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Train Sim World 6 Roadmap - May 2026

Updated

TL;DR (too long; didn't read) Summary

Coming in this month's Roadmap 

State of the Game - May 2026 

Community Corner 

Hello and welcome to the TSW6 May 2026 Roadmap! If you're new to our community, these roadmaps are a monthly check-in with updates on upcoming content, details on further improvements to the game and conversations with our development partners.


We kick off this roadmap with the launch of the GBR Class 802 BMU, which will be releasing tomorrow! As well as this, we have a new Cargo Line to announce from Skyhook Games, and a new announcement from Mildmay Line developer Incredible Trains! TSG have provided further insight into the work they're doing on the BR23 for Neckartalbahn.


Take a look at the full roadmap for all the details on the content you're most excited for, and be sure to join us for our May Roadmap livestream tonight (5th May 2026 7pm BST), hosted by Executive Producer Matt along with Marketing & Community Director JD, where they'll be discussing all of the news below alongside answering your questions. 

Content Up Ahead

GBR Class 802 Releasing Tomorrow!

A new iconic look is arriving soon in Train Sim World 6! Introducing the Great British Railways Class 802, showcasing a bold new livery that represents the next chapter of rail travel across the UK.

In collaboration with the UK Government, Dovetail Games has supported the debut of this brand-new identity since its initial unveiling on the platform in 2025. This marks the first time players can experience the new GBR livery, even before it appears across real-world services nationwide.

Across both routes, the Class 802 introduces new gameplay opportunities. Take on two dedicated scenarios per route, each offering unique challenges tailored to their environments.

Take on a range of bespoke scenarios, including:

Flying the Flag

  • Take the 802 to the depot for a repaint before collecting the newly painted train and taking it out for its first service.

Riviera Rendezvous

  • Take control of a special service celebrating the history of the Riviera Line while visiting historic landmarks along the route.

Snow Stopper

  • Weave through track closures and delays during a cold snap in the West Country.

Can’t Park There, Sir!

  • A car has caused a level crossing failure, delaying passenger services on the ECML.

In addition, a special “All Stops” timetable service has been added in each direction on both routes:

  • ECML: 1Z78 and 1Z79
  • Riviera Line: 1Z44 and 1Z45

Train Sim World 6: Great British Railways Class 802 is releasing on May 6th 2026, 2026, for Epic Games Store, Steam, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 for £4.99 / €5.99 / $5.99.

WCML: Trent Valley from All Aboard Simulations Coming Soon

Whilst we don't have anything to share with you on this Roadmap, the release isn't too far away on this Add-on. Refresh your memories with the Season of Reveals, and February and March Roadmaps, and we hope to have more information for you on a release date later this month.

Announcing Cargo Line Vol. 6 from Skyhook Games

You might have noticed a new entry to the Roadmap in the latest of Skyhook Games' Cargo Line packs - and the German flag alongside it, making it the first time it'll feature German content. We'll tantalise you with that for now, but will have more information for you in the build-up to release!

Announcing Thames Valley Branches from Incredible Trains

Onto Incredible Trains' Johannes, who is very excited to share his newest project with the community; Thames Valley Branches. We have some further info on his development on the Mildmay extension later, but for now, let's hear what he has to say about Thames Valley Branches!

Johannes: "This DLC is a first for me, featuring three independent and unconnected branch lines, all diverging from the Great Western Main Line:

  • The Windsor Branch Line (2 miles / 4.5km) 
  • The Marlow Branch Line (7 miles /11.5km) 
  • The Henley Branch Line (4.5 miles / 7.2km)

"Each branch offers its own distinct character and operating style. Operationally, the Marlow Branch stands out in particular, where services reverse mid-journey at Bourne End before continuing towards Marlow. This branch also features a fully modeled and interactive token system, adding a unique and authentic operational challenge."

Across the three routes, the DLC introduces 11 stations:

  • Windsor Branch 
  • Slough 
  • Windsor & Eton Central
  • Marlow Branch 
  • Maidenhead 
  • Furze Platt 
  • Cookham 
  • Bourne End 
  • Marlow 
  • Henley Branch 
  • Twyford 
  • Wargrave 
  • Shiplake 
  • Henley-on-Thames

"All three lines are set in the scenic Thames Valley, just west of London, with multiple crossings of the River Thames providing a distinctive and picturesque backdrop."

