iPhone and iPad hop on Sid Meier’s Railroads! gaming train

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Ready to build an empire by rail?
Ready to build an empire by rail?
Photo: Feral Interactive

Here’s your chance to build an empire of rail — and even beat notorious railroad barons of yesteryear at their own game. Take that, Cornelius Vanderbilt.

The classic strategy game Sid Meier’s Railroads! arrives April 5 on mobile devices including iPhone and iPad. And you can preorder now via the App Store thanks to Feral Interactive.

Sid Meier’s Railroads! goes mobile on iPhone and iPad with April 5 departure

Sid Meier’s Railroads! first arrived in 2006 for Windows, brought out by Fixaris Games to follow up on Railroad Tycoon 3. Several years later, in 2012, Feral Interactive brought it to macOS X. Next week, the classic game will arrive with a whistle blast on mobile, so you can more easily play it on a train — or wherever.

Folks have enjoyed the strategic railroad-management simulator because it gives you a lot to play with. Choosing from 16 historical and fictional scenarios, you can build a transportation network complete with maps and detailed objectives. You could connect the continental railroads in the Wild West in 1869, for example.

Your potential transportation networks span across the Untied States and Europe. You have a selection of more than three dozen train engines — from the coal-belching behemoths of the 1800s to today’s electric drivers — at your power-hungry fingertips.

Watch the Sid Meier’s Railroads! trailer

Speaking of which, as you plot train schedules and deal with passengers and cargo, the game lets you compete against actual railroad tycoons like J.P. Morgan and the above-mentioned Vanderbilt. But you know you can take those wily fat cats.

Or you can take all the competition out of the game if you prefer. You can choose to play against others with high stakes and challenges, or simply soak up the joys of railroad management at your own pace in Train Table Mode.

You’ll be able to play Sid Meier’s Railroads! on the following Apple devices:

  • iPhone 6S or later
  • Any iPhone SE
  • 2019 iPod touch
  • 2019 or later iPad mini and iPad Air
  • 2017 or later iPad
  • Any iPad Pro

iOS/iPadOS 15.5 or later is required to play. The game costs $12.99, but you can also buy it for $9.99 through Steam if your Mac runs macOS Mojave 10.4 or later.

Price: $12.99

Where to preorder: App Store

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