RUNNING TRAIN | 走ル列車！

RUNNING TRAIN launched into Steam Early Access on May 24, 2026 at version 0.9, following approximately three years of solo development by developer Rizu. The game is explicitly marked as Early Access, and the developer has been transparent about what remains before the 1.0 release. At launch, Rizu published a detailed roadmap covering the full Early Access period through to v1.0. Planned additions include route extensions (Sankai Main Line expanding to approximately 80km, Fukugawa Main Line extending to approximately 20km), Conductor Mode, and localization into additional languages, with a stated target of Q3 2027 for the full 1.0 release. Since launch, the developer has been consistently active. A major update (v0.9.4) shipped on September 13, 2026, adding the NPC/passenger system, first-person view mode, in-car announcements and chimes, and station broadcast systems — all features that were on the launch roadmap. A same-day hotfix (v0.9.4b) followed to address NPC pathing and rendering issues. In the accompanying development status post, Rizu acknowledged delays and scope creep as a solo developer, and updated their approach: specific target months will no longer be given in advance; instead, update dates will be announced only when features are fully developed and stable. The next milestone remains a Tutorial and UI overhaul to enable expanded localization. Rizu also flagged a possible base price increase between October and mid-November 2026 as content continues to expand. Development remains active and the roadmap is being worked through, with substantial content still to come before the game reaches its planned 1.0 state.