The masters of meticulous railway simulation are tearing up the rulebook and heading for the underground.
Yep, Dovetail Games has today announced Metro Rivals: New York, an innovative and genre-defying simcade game set to launch in early 2026 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
This bold new chapter for the acclaimed developer trades serene countryside routes for a gritty, high-speed, competitive battle for supremacy in a near-future New York City subway system.
A New Track for Dovetail Games
For years, Dovetail Games has been the undisputed king of realistic train simulation. However, in our 3.5/5 review of Train Sim World 6, while we praised the new features, we found ourselves “looking forward to seeing what the next entry will, hopefully truly pushing the franchise forward in a more significant way.“
Well, it seems our wish has been granted in the most unexpected way possible. Metro Rivals: New York is that significant push, a complete departure that takes the studio’s deep knowledge of trains and injects it with a shot of pure, adrenaline-fuelled arcade action.
Welcome to the Underground Battleground
Metro Rivals: New York is set in a near-future where the city’s subway system has been carved into 10 fiercely contested districts. Each of these territories is controlled by one of the five “Track Titans” – larger-than-life celebrity drivers who dominate the rails with unrivalled skill and massive social media influence.
You will start your journey as a rookie driver with nothing but a hand-me-down train. To succeed, you’ll need to take on missions, earn cash fares, and build your reputation to eventually challenge the dominance of the Track Titans.
Simcade Action on the Rails
This new title is a thrilling blend of strategy, story-driven action, and competitive racing.
At its heart, the game is an authentic simulation, but its veins are filled with the adrenaline of an arcade racer. This simcade experience demands both the nuance and skill of a simulator and the fast-paced, high-stakes action of a competitive racer.
The game features a full single-player campaign where you will rise through the ranks to take on the Track Titans. It also includes an intense PvP mode where up to four players can compete online. In these races, victory is not just about speed; you are scored on your ability to handle your train with precision and control under pressure.
Customisation plays a huge role too. You can express yourself with extensive options to upgrade your train’s performance, apply unique skins and liveries, and personalise your character’s appearance to stand out on the tracks.
A New Engine for a New Era
This release also signals Dovetail Games’ first foray into Unreal Engine 5, promising a world that feels intensely alive with tools like Nanite and Lumen. The game will also feature a procedural music engine from Reactional Music, meaning the soundtrack will pulse with the same rhythm as the on-track action.
A Word from the Conductors
The team at Dovetail is buzzing with excitement for this bold new chapter.
Rob O’Farrell, co-CEO of Dovetail Games, comments: ‘Metro Rivals: New York marks a bold new chapter in the Dovetail Games portfolio, offering a real sense of pick-up-and-play, thrill, speed, and excitement within the sim-cade genre. By merging our deep knowledge of trains with the expertise and talent of our development teams, and by harnessing Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen, Nanite, and procedural generation, we are confident this will deliver an incredibly immersive and exciting experience for players to enjoy in both single player and our first-ever train multiplayer experience. We are also excited to announce we are working with the team at Reactional Music, introducing its procedural music engine into Metro Rivals: New York. Reactional real time musical interactivity means music is fully native and cinematically integrated in the game, even when swapping tracks.’
Gemma Brown, co-CEO of Dovetail Games, summarises the experience: ‘Metro Rivals: New York feels gritty, fast-paced, and full of energy. It keeps you on your toes and blends the attitude of New York with the thrill of a competitive sim-cade racing experience – think Crazy Taxi meets Need for Speed: Underground. Early feedback from our new on-site Playlab has been fantastic, and we can’t wait to get it into players’ hands next year.’
The final stop for traditional train sims has been called, and a new, high-speed express service is on its way.
With a thrilling new premise, a powerful new engine, and the promise of competitive multiplayer, Metro Rivals: New York is set to be an electrifying ride. The doors are scheduled to open in early 2026 and we’ll keep you looped with more info as and when we can.
