Details
DeveloperColin Miller, EJ Fox, Curran Kelleher, Nate Maue, Alex Wohlbruck, Piero Maddaleni, Brooks Flannery
PublisherBorough Studio
FreeNo
Required ageNone
Subway Builder is a hyperrealistic transit simulation game. Build a new subway system from the ground up while dealing with real-world constraints and costs. Craft the subway system your city deserves.
Subway Builder is a hyperrealistic transit simulation game built using live data from US and UK cities.
Real-World Passenger Simulation
Millions of commuters are generated from Census and Redistricter data and simulated using the same pathfinding algorithms you use on your phone. Your job is to design a route network that gets the most people to their destination as fast as possible. Juggle station placement, transfer dynamics, and train frequency to maximize ridership.
In-Depth Analysis
Explore how individual commuters weigh tradeoffs between wait times, transfers, income distribution, delays, and more, to pick their commute. Understand which routes, stations, and trains your commuters take and use that information to optimize your network.
You must also find the right balance between cost and time using this analysis. Too many trains on a line or an overcrowded station may cause delays or disruptions.
Authentic Data
The US and UK census records home and workplace locations. The game generates millions of commuters with homes from that and then uses a distance-based gravity model to assign them all workplaces. They're also assigned times to leave to/from work in a distribution similar to real life.
This decision is then made based on how long each commute method takes, how much it costs, and the value of their time (different commuters can have different incomes).
If they decide to take the subway you can follow their commute (and thousands of others simultaneously) as they get to work. If a train is delayed or cancelled, it will affect their commute and future commuters will take that into account.
College and airport commuters are also simulated and they behave differently since they have different income distributions and commuting times. Federal data is used for college student counts and FAA data for airports.
Current cities in Subway Builder include: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis, and Washington in the US. Birmingham, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Newcastle are cities available in the UK.
Show raw AppDetails
{
"4039140": {
"success": true,
"data": {
"type": "game",
"name": "Subway Builder",
"steam_appid": 4039140,
"required_age": 0,
"is_free": false,
"detailed_description": "<p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><span class=\"bb_img_ctn\"><img class=\"bb_img\" src=\"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/extras/d5cc8f1e8345a98f5a7899f32c22ddbb.avif?t=1783953285\" data-big-src=https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/extras_big/d5cc8f1e8345a98f5a7899f32c22ddbb.webp?t=1783953285 width=1560 height=504 /></span></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Subway Builder is a hyperrealistic transit simulation game built using live data from US and UK cities.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><strong>Real-World Passenger Simulation</strong></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Millions of commuters are generated from Census and Redistricter data and simulated using the same pathfinding algorithms you use on your phone. Your job is to design a route network that gets the most people to their destination as fast as possible. Juggle station placement, transfer dynamics, and train frequency to maximize ridership.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><strong>In-Depth Analysis</strong></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Explore how individual commuters weigh tradeoffs between wait times, transfers, income distribution, delays, and more, to pick their commute. Understand which routes, stations, and trains your commuters take and use that information to optimize your network.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >You must also find the right balance between cost and time using this analysis. Too many trains on a line or an overcrowded station may cause delays or disruptions.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><strong>Authentic Data</strong></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >The US and UK census records home and workplace locations. The game generates millions of commuters with homes from that and then uses a distance-based gravity model to assign them all workplaces. They're also assigned times to leave to/from work in a distribution similar to real life.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >This decision is then made based on how long each commute method takes, how much it costs, and the value of their time (different commuters can have different incomes).</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >If they decide to take the subway you can follow their commute (and thousands of others simultaneously) as they get to work. If a train is delayed or cancelled, it will affect their commute and future commuters will take that into account.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >College and airport commuters are also simulated and they behave differently since they have different income distributions and commuting times. Federal data is used for college student counts and FAA data for airports.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Current cities in Subway Builder include: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis, and Washington in the US. Birmingham, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Newcastle are cities available in the UK.</p>",
