Last modified February 21, 2024.

Future Plans

This page serves to inform you about our future plans for Derail Valley. Please note that the list represents our current view, but is not a guarantee, and will likely be modified over time.

Milestones

2019 — DONE — Free — Foundation Part 1 — Early access release
2020 — DONE — Free — Foundation Part 2 — Overhauled
2023 — DONE — Free — Foundation Part 3 — Simulator
2025+ — WIP — Free — Foundation Part 4 — To be announced
2024+ — WIP — Free — Customization
2025+ — WIP — Paid — DLC
2026+ — TODO — Free — AI Trains
2027+ — TODO — Free — Passengers
2027+ — TODO — Free — Extras

The milestones may be reached through multiple game updates or individual major ones, as may turn out necessary. Please read on for more information on what each milestone entails.

Subject to change

Please bear in mind that we are a small team working off of the game's sales. There's no giant funding behind us — only hard work and clever ways to optimize the production. This worked for us for many years so far, but a long road lies ahead, the world is changing, and no one can guarantee success. All these plans are a subject to change.

Foundation Part 4

Development is in progress, being released in small parts. The remaining plans for it include:

Trains

New vehicles
- 2 locomotives — DH6-880, WE6-960
- 3 work trains — PM1-060 (Speeder), DM1U-150 (Utility Railbus), DE1-080 (MOW Equipment)
- 4 new cars — Bulkhead, Centerbeam, Powder, Closed Hopper
New simulation elements
- Electric powertrain simulation
- Twin control stand support
- Knuckle couplers — option to choose the coupling system in-game
Train modding improvements
- Documentation
- Steam Workshop

Environment

New locations in the existing map
- 13 new industries
- 3 new cities
- 27 villages
- Bonus yard
Railways rework
- Layout modifications
  - Better map coverage
  - Straightening some sections, higher average speeds
  - Adaptations to accommodate new features and locations
  - Future-proofing for AI trains, passenger transport and customization milestones
- Double-tracks, passing sidings
- Sign placement improvement
- New types of bridges, viaducts, tunnels and landslide walls
- Electrification infrastructure
- Passenger stops — in villages
- Track age variation
Roads

Gameplay

Advanced economy simulation
- Reactive ecosystem with dynamic supply and demand
- Economic strategy features — to be announced
- Delivery order system revamp
  - Order permanence
  - Advanced car/cargo compatibility logic
  - Incentivizing longer, mixed trains
  - New UI for order management
  - Many more features — to be announced
150+ new cargo types
Track defects/maintenance — simplified, to be announced
300+ additional hours of playtime, drastic repetitiveness mitigation

UX

UI-based navigation for comfort players
Hands in non-VR
External view and related UI features in VR
Support for more peripherals, key mapping UI

Customization

This milestone is intended to extend playtime by introducing the ability to own and modify vehicles. The work is ongoing and will be released in parts, during Foundation Part 4 development.

Trains

20+ parts
- Invisible stat boosters — Better fuel tank, engine, compressor, etc.
- Visible parts — Light racks, bumpers, cow catchers, railings, etc.
40+ gadgets
- Installable gadgets — DPU, roadrunner, digital speedometer, clinomter, fusible plug, etc.
Paintjobs

Gameplay

Vehicle ownership
Buying and installing parts, gadgets and paintjobs — simplified, to be announced

DLC

This milestone is intended to further financially support our efforts, by providing substantial new content to the existing users. The work on the US DLC is ongoing and expected to be released at the end of Foundation Part 4.

Trains

US-inspired train pack
- Details to be announced
More train packs — to be announced

Environment

US-inspired map
- Deserts, mesas, pine hills
- 50+ additional hours of gameplay
- Localized designs of road vehicles and some buildings
- More details to be announced
More maps — to be announced

Gameplay

Tunnel and ferry connections between maps (with loading screen)
Trans-map deliveries

AI Trains

This milestone is intended to make the railways more busy and alive. The work on this should soft-start as part of late Foundation Part 4 development.

Trains

Route-setting logic
Train-driving logic

Environment

Signal logic

Passengers

This milestone is intended to bring passenger and timetable transport to the game, providing new challenges and making the world more alive. The work on this will be start after Foundation Part 4.

Trains

New vehicles
- 2 railcars — DM1P-150, WE2P-380
- Finished coaches
New simulation elements
- Air conditioning simulation

Environment

Station and industry workers

Gameplay

Passenger transport orders
Timetable-based orders
Passenger models and behavior

Extras

Extras are features that we feel are important and possible to do, but which would be wasteful if done before the core structure is finished. Work on this would naturally be done in the final stages of the project, if at all.

Environment

Pedestrians
Wildlife
Road traffic

Gameplay

Human mechanics for hardcore players — Eating, ability to get hurt, etc.
Optional physical rerailing using cranes and rerailers

Why don't you change the milestone order?

Our plans are designed in a way that's the most efficient to develop. Doing things in a different order would take more time.

It takes too long!

We're working on Derail Valley as hard as possible. It's a very complex project and there is no way to do it quicker, which is why no one else has caught up with a similar game in the years we've been doing it. These things, they take time.

I don't see an X feature listed

The aforementioned milestones are those that are realistically achievable in Derail Valley. If we were to do more (e.g. multiplayer, track building, etc.), we'd have to do it in a separate product. The more success we have with Derail Valley, the higher the chance for us to make more products or additions.

How you can help

We have a clear path towards the proposed milestones, and we're only held down by the available resources. Here's some things that you could do to further help us:

Spread the word about Derail Valley.
Buy Derail Valley for your friends — LINK
Buy our music — LINK
Buy Switchcars, our previous game — LINK
Buy our merch — Later
Buy our DLC — Later