Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
Game2024
Train Yard Builder
Developer GameFormatic S.A.
Enter the world of Train Yard Builder and customize your railway to your heart's content. Work with different models of trains and wagons, control them the way you want, and use modeler tools to unleash your creativity. From the Steam store page
72 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Mastodon) · newest Sep 9, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
61
Fresh
43 positive · 28 negative
95% range 49–71%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 43 | 28 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
1 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
90 of 127 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 72 · most liked firstThe videos make the game look endearing and fun. But you can not enter sandbox mode and build your own unlimited layout until you complete so much of the main campaign... And there is where this game horrifically fails, when I truly want it to succeed. This game has a broken story / campaign that makes an attempt to drawl upon a feeling of helping your grandfather build model train layouts, until one day it is only you building layouts. The story is horrifically forced, unsentimental and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've always kinda had this shadowy feeling deep down that I'm always three consecutive bad days away from becoming a model train guy. I absolutely can't afford that, so I've never really gotten to explore that. Then this gem of a game comes out for less than $20 and I gotta say it's definitely an itch-scratcher. I haven't gotten too deep into it yet, and there are little bugs here and there which is understandable for day 0, but the whole thing (artwork, music, premise) is just adorable and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Third review: The Train Movement update introduced even more bugs, such as trains breaking at start, and the recognize track loop bug has not been fixed, I could not load some of my already earlier created tables.. You still have to always play the very boring introduction tutorial with every new game and tables are in one state only in a save game... This game is not worth it, you will find yourself frustrated. Second review: After two weeks of silence in the support Discord server, I will…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just not enough features - who wants to sit and run a train on a loop in only one direction? No end-to-end layout possible No programming/automation No alternative scales/gauges It's got the graphics, but that's about all it has... Edit: Jan '25 - they have now released the ability to run trains in reverse - but in the same news announcement they say they are working on a new game for Q3 '25. Feels like they released a half-baked game and are now moving on to the next one before completing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really tried to enjoy it but overall it lacks so many features that I consider to be fundamental when it comes to building layouts: Objects can only be placed at "sea level" (tracks, buildings, signs...) so forget about doing a nice slope on a mountain. Tunnels can't be placed through terrain elevations. And don't get me started on the bridges dynamics... Its a great game for toddlers though, it really feels that its intended for that demography
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall, it is a nice idea, but it just has too many things I don't like about it. Probems as I see it: 1. There are no skins for major train companies in various countries, such as: UP, BNSF, CN, CP, Virgin, etc. The train and cars should be like going to a hobby store and buying the cars and engines you want with the company names. 2. There are a very limited types of freight cars, once again it should be like a hobby store with flatcars, gondolas, and many more to choose from. 3. There…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really awesome model train game with relaxing ambiance and streamlined mechanics. It's like a combination of Rolling Line and House Flipper, where there is a strong business focus and you can take on endless tasks/quests from others for cash rewards to buy more model parts. You can also submit your designs to exhibitions in-game for greater rewards but also higher risk. There is also a diorama mechanic where you can design prefabs with multiple parts to quickly place onto your table. If you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- 🔲 You forget what reality is 🔲 Beautiful ✅ Good 🔲 Decent 🔲 Bad 🔲 Don‘t look too long at it 🔲 MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- 🔲 Very good ✅ Good 🔲 It's just gameplay 🔲 Mehh 🔲 Watch paint dry instead 🔲 Just don't ---{ Audio }--- 🔲 Eargasm 🔲 Very good 🔲 Good ✅ Not too bad 🔲 Bad 🔲 I'm now deaf ---{ Dialogue }--- 🔲 Deserves an Oscar 🔲 Great 🔲 Decent 🔲 Underwhelming 🔲 Horrible ✅ 404 Dialogue not found ---{ Audience }--- ✅ Kids ✅…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was excited to buy this game, because my father who died recently and I would always dream of building an actual model train set together, and this seemed like a nice way to memorialize him until I am ac tually able to build a real set. However, this game is very confusing and limited. The tutorials run out almost immediately, and trying to figure out how to unlock the items you need to finish the exhibits, or hwere you need to be to build the exhibits, took extensive googling for me to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome Concept, Frustrating Execution The features shown on the store page are awesome—they really got me excited about creating miniature train layouts and building cool little worlds. But once you're actually in the game, it's a different story. I don’t know how to set up a miniature train layout in real life, so I went in hoping the game would teach me the basics. Instead, the tutorial drags you through a hand-holding experience so tightly that you're not allowed to explore or try things…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gave it a try & some of the criticism was either not important or incorrect. But it still wasn't interesting to me. The tables seem way too small to make layouts how i would want to do & it just looks like too much work to me to make a model train layout. i don't think Train Yard Builder sucks. but it was just too much for me. Only play if your REALLY motivated at the model train hobby & not a casual
