tsw on the other hand shares a lot of assets across all the routes, so after a while one route looks the same as the next. TSC has a more user friendly editor and the option to edit existing routes on the fly, I can be driving along on TSC, notice something that doesn't look right and go straight into edit and correct it. Which is one of the biggest advantages it has over tsw. The same with rolling stock. I can easily add missing rolling stock to a scenario on TSC. Whereas tsw, I feel I need a degree in computer science to do the same. Or in my case as I can't get the hang of tsw editor, adding new rolling stock to existing routes is often locked behind a paywall. TSC seems like a hobby to me, tsw on the other hand is just a commercial enterprise.
I didn't take into account US or German stuff, I've found with UK routes that there's only been two times where a DLC has been 'required' for a route to be complete.
Its funny what happens when something becomes more of a hobby and done for the passion rather than for profit at the end of the day. Example, for the EMD SD70ACe on TSW, there is 3 separate PAID things for it. A basic UP SD70ACe for Sherman Hill, a paid UP Heritage Unit pack (Which are terrible done and rushed) and a BNSF SD70ACe that doesn't live up to standards. Then you look at TSC and what Switchpoint Simulatons put out. Not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4, 4 FREE PACKS of SD70ACe's that are well modeled, standalone, and include ALOT more that what DTG puts into their content. TSC is still far and ahead alot better of a train sim than TSW, both as a platform, and in content in general from most developers. With the exception of timetable mode, there isnt much that TSW offers more than TSC on PC.
I would say not at all because not everyone want or can afford a pc ( they cost much more than a console)
Thing here is, you’re comparing a modded TS Classic with a base TSW install. If you want a fair comparison between the two, you have to compare a base TS Classic to base TSW. The former simply does not hold up to the latter in this case. TS Classic is very dated now and it’s quite unstable on modern systems, DTG seemed to have pulled the plug on the optimisation work for it now too. If you mod TS Classic with third party installations such as the AP enhancements then it can look almost as good as TSW in some cases, but if you mod TSW using Jetwash’s ini adjustments, combine that with the route enhancements and sound mods, then TSW reaches heights TS Classic could never. The only reason I keep TSC installed on my PC now is for steam era content. DTG continuously live in denial with their “steam doesn’t sell” nonsense, blaming us customers when in reality their poor steam simulation is cause of poor sales. The third party market for steam locomotives in TSC looks to be thriving, proving DTG wrong every passing day
I'll admit that there are reasons I like TSW and can't vibe with any other 'Train Sim' game. It's weird and I can't quite put it into the exact words but it just scratches and itch I never knew needed scratching. I wish TSW also scratched that itch but it doesn't, and that's ok. Not everyone likes sugar in their tea.
As a swiss player I love that there is quite a lot of content in TSC. I still love to play TSW but since I bought some swiss community add ons for TSC I play it a lot more. I really miss dense and interesting swiss routes with cool rolling stock in TSW. I was really surprised how much fun it was considering TSC is quite outdated
I don't think my comparison is not fair. I compare what you can get from both of the sims, and for TSC it means you have to have mods. That is it. As for TSW mods (and I tried almost every possible for the routes I own), they simply don't/can't affect the game as much as mods for TSC can. I agree that if one wants to start playing TSC he has to make substantial initial investment.
We didn't have to wait long for a confirmation of my words about many required addons for getting most of another addon. Koln Aachen requirements: New add-ons included on the timetable: Bremen-Oldenburg Dresden-Riesa Frankfurt-Fulda Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr Hauptstrecke Hamburg–Lübeck Linke Rheinstrecke LGV Méditerranée Maintalbahn Main-Spessart Bahn Ruhr-Sieg Nord's DB BR 363 Salzburg-Rosenheim Schnellfahrstrecke Kassel-Würzburg Railpool BR 193 Vectron FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron DB BR 101 (original Add-on) DB BR 218 S-Bahn Köln BR 423
Difference is, that's for the fullest possible exerience. In TSW, if you don't own one of those add-ons, you simply won't see the services that use stock from that add-on. If this was TSC, if you were missing one of those add-ons, it would throw an error as soon as you tried to load it and subsequently may not even work properly.
This is the thing I chuckle at whenever these sort of posts come up. They bang on about how TSC can be so much better than TSW... with enhancement packs, usually from AP. Ergo implying that TSC is worse unless you buy and externally install third party software, but they'll never admit that because they need an excuse to bash TSW. FWIW I play both, and I have no real need to compare them because there's not much to compare - they're two very different sims (with their own positives and negatives) - in TSC, you are the train. In TSW, you are the train driver (or guard).
