Ladies and gentlemen, grab your wallets and prepare for the inevitable, because the corporate giants at Chatham are back at it again, rolling out Train Sim World 5! But before you get too excited, let's set the record straight: the only silver lining here is that you can upgrade to it for free 30 days after release (which should honestly be a permanent thing given how much they’ll milk us with DLCs). Beyond that, it’s barely worth the bandwidth.

This year’s offerings are a real treat: Standard at a cool $49.99 USD, Deluxe at $74.99 USD, and the Special edition at a wallet-crushing $119.99 USD.

What’s in the box? The Standard edition gives you just the game. The Deluxe throws in some new DLCs to sweeten the deal, and the Special is basically the Deluxe with a random grab bag of old TSW DLCs tossed in for good measure. Exciting, right?

So, is it worth shelling out your hard-earned cash? Short answer: No. But let’s be honest—you’re probably going to buy it anyway because you’ve had your eye on that Pendolino. Oh, and did I mention the West Coast Mainline doesn’t even include the 390 Pendolino? That’s right, you’ll need to fork over extra cash for that—it’s a standalone DLC (though thankfully included in the Deluxe edition). And, surprise, surprise, the WCML features the overworked, overhyped Class 66 yet again. To top it off, LNWR pulled their license branding at the last minute, so the Class 350 is now unbranded. The lighting at London Euston is so awful, I thought I’d accidentally spawned in London Victoria on TSW2’s London Commuter. But calling this route London Commuter would be a stretch—London Victoria is always bustling with trains, barely a platform free, while London Euston feels like a ghost town with just two platforms occupied most of the time. And let’s not forget, I found my first bug here: a passenger’s head casually sticking out of the platform. Oh, and just so you know, this entire route was originally slated for TSW4. My rig’s struggling to maintain 40 FPS, down from the smooth 60 I had with TSW4. Seriously, DTG, this isn’t some alpha-stage game; it’s been out long enough. Maybe it’s time to fix those bugs?

Want to hear more about TSW5’s WCML woes? Sure, why not: texture issues, bad light baking, recycled low-quality scenery, inaccurate landscapes, terrible night lighting, and a timetable that’s a far cry from reality. But hey, all of this is practically written in the stars if you actually read the EULA—more on that gem later.

Now, onto the American route… Oh wait, sorry, I meant TSW4. Confused? Yeah, me too. Turns out the San Bernardino line, which should’ve launched with TSW4, got pushed to TSW5 because they needed something to justify this cash grab. Expect the MP36 and gallery cars from the CalTrain route with minor tweaks. A fan-made reskin of the CalTrain version into Metrolink had so few differences you’d think they were the same train, just with a different coat of paint.

The German route? Two more Vectron variants and the ICE T. Yawn. I’m betting these will become Germany’s version of the 66—overused and underwhelming. That aside, it’s a decent route.

And then there’s the menu. Can someone explain to me why changing the color scheme to something that burns your retinas counts as “innovation” and “new”? They’ve slapped on lavender, deep purple, and teal like it’s the second coming of design. Spoiler alert: it’s not. It’s basically Apple’s “new colors = new phone” strategy all over again.

Credit where credit’s due, though—they did add a bunch of new map features, like showing what service a train is running. It’s not all bad, I guess.

Now, let’s dive into the EULA, which, for the first time ever, you had to accept to even play TSW. Section 13.3 states: “…it is your responsibility to ensure that the Software meets your requirements and complies with any applicable local laws.” And get this: Section 6.1.5 says you can’t modify the software, which means no timetable mods, no route improvements—nothing that tweaks the game. Oh, and we don’t own the game anymore, according to 10.2: “You acknowledge that rights in the Software are licensed (not sold) to you, and that you have no rights in, or to, the Software other than the right to use them in accordance with the terms of this EULA.”

Remember that "written in the stars" bit I mentioned earlier? Here’s the kicker: the EULA practically predicts the mess you’ll experience with TSW5. In Section 13.1, they flat out say the Software is provided “as is,” with no guarantees of performance, satisfaction, or even that it’ll work without errors. Section 13.2 takes it a step further, warning you that access to the Software might not be uninterrupted, error-free, or even available when you want it. In short, they’re covering all bases to ensure you can't hold them accountable for anything that goes wrong—including the very issues like bad light baking, inaccurate landscapes, and the buggy timetable that we’ve already seen. Just remember—it’s all “written in the stars” of the EULA. Good ol’ Electronic Arts.

Yippee.

DTG is marching down the same path as Electronic Arts and Turn 10’s Forza Motorsport—where they claim to have built it "from the ground up," but really, it feels more like they built it from the ground down. This could’ve easily been a DLC instead of a standalone game, but hey, why settle for milking a cow when you can drain an entire dairy farm?

And for those of you who disagree with my reviews, I’ve thoughtfully provided a form for your opinions here. [forms.gle]