Train sim Derail Valley gets overhauled in big Simulator update

Chugging along

Altfuture has dropped the biggest update yet for their train simulator, Derail Valley. It’s been a while since the last update, but considering the size of this one, it’s reason for celebration. It’s titled Derail Valley: Simulator. That sounds horrifying.

Remember Derail Valley? I’ve heard of it, but it’s hard to pick something out among the many train simulators on PC. It started out as a very VR-focused title before offering non-VR options. It’s been an Early Access title for a while now. Overhauled was its last big update in 2020, while Simulator is the next step in its evolution as it makes its way to meeting Altfuture’s vision for it.

Why should you pay attention? Derail Valley isn’t just a train simulator. Whereas your typical train sim will cast you as the train itself, Derail Valley has you play as a person driving a train. So, you can get in and out, which is necessary to actually do tasks outside the locomotive itself. There’s a lot of tactile gameplay mixed in, possibly as a result of its original VR focus.

The Simulator update brings with it a complete redo of the UI, mouse cursor driving, new camera angles, a sandbox mode, more trains, steam simulation, weather effects, and… Just, a lot. Here are the patch notes to get a better idea.

Now I just need to know if I can play it with my Densha De Go 64 controller.

Derail Valley is currently in Steam Early Access for PC. The Simulator update is available now.