You are absolutely right, games are very different, and that is why it is interesting to compare them. Didn't mean to bash TSW but wanted to share my emotions from TSC. TSC for me is something new and like a revelation.
nope, I have a descent system with 4080. I think I explained exactly why I think it looks/feels better
Valid. TSC has so many trains available already while TSW is still using the same Dosto for DE since TSW2020.
Ahh, yes it might and the scenario might not run. I've had several scenarios I have downloaded and thought I had all the appropriate stock, reskins etc only to find that I spawn with no train. However, there's a little thing with TSC that allows you to edit the stock and either exchange it for something you do have or remove it from the scenario. I've used Locoswap tool and TSTools to swap out items and run the scenarios. TSW didn't have the ability to remove trains causing issues until TSW5. My input on TSW and TSC Both sims have their merits and both can provide a range of enjoyment. Whilst TSC has been around for 15 years, there are still creators out there who make excellent content (routes, locos, wagons, assets). The basic TSC with default stock is quite meh tbh. The sounds and physics are not correct on most of the default stock. There are scenery issues and sometimes the odd 'missing tile' texture pops up, even though it's a default route and should have everything included. There is also limited interactivity within the train cabs too. Only the basic switches and buttons can be operated (and some don't even work). AP and others enhanced this though and some of those things we take for granted in TSW The likes of AP, SSS, Just Trains etc really added to the immersion and experience in TSC. Much better sounds, physics and route scenery. Then there's also enhancers for TSC such as re-shade or the AP weather and cloud packs. What attracts people to TSC is the sheer variety of content available, both through steam and other 3rd parties, some free, some paid. Also, routes can be merged and be much longer than currently available in TSW. I have the entire MML collection from JT as well as the GWML from Paddington to Penzance and the ECML merge. This means I can drive long distances as long as there are scenarios for the route. What attracts people to TSW is that it can be played on consoles and PC and you can jump straight in with the included default stocks for the route. You can sit on your sofa and drive a train. You can expand your collection and then have extra stock layering in to other routes. Both TSC and TSW can be expensive though if you buy many add-ons. TSC has its wide range of routes, stock and scenarios and TSW has its timetable. I first started playing TSW2020 on console and enjoyed it. When I purchased a PC, I got TSC (or whatever number it was back then). I ended up playing more TSC than TSW (1000 hours TSC compared with 200 hours for TSW in 18 months). I enjoy playing both sims. If I have time, I'll fire up the PC to play TSC and do a long run. If I don't have a lot of time, I fire up the PS5 and run TSW5.
TSC still remains uninstalled on my main gaming PC. I uninstalled it as doing that and deleting the install folders is the only way to spring clean your content. Yes, there is some great stuff but as stated above without mods or the supplementary payware from the likes of AP the experience can be a bit flat. Even the more recent stuff, the Class 142 included with TSC's version of NTP is not a patch on the one JT created for TSW. There are some nice long US freight routes but many have ancient or poorly made locos and some I never even drove the full distance in either direction. TSC scores with support for steam traction with the likes of Victory Works and Bossman for the UK, or Smokebox for the USA (though I found the Big Boy too much of a handful). The Japanese routes give me slight concern for how good Tadami will be when it eventually appears in TSW - UW's trains seem very dated with poor physics and sounds, almost MSTS standard. Most routes only come with a handful of scenarios which generally do not give a full spread of services across the day for a route, the worst example being North Clyde which had a grand total of six, of which only four represented the electric services which run at frequent intervals. Some routes don't even give you a full run across the whole length. Career scenarios are often lackadaisically set up so being a couple of minutes late costs you 2000 XP points on the run or, on a Standard scenario you fail the objective and therefore the scenario itself. Best that can be said for TSC is a decent save system with a slot for each scenario. Unless I really feel the need or acquire some more HD space, I can honestly see TSC remaining uninstalled for the foreseeable future.
I do get that TSC can be really good, but unfortunately the following is not to my taste: Lots of payware needed to make it decent, when sum up can be pricier than base game. They are also in different websites. So new players like me would look for improvements, find out it's payware, think it's not a great idea to over-invest in a game you have not familiarized, then give up. The hideous scoring system for career scenarios. When things go wrong (like when safety systems kick in or overspeeding) in TSW I'd live with it as the final score will not suffer much; In TSC I would rage quit when your score gets to -500, as it signals that nothing can save this run. About HUD designs: TSC HUD blocks the cab when driving, which is an annoyance for me. Best solutions exists but it's payware. Making left stick to control your reverser by default is defintely not a good idea... So the only reason I still have TSC installed is for its wide variety of content but at the end of the day I rarely plays it.
