This is the home of OpenBVE, a license-free, open source, free of charge train driving simulator.

Screenshots

This program includes detailed per-car simulation of the brake systems, friction, air resistance, toppling and more. In 3D cabs, the driving experience is augmented with forces that shake your simulated body upon acceleration and braking, as well as in curves. Besides that, OpenBVE features a 3D positional sound system best enjoyed with surround speakers, train exteriors and timetables for the current run. Finally, via the main menu, routes and trains be easily selected to start a new session, the controls can be configured to keyboard or joystick devices, and a variety of options can be selected.

Compared to other simulators of the genre, especially compared to commercial games, OpenBVE has its main focus on realism, not necessarily on user-friendliness. You should be willing to study operational manuals for the routes and trains you want to drive, and will in many cases not get along by just memorizing a few keystrokes. If you can identify with this focus, OpenBVE might be the right simulator for you.

Latest Stable Release:

1.12.1.2 Stable (2026-03-27)

Current News & Updates:

The OpenBVE Project

Significant Changes:

  • New: Add input plugin for Kato ECS-1 controller. (MarcRiera)
  • Change: Most XML parsers converted to block format.
  • Change: Update routefile compatability database.
  • Change: Update id-ID translation (Aditiya Afrizal)
  • Change: Update se-SE translation. (Daniel Nylander)
  • Change: Improve visibility updates for animated objects using translation in the Z-axis.
  • Change: Improve error messages for missing objects etc. in BVE5 routes.
  • Change: Set BVETSHacks after a BVE5 route is loaded, so that any relevant train specific fixes are used.
  • Change: Some improvements to Loksim3D object parsing.
  • Fix: Issue with couplers in CarXML Convertor.
  • Fix: Some sounds missing in BVE5 routes.
  • Fix: Pantograph animations in MSTS models should be case invariant.
The OpenBVE Project

Significant Changes:

  • New: Add $ElseIf command for CSV routes.
  • New: Add MotorBrakeNotch property for XML trains.
  • MSTS: Handle Pantograph1 animations with suffix.
  • MSTS: Implement some variants on the line voltage display.
  • MSTS: Fix some content with the brakes stuck on.
  • MSTS: Better handling for some comments and non-standard number formating.
  • Compability: Update routefile hacks database.
  • Fix: Preserve the compatible transparent mode when extracting a texture clip region. (Fixes handle images on some BVE2 panels)
  • Fix: Couple of issues in CarXMLConverter since converting to block format
The OpenBVE Project

Significant Changes:

  • Fix: BVE5 TFO externals missing.
  • Fix: Incorrect Y-axis interpolation in some BVE5 routes.
  • Fix: Using the headlights key with no sound defined crashed.
  • Change: Speedups and improvements in Wavefront OBJ parsers.
  • MSTS: Basic implementation of various panel controls and exterior bits, related to steam engines. (No physics at present)
  • MSTS: Fix issue when using two different consists as TFOs.
The OpenBVE Project

Significant Changes:

  • New: Add basic support for MSTS / OpenRails trains.
  • New: Add se-SE translation (Daniel Nylander)
  • New: Add FogDistance parameter to dynamic backgrounds.
  • Fix: A very large viewing distance could cause visual artifacts with the background.
  • Fix: An invalid path could crash the TFO parser.
  • Fix: Handle a couple of cases with missing required textures in the panel.cfg parser.
  • Fix: Functions containing a CarIndex failed to handle reversal of the train correctly.
  • Fix: Switch change dialog missing.
  • Change: Attempt to cancel loading when a fatal error is caught, rather than directly unloading the renderer. (Timing issue on some systems)
  • Change: Assorted new features / improvements to particle source generation.

New Errata:

https://github.com/leezer3/OpenBVE/wiki/Errata#fog-distance

The OpenBVE Project

The last release of 2025….

Significant Changes:

  • New: Introduce new IRawRuntime2 interface, to correct an issue with touch events in the orginal.
  • Change: Improve the display of the JumpToPosition value in Route Viewer.
  • Fix: GL Menu not working in 1.11.3.2
  • Fix: Old renderer not working correctly in 1.11.3.2
  • Fix: Issue when uncoupling some trains.
  • Fix: Particle sources were updating whilst in a menu.
  • Fix: Incorrect particle flow direction when reversing.
  • Fix: Constant speed device not working after a backwards jump.