Bus Simulator 18

Bus Simulator 18 (also known as Bus Simulator on consoles) is a bus simulator game developed by Stillalive Studios and published by Astragon Entertainment. It is powered by Unreal Engine 4 and was released in June 2018 for Windows and in September 2019 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is the fifth game in the Bus Simulator franchise and is the direct sequel to Bus Simulator 16. A sequel titled Bus Simulator 21 was released in 2021.^[1]

Bus Simulator 18
Cover art of Bus Simulator featuring an articulated Mercedes-Benz Citaro bus
Developer(s)	Stillalive Studios
Publisher(s)	Astragon Entertainment
Series	Bus Simulator
Engine	Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)	Windows PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Release	Windows 13 June 2018 PlayStation 4, Xbox One 17 September 2019
Genre(s)	Vehicle simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

An in-game screenshot from the cockpit camera of a MAN Lion's City on a rainy day.

Bus Simulator 18 features a sizable map of fictional modern city Seaside Valley, consisting of twelve districts, which is 2.5 times bigger than Bus Simulator 16.^[2] The game allows players to drive eight licensed vehicles from four different bus manufacturers including Iveco, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, and Setra ranging from low-floor buses to articulated buses.^[3] Like its predecessor, the game also uses a procedural generation system that requires players to complete different missions to unlock new districts. Management-wise, players are able to create their own bus lines, as well as buying, selling and upgrading buses.^[4]

Development and release

An in-game trailer was released in May 2018. In comparison to the Unity-based Bus Simulator 16,^{[citation needed]} Bus Simulator 18 is powered by Unreal Engine 4, which shows considerably improved graphics.^[2] It was released to Microsoft Windows in June 2018, with modding and multiplayer mode were featured for the first time in the Bus Simulator series.^[5] PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were later made available on September 17, 2019.^[6] A map expansion downloadable content was released in May 2019.^[7]

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	PC: 67/100[8] PS4: 61/100[9] XONE: 60/100[10]

Review scores

Publication	Score
GameStar	67/100[11]
Shacknews	6/10[12]

Reception

Bus Simulator 18 received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.^[8][9][10]

Chris Jarrard of Shacknews gave a 6 to the game, writing "Bus Simulator 18 is not a game changer and to be honest, it's not the most rewarding experience I've ever had in front of my PC." He had three major issues of the game — a lack of content, multiplayer bugs, and a boring campaign.^[12]

Chris O'Connor of Impulse Gamer rated it 4 out of 5. He considered the game to be quite relaxing, but he considered its content not deep enough.^[13]

Alec Meer of Rock, Paper, Shotgun enjoyed the atmosphere in the game, which is so great that he even would like to become a bus driver. He says "Bus Simulator 18 leaves me with a deep sympathy for bus drivers and a great terror that I might ever become one."^[14]

Andy Kelly of PC Gamer compared the game with the similar-genre video game Euro Truck Simulator 2 of SCS Software, commenting the game maybe not as good as the truck-simulator, but it is full of interaction, which is what the Truck Simulator franchise is missing.^[15]