A helicopter approaching an offshore derrick — sandbox or tycoon, the same map toys.
Transport Fever 3 sandbox is the unrestricted builder: you can disable the economy, set city size and cargo demand, and treat the map as a diorama. Tycoon keeps profit, reputation, noise, pollution and the rest of the sliders. Campaign is eight historic missions with the opening missions as the tutorial. The in-game map editor sculpts heightmaps, paint and vegetation and shares through the mod browser.
There is no multiplayer. Urban Games says the sequel is single-player by design until that experience is finished. Steam categories list single-player, achievements, full controller support, a level editor and Family Sharing. Steam Workshop is not listed; mods go through mod.io instead.
Tycoon keeps loans, headquarters perks and liveability on by default. Sandbox can switch the economy off and still uses the four climates and the new helicopters. Campaign teaches the tools in eight historic missions. The editor shares heightmaps through the same mod.io browser as other packs.
Tycoon First Look
The tycoon First Look is the official film for the demanding defaults. Sandbox is the same world with the economy switched off. Click the facade for youtube-nocookie.
Tycoon, sandbox, campaign, editor
Pick tycoon if you want towns to care whether you are late, loud or dirty. Difficulty, noise, pollution and reputation are the named sliders; they can be turned down without leaving the mode. Headquarters perks, landmarks and loans stay in that column, which is why Deluxe statues are a tycoon flex rather than a sandbox-only toy.
Pick sandbox if you came to lay track. The official FAQ says the economy can be disabled and that city size and cargo demand are configurable. You still have the four climates, the vehicle classes and the map's living world; you just stop being billed for every train. Cargo origin storage still works, so even a money-off map can teach class matching.
Pick campaign for eight historic scripts and a tutorial. Pick the map editor when you want a custom heightmap and a file you can share through the in-game mod browser. The editor is not a substitute for Workshop: sharing is the same cross-platform path as other mods, including on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. Linux and Mac Steam copies follow that same four-mode list.
Mode
Adjustable
Goal
Tycoon mode
Difficulty, noise, pollution, reputation
Grow towns while balancing profit and liveability
Sandbox mode
Economy can be disabled; city size and cargo demand configurable
Unrestricted building and dioramas
Campaign mode
Eight historic missions; first missions are the tutorial
Scripted transport history scenarios
Map editor
Heightmaps, sculpting, painting, vegetation
Custom maps shared through the mod browser
Single-player on purpose
The official FAQ says Transport Fever 3 is single-player by design and that multiplayer is not in focus until that experience is done. Do not expect a co-op sandbox toggle at launch. Steam's category list matches that: single-player, not online co-op. There is also no split-screen listing.
Full controller support is listed, which matters on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series as well as on a PC with a pad. Family Sharing is listed. Achievements are advertised, but the community achievements page is empty before launch, so there is no mode-specific unlock table here. Controller support does not add a second player.
If you want to play the same custom map with a friend, the supported path is export through the mod browser, not a session browser. That is the studio stance. The friend still launches a single-player session on their own console or PC. Family Sharing does not turn that into co-op.
Which mode for which job
Learn the new cargo-origin rule and the sliders in campaign, then move to tycoon on a mixed-biome map. Use sandbox when you want to test cargo trams and helicopters without loans. Use the editor when the node-based generator will not give you the coastline you need for oil platforms and fishing grounds.
Deluxe vehicles and landmarks appear in every mode that can place them; they are not a fifth mode. Pre-order Queen Mary is a ship you can deploy wherever ships are allowed, not a campaign-only extra. Collector's merch does not add a mode either. Fun Elements and Tycoon Cars from Deluxe follow the same rule.
Platform does not change the mode list. PS5, Xbox Series, Steam, GOG and the named Epic SKU all get tycoon, sandbox, campaign and the editor, with mods through the same in-game browser. Console players are not locked out of the editor according to official support copy. Linux and Apple Silicon Macs follow the Steam PC mode list. The four modes share climates, vehicle classes and the cargo-origin rule. Only the money and liveability pressure change. Console SKUs keep the same four entries, including the editor and the mod browser.
Frequently asked questions
Is there multiplayer or co-op in Transport Fever 3?
No. Urban Games says the game is single-player by design and that multiplayer is not in focus until that experience is finished. Steam categories match: single-player, not online co-op. Sharing a map is a mod-browser job, not a session browser.
Can sandbox disable more than money?
Sandbox can switch the economy off and lets you set city size and cargo demand. Noise, pollution and reputation sliders are named on the tycoon page as adjustable including off. Use those controls rather than expecting a separate creative SKU.