"Although the branches are operationally independent, players can seamlessly move between them using the fast travel feature. For owners of Great Western Express, route hopping is also supported, allowing travel between branch lines via the Great Western Main Line network."

"The DLC also introduces the Class 165 Turbo Networker (2-car). This unit features a unique interior and subtle external differences compared to the Class 166 from Great Western Express. It also benefits from a range of newer TSW features that were not available on the Class 166, including Livery Designer support, enhanced physics simulation, additional cab functionality, and improved night lighting."

Incredible Trains are looking forward to sharing even more exciting features with you all in the coming months.

BNSF GP60M Locomotive from High Iron Simulations Coming Soon!

We have another couple of updates from our friends at High Iron Simulations, starting with the upcoming BNSF GP60M Loco Add-on! The team have given us some extra details on what to expect from the timetable, the layers and the scenarios.

HIS: "The BNSF GP60M will be included “as built” and with “-3 rebuild” controls. And it will be joined in the pack by its cabless sister, the GP60B, and modern articulated “spine” intermodal car. This month, we’d like to share more details on the pack’s action-packed gameplay. The services timetable features over sixty end-to-end mainline runs, and cement train services operate between San Bernadino, Victorville, Oro Grande, and Barstow. The Barstow switching layer from the Cajon Pass timetable is included."

"Union Pacific services are recreated as a layer for owners of the Sherman Hill route. These include eight end-to-end runs via trackage rights over the BNSF and eight shorter runs on the UP’s Palmdale Cutoff."

"The BNSF GP60M is the primary power on select services but is also used in place of the ES44C4 on several services. The GP60M can also substitute for the BNSF SD40-2 on locals. The BNSF ES44C4 (Cajon Pass) is the primary motive power for many mainline trains and can substituted by the BNSF SD70ACe. The Santa Fe C40-8W and locomotives from railroads including NS or CSX can also substitute for the ES44C4s."

"Along with this robust services timetable, the pack will feature four scenarios on the Cajon Pass route and four bonus scenarios on the San Berdandino route. Together, the scenarios deliver experiences ranging from hustling priority intermodal traffic across Cajon Pass to challenging industry switching duties on the San Bernardino route."

The HIS team are happy to report that the loco will be ready for release very soon, so keep an eye on Dovetail Live or our community spaces for details on a release date.

Southern Pacific Ore Lines from High Iron Simulations

Staying with High Iron Simulations, we have a short update on the rolling stock and gameplay for High Iron Simulations' Southern Ore Lines, now that the Hayden route itself has largely been completed.

HIS: "We’re excited to provide WIP images of one of the most important, and distinctive, types of rolling stock on the route – the side-dump ore gondolas. These cars, constructed by Magor Car Corp in 1959, were the workhorses of the Hayden Branch during the SP era (and many remain in service today), carrying tons or copper ore from mine to smelter. As created for the route, the car will be fully interactive."

We look forward to sharing more details from High Iron Simulations on Southern Ore Lines in future roadmaps.

Tadami Line: Aizu - Wakamatsu from Union Workshop

We have a short but exciting update from Union Workshop on their development of the Tadami Line Add-on. We've been provided screenshots of their work on creating region-specific passengers and drivers, which will be appearing across the route as you ride through the gorgeous greenery and radiant rivers.

We'll continue to update you on all the latest for Tadami Line, so keep an eye on community spaces for more!

West Coast Mainline: Crewe - Preston from Just Trains

Just Trains are back with more updates on their development for WCML: Crewe - Preston route. See if you can spot a classic Wigan treat in one of the new screenshots, which also include a bunch of brand new screenshots (external and internal) of the Class 86/4!

Just Trains: "This development update for the Crewe to Preston route features an in depth screenshot presentation of the upcoming Class 86/4 and our new MK1 RBR and MK2d and MK2e coaching stock, the below screenshots cover all the included variants of each."

