Comparison

Subway Simulator 2D vs Rail Rider

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Subway Simulator 2D

Experience the life of a subway train driver in a vast city metro system. Transport passengers across 21 lines and 89 stations, managing speed, signals, and stops. Unlock new lines, upgrade trains, and customize their appearance as you explore over 100 km of tracks.

Highlights
  • Explore 89 stations on 21 metro lines
  • Drive underground, overground, and underwater rails
  • Upgrade train speed, acceleration, and brakes
  • Learn real subway signaling system
  • Customize train paint
  • Realistic train and ambient sounds
Features
Read full description

Become a subway train driver and explore the whole metro system of the city (89 unique stations on 21 lines) which contains more than 100 kilometers of underground, overground, and underwater rails. Experience what it takes to be a subway train operator in this railroad driving simulation game and transport as many passengers as you can across the rapid transit system. Learn a real subway signaling system, drive the train at an appropriate speed, stop carefully at the end of each station, pick up all passengers, and get to the final station as soon as possible. There are a lot of things to do in the game. Earn coins by transporting fully animated passengers to unlock new metro lines and useful train upgrades, get huge rewards by discovering new stations, change the look of any train to your liking, study the city map to get better knowledge of the whole metro system, enjoy driving in the opposite direction, beat your time records, or just enjoy realistic sounds you have never heard in any subway simulator during driving a train. Subway Simulator 2D features: - Explore the giant city with 89 unique stations on 21 lines - Drive through 3 types of railroad (underground, overground, underwater) - Upgrade the maximal speed, acceleration, and brakes of your trains to progress faster - Upgrade your stamina to explore new areas and get closer to the final station - Learn the real subway signaling system (traffic lights) in a progressive and simple tutorial - Visit a mini paint shop to change the paint of your trains to your liking - Meet trains going in the opposite direction across the metro system - Simple game controls (power button, brake button, door button) - Real train and ambient sounds There is no time to waste, driver! Get into the cabin and enjoy driving in the Subway Simulator 2D, the biggest world of subways you have ever seen in one game!

About

Rail Rider

Experience a thrilling 3D train simulation where you drive high-speed trains across beautiful locations. Shuttle commuters to their destinations by mastering precise braking and parking skills. Navigate challenging tracks and increasing complexity to succeed in this engaging railroad adventure.

Highlights
  • 3D train driving simulator
  • Passenger shuttle missions
  • Precise braking and parking
  • Beautiful locations
  • Increasing difficulty
  • Challenging railroad gameplay
Features
Read full description

Get ready for a breathtaking 3D adventure on a high-speed train. Rail Rider is a train simulation game full of drive and fun. Fast-paced journeys, beautiful locations, and thrilling railroad gameplay await you in the train game #1. Imagine you are a train driver traveling all over the country. You have an important mission to shuttle commuters to work, school, or wherever they need to go. There’s no time to waste! Your passengers are already at a train station looking forward to your arrival! Check out what this train game has in store for you: • Engrossing train driving simulator • Most addictive gameplay • Awesome locations • Ever-increasing complexity • Cool 3D graphics The rules of this arcade game are pretty simple. Your main goal is to stop at a spot where your passengers can most easily board or get off the train. It may sound easy, but it’s quite a challenge! If you stop too far away from the train yard, the annoyed commuters will refuse to get on the train. And if you go too far beyond the stop sign, your train will break down! You need to reach the train station and brake in a way that stops your train right next to a stop sign. The better your braking, the more passengers you will get on board. Put your parking skills and reaction time to the test with this fun railroad game! To pass a level, you need to get a specific number of passengers while traveling the railway. But once you make a mistake, you lose all your passengers and have to start that level over again. Watch out for tricky turns, dead ends, and other fast trains on your way! The higher your level, the more difficult the obstacles you will encounter and the more commuters you’ll need to shuttle.

Screenshots

Subway Simulator 2D4 screens
Rail Rider4 screens

Verdict

The call

Subway Simulator 2D and Rail Rider both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 73% of Subway Simulator 2D's written reviews are positive against 33% of Rail Rider's. Rail Rider's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (213 vs 23). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Subway Simulator 2D sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Rail Rider sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Subway Simulator 2D against 4.4 for Rail Rider. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rail Rider has 213 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Subway Simulator 2D's written reviews are positive against 33% of Rail Rider's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Subway Simulator 2D ships an update every 6 months, Rail Rider every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Subway Simulator 2D versus Rail Rider: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSubway Simulator 2DRail Rider
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (23 ratings) — better4.4 (213 ratings)
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings23213 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.410.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB216 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel ViktorinAscella Mobile Inc.

Customer experience

Subway Simulator 2D

All ratings23 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral6.8%
Negative20.5%

Rail Rider

All ratings211 ratings
Positive85.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral22.2%
Negative44.4%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Subway Simulator 2D

One-time2
  • STANDARD PACK$3.99
  • PREMIUM PACK$7.99
5 purchases

Rail Rider

One-time5
  • 4000 coins$1.99
  • Train skin$1.99
  • 11000 coins$4.99
Show 2 more
  • Starter pack$4.99
  • 25000 coins$9.99

Questions

Is Subway Simulator 2D free?
Subway Simulator 2D is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Rail Rider free?
Rail Rider is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Subway Simulator 2D or Rail Rider?
Subway Simulator 2D is rated higher. Subway Simulator 2D averages 4.5 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Rail Rider averages 4.4 from 213 ratings.
Do Subway Simulator 2D or Rail Rider have ads?
Both Subway Simulator 2D and Rail Rider show ads.
Which is updated more often, Subway Simulator 2D or Rail Rider?
Subway Simulator 2D ships an update every 6 months, and Rail Rider every 4 weeks. Most recently, Subway Simulator 2D was updated on October 24, 2026 and Rail Rider on October 24, 2026.

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