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an absolutely beautiful game - not in terms of its graphics (which I still think are great), but it's gentle nature, attention to detail, and clear love of model trains. I'm not a model train enthusiast, but my son is, and he's thrilled that the only limit in his game to his model train ambition is his imagination; we don't have the space at home to create the layouts he would like, so we play the game together to create what he wants. Thank you, GameFormatic and Frozen Way, you've made…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ive been looking forward to this for a while now. It's a cozy little game, and is probably great for people who like building and designing more than anything, But as a train guy it's just not the model railroading game i'm looking for. The graphics are good and it runs good, but I was hoping for something a little more in depth, and realistic to model railroading. Not being able to run trains in reverse kind of kills the whole point of model railroading. Can't do switching or Point to Point…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Since the game still has only 23 reviews at time of writing I feel the need to add one. In contrast to the model building hobby in the real world this entry is really cheap, i mean for the price of the entire game you might get 1 or 2 cheap bulding sets but forget about interesting train models, which still gives a good glance at what this hobby is about for most people. It starts you off with a tutorial that explains the basics and usualy you get an explanation for new things that are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You'll see comparisons to Rolling Line, but I think those are unfair. This game caters to a much more casual audience, to those of us who want to be creative but prefer prefabs. What this game has that Rolling Line doesn't is some sort of career. The career consists one off jobs (painting parts, putting together predefined dioramas, cleaning objects, and a more free-form construction of pieces used for exhibits). The jobs themselves are very mundane and get boring pretty quickly. The free-form…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a cozy little game. It is great for those that enjoy model railroading. While at the time of this review the game surely isn't perfect and has its issues, I can still say this game was worth the money for me and recommend it. # Pros * Cozy feeling * Easy to get into * Variety of trains and some rolling stock * Massive collection of objects to use for decoration * Visually rewarding once you complete a table * The career mode is fairly easy * Exhibition routes make you think (This is a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another reviewer had similar points as I am about to make, but I feel like echoing them will help others looking into this game understand that they are problems and not just a one person skill issue situation. The tutorial jobs are extremely narrow and the game doesn't just hold your hand, it death grips it. Metaphorically: You are given a paint by numbers and given your paint colors and told to do it. Here are 3 paint by numbers that are the mechanics of the game. That is the tutorial. Once…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →an absolutely mind snoozing game. i would advice only playing it if you are just searching for a comfy game, but its probiably the comfiest game out there (gameplay wise). it depends on what reason you want to play this game, but if you got the same reason as i, i'd highly reccomend it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game looks nice. In the career mode they gave me a task but it seems I can't buy the necessary items for making it and now it only gives me random paint / clean / diorama tasks and it doesn't seem to advance any further. I haven't tried the sandbox mode, but even if the gameplay is simple and quite intuitive, the game feels quite boring and I am sure it is only fun for the people with passion to create these diorama tables. I will give it a thumbs up, because it is done very good and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For some reason progress isn't saved by the game and you keep ending at the beginning of the tutorial. Building a diorama isn't as enjoyable as I imagined. I would descride it as really frustrating. Not worth any price here.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is too buggy to play. I even have to Ctrl+Alt Del to close it. This makes me sad. I'm asking for a refund now. Booooooo ! :( EDIT: Couldn't get a refund because it was part of a bundle. The other game now costs way too much.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love model trains but this game is a big disapointment. Controls are not logical, it is difficult to build layout, you can not make hills, just flat layout, you can not reverse trains (or I did not figure it out?). I hope, I can get my money back but I am affraid I will not.