Derail Valley, the train simulator for VR and PC, launched into Early Access in 2019, positioning itself as the most realistic train sim out there. While Derail Valley is still in early access, indie studio Altfuture says locomotive fans can now jump back into the game and find a ton of new features waiting for them in what it calls an “enormous” update.

The so-called ‘Simulator’ update includes a load of new content, including dynamic VR hands, new locomotives, better world simulation, sandbox mode, and more.

Here’s all of the new and updated bits available in the Simulator update:

The studio says there are still a few things left to do, including adding the S060 locomotive, DE6 slug, Steam Deck input layout, RailDriver support, and “a couple more smaller things,” the studio says in Steam news post. “Rest assured that the mentioned two vehicles will be added very soon, in a couple of weeks.”

If you’ve played Derail Valley before with mods, Altfuture also warns that most, if not all pre-Simulator mods will no longer work, and will have to be updated by the community in the coming weeks and months, to become functional again.

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Despite the size of the update, the studio says the game will remain in early access “potentially, for years to come” since they intend on adding more features and content going forward.

“We’ll keep at it for as long as possible, in our mission to make Derail Valley the best train simulator in the world,” Altfuture says.

You can get Derail Valley on Steam and Oculus PC, priced at $40.

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Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • ViRGiN

    It’s not early access if they are planning to stay in it for years to come lol.

    Valve cash cow allowed developers to get away with mediocre content, all under disguise of fake early access label. It also guarantees that at least half the community will shit on you for criticising “early access”.

    • NotMikeD

      You know sometimes I almost admire your ability to take any content and attempt to spin it to fit your own exhausting anti-Valve, anti-PCVR agenda..

      • ViRGiN

        Agenda?
        Taking notes of what’s really going on and making statements isn’t an agenda.
        Painting Quest as what killed PCVR development is.

      • ViRGiN

        Since everything you consider anti-valve and anti-pcvr, are you able to name _one_ platform that allows unfinished games to be sold to full audience?
        Quest has applab, and it shields super regular customers from ever experiencing these “unfinished” games. If they want one, they will find one. But Steam has no mechanism to prevent bullshit like this.

        EARLY ACCESS HAS BEEN NORMALIZED, AND IS FULLY EXPECTED IN TODAY DAY AND AGE

        • DjArcas

          …Xbox has Game Preview.

      • Daniel Meyer

        10 upvotes, one downvote. who might be that one guy… oh wait, nvm. We all know :D

    • z00Dem

      No one is forcing anyone to buy EA games.

      • ViRGiN

        And nobody will stop me from calling this bullshit out.

        Nobody forced anyone to make Facebook accounts either.

        • Ookami

          lol I already knew you had bad memory, but

  • bluetoothbday

    I hate simulators anyone who try to replicate life online is a sad loser

    • eadVrim

      I’ll follow your advice, genius, out of curiosity I quit my job and where I live and go working in a train station.

    • Gabriel Cash

      I’ve never driven a train – as the lack of any huge rail disasters on my local line proves – so it’s not replicating my life. Why can’t people play games that let them be train drivers or pilots or farmers? We don’t all want to play CoD.

    • Ookami

      getting mad at people enjoying harmless things that they enjoy is so cringe my face hurts

    • jacksp

      Anyone who criticizes others is a sad loser.

  • Despite the size of the update, the studio says the game will remain in early access “potentially, for years to come” since they intend on adding more features and content going forward.

    That’s not what Early Access is for. I have no problem with Early Access games, but you can’t just keep the game in Early Access forever, because it completely diminishes the whole point of it. Early Access if for those games who are building the main game in real time, allowing customers to help fund initial development. This game has released the main game’s core mechanics and feature sets, and are just adding addition content to a fully complete game. These are updates and expansion packs at this point.

    When people just decide to completely ignore these categories, then it makes everyone else do the same and then the term has no meaning.