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Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop

Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop

stillalive studios · released Sep 6, 2021

SimulationPCPlayStation 5, PlayStation 4Xbox Series X, Xbox One

Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop offers the most comprehensive bus fleet in the history of the series with 30 officially licensed buses. Drive on two vastly different maps, alone or with friend. Play with extended management elements or just enjoy your time on the road.

67
VGC Score
Declininghigh confidence
64%
At launch
70%
Steam all-time
n/a
Press
46%
Player sentiment
68%
Recent sentiment

PC 67 · PlayStation 50 · Xbox 45

Screenshots & trailers

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)0
All-time Steam reviews70%671000
Metacritic user ratings0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)68%6518
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 51 reviews sampled · 32 total reviews in window · weighted 18.8 up / 8.9 down · computed 8h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (1)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 60
    trust 69May 21, 2023

    While the game doesn’t look particularly pretty, it does run at 60 frames-per-second on PS5, and the developer has implemented haptic feedback and the adaptive triggers, which help communicate the feel of driving a gigantic double-decker. Post-release support is en-route, too, promising new school bus-inspired gameplay and trams, so there’s a lot of life left in this one even once you’ve mastered the extensive content available on day one.

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop is here!
    May 16, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  2. Bus Simulator 21 Update 2.18 available now!
    Jun 7, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  3. Update #5 / 2.13 & Modding available now!
    Jan 28, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  4. Update #4 now available for download!
    Dec 10, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  5. Bus Simulator 21 - Update #2 available now!
    Oct 28, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  6. Performance Problems: We need your help to fix them!
    Oct 11, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  7. Bus Simulator 21 - Update #1 available for download!
    Oct 5, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  8. Bus Simulator 21 - Hotfix #3 available now!
    Sep 20, 2021significant · resets scoring window