Driving a real city bus
Bus Simulator 18 puts you in the driver's seat of a working bus route across a large, freely drivable city. You handle the cockpit, watch the traffic, and pick up passengers while dealing with the everyday mess of a big city: traffic jams, potholes, construction sites, accidents, night driving, bad weather, and cars parked in bus bays. Onboard problems like interior soiling, debris, fare evaders, loud music, and specific passenger requests keep each run busy. Drive safely and on time to earn money and build your reputation, while speed cameras and accidents hurt both your standing and your wallet. The game offers a simplified mode for a relaxed run and a realistic mode when you want the full simulation.
Playing with your group
You can run the whole thing solo, or join friends in real-time multiplayer. Together you drive around the 12 districts and over 5.8mi² of routes, splitting the work and growing the bus service as a team. Up to 3 friends can join you in a session. The progression system and the management side give the group something to aim at beyond the next stop: plan routes, buy and sell buses, sort out staff planning, and check the statistics to see how the company is doing.
Before you start
The game ships with 8 licensed buses from Mercedes-Benz, Setra, MAN, and IVECO BUS, including standard and articulated models, with cockpits reproduced in detail. You can paint them, add patterns and advertising panels, and make your own license plate. Steering wheels and gamepads are supported, along with Tobii eye tracking and TrackIR. Modding is a big part of the package: build routes, buses, liveries, and maps, share them with the community, or grab content from the Steam Workshop. Passenger voiceovers come in English and German.