Class 86/4: "The Class 86/4 locomotives were used as mixed traffic variant of the class, seen split across freight, mail and passenger workings. Unlike the Class 86/2, the Class 86/4 is capable of working in multiple, so can be found working freight trains in tandem with other 86/4’s and Class 87’s (if you own the Preston-Carlisle route), these include heavy steel trains and freightliner services. A variety of locomotive variants are included, each accurate to early 1987 for our 1986-7 timetable, the spreadsheet linked below illustrates all of these in detail for each locomotive."  

Class 86/4 Data Sheet

Coaching Stock: "Further BR Mk1 and Mk2 rolling stock will be included with the Crewe-Preston route, this includes a MK1 NEA, MK1 RBR, MK2E TSO and MK2D BFK and FK. The images below show in detail the Mk2’s and the Mk1 RBR which of course features a fully stocked buffet counter! If you own the Preston to Carlisle and Class 86/2 DLC’s you will find widely varied consists, each one aligned to its real life counterpart from the 1986/7 timetable."  

Speaking of Just Trains, shall we see how they're getting on with their Cumbian Coast Route.

Cumbrian Coast: Carlisle - Whitehaven from Just Trains

Just Trains have provided us with a short summary of their work on Cumbian Coast: Carlisle - Whitehaven, alongside some screenshots of the Class 108 and the route development.

Just Trains: "In our first in-development update for the Cumbrian Coast: Carlisle to Whitehaven we take a brief look at the Dalston station area and a further view of the deep valley between Maryport and Aspatria, work continues apace on scenery and the Class 108 DMU which will be included with the route."

Thank you to Just Trains for providing an update on both their upcoming projects! Be sure to check in on the Just Trains blog and future roadmaps for more information.  

Neckartalbahn: Heidelberg - Neckarelz from TSG

Heading over to Germany; we have an in-depth look into how the team at TSG have worked on improving the driving experience of steam locomotives in TSW with their work on the BR23 for the upcoming Neckartalbahn: Heidelberg - Neckarelz Route.

TSG: "So far in our development of steam we’ve fixed a couple of issues affecting steam at a broad level. One of the first things we fixed was related to the debug firing mode. This mode is used most notably on the Flying Scotsman and 4F and automatically adds water to the boiler to maintain a constant level, this however wasn’t drawing water from the tender at the correct rate giving the impression that it wasn’t using water at all. This, as it turned out, was a unit conversion error causing water to be drawn from the tender 1000 times too slowly."

"We also fixed a bug where the automatic fireman couldn’t operate the injector controls, this was necessary because we moved away from the debug firing mode on the BR23."

"The next issue we attended was the lack of AI chuffing, this confused us for a while as we found that it would actually randomly work at times, most notably when running light engine. This we had hoped would be applied automatically to past stock, unfortunately the fix requires a blueprint change on past stock to get it to work."

"Focussing more on the BR23 itself we created a modified firebox simugraph node to allow us to adjust behaviour without massively affecting past content. The firebox mode we currently have in TSW generates too much steam at lower boiler outputs, and it takes hours for the fire to heat up or cool down giving the user no way to 'Shut it up.'"  

"On the old setup for example on the 4F, if the fire was at its hottest the boiler would generate around 19,000lb of steam per hour. If the driver shutoff at that instant, shut the damper and closed the firebox doors the steam generated would fall to 5842b/hr or around 31% of its output. Over the course of around an hour the temperature would start to drop and with it the boilers output, but at its minimum the steam generation would still only drop to around 3329lb at its lowest or about 17.5% output. Considering the auxiliaries use maybe around 800lb of steam per hour this is why the safety valves on those engines blow nearly constantly. How the generation and coal burn rate affected steam generation was also a bit odd, the coal burn rate barely changes and the lowest it could ever go was around 55% of maximum, while temperature had very little effect on generation as shown below:"

"This being with the damper and firebox doors open. We have changed it so the steam generation can get considerably lower, while the coal burn rate is also more dynamic. Under the same circumstances with the changes:"

"The rate the temperature changes is also greater, previously it would take nearly an hour for the temperature to change from maximum to nearly minimum, now it takes a couple of minutes. Both combined allow you to have a greater degree of control on the boiler's output while being more responsive to inputs. In the near future we will be adding further changes impacting steam generation from mishandling such as too thick of a fire or poor combustion."

