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by Debora Pape
New region, day-night cycle and more: "Transport Fever 3" to be released in 2026
22.5.2025
Translation: machine translated
The newly announced transport and business simulation "Transport Fever 3" expands the familiar gameplay and brings more realism to the game according to the trailer. A day-night cycle is also planned.
Fans of the «Transport Fever» game series have reason to rejoice: Schaffhausen-based developer studio Urban Games has announced «Transport Fever 3» https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1066780/view/576008769870234654. The latest instalment in the popular transport and business simulation series is scheduled for release in 2026 for PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The announcement does not yet contain any details about the new game, but the trailer gives a few insights.
What's new in «Transport Fever 3»?
In addition to numerous new vehicles for road, rail, water and air, as well as the new subarctic biome, the new day-night cycle is immediately noticeable. This was a frequently expressed Community request for «Transport Fever 2».
In addition, you can expect off-shore industries and helicopters as a new type of aircraft in «Transport Fever 3». Freight trains also seem to be making it into the new game as a permanent feature - they were previously only available as a mod. There are new missions for the campaign mode, which, as before, are also based on historical events.
At its core, however, the latest instalment in the series will remain an unmistakable «Transport Fever» game, only «expanded, refined and the world brought to life more vividly and in greater depth than ever before».
Source: Urban Games
According to an SRF television report, the studio has been working on the new game for six years. Urban Games will reveal more information about «Transport Fever 3» in the coming months. If you would like to test the game earlier, you can apply for access to the closed beta https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TF3BetaSignup.
What else does the trailer show?
The scenes in the trailer are rendered, i.e. not in-game material. The content presented should therefore be treated with caution. The game doesn't have to be as pretty as the trailer suggests. You should keep that in mind.
And what is shown looks pretty. In the American scenario, you can see visually enhanced mountains with sharp rocky edges. In the background, clouds appear to be resting on mountain slopes. If this look makes it into the game, it would be a dramatic optimisation compared to «Transport Fever 2», which also presents a much more detailed and beautiful world than its predecessor.
Source: Urban Games
A lot also seems to have been done with industrial facilities. Fields around agricultural industries are more realistic. Factories directly on the water seem to have their own harbour facilities where ships can dock. In one scene, numerous lorries appear to be waiting in the area of the plant - you may not have to place a logistics station next to the industry as before, but supply it via a hub of the factory itself.
Source: Urban Games
The trailer also shows impressive multi-lane road and intersection constructions. It may be possible to connect roads in a more dynamic way than before. Pedestrian bridges can also be seen.
What kind of game series is «Transport Fever»?
Urban Games is an indie game studio that specialises in transport and economic simulations. The Schaffhausen-based company has now become the second-largest Swiss game development studio. This is due to the great success of the «Transport Fever» series. According to the studio, the current game «Transport Fever 2» has sold more than 1.5 million copies.
In 2014, Urban Games launched its first game, «Train Fever». With the help of passenger and goods trains, you build up a transport empire in the spirit of the classic «Railroad Tycoon». You connect the cities on the map with railway lines and transport goods and passengers. One feature of the game is the historical time travel: You start with small steam locomotives in the 19th century and gain access to numerous railway vehicles from the respective era as the in-game years progress.
The success of the crowdfunded game encouraged the team to expand the gameplay. In 2016, «Transport Fever 1» was released, which still focuses on the railway but also offers transport options on the road, on water and in the air.
At the end of 2019, Urban Games released «Transport Fever 2», which features significantly improved graphics, a new biome and many new, detailed replicas of vehicles and aeroplanes. The studio also refined the game mechanics - but the game remains fundamentally true to its recipe for success. Even more than five years after its release, «Transport Fever 2» still attracts five to six thousand players on Steam every day. If you want to know how «Transport Fever 2» plays, you can watch the stream by my two colleagues Phil and Simon here:
An important reason for the success is the Community itself, which provides thousands of free additional content thanks to the game's extensive mod support. This allows the game content to be greatly expanded and customised to suit individual tastes.
Header image: Urban Games
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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