Quick summary
Indian Train Simulator 2018 — Free is a mobile train simulator from Appsoleut Games that aims to recreate Indian rail travel on your phone. It offers visually detailed stations and trackside scenery, but the driving experience is simplified and repetitive, with several limitations that reduce long-term appeal.
How the game plays
Players take control of realistic-looking trains such as the Rajdhani and the Upsana Express and drive them from one station to the next. Your main task is to keep the train on the rails, obey signals, and avoid collisions; a crash ends your session. Train handling is constrained — the top speed is limited to 60 km/h even for express services — and automated behaviors around you can feel inconsistent.
Notable routes included in the game:
- Delhi → Mumbai
- Agra → Vasco-da-Gama
- Howrah → Lucknow
Visuals and station atmosphere
The game’s environments are rendered to resemble real Indian railway locations. Stations and trackside areas contain familiar visual elements, although some expected audio and crowd details are missing or muted.
You will encounter:
- Food kiosks scattered on platforms
- Advertisement hoardings along the route
- Railway bridges and other infrastructure
Issues that affect realism
While the scenery is convincing, several design choices undermine immersion:
- No passengers are present on board, which makes stations feel empty and unrealistic.
- Signal behavior is weak; nearby trains don’t always react correctly to signals as you approach.
- Sound design, including background music and effects, lacks authenticity.
- There is no resume option — exiting the app forces you to restart from the beginning.
Final thoughts
If you’re after a visually themed Indian-rail experience on mobile, this title has some appeal. However, the lack of passengers, limited speeds, questionable signaling, and missing resume functionality mean it falls short compared with more polished train simulators. There are better alternatives available if you want a deeper, more authentic driving experience.
Technical
- Android
- Free