"Finally we are looking at some injector changes to improve their behaviour as we are using them this time. Additionally we need to add support for feed water heaters which the BR23 and a lot of German locomotives are fitted with."

"Overall we hope these changes should address a lot of the feedback with previous content, especially the steam generation and lack of AI Chuff sounds. We are of course open to more changes should time permit. Additionally, we have started to do sound recordings at the Museum in Darmstadt.

"Their BR23 042 has actually operated on Neckartalbahn, so it’s the perfect machine to record! Thank you to all the lovely people there helping us."

Thank you to TSG for this development deep dive into the BR23. We'll have more info on Neckartalbahn: Heidelberg - Neckarelz in future roadmap updates coming soon.

Mildmay Extension from Incredible Trains

Back to Incredible Trains; work on the Richmond extension for the Mildmay Add-on is progressing well, with steady advances across scenery, operations, and rolling stock integration. Johannes has given us some further development updates below!

Johannes: "Along the route, the line crosses the Great Western Main Line, where players will encounter AI traffic including Class 345 Elizabeth line services and GWR Class 802 intercity trains. The route also intersects with the London Underground at several points, bringing additional atmosphere through passing AI Tube services."

The extension will introduce five new stations:

  • Acton Central
  • South Acton
  • Gunnersbury 
  • Kew Gardens 
  • Richmond

"A standout operational feature of the extension is the traction power changeover at Acton Central, transitioning from 25kV AC overhead line equipment to 750V DC third rail, adding an extra layer of realism to operations."

"For players who own both the Class 484 and Great Western Express, a reskinned version of the Class 484, representing District line stock, will be available to drive between Richmond and Gunnersbury, expanding gameplay variety on the route."

"Timetable work has also seen significant updates. The recently released Class 90 is now fully integrated as a substitute across all freight services. Passenger operations are also being expanded, with one full diagram on the Richmond timetable now operated by the Class 710, allowing owners of the Suffragette line to make regular use of the unit in service."

"Rolling stock improvements continue as well. The Class 378 passenger interior has been upgraded with greater detail to better match the real unit, and cab night lighting has been enhanced for improved realism during evening and night operations."

Thank you to Johannes for the update! Keep your eyes out for further details on the extension coming soon.

Rhein-Niers Bahn from FolezzWorld

FolezzWorld have provided some brand new screenshots of some of the more industrial style scenery on their upcoming Rhein-Niers Bahn route. You might also be able to spot something that could lift your spirits if you were to see it on your drive, but it equally might just go over your head. Sorry.

Lisbon Setúbal from VirtuaVia360

Closing off our upcoming content news, the team at VirtuaVia360 have treated us to a short update alongside some screenshots from their ongoing work on Lisbon Setúbal!

VirtuaVia360: "Hello everyone, we’ve got some more progress to share with you all!"

"Our team has been busy working on the modeling and texturing of the EMU 3500 and work on it is almost complete. Below you can see some screenshots of the exterior and interior of the train, with the Passenger Information Systems now working. The decals and the on-board announcements have been given to us by Fertagus, so you can expect real-life announcements on the train."

"Once again we thank you for your support shown!"

Add-ons Still In Development

We haven't got any updates to share this month for the below add-ons, but they are still progressing with their development teams. We'll share more info on these when we have further updates!

  • BNSF Snoot Nose SD40-2 from Adamovic Productions 
  • Schnellfahrstrecke Nürnberg - Ingolstadt from TSG
  • Freightliner BR Class 70 from All Aboard Studios
  • DB BR 420 from TSG

State of the Game - May 2026

Updates & Key Improvements in Development 
 

Add-on Mounting Optimisations [Ongoing] Work to support smarter content loading optimisations is continuing, lowering the size of dependant content with layered add-ons to avoid instances where certain content fails to load when crossing over these platform-based limitations. These improvements are primarily focused on PS5, where we see the greatest impact, and then will be worked to all other game platforms.

