1. What do you want to move?
Start with the vehicle that interests you, because you will be looking at it for months. Rail games here are about supply chains: what a town needs, which industry makes it, and how to haul it without empty runs. Airline games are about networks: which cities to connect, how often, at what price. The sea line is about freight and ports.
- Rail: Rail Nation for team strategy, Train Manager for solo play.
- Air: four games, from the gentle Airline Manager to the demanding AirlineSim.
- Sea: Shipping Manager.
2. How does its clock run?
This is the question most people skip, and the one that decides whether a game fits your week. There are three kinds of clock on our map.
- Real time, one to one. AirlineSim runs seven hours in the game for seven hours of your day. Airlines Manager's Professional mode is also real time. Your plans keep working while you sleep, and so do your mistakes.
- Accelerated. Airlines Manager's Quick mode runs seven times faster, and Rail Nation offers double-speed event worlds. More happens per visit, and more happens while you are away.
- Forgiving. Airline Manager keeps earning while you are offline, and the Trophy Games titles leave the pace to you.
If your free time arrives in unpredictable bursts, pick a forgiving clock. If you can reliably check in at the same times each day, a real-time game becomes far more rewarding.
3. Alone or with a crew?
Some games are richer with other people; one is close to unplayable without them. Rail Nation's endgame is a team effort by design. The airline games all have alliances, and AirlineSim adds interline agreements and aircraft leasing, so cooperation there is practical rather than social. Train Manager and Shipping Manager work perfectly well alone.
Be honest about how much coordination you enjoy. Joining a group and then going quiet is the fastest way to stop enjoying a cooperative game.
4. How do you want to pay — if at all?
Every game here can be started without paying. After that, the models split three ways.
- Free with optional purchases: Rail Nation, Train Manager, Airline Manager, Airlines Manager and Shipping Manager. The Airlines Manager app also shows ads.
- Credits for play time: AirlineSim gives starter credits, keeps some short worlds free, and charges prepaid credits per world after that. Nothing else is sold.
- Free, with optional donations: Airline Club.
None of these models is wrong. The useful thing is to know which one you are signing up for before you have invested weeks in a company.
The short route
| If you want… | Start with |
|---|---|
| The gentlest start | Airline Manager |
| A team and a long round | Rail Nation |
| Rail without a team | Train Manager |
| To choose your own speed | Airlines Manager |
| Maximum realism | AirlineSim |
| Nothing for sale | Airline Club |
| Cargo ships and ports | Shipping Manager |