PCGame

Railroader

Transition-era railroad simulation built around switching and network expansion

Giraffe Lab LLC · Released Dec 7, 2023 · Early Access

SimulationStrategyEarly Access

Reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
97% of 3,580
Recent reviews
Very Positive
92% of 40 in 30 days
Playing now
183
peak 24h 572
Steam Deck
Playable
Last update
1 month ago
Jul 24, 2026

What is Railroader?

An operations-focused, open-world railroad simulator set in transition-era Appalachia. From first-person or top-down views, you drive period steam and diesel locomotives, switch freight cars, move passengers, accept contracts, and expand and upgrade the line. It supports solo and cooperative operation, with AI engineers able to handle some train movements.

For you if...

  • +you enjoy methodical switching, freight delivery, and railroad expansion
  • +you want both railroad management and hands-on train operation
  • +you prefer playing alone or running organized cooperative crews

Not for you if...

  • −you want a highly detailed locomotive-driving simulation
  • −you dislike repetitive micromanagement and operational busywork

What players say

97% of 3,580 reviews are positive · 92% of 40 in the last 30 days

Players praise the realistic switching operations, locomotive models, and balance between business management and hands-on train control, especially with friends. The most common complaint is poor performance as railroads grow or multiplayer groups expand; players also report bugs, tedious micromanagement, missing quality-of-life tools, and long gaps between updates.

Screenshots and trailer

Railroader

Railroader system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS
Windows 64-bit
Processor
Intel Core i5
Graphics
Nvidia GTX 1660 6GB
Memory
8 GB RAM
Storage
8 GB available space

Recommended

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Keyboard and mouse
Platforms
Windows
Steam features
Cloud saves, Family Sharing

Steam Deck: Playable

  • Default controller config not fully functional
  • Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
  • Some text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard
  • Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
  • Default configuration is not performant

Multiplayer and co-op

Languages

Full audio: English.

Tags

Recent updates

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