Railgrade is the Factorio train game

One of the best games I've played this year is a train game from 2023. Railgrade takes the rail logistics aspect from Factorio and turns it into a full game. Connect mines and factories with train tracks and locomotives. Complete supply chains and ship your wares off-planet for profit!

Laying tracks is super easy!

What really stands out is how easily you can lay down rail. Track placement is fluid: you can raise it, lower it and even stack tracks to weave through terrain and factories. It's flexible enough that you can even run your tracks over buildings and still connect stations.

"You can stack rails and stations... For steep inclines the Hill Climber engine is the only choice."

— some dude on Reddit

In this level, I had to separate 'reactives' and 'waste' to produce and deliver neon gas.

Upgrades, catalysts and speed

Once you've got the tracks, you ramp up delivery by upgrading stations and trains. Bigger stations, longer and faster trains, and even supplying factories with catalysts to boost production all come into play.

That production boost mechanic, and also assigning workers to buildings, is interesting - it adds a layer of optimisation instead of just moving more wagons from A to B.

Some people call it a puzzle game

Unlike Factorio's open-ended sandbox, Railgrade is level-based. You have objectives to fulfil in each mission, and you're awarded up to three stars depending on how fast you finish. And this is the main reason for negative reviews. People wanted a sandbox, but got mission-based levels and stars like Angry Birds.

Sandbox mode for creative builds

In response, the devs listened and added a sandbox mode in which you can build a complete city, and unlock upgrades from a tech-tree while doing so. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I look forward to diving into it after I finish the campaign.

Does what it does really well

Given all this, Railgrade hits a sweet spot for me: straightforward to get into but with enough depth for optimising layouts. It might not scratch the same itch as building a mega-industry in Factorio, but it does trains better!

From the same devs: Whiskerwood

Finally, it's worth noting that the developers have recently launched Whiskerwood into Early Access. It's a colony/city-builder in the same vein as Timberborn (the beaver-city one) and looks very cool.