Rail Nation Winter Event: Essential Guide

Rail Nation’s winter event layers a holiday market economy on top of the standard game. This year it runs from 19 November to 27 November and is available on all live gameworlds except “Across the World” gameworlds and DE4 “Kohlekasten”, DE11 “Dieselpumpe”, DE205 “Holstentor”, EN1 “Steam Boiler”, FR3 “Boite à fumée”, INT101 “Rocky Mountains”, IT3 “Camino”, PL5 “Wał korbowy”, and US102 “Grand Central”. The goal is to collect winter coins, spend them wisely, explore a snowy board and climb the diamond leaderboard.

How It Works

At the start of the event you receive winter coins, which act as a temporary currency. You use them to buy five special resources needed to advance across the event board. Prices of these resources vary each hour based on overall buying and selling, encouraging you to watch the market. Resources can be purchased individually or via boxes containing one fixed and one random item. Coins also come from quests, the winter market building and random in‑game actions.

The main playing field is a hexagonal board. Each tile shows which resource is required; invest that resource to reveal the tile and collect a small reward. Only adjacent tiles may be unlocked, so you must chart a path toward the right‑hand side where a bonus ticket awaits. Bonus tickets contain diamonds and other prizes such as lottery tickets, gold, plus‑account days, extra coins and the rare Ice‑breaker locomotive. The resource distribution changes daily, so stock up when prices are low.

Winter Market and Diamonds

A winter market building appears in your station shortly before the event starts and disappears a few days after. It periodically awards winter coins and lets you watch up to two short videos: the first boosts your next payout by two coins, the second offers a random bonus. Diamonds collected while playing raise the level of this building; higher levels grant a percentage bonus on coins earned from quests. Crucially, the building’s level is permanent: it will be preserved for future seasonal events.

Quests, Actions and Coins

The event includes eight daily quests and ten event‑long quests. Each has three difficulty tiers and pays winter coins on completion. Objectives range from performing maintenance and upgrades to watching videos, hiring mechanics, buying wagons, investing research points and winning competitions. In addition, many everyday actions – collecting station bonuses, repairing trains, buying lottery tickets or building track – have about a 10 % chance per hour to grant an extra coin, rewarding active play throughout the event.

Bonus Locomotive and Ranking

Every bonus ticket carries a slim chance of dropping the Ice‑breaker locomotive. The engine’s performance scales with the era you win it and it remains with you until the round ends. Diamonds from tickets also determine your position on the diamond leaderboard. At event’s end, the top 1 % of collectors earn 1 000 career points, the next 4 % receive 500 points, the top 20 % get 250 points and the top half earn 100 points.

Tips for Success

• Follow prices: Watch hourly price updates and buy resources when they’re cheap.

• Chart your route: Always move toward the bonus ticket on the board; avoid detours that waste rare resources.

• Invest in diamonds: Clearing bonus tickets and collecting diamonds levels your winter market and boosts future coin income.

• Complete quests: Daily and long‑term quests provide a reliable flow of coins and align with regular gameplay tasks.

• Stay active: Random coin drops from normal game actions mean it pays to keep playing.

By managing your resources, planning board moves and capitalising on quests, you can make the most of Rail Nation’s winter wonderland and secure both rewards and career points.