Although Sid Meier created the original Railroad Tycoon, subsequent versions were developed by PopTop Software.

is fully three-dimensional and geared more toward head-to-head real-time strategy than the previous versions,[citation needed] resulting in it being less suited to single player play, and a less realistic simulation of railway operation.

The game is heavily focused on economics – players have to build and sustain entire industries using the railroads they develop.

Gameplay changes from previous editions of Railroad Tycoon include a system where new technology is first auctioned to the highest bidder.

However, players are limited to laying track in a contiguous system, which in turn reduces the impact of there being no network effects in the economics of the game.

In these scenarios (fifteen in all), the game allows the user to take on the role of various famous railway tycoons and robber barons from the past, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and J.P.