If you miss the experiences a trip with Berlin’s BVG bus lines brings, but want to be at the helm, there’s no better way than The Bus by Aerosoft and TML-Studios. Even Hamburgian northern lights will get their fill.
The Early Access period for The Bus from TML Studios and Aerosoft lasted exactly five years and one day. Now, the bus simulator laser-focused on Germany's capital, Berlin, is showing what it can do.
In The Bus, players take over a Bus line in Berlin, one which they could have actually taken in real live if they have ever been to the city. The game includes the actual lines TXL (even though the route no longer exists), 100, N100, 123, 142, 147, 200, 245 and 300, which players can be bus drivers for in the story mode. All bus models are real as well, with official licenses from Scania, MAN and VDL for bus types.
The following models are in the game:
The city outside, just as important as the vehicles, has also been simulated to perfection: 1:1 scale models of Berlin have been recreated, including all relevant landmarks such as the Victory Column, the Brandenburg Gate, and Alexanderplatz. The city feels more alive, not only because of the traffic, which adheres to standard German traffic regulations, but also because of the over 600 dynamic events that bus drivers must respond to. These include speed cameras, accidents, burst water mains, fires, medical emergencies and police activity.
In addition, Aerosoft and TML Studios have partnered with BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe) to recreate the corresponding vehicle designs and replicate Atron’s fare collection system.
The Bus © Aerosoft and TML-Studios
While the game is focused on being a bus driver, the actual player experience has received vast options over the course of the game’s Early Access period. In an economy campaign mode for example, players lead their own bus company. Players can build their own bus company by investing in new vehicles, hiring staff and taking care of maintenance and repairs. They can also increase their income through contracts and ticket sales. In Freeplay, the can roam the city as they please.
Day and night cycles as well as weather and seasons enhance the immersion of the experience. These can also be synchronised with the actual weather in the real Berlin at any given time. The game stream in two actual online radio channels by default. Speaking of the weather. This is another example of how the game is essentially a simulation. In winter, for instance, snow caps form on objects, snow piles up along the sides of the road, and if bus drivers aren't careful, they can very quickly start sliding on icy bridges.
While work simulations are often said to be made for a hardcore crowd, The Bus does not limit its appeal to those players. Bus controls are available from realistic ones to arcade with everything in between customisable. In the PC version, the game is also highly moddable, for example paint jobs or map content, with Workshop integration on Steam. Multiplayer is also included. Players can drive through Berlin together and explore the city as a group. Both modding and multiplayer however are currently only available in the PC version, not on consoles. However, apart from these limitations, the PC and console versions are identical.
The Bus © Aerosoft and TML-Studios
The Bus comes from TML-Studios in Erfurt, who are absolute experts on bus simulations, with Fernbus Simulator and City Bus Simulator under their belt already. The team consists of between 18 and 19 employees. Aerosoft is publisher and development partner, and distributes the game physically as well. Additionally, while the game focuses on Berlin, the first big city expansion has also been developed with an outsource partner: a Hamburg expansion comes from Halycon Media from Klein Wesenberg, who have developed countless addons for Aerosoft’s OMSI 2 omnibus simulator before. The three companies’ existing work relationships culminate in The Bus and its additional content, and will likely not end there.
Although it is unusual for a game to receive DLC while still in Early Access, TML Studios and Aerosoft communicated this effectively in the case of the Hamburg DLC. After all, the expansion wasn't developed in-house by TML Studios. However, since Halycon Media completed production of the DLC faster than expected thanks to their proficiency with the tools, there was no reason to delay the release. The Hamburg City DLC will also be released for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. However, it will not be available on 26 March 2026 itself, but will be released shortly afterwards.
"Even after the launch, The Bus will continue to be expanded and regularly updated. Feedback from the community will continue to be incorporated into the development process." - Aerosoft & TML-Studios
The Bus releases for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S as 1.0 globally on 26 March 2026. A physical edition for PS5 is also available through Aerosoft’s own online store.
Conclusion
After five years in Early Access, TML Studios and Aerosoft are setting new standards for bus simulation games.
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