Find Your Next Journey with the Train Sim World Add-On Explorer

Sep 29, 2026

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New to Train Sim World and not sure where to start?
With routes taking you across cities, mountains, countryside and railways around the world, there are plenty of different ways to experience Train Sim World.
Maybe you want to race along a high-speed railway. Perhaps you'd rather settle in for a relaxing mountain journey, battle with heavy American freight or squeeze in a quick commuter service before dinner.
With so much choice, finding the right route for you can sometimes be the hardest part.
That's where our new Train Sim World Add-On Explorer comes in.
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What is the Add-On Explorer?

The Add-On Explorer is a new tool on the Train Sim World website designed to help you find DLC based on how you want to play.
Instead of scrolling through a long list of routes, you can tell the Explorer what you're interested in and narrow things down to experiences that better suit you.
Want somewhere mountainous? Choose Mountains.
Looking for fast trains? Select High-Speed.
Only have around half an hour to play? You can filter for that too.
Mix and match your choices, change your mind as often as you like and see what journeys the Explorer recommends.
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How Does it Work?

The Add-On Explorer lets you filter its selection across five different categories:

Country

Where in the world do you want to travel?
The current selection includes railways across:
  • UK
  • USA
  • Germany
  • Austria
  • Switzerland
  • Czechia
  • France
  • Netherlands
Whether you want something familiar or fancy discovering railway operations somewhere completely new, start by choosing where you want to go.

Gameplay

What do you actually want to do?
Choose between experiences including:
  • Local - stopping services and everyday passenger operations
  • Express - longer-distance passenger trains and faster running
  • Freight - heavy trains, challenging gradients and powerful locomotives
  • Historical - step back into a different era of railway operation
You don't have to stick to one either. Try different combinations and see what appears.
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Environment

What do you want outside the cab window?
Choose from:
  • Urban - busy cities, stations and railway infrastructure
  • Rural - open countryside, smaller towns and scenic journeys
  • Mountains - gradients, valleys and dramatic landscapes
  • Subway - take your railway experience underground
Sometimes choosing the scenery you want is the easiest way to find your next route.
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Speed

How do you want your journey to feel?
  • High-Speed - for players who want to get moving fast
  • Commuter - frequent passenger services and busier stopping patterns
  • Relaxed - settle in, enjoy the railway and take in the scenery

Session Time

Train Sim World doesn't always need to take up your whole evening.
The Explorer can also help you find something based on how much time you have:
  • Around 30 minutes
  • 30 minutes - 1 hour
  • 1 hour +
So whether you're jumping in for a quick service or settling down for a longer journey, you can look for something that fits.
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So, Where Should I Start?

Still not sure?
Here are a few ideas from the current Add-On Explorer selection to get you moving.

I Want to Go FAST

If getting up to speed is the main attraction, there are plenty of places to start.
Schnellfahrstrecke Nürnberg - Ingolstadt lets you experience German high-speed running at up to 300 km/h, making it a great choice for anyone who wants to see the speedometer climb.
For another taste of German high-speed rail, Schnellfahrstrecke Köln - Aachen Remastered mixes fast running with the busy railway environment around Köln.
Or head south with LGV Méditerranée: Marseille - Avignon, taking control of the iconic TGV Duplex through the sun-soaked landscapes of southern France.
Looking for a British alternative? Southeastern Highspeed: London St Pancras - Ashford Intl & Faversham mixes high-speed running with more traditional commuter operations, giving you a taste of both.
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I Want Something Relaxing

Not every journey needs to be a race against the clock.
Berninalinie: Tirano - Ospizio Bernina takes you into spectacular Alpine scenery aboard narrow-gauge RhB trains, with winding mountain running between Switzerland and Italy.
Over in Austria, Semmeringbahn: Wiener Neustadt - Mürzzuschlag combines railway history with forested mountain scenery and challenging gradients.
For something a little different, Liberec - Stará Paka takes you to Czechia for a mixture of passenger and freight operations across a rural single-track mountain railway.
And in the UK, East Coastway: Brighton - Eastbourne & Seaford offers passenger services between three seaside towns and makes a great option if you prefer a more relaxed stopping-service experience.
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I Want Heavy Freight

Want something bigger and heavier?
Head to California with Cajon Pass: Barstow - San Bernardino and put thousands of horsepower to work hauling freight through the desert and over the mountains.
For something more historic, Clinchfield Railroad: Elkhorn - Dante takes you into the coalfields of Virginia, with classic American locomotives hauling heavy trains through challenging Appalachian terrain.
Or stay in Britain with West Coast Main Line: Crewe - Preston, where you can step back into the 1980s and experience everything from main line traffic to Britain's famous merry-go-round coal operations.
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Start for Free, Then Build Your Collection

Found something you like the look of?
You don't need to purchase a large Train Sim World bundle to start enjoying individual routes.
The Train Sim World 7 Free Starter Edition gives you the Train Sim World 7 core game for free. From there, you can purchase compatible individual Add-ons and build a collection around the trains, countries and types of gameplay that interest you.
So if the Add-On Explorer points you towards Cajon Pass, Berninalinie or the Bakerloo Line, you can purchase that compatible Add-On, download its Train Sim World 7 version and access it through the Free Starter Edition.
It's your railway collection, so build it your way.
Train Sim World 7 also means compatible content can benefit from the latest core experience, although support for individual newer features can vary between older Add-ons.
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This is Just the Beginning

The Add-On Explorer is launching as V1, and this first version is deliberately focused on a smaller selection of Train Sim World experiences.
That means you won't find every Train Sim World Add-On in the Explorer just yet.
For now, we've selected a range of routes covering different countries, environments, gameplay styles, speeds and session lengths to help new players get started.
But we're not stopping there.
We'll continue looking at how we can improve the Explorer, expand the selection and make it even easier to discover the huge variety of experiences available across Train Sim World.
So have a play with the filters, try a few different combinations and see what catches your eye.
Your next journey might be one you weren't expecting.