"about_the_game": "<p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><span class=\"bb_img_ctn\"><img class=\"bb_img\" src=\"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/extras/d5cc8f1e8345a98f5a7899f32c22ddbb.avif?t=1783953285\" data-big-src=https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/extras_big/d5cc8f1e8345a98f5a7899f32c22ddbb.webp?t=1783953285 width=1560 height=504 /></span></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Subway Builder is a hyperrealistic transit simulation game built using live data from US and UK cities.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><strong>Real-World Passenger Simulation</strong></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Millions of commuters are generated from Census and Redistricter data and simulated using the same pathfinding algorithms you use on your phone. Your job is to design a route network that gets the most people to their destination as fast as possible. Juggle station placement, transfer dynamics, and train frequency to maximize ridership.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><strong>In-Depth Analysis</strong></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Explore how individual commuters weigh tradeoffs between wait times, transfers, income distribution, delays, and more, to pick their commute. Understand which routes, stations, and trains your commuters take and use that information to optimize your network.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >You must also find the right balance between cost and time using this analysis. Too many trains on a line or an overcrowded station may cause delays or disruptions.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ><strong>Authentic Data</strong></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >The US and UK census records home and workplace locations. The game generates millions of commuters with homes from that and then uses a distance-based gravity model to assign them all workplaces. They're also assigned times to leave to/from work in a distribution similar to real life.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >This decision is then made based on how long each commute method takes, how much it costs, and the value of their time (different commuters can have different incomes).</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >If they decide to take the subway you can follow their commute (and thousands of others simultaneously) as they get to work. If a train is delayed or cancelled, it will affect their commute and future commuters will take that into account.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >College and airport commuters are also simulated and they behave differently since they have different income distributions and commuting times. Federal data is used for college student counts and FAA data for airports.</p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" ></p><p class=\"bb_paragraph\" >Current cities in Subway Builder include: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis, and Washington in the US. Birmingham, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Newcastle are cities available in the UK.</p>",
"short_description": "Subway Builder is a hyperrealistic transit simulation game. Build a new subway system from the ground up while dealing with real-world constraints and costs. Craft the subway system your city deserves.",
"supported_languages": "English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Arabic, Czech, Dutch, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Hindi",
"reviews": "“This addictive game is like ‘SimCity’ but for transit nerds”<br>FastCompany<br><br>“The sleeper hit of the Fall might be this mad lad's hyper realistic traffic management sim that uses real census data and a 'distance-based gravity model' to produce millions of NPC commuters”<br>PC Gamer<br><br>“I love that the engineering constraints and the actual aspects you have to think about - they're there.”<br>City Planner Plays<br>",
"header_image": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/442e78193cee36ffdbb535d9d6a24f6d75652971/header.jpg?t=1783953285",
"capsule_image": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/4399f05e424fe8a754581920448e3041dc007735/capsule_231x87.jpg?t=1783953285",
"capsule_imagev5": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/4399f05e424fe8a754581920448e3041dc007735/capsule_184x69.jpg?t=1783953285",
"website": "https://www.subwaybuilder.com",
"pc_requirements": {
"minimum": "<strong>Minimum:</strong><br><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><strong>OS *:</strong> Windows 7 64bit<br></li><li><strong>Memory:</strong> 4 GB RAM<br></li><li><strong>Network:</strong> Broadband Internet connection<br></li><li><strong>Storage:</strong> 700 MB available space</li></ul>",
"recommended": "<strong>Recommended:</strong><br><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><strong>OS:</strong> Windows 10 64bit<br></li><li><strong>Memory:</strong> 8 GB RAM<br></li><li><strong>Network:</strong> Broadband Internet connection<br></li><li><strong>Storage:</strong> 1 GB available space</li></ul>"
},
"mac_requirements": {
"minimum": "<strong>Minimum:</strong><br><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><strong>OS:</strong> macOS 10.10<br></li><li><strong>Processor:</strong> Both<br></li><li><strong>Memory:</strong> 4 GB RAM<br></li><li><strong>Network:</strong> Broadband Internet connection<br></li><li><strong>Storage:</strong> 700 MB available space</li></ul>",
