Train Fever

Lore & Background

Train Fever began as a prototype developed by two people, Urban and Basil Weber, and later expanded to three developers and two additional artists. The crowdfunding campaign on Gambitious launched on 1 September 2012 with a target of €300,000, but after an institutional investor contributed €50,000 in February 2013, the target was lowered to €250,000 and the deadline extended to 31 March 2013. The campaign reached its goal on 20 March 2013 with 651 investors. The game was accepted on Steam Greenlight in December 2012 and reached the top-rated page by February 2013.

Development updates in August 2013 outlined major design decisions: the map size was set at 256 square kilometers, the maximum number of vehicles at release was 30 trains and over 30 buses, trucks, and streetcars, and the game initially focused on passenger transport but later added cargo goods such as coal, iron ore, wood, oil, and goods. Procedurally generated terrain was introduced in November 2013. A beta test was held from 14 to 24 July 2014, limited to Windows and requiring a non-disclosure agreement. The game was released on 4 September 2014 for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, distributed via Steam and GOG.com, with a physical edition in German-speaking countries.

The soundtrack, over 70 minutes long, was composed by Swiss musician Admiral James T. from Winterthur. A successor, Transport Fever, was announced on 11 April 2016 and released on 8 November 2016, using the same engine with new transport types and larger maps.

Reader's Guide

Train Fever occupies a notable place in the 2010s simulation landscape as a crowdfunded project that revived the spirit of classic transport tycoon games. Its development story—from a two-person prototype to a fully funded release via Gambitious—illustrates the era's shift toward community-backed game financing. The game's procedural terrain and 200-year timeline from 1850 to 2050 offered a distinctive sandbox experience, while its focus on both passenger and freight logistics appealed to fans of the genre. Though its vehicle count was modest, the game laid the groundwork for its successor, Transport Fever, which expanded on the engine with new transport types and larger maps. Train Fever's legacy is primarily as a stepping stone to the Transport Fever series, which continued with Transport Fever 2 in 2019 and Transport Fever 3 announced for 2026. The game's reliance on community feedback during development, including adjustments to cargo types and map size, reflects the collaborative nature of crowdfunded projects in the 2010s.

Did You Know?

• Train Fever was developed by Swiss studio Urban Games and funded via the Gambitious crowdfunding platform.
• The crowdfunding campaign originally targeted €300,000 but was lowered to €250,000 after an institutional investor contributed €50,000.
• The game's time span runs from 1850 to 2050, with procedurally generated European-style terrain.