Which mode and settings should a new player pick?
The official manual recommends playing the tutorial once if you are new, and it is a toggle in the Free Game setup. The campaign’s opening missions also teach the core systems, so either is a sound first session.
In Free Game you choose a climate, a map size and a start year between 1900 and 2020 in ten-year steps. The climate changes the landscape rather than the simulation. Difficulty is a preset that moves every economy and finance slider at once, so leave it on the default until you know which cost is hurting you.
| Setting | A sensible first choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tutorial | On | The manual recommends playing it once |
| Difficulty | The default preset | It sets vehicle, infrastructure and income sliders together |
| Map size | Small or Medium | Towns sit closer together, so first routes stay short |
| Mods | None | Sandbox Mode and No Costs remove the money constraint you are trying to learn |
Sources: TF3 manual · Free Game
Why does a new company start with no money?
A new game starts with an empty bank account. The manual says you need a loan to begin building, so borrowing first is the intended opening rather than a mistake.
Open the finance window by clicking the account balance in the bottom-left corner, then pick an offer on the Loans tab. Each card shows the principal, the term in months, the interest rate and the annual repayment. Add up your first project before choosing: stops, a depot, a few vehicles and a cash reserve.
Sources: TF3 manual · Company and Finances
How do you read a town before placing a stop?
Every town has residential, commercial and industrial districts. Residential districts generate passengers; commercial and industrial districts consume goods. The manual says demand is shown in the town’s info window and beside the town name, and that new demands appear as the town grows.
AllThings.How’s beginner tips, updated 2 October 2026, suggest pausing as soon as the map loads and opening the town’s Supplies panel, then using the district overlay to see where each zone sits. Do this for one town only. Building in several towns at once makes it hard to tell which line is working.
Sources: TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks · TF3 manual · Towns
How do you build the first passenger line?
- Pause the game and choose the town you read in the previous step.
- Place road stops so that homes, shops and workplaces fall inside a stop’s catchment area. Stations have a limited catchment, so a town needs several stops.
- Build a depot near the route. Vehicles are bought at a depot.
- Open the line manager, click New Line and click each stop in the order vehicles should visit it. A line needs more than one stop.
- Use Buy Vehicles on the line: it opens the nearest compatible depot. A vehicle you buy without a line has no destination and will sit idle.
- Unpause and watch one vehicle complete a full round trip before buying more.
For a second step, the manual’s own suggestion is a direct bus route between two neighbouring towns.
Sources: TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks · TF3 manual · Lines and Vehicles
What should you watch on the first line?
The line window lists capacity, loaded cargo, rate and frequency, and a Balance graph of running costs against income. Blue above red means the line was profitable that year.
The station window shows unhappy passengers per line. A high count is the game’s signal to raise that line’s rate. Add a vehicle when vehicles leave full and people are still waiting across several trips; vehicles running with empty seats mean the line already has enough.
Sources: TF3 manual · Lines and Vehicles
When should you add a cargo line?
Once the passenger line is stable. The manual suggests a simple chain first, such as vegetables or fish delivered to a commercial district that asks for them, and points to the industry page for each chain’s destinations.
Use the cargo version of a stop, check that the town actually requests the product, and keep the route short. If goods have to change vehicles, they need a warehouse inside the catchment of both stations.
Sources: TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks · TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo
Which early mistakes cost the most?
| Mistake | What it costs you |
|---|---|
| Buying a vehicle without assigning a line | It has no schedule and earns nothing |
| Running a train with too few wagons | The manual warns it will likely lose money |
| A platform shorter than the train | Loading and unloading slow down |
| A long S-shaped or U-shaped detour | Pay follows straight-line distance, upkeep follows track length |
| Heavy terrain changes and tree removal | Expensive, and it lowers reputation in nearby towns |
| Empty return trips | Empty vehicles earn nothing |
Sources: TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks
What should you read next?
Where this answer comes from
Checked 2026-10-22. Each claim links to the published material it comes from. Inspection sequences are Routebook’s editorial suggestions.
- TF3 manual · Free Game Official wiki
- TF3 manual · Company and Finances Official wiki
- TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks Official wiki
- TF3 manual · Towns Official wiki
- TF3 manual · Lines and Vehicles Official wiki
- TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo Official wiki