"recommended": "<strong>Recommended:</strong><br><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><strong>OS:</strong> macOS 14<br></li><li><strong>Processor:</strong> Both<br></li><li><strong>Memory:</strong> 8 GB RAM<br></li><li><strong>Network:</strong> Broadband Internet connection<br></li><li><strong>Storage:</strong> 1 GB available space</li></ul>"
},
"linux_requirements": {
"minimum": "<strong>Minimum:</strong><br><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><strong>Network:</strong> Broadband Internet connection</li></ul>",
"recommended": "<strong>Recommended:</strong><br><ul class=\"bb_ul\"><li><strong>Network:</strong> Broadband Internet connection</li></ul>"
},
"developers": [
"Colin Miller",
"EJ Fox",
"Curran Kelleher",
"Nate Maue",
"Alex Wohlbruck",
"Piero Maddaleni",
"Brooks Flannery"
],
"publishers": [
"Borough Studio"
],
"package_groups": [],
"platforms": {
"windows": true,
"mac": true,
"linux": true
},
"categories": [
{
"id": 2,
"description": "Single-player"
},
{
"id": 62,
"description": "Family Sharing"
}
],
"genres": [
{
"id": "23",
"description": "Indie"
},
{
"id": "28",
"description": "Simulation"
},
{
"id": "2",
"description": "Strategy"
}
],
"screenshots": [
{
"id": 0,
"path_thumbnail": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/7d0ea88c1360d6b416a015e73cec168695377a58/ss_7d0ea88c1360d6b416a015e73cec168695377a58.600x338.jpg?t=1783953285",
"path_full": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/7d0ea88c1360d6b416a015e73cec168695377a58/ss_7d0ea88c1360d6b416a015e73cec168695377a58.1920x1080.jpg?t=1783953285"
},
{
"id": 1,
"path_thumbnail": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/1ea1c156c043dcb40be9efc9b8e3aab090062ba7/ss_1ea1c156c043dcb40be9efc9b8e3aab090062ba7.600x338.jpg?t=1783953285",
"path_full": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/1ea1c156c043dcb40be9efc9b8e3aab090062ba7/ss_1ea1c156c043dcb40be9efc9b8e3aab090062ba7.1920x1080.jpg?t=1783953285"
},
{
"id": 2,
"path_thumbnail": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/a8db40f6985e5fa2229cc96436c12df1c3afc31c/ss_a8db40f6985e5fa2229cc96436c12df1c3afc31c.600x338.jpg?t=1783953285",
"path_full": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/a8db40f6985e5fa2229cc96436c12df1c3afc31c/ss_a8db40f6985e5fa2229cc96436c12df1c3afc31c.1920x1080.jpg?t=1783953285"
},
{
"id": 3,
"path_thumbnail": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/4c4622f11ef90e2e35a9591a83c8b529a48eda68/ss_4c4622f11ef90e2e35a9591a83c8b529a48eda68.600x338.jpg?t=1783953285",
"path_full": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/4c4622f11ef90e2e35a9591a83c8b529a48eda68/ss_4c4622f11ef90e2e35a9591a83c8b529a48eda68.1920x1080.jpg?t=1783953285"
},
{
"id": 4,
"path_thumbnail": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/59570bfe9662a63f3ba8810a04c20621cb0ad3d9/ss_59570bfe9662a63f3ba8810a04c20621cb0ad3d9.600x338.jpg?t=1783953285",
"path_full": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/59570bfe9662a63f3ba8810a04c20621cb0ad3d9/ss_59570bfe9662a63f3ba8810a04c20621cb0ad3d9.1920x1080.jpg?t=1783953285"
},
{
"id": 5,
"path_thumbnail": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/37574d2ec84ec15c690fc7a0d6500c32347140a6/ss_37574d2ec84ec15c690fc7a0d6500c32347140a6.600x338.jpg?t=1783953285",
"path_full": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/37574d2ec84ec15c690fc7a0d6500c32347140a6/ss_37574d2ec84ec15c690fc7a0d6500c32347140a6.1920x1080.jpg?t=1783953285"
},
{
"id": 6,
"path_thumbnail": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/593e8648bc4fcd3467bdd8ca5325233bdbe115af/ss_593e8648bc4fcd3467bdd8ca5325233bdbe115af.600x338.jpg?t=1783953285",
"path_full": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/593e8648bc4fcd3467bdd8ca5325233bdbe115af/ss_593e8648bc4fcd3467bdd8ca5325233bdbe115af.1920x1080.jpg?t=1783953285"
},
{
"id": 7,
"path_thumbnail": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/00d04fea230c7cbc9aec4d599ba14934aab086e5/ss_00d04fea230c7cbc9aec4d599ba14934aab086e5.600x338.jpg?t=1783953285",
"path_full": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/00d04fea230c7cbc9aec4d599ba14934aab086e5/ss_00d04fea230c7cbc9aec4d599ba14934aab086e5.1920x1080.jpg?t=1783953285"
}
],
"movies": [
{
"id": 257375991,
"name": "Subway Builder Release Date",
"thumbnail": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/257375991/1305cd7ac9caa9606e6f4ef8bb518f998e6122aa/movie_600x337.jpg?t=1783953283",
"dash_av1": "https://video.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_trailers/4039140/258593542/cd129fbaedc3d36bb037ac7fce60a2824aab7e3d/1783951812/dash_av1.mpd?t=1783953283",
"dash_h264": "https://video.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_trailers/4039140/258593542/cd129fbaedc3d36bb037ac7fce60a2824aab7e3d/1783951812/dash_h264.mpd?t=1783953283",
"hls_h264": "https://video.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_trailers/4039140/258593542/cd129fbaedc3d36bb037ac7fce60a2824aab7e3d/1783951812/hls_264_master.m3u8?t=1783953283",
"highlight": true
}
],
"release_date": {
"coming_soon": true,
"date": "17 Jul, 2026"
},
"support_info": {
"url": "",
"email": "contact@subwaybuilder.com"
},
"background": "https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/storepagebackground/app/4039140?t=1783953285",
"background_raw": "https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4039140/6a9fb88be7522e4786825bfaa8ec640f206c1071/page_bg_raw.jpg?t=1783953285",
"content_descriptors": {
"ids": [],
"notes": null
},
"ratings": {
"dejus": {
"rating_generated": "1",
"rating": "l",
"required_age": "0",
"banned": "0",
"use_age_gate": "0",
"descriptors": ""
},
"steam_germany": {
"rating_generated": "1",
"rating": "0",
"required_age": "0",
"banned": "0",
"use_age_gate": "0",
"descriptors": ""
},
"igrs": {
"rating_generated": "1",
"rating": "3",
"required_age": "0",
"banned": "0",
"use_age_gate": "0",
"descriptors": ""
}
}
}
}
}
