JR East Train Simulator

Overview

JR East Train Simulator is a train driving simulation game developed by Ongakukan and digital release by East Japan Railway Company for the PC (via Steam) on November 15, 2022. It was originally released on Steam Early Access on September 19, 2022. It is the first in the series to receive both a digital release and a worldwide release.

A revival of the studio's Train Simulator series (after a 15-year hiatus since Railfan: Taiwan High Speed Rail), JR East Train Simulator has players driving passenger trains through parts of multiple JR East lines in Japan. The base game includes a small portion of each of the three initial routes (Tōkaidō Line, Chūō Line Rapid, and Ōito Line), and makes use of full-priced DLC expansions for the full JR East sections of those routes and additional routes.

As with the rest of the Train Simulator series, JR East Train Simulation uses high-definition live-action cab footage as full-motion video for the outside view, with the speed of the video playback adjusted for the train's speed to give the illusion of driving a real-life train. Based on the industrial train simulators Ongakukan produced after the release of Railfan, much of the game's physics and soundscape are authentic, with the cab instruments based on official specifications.

Routes

• Tōkaidō Line (E233-3000 series EMU, outbound from Tokyo to Atami) - Basic version ends at Shinagawa.

• Chūō Line Rapid (E233-0 series EMU, inbound from Takao to Tokyo) - Basic version ends at Hachiōji.

• Ōito Line (211 series EMU, outbound from Matsumoto to Minami-Otari) - Basic version ends at Azusabashi.

• Saikyō Line / Kawagoe Line (E233-7000 series EMU, outbound from Ōsaki to Kawagoe) - Released on February 21, 2023.

• Senseki Line (205-3100 series EMU, outbound from Aoba-dōri to Ishinomaki) - Released on May 30, 2023.

• Keiyō Line (E233-5000 series EMU, inbound from Soga to Tokyo) - Released on June 27, 2023.

The Early Access version of the game included two different routes with short distances, none of which are playable at this time:

• Keihin–Tōhoku Line (E233-1000 series EMU, southbound from Omiya to Urawa)

• Hachikō Line (KiHa 110 series DMU, inbound from Takasaki to Gunma-Fujioka)