Blurred Textures [Progressing] Our work is still ongoing to understand and build processes that ensure TSW releases all run at the high visual quality you expect across all platforms, and recent TSW6 releases have proven that our current progress is showing positive results.

Status: We’re currently working with key developers and third-party specialists to help build documentation and guides to support the entire development programme and ensure that all our content is optimised as much as possible.

Patches and Updates

Since our last Roadmap update, we’ve had two TSW updates, primarily focussed on supporting improvements and changes to UK-based add-ons, that we’ve been able to build around some of our releases in April.

April 16th Update – Small update aimed at improving a range of fixes for Great Western Express Remastered and East Coastway Remastered routes.

April 27th Update – Substantial update with a range of improvements and key fixes, including a Medway Valley PS5 audio hotfix, and updates to Riviera Line, Class 220, Cargo Line Vol. 5, GWE & ECW Remasters, East Coast Mainline, the DB BR 147 and more!

In addition to these supporting updates, we’ve also got our next major core updates planned for the end of May, which should bring a range of core changes, fixes and improvements to Add-ons, following your feedback in our community spaces, and areas our teams have identified. The next large update we're planning towards the end of the month will contain a selection of updates to Core and Add-ons - whilst at the moment we're reviewing and testing, so can't provide a definitive list of updates, we're looking at focusing on our German content:

  • Add-ons Manager (and loading time) improvements 
  • Memory and optimisation improvements 
  • DB BR 145 Expert 
  • DB BR 147 
  • Stuttgart-Heilbronn 
  • Dresden-Leipzig 
  • Frankfurt S-Bahn 
  • Frankfurt-Fulda

We also expect to release a smaller update this month that focuses on Stamford.

Train Sim World 6 Update - May 5th 2026

As well as the update from last week, we are releasing a small update for Great Western Express and the Riviera Line.

Full Changelog
Great Western Express

  • The GWE 2017 timetable should show the correct duration for services.

Riviera Line

  • Fixed 'Running on Fumes' scenario asking the players to take off the fuel cap on the wrong side of the train (PC ONLY).

Please allow up to 24 hours for the patch to arrive on your system. Some systems may update in standby mode without your notice.

Community Corner

May 2026 Mastery Challenge

The May 2026 Mastery Challenges are now live! For those who are looking to get a little extra out of their drives, you can complete mastery challenges to earn decals and posters.

Tier 1 for the May 2026 decal:

  • Learning on the Job: Gain 25,000 XP. 
  • What May Come: Comeplete 2 scenarios.

Tier 2 for the USA Spring Poster:

  • Right as a Morning in May: Drive 250 miles/402km. 
  • More Work?: Complete 10 Timetables. 
  • I'm Not Moving from This Seat: Complete a timetable service without walking.

May 2026 Railshots
Our first April RailShots competition is now done and dusted, and winners for the 'Commuter' theme have been contacted with their prizes.

The May 2026 RailShots competition theme is: SPRING The sun is shining, the rail is raining, and you aren't sure whether it's t-shirt, light jacket or arctic explorer gear. The competition will officially open on the forums and Dovetail Discord tomorrow 6th May!

Please only send one entry per theme, and make sure your screenshots haven't been edited to keep it fair to other competitors.

Community Controller Set-Ups

In our Discord last week, we spotted this awesome 3D printed controller set-up from capkalu, which they can use for controlling locomotives, EMUs, DMUs and more! 



Matt asked around for pictures of other community controller setups, so take a look at these awesome photos submitted to us by the community.

RayBP's HST Inspired Set-up:

Zach's 'simpler' set-up, with flexi levers, door controls and AWS button:

Speyguy's AEM7 locomotive sim set-up:


Connor C's set-up with real GSMR hardware with full integration on Medway Valley Line 375 for registration, deregistration, using the number pad, dialing the signaller, and various other functions:

May 2026 Roadmap Livestream 

Join Executive Producer Matt along with Marketing & Community Director JD for **May 2026 Roadmap Livestream on the Train Sim World YouTube and Twitch channel at 7pm BST**, where they'll be going through all of the roadmap content alongside answering your questions.

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