Dovetail Games

Dovetail Games is a British game development and publishing studio specialising primarily in realistic simulators. It is best known for its railway series Train Simulator and Train Sim World, in which players can experience driving real locomotives and trains on routes inspired by real-life railways.

The company’s history dates back to 2008, when it was founded under the name RailSimulator.com. Its early work was closely linked to railway simulators and gradually expanded into other areas. In 2013, the company adopted the name Dovetail Games.

One of its longest-running projects has been Train Simulator, which has been expanded over the years to include a large number of routes, locomotives and other content. Players can drive historic steam locomotives, diesel engines and modern electric trains.

A notable more recent series is Train Sim World, which offers more detailed depictions of trains, cabs and railway operations. Players are not limited to the cab view alone – they can walk around stations, board trains and inspect individual trainsets.

Great emphasis is placed on authentic locomotive controls. Individual locomotives feature sophisticated cabs with functional controls, and their handling varies according to the type of propulsion, age and actual design.

The series features routes from several countries, primarily the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. Thanks to licensing agreements, the games feature real-world railway operators, authentic locomotives and well-known train sets.

Train Sim World has also gradually made its way onto PlayStation and Xbox consoles, allowing Dovetail Games to make this comprehensive railway simulation accessible to players beyond the PC platform.

The studio does not focus solely on trains. Another important area is fishing simulators. These include, for example, Euro Fishing, in which players catch various species of fish at realistically rendered European locations.

This was followed by the titles Fishing Sim World and The Catch: Carp & Coarse. These expand the range of fishing locations, equipment, fish species and competitive fishing options.

Dovetail Games also worked on the flight simulation Flight Sim World, which utilised technology based on Microsoft Flight Simulator. However, the project was later discontinued.

A distinctive feature of Dovetail Games’ titles is the extensive range of additional content. Railway simulators, in particular, are continually expanded with new routes, locomotives, trainsets and scenarios.

Thanks to the Train Sim World and Train Simulator series, as well as games such as Euro Fishing and Fishing Sim World, Dovetail Games ranks among the best-known developers specialising in realistic transport and hobby simulators.