ngl, the amount of variety TSC so far has, is what made me decided to invest more in TSC than TSW. The licensing and what developers picks what to do in TSW and the un fix bugs really what drags the game now along side much more of other things. I feel like the only excuse for TSW is really just "wow it has superior graphics" and fanboys comes yapping at me for liking TSC. What I would describe TSW is "Its basically putting lipstick on a pig". I only sometimes play TSW simply because its accessibility over TSC if you want a proper quick drive thanks to timetable mode. But TSC offers a lot more customisable options but it does take a lot of time to make that effort into fruition for a scenario (i dont know how people do it or how they get timetable from years ago to be able to make scenarios).
Literally the only thing stopping me from quitting TSW lol I love creating scenarios but sometimes I just want to chill. Although quick drive exists I'm not a fan of it. PDL has a mix of modern SWT stock and BR Blue 455s which doesn't work at all lol
TSW is the only one for me. I don't even have space for a PC, whether I can afford one or not. TSC isn't better than TSW anyway in my opinion. I can find everything I want thanks to it all going through DTG (which is difficult in itself at times), it looks better. TSC may have more options, but doesn't necessarily make it better.
It didn't feel like TSW bashing at all, everyone has different tastes and like to play differently. And it's a good thing we have both TSW and TSC and that players have the choice.
QD on TSC is a bit overrated as you can’t set up and monitor station calls etc. However the random AI service generator is something the TSW Scenario Planner could do with.
I prefer "base" TSC then, unmodded TSW is unplayable, especially with the overexposure and audio issues.
I play both unmodded. TSW runs perfectly fine at 4k 120fps for me which drops to 60-90fps in busy areas, light exposure is a minor issue but I don’t get any problems with audio whatsoever. The sim runs really well overall, perfectly playable TS Classic struggles and doesn’t sound anywhere near as good though, but that’s down to it being an old game by current standards.
Huh? That’s my legitimate experience with both games though, I’m just saying it as it is. My 4090 rig runs TSW beautifully
Have to agree there, 4090 runs TSW great. No danger of going back to TSC for me, as I have in no way exhausted all the possibilities with the TSW content I already own.
Both games offer different experiences for me. If I’m short on time and fancy a quick run in the 390 (London Euston to Milton Keynes) I’ll play TSW, if I want a longer run I’ll play the full route with the 390 (London Euston to Birmingham) on TSC. You really need mods though with TSC to show its full potential, which isn’t cheap. This puts a lot of people off, having to buy a semi decent pc rig and spending more cash on mods. As well has having AP Sky, weather and vegetation mods installed, I also use RW enhancer 2 for the automatic AI announcements. This really adds that extra layer of realism. That’s the only thing wrong with TSW IMO. A 7 year old franchise, you’d think they’d have some form announcements by now. Rivet and JT can add announcements to their routes, but DTG can’t.
To be honest, that's probably one of the biggest costs for TSW compared to TSC. That's a LOT of work to plug hundreds and hundreds of runs in. It then would also negate the OP's argument that scenarios are better than timetables. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Personally I find they both have pros and cons. In the a TSW is set up timetables are less "challenging" for simple runs. The "scenarios" always seem set up to be a bit over the top and a "challenge" not just unique. Often this can mean terrible weather or waiting at red lights a lot more or hauling unrealistically heavy trains. Those just don't seem like more "fun" to me. As I said.... personal opinion. The "scenarios" that are more about an event or a rare run would be more enjoyable. "The 50th anniversary gala" or "special train down this relatively unused line" etc something not in the timetable but still not made into a specific "challenge" would be more "fun" to me. Fun is subjective though. Some people find a super heavy train or a thunderstorm or sitting a red light "fun", but I kinda find them just the opposite. Plus they aren't as replayable. Once the "surprise" is sprung it becomes a worse timetable run. (For example once you know it's going to be night or a rainstorm or you'll be stuck waiting.... then you know what it is and if (like me) you like the fun of "sightseeing" while driving, then you get a worse experiecne than the timetable. It's only unique ONCE. I've been gravitating towards more "open world" train sims lately like Run 8 and Derail Valley because it keeps changing and not "fixed" scenarios or timetable. The loads/runs are randomly generated and changing. In some ways, they do TSW better than TSW...(graphics, map size, physics, avatar on the ground, etc) except not having scenarios and timetables. The maps (in Run 8) piece together to make a whole "network" and the industries along the tracks actually do something. It's frustrating to me to see all those unused sidings and industry in TSW and TSC.