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolute madness with no way to disable tutorial,WHICH is the ONLY way you can play any game, even a saved one. Says it saved progress EVERY time I asked it too (AND in settings had auto save checked). but it NEVER did. Got tired of the madness of saving (losing) and wasting time to be left with none of the work put it when you go to play the next time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is a fun game in itself, but very limited in its possibilities. The mechanism to drive trains and to have multiple trains on a track is very simple or I don't understand it well, a train can only go in 1 direction as far as I know now and the decoration and possibilities are just not as big as I had hoped. Because of the storyline it is funny to play for a few hours, but after dozens of houses etc. "painting" read clicking the box every time, you are done with it. The small dioramas are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Totally garbage. Awkward to use and once you use the sanbox game I found no way of starting a new game. Every time I stared in story mode had to go through the tutorial again.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →4/10 it works mostly and does what it says it does not my kind of game and i would never pay for it, got it in a bundle + works on windows 7 - missing very basic features like raising and lowering terrain - when using multiple trains on the same track they will stop randomly and if it stops long enough for the train behind it to make contact they both get stuck forever until you reset them - the amount of space you have to work with is very limited. only 3 by 3 chunks of table and each table…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →HOLY SMOKES THIS GAME IS VERY UNOPTIMIZED! Frequent lag spikes and freezes have taken up at least 1/5 of my game time so far. Earlier I waited up to 20 minutes for the game to unfreeze after saving but eventually I decided to force close it through, and even that was a problem because the game isn’t alt-tab friendly so I had to wait another 10 minutes for the task manager to finally open. Even though I’m giving the game flak for performance issues, I’m still leaving a positive review because…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thought this game would be a bit like Rolling Line but it is not and Rolling Line is far far better than this. A bit disappointed but not surprised that I didnt like this I prefer Rolling Line.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Exhibitions don't make sense at all and are very bugged. I've followed all the requirements but there's a severe lack of feedback from the game on what I'm doing right or wrong. Difficult to build any sort of layout with limited options. It also seems like there is a lot of A.I. generated artwork used for store-page artwork and in-game without any easy to find disclosure that states it's A.I. generated. So if that bothers you then I'd avoid this one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game does have promise, don't get me wrong, but right now the selection of rolling stock feels quite lacking. I'm also bothered that one of the cars is literally just an EMD F7 B-Unit that exists with no context. There's also the lack of a reverse mode for driving the trains, the lack of ability to couple from the front of an engine, and so on. There's lots of room for improvement in general. The reason i'm making this a positive review is so that the game can get out there to more people.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just beat the tutorial and I was let privy to all the mechanics that are in this game. The attention to detail makes this a game could easily see spending dozens of hours in especially with the ability to relive models you have created/train tables you have setup both in your house and at the Exhibit. Serious love went into this game, and even though I am not a fan of the train hobby, I could see how the more I spend in this game I may just very well become one. Great job devs, I hope your…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well it looks kinda promising... But forcing a tutorial on the player to unlock sandbox mode is the worst thing you could possibly do for this type of game. If i hadn't bought it awhile ago i would've instantly stopped playing and got a refund.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I absolutely loved playing this game for a few hours but once I finish off the achievements I can't imagine going back to play for much more except checking out the sandbox for a couple of hours. Apart from the museum dioramas there doesn't feel like much progression and the tasks get a bit repetitive There are also some bugs which make the game quite frustrating to play. I think with some updates and support this game could be even better and with some more length to it. Bugs - Sometimes…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So far the game has been unplayable
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is what me (and my father :)) wanted to to do irl. It's a fun building game. I've put in some hours already into building a little town in sandbox mode, it's fun. Would be nice to have even more building items in the future.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love this game! Well done to developers. Highly recommended. Missing though: PLEASE add a STOP and REVERSE function to the train controller device. It should be prioritised in order to fully enjoy this great game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simple, repetitive, but relaxing at the same time. If you like model trains, you will like this game. Very niche but it's a great game for those in said niche.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It started out fun, but the side tasks quickly became monotonous. Even that would've been okay as it only took about two hours to complete all of the museum jobs required to unlock all of the pieces needed for the exhibitions... but at that point the game simply became frustrating. Pieces of track would glitch out and become invisible, with nothing seemingly fixing this. Thus it became a puzzle of trying to make a loop with the tracks that I could actually see. I'm forgiving of many bugs in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Better than paying £200 for a Kyushu Series 8000 Shinkansen model.