Transport Fever 3 shares an early look at traffic systems that Cities Skylines 2 fans have dreamed of for years

I'm willing to bet that Santa doesn't have many people writing to him to ask for sophisticated traffic management systems at this time of year. However, there are dozens of us - dozens, I tell you! - who are eager to break away from the stale drudgery of Cities Skylines 2's poor traffic options, if only we could find the best city building game to cater to our vehicular needs. Transport Fever 3 is now setting itself up for greatness, as it reveals some of my most-requested features for the genre in its latest teaser.

Back in September, Transport Fever 3 developer Urban Games shed some light on the cargo systems in the upcoming game, but that's not really my bag. This time around, however, we're talking traffic. Or, more specifically, infrastructure.

The latest video opens by looking at roads, and there's no words that make a city building fan's ear prick up more than "full lane controls." Whether you're building a serene route home to the suburbs or the junction from hell, Transport Fever 3 will allow you to dictate precisely which paths traffic will follow using easy click and drag arrows.

This has been an issue with countless city builders, not least Cities Skylines 2, Paradox's market leader. Traffic management is so bad in that game (and lane controls non-existent) that players often resort to mods to make their infrastructure function. Including these options in Transport Fever 3 is an easy way to get fans of the genre on board.

Public transport has also been upgraded, with modular stations that allow you to increase capacity or make passengers happier. Nobody wants to wait for the delayed 7:55 service to Sledgeville standing up now, do they? Three types of train tracks also add to the game's complexity. Faster tracks create more pollution and cost more to maintain, so it'll always be a balancing act of which one to choose.

Maintenance has also been overhauled, with neglected vehicles losing speed, comfort, and belching out increased levels of pollution to the local environment. There is improved waypointing and pathing for both ships and aircrafts, allowing you to maintain the former and direct the latter away from residential areas.

Each of Transport Fever 3's in-depth first look videos has showed Urban Games as a developer that is really trying to think of everything. When it comes to the infrastructure elements of the city building genre, it has covered all the bases that fans want full control over and promises an exciting game with some huge quality of life upgrades over its competitors. From noise barriers by big train stations, to tree-lined avenues to reduce pollution, Transport Fever 3 looks like a solid iteration of the games that have come before. What seems incredibly complex on the developer side (implementing trams with light rail tracks for hybrid services doesn't sound easy) will be a boon for players when the game releases in 2026.

It remains to be seen whether it can pull these ambitious plans off, but the lofty goals and impressive in-engine footage are a mouth-watering prospect for those of us who regularly update a list of intersections to avoid in our notes app. Finally, we can apply our meticulous traffic management plans to a videogame, too.