''Train Simulator'' (トレインシミュレーター, ''Torein Shimyurētā'', or abbreviated ''"TS"'') is a Japanese train simulation game series produced by Ongakukan. The game is significant as it was one of the earliest of its kind since the series started in 1995. No titles were released outside of Asia until the 2022 title ''JR East Train Simulator''. The original ''Train Simulator'' series (1995–2000) was designed from technology which was previously used to develop the Ongakukan product "Touch the Music by Casiopea", which synchronized video with audio. This particular game was based on music from the jazz fusion band Casiopea, whose keyboard player at the time, Minoru Mukaiya, was, and is, also the CEO of Ongakukan. With ''Train Simulator'' Ongakukan filmed video from the cab of a train on the desired railway and recorded sounds from that train. Later when the simulation had been completed and was running on a PC, the video would be displayed in a silver metallic box and the sounds would be played according to what was happening at that particular moment in the simulation. The video for the original ''Train Simulator'' series of games was 308×156 pixels at 30 frames per second using Intel Indeo 2 video compression and AVI file container. Each game contains Japanese lines and trains, with the exception of four games featuring overseas routes, in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, and the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. Video shot from the cab of the train synchronized with the computer is used as a basis for simulation. Ongakukan have endeavoured to produce true to life simulation with much technical details, and since 2005, Ongakukan has started producing professional simulators for driver training.

Versions

Six distinct series of the game have been produced through a decade:

''Train Simulator'' (1995–2000)

The original series, starting in 1995, these titles were all released on

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...

systems. * 1995.08.19: ''Train Simulator Chūō Line 201 Series'' :( Nakano - Toyoda) * 1995.09.21: ''Train Simulator

Tōkaidō Main Line The Tōkaidō Main Line () is one of the most important railway corridors in Japan, connecting the major cities of Tokyo and Kobe via Shizuoka (city), Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. The line, with termini at Tokyo Station, Tokyo and Kōbe St ...

211 Series The is a suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1985 by the Japanese National Railways (JNR). The trains are still being used by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). They were formerly used by the West Japan Railwa ...

'' :( Kamonomiya - Totsuka) * 1995.09.21: ''Train Simulator

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line () is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Uts ...

211 Series'' :(

Toro Toro may refer to: Places *Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy *Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria *Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan *Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...

- Mamada) * 1996.07.19: ''Train Simulator Odakyu Electric Railway Odawara Line 5000 Series'' :( Chitose Funabashi - Sagami Ono) * 1996.11.21: ''Train Simulator Sagami Railway Main Line 9000 Series'' :(

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

- Ebina) * 1997.03.21: ''Train Simulator Deutsche Bahn

West Rhine Railway The West Rhine railway (German: ''Linke Rheinstrecke'', literally 'left (bank of the) Rhine route') is a famously picturesque, double-track electrified railway line running for 185 km from Cologne via Bonn, Koblenz, and Bingen to Mainz. It ...

'' :( Bingen -

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

) * 1997.05.16: ''Train Simulator Nanbu Jukan Railway'' (Also released as a Collector's Edition) :(Shichinohe - Noheji) * 1997.06.18: ''Train Simulator Keihin Kyuko Railway Main Line, Kurihama Line'' :(Shinagawa - Misakiguchi) * 1997.09.19: ''Train Simulator JR Shikoku 1'' :(Takamatsu - Kotohira, Takamatsu - Kojima) * 1997.12.17: ''Train Simulator Seibu Railway Shinjuku Line'' :(Seibu Shinjuku - Honkawagoe) * 1998.04.17: ''Train Simulator

Nagoya Railroad , publicly trading as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the ''Panorama Car'' and the ''Panorama Car Super'', both of whic ...

1'' : Nagoya Main Line, Inuyama Line ( Kanayama - Shin-Unuma), Hiromi Line (Inuyama - Shin-Kani) * 1998.07.17: ''Train Simulator Hanshin Electric Railway'' :(Umeda - Kosoku Kobe) * 1998.09.18: ''Train Simulator JR Hokkaidō 1'' :(Yoichi - Sapporo) * 1998.12.18: ''Train Simulator JR East

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line () is a railway Circle route, loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres ...