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Train Yard Builder offers a relaxing interpretation of the model railway hobby, turning the process of assembling tracks, locomotives, scenery, and miniature environments into an accessible digital sandbox. Developed by GameFormatic S.A. and published by Frozen Way, PlayWay S.A., and Frozen District, it is less concerned with running a transportation empire than with giving players a virtual workshop where creativity takes priority. The result is an experience aimed primarily at model train…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Everything apart from the constant email notifications in-game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →concept is cool, but lacks features and is buggy as heck. hope the devs will add more trains, track types and layout options (non-90 degree rotations and elevations). a more sophisticated automation would be cool, too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →as a model train enthusiast i have to say this game is perfect. wish they had a few more pieces but i know they will be putting more in the game. overall im very happy with this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The tutorial annoyed me very much. You HAVE to complete it before you can start a layout. I felt like a child. I prefer to work things out myself. Requested a refund.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No, it's not what I hoped for, but it is fantastic for what it is! This is a very relaxing whimsical style graphics, model train game. I can't call it a simulator by any stretch, but I can call it FUN! Story mode serves more of a tutorial, but the various tasks would appeal to younger children playing this title. Can't imagine many adults getting into that part of this game. The sandbox is fun, but as I've only touched the surface of the basics, it's hard to say much. Thus far, you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Zero creativity required. Clicking simulator.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Review so far, Post-Hotfix Update: There is still no fix for adding for free reign for players when conducting certain jobs, placing items, etc. Best way to describe it is that all the jobs are very "Hand-holding" with no freedom to do it on our own and be challenged, which takes away the fun of even doing career mode things. Here a list of things that could definitely be fixed or updated: Allow option to enable / disable item placement assistance when doing build jobs Allow option to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →pretty fun, come across some bugs, but it did just come out, really excited about future workshop support. Gimme that PRR layout
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I haven't put a lot of hours in yet so I can't give a full review. But one thing I would like to see is the ability to clip objects together to make a new ones. I had made a really nice mountain and then was going to run a train through it, only to find out the tunnel track has to be on flat ground and you can't build anything around it and not even close to it, which feels like it defeats the purpose of having a nice tunnel. I also can't merge roads together to make them country style.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →YES BUT [+] Good music [+] Satisfying terrain editor [+] Clear controls [+] Many decorations [+] Very easy to get started [-] Terrain is only for looks and placing anything onto it will flatten it, bridges included. [-] While there are multiple levels of Undo/Redo, the Terrain painting tool doesn't show the brush size clearly. [-] While the direction of flowing water can be changed, it all flows at once (you are rotating the texture). [-] Workshop is full of creations without screenshots and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →really wish the trees looked better in the official release compared to how they looked in the demo :(
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun little game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its model trains...enough said!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A beautiful & highly addictive game that is worth every penny and then some!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →controls have a lot of excess drift and are a tad wonky however the detail its immaculate and beats breaking out real trains especially if you do not have the proper space future update of a whole room to work with would be awesome
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →bought this game just to play the sandbox. found out the sandbox is just to make groups of models to copy and paste in the main part of the game. 2.5/10 dont recommend
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun model train game with several modes that allow you to play a storyline or make you own layouts!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →STORE PAGE ---- > "Use track switches and activators for more complex designs" You need to manually click the switches :-( No Train routes or planning :-( You only get Train speed and "stops" for set amount of time. Game has Roads and tons of vehicles. But they are just props. :-( LOVE THE GAME! Just think it needs more CONTROL over Trains/Track! and let us have moving Cars/Trucks!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm really impressed by this game, as a lot of other train builder games are a bit of a letdown. You have tons of different things you can do and I like how you also have different categories to choose from, not just the basics. You can also paint your own models, add hills to the scenery, and have different tables to choose from like rivers and mountains. For the price it is, it's definitely worth it and the graphics are really nice too. I can't wait for the devs to bring in workshop as it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Abandonware with lots of lost potential.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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