Bus Simulator 27 First Impressions – Surprisingly One of My Favorite Steam Next Fest Demos

The video above is from my stream on CheckpointVibes this is a 21+ stream, therefore the video might be NSFW for some due to language.

Before I dive into my thoughts on Bus Simulator 27, I’d like to thank the developers and publishers for providing us here at The Daily Gamepad with a complimentary demo during Steam Next Fest. I also had the chance to play the demo live on stream, and you’ll find that gameplay video attached above if you’d like to see the game in action.

I’ll admit something right away: I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this game as much as I did.

The last time I played a Bus Simulator title was nearly ten years ago with Bus Simulator 16, and at the time it simply wasn’t for me. Whether my tastes have changed over the years or Bus Simulator has simply evolved that much, I can’t say for certain—but Bus Simulator 27 completely changed my opinion of the series.

One thing that immediately stood out was just how generous the demo is.

Rather than offering a single short mission, players get access to three different routes that gradually introduce the game’s mechanics:

• A tutorial that teaches the basics of operating your bus.
• A standard city route where you’ll transport passengers, sell tickets, and assist riders with accessibility features like the wheelchair lift.
• More advanced coach bus routes that give you longer drives and much less hand-holding.

Together, the demo offers roughly an hour of gameplay, which is far more substantial than many demos released during Steam Next Fest.

What also surprised me about Bus Simulator 27 was just how relaxing it is.

There’s something satisfying about following your route, picking up passengers, opening the doors, selling tickets, and simply driving through the city. The pace is slower than most driving games, and instead of encouraging reckless driving, it rewards patience and paying attention to the road.

Of course, the game also expects you to obey actual traffic laws.

Speed through town? You’ll get penalized.

Run a light? Penalty.

Damage your bus? More penalties.

I even learned the hard way that going downhill without braking can quickly earn you a speeding ticket.

The game constantly reminds you that you’re a professional bus driver—not the star of an arcade racer—and I actually appreciated that level of realism.

One of my favorite additions is the ability to switch freely between first-person and third-person driving.

Personally, I’ve never been very comfortable driving vehicles in first-person camera views. Having the option to switch into third-person made controlling the buses much easier and significantly more enjoyable for me.

Players who own racing wheels or simulation setups will probably love the cockpit view, but it’s nice that Bus Simulator 27 doesn’t force everyone into that perspective.

The shortcut menu is another fantastic quality-of-life feature. Instead of memorizing dozens of keyboard commands, many common actions are easily accessible, making the learning process much smoother.

Visually, Bus Simulator 27 is gorgeous.

The city, highways, countryside, and surrounding environments are incredibly detailed, and I often found myself admiring the scenery instead of focusing on the road.

In fact…that occasionally became a problem.

More than once, I caught myself distracted by how nice everything looked, which probably explains why I wasn’t always the world’s greatest bus driver. Parking still remains my biggest weakness, but thankfully the game makes learning feel enjoyable instead of frustrating.

Once I reached the advanced route, the game stopped holding my hand.

Instead of telling me exactly what to do, it simply expected me to know how to operate the bus and complete the route on my own. I actually liked this approach because it felt like a natural progression from the earlier tutorial.

Not every trip went perfectly, though.

There were a few accidental collisions, a couple of speeding tickets…and yes, I even managed to flip the bus at one point.

Needless to say, my passengers probably weren’t thrilled.

Even during those less-than-perfect moments, however, I never stopped having fun. The mistakes became part of the experience rather than something frustrating.

Another reason this game resonated with me is a little more personal.

While I’ve always been more interested in trains, my son absolutely loves buses. When the opportunity came up to cover Bus Simulator 27 for The Daily Gamepad, I thought it would be a fun way to better understand what makes buses so interesting to him.

After spending time with the demo, I think I finally get it.

There’s something calming about following a route, managing passengers, and simply enjoying the drive.

Bus Simulator 27 ended up being one of my biggest surprises of Steam Next Fest.

After not enjoying the series nearly a decade ago, I wasn’t expecting to come away genuinely excited for the full release. Yet after spending about an hour with the demo, that’s exactly what happened.

The relaxing gameplay, beautiful environments, thoughtful accessibility options, satisfying progression, and surprisingly engaging simulation mechanics all came together to create an experience I kept wanting to return to.

If you’re already a fan of simulation games like Truck Simulator, this is an easy recommendation. Even if you’ve never played a bus simulator before—or, like me, weren’t impressed by older entries—the demo is absolutely worth checking out.

Bus Simulator 27 launches on September 8 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with the game currently available to pre-purchase for $29.99 for PC and 34.99 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Once again, thank you to the developers and publishers for providing us at The Daily Gamepad with a demo copy for review. If the demo is still available when you’re reading this, I’d highly recommend giving it a try and adding the game to your wishlist.