Inner Loop'' (also released as ''Train Simulator'' DVD 1999.12.17) :(Osaki - Osaki, anti-clockwise) * 1999.07.07: ''Train Simulator South France'' (also released as ''Train Simulator'' DVD) :(

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

) * 1999.09.17: ''Train Simulator Kintetsu Minami Osaka Line & Yoshino Line'' :(Abenobashi - Yoshino) * 2000.03.17: ''Train Simulator JR East Keihin-Tohoku Line'' :(Kamata - Omiya)

''Train Simulator PLUS'' (2000–2001)

The ''Train Simulator PLUS'' series was designed for the Windows system and its releases were limited to Japan. The first episodes were published by

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

while the last one was published by Ongakukan. * 2000.07.19: ''Train Simulator PLUS:

Keihan Electric Railway The , known colloquially as the , , or simply , is a major Japanese private railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. The transit network includes seven lines; four main lines with heavy rolling stock, two interurban lines, and a ...

'' :(Yodoyabashi-Demachi Yanage) * 2000.10.18: ''Train Simulator PLUS:

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

Chūō Line 2'' :(Tokyo-Otsuki) * 2001.02.21: ''Train Simulator PLUS: Odakyu Electric Railway Odawara Line 2'' :(Shinjuku - Odawara) * 2001.12.31: ''Train Simulator PLUS: Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line & Kintetsu Kyoto Line'' :(Kokusai Kaikan, Takeda, Kintetsu Nara)

''Train Simulator Real'' (2001–2002)

Published by SCE for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

. * 2001.10.4: ''THE

- Train Simulator Real'' :(Osaki - Osaki, clockwise) * 2002.10.31: ''THE Keihin Express - Train Simulator Real'' :( Misakiguchi-

Shinagawa is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. The Ward is home to ten embassies. , the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per ...

Haneda Airport , also known as and sometimes abbreviated to ''Tokyo-Haneda'', is the busier of the two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary domestic base of J ...

- Keikyu Kamata,

)

''Train Simulator'' (2003–2005)

Released on PlayStation 2 system. * 2003.10.30: ''Train Simulator: Midosuji Line'' :Osaka Subway (Nakamozu - Senri Chūō) * 2003.12.18: ''Train Simulator + Densha de GO!: Tokyo Express Edition'' :(Sakuragicho - Shibuya, Shibuya - Chūō Rinkan, Oimachi - Futako Tamagawa) * 2004.05.31: ''Train Simulator: Kyūshū Shinkansen'' :JR Kyūshū (Shin-Yatsushiro - Kagoshima Chūō, Kumamoto - Minamata, Kumamoto - Shin-Yatsushiro) * 2005.08.25: ''Train Simulator: Keisei, Toei Asakusa, Keikyu Lines'' :(Haneda Airport or Ueno - Aoto - Narita Airport)

''Mobile Train Simulator'' (2005–2006)

Released on

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

system from 2005 to 2006 and available in Japan and Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore). * 2005.02.17: ''Mobile Train Simulator + Densha de GO!: Tokyo Express Edition'' :(Sakuragicho-Shibuya, Shibuya-Chūō Rinkan, Oimachi-Futako Tamagawa) * 2006.02.23: ''Mobile Train Simulator: Keisei, Toei Asakusa, Keikyu Lines'' :(Haneda Airport-Aoto, Ueno-Narita Airport)

''Railfan'' (2006–2007)

''Railfan'' is a subseries of ''Train Simulator'' designed for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

system. The first game introduced in December 2006 was published by Ongakukan in Japan, by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...

in Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore) and by Cyberfront Korea in South Korea. * 2006.12.21: '' Railfan: Chicago Transit Authority Brown Line'' : Chuo Main Line ( Mitaka-

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

), Keihan Main Line (Demachiyanagi- Yodoyabashi), Chicago Brown Line ( Fullerton, Loop, Fullerton) * 2007.11.1: ''Railfan Taiwan Koutetsu'' was released in Japan late 2007 for

, published by Ongakukan. The game simulates the early-high speed rail line in Taiwan, from Taipei to Zuoying. The game provides a simulation of a train moving at 300 km/h and details of 300 locations.

''JR East Train Simulator'' (2022–present)

First version released in November 2022, ''JR East Train Simulator'' was the first title in the series to be regularly updated in the West. The base game features full Keihin–Tōhoku Negishi Line, short segments of the Tōkaidō, Chūō, and Ōito lines, with 12 DLC Tōkaidō, Chūō, Ōito, Saikyō–

Kawagoe, Senseki Line">Senseki, Keiyō Line">Keiyō, Yamanote Line">Yamanote and are traditional names for two areas of Tokyo, Japan. Yamanote refers to the affluent, upper-class areas of Tokyo west of the Imperial Palace.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version While citizens once considered it as ...

, Jōban ( Ueno–Tokyo included), Shin'etsu Main, Hachinohe, Nambu Line">Nambu (Nambu Branch Line">Branch A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins. History and etymology In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...