OpenLoco for Android is an experimental Android port of the open-source project OpenLoco.
As its foundation, we use the source code of the official OpenLoco project as available to us on September 29, 2026, and compile it for Android. Our work mainly focuses on Android-specific adaptations and additional features needed to make the game usable on smartphones and tablets.
This project is explicitly not intended to compete with or replace OpenLoco. For me, it is mainly a hobby and experimental project: I wanted to find out how far the existing OpenLoco source can be brought to Android and what changes are required to make it practical to use on a touchscreen.
The actual game engine and a large part of the functionality still come directly from the official OpenLoco project. Without the work of the OpenLoco developers and contributors, this Android project would not be possible.
Original project:
OpenLoco is an open-source reimplementation of Chris Sawyer’s Locomotion.
The engine is developed as an open-source project, but it still requires files from the original game in order to run.
For this reason, OpenLoco for Android does not include any original graphics, sounds or other game assets from Chris Sawyer’s Locomotion.
A legally obtained copy of the original game is required.
Before OpenLoco can run on Android, the original game data has to be imported once.
The easiest way is to create a ZIP archive from your existing Chris Sawyer’s Locomotion installation.
Open the Locomotion installation directory on your PC and create a ZIP archive containing the game files.
One particularly important folder is:
Data
Inside it, you should find:
g1.DAT
This file is used during the import process to detect a valid Locomotion installation.
The ZIP archive should therefore contain a structure similar to:
Data/g1.DAT
Then:
After a successful import, the original game files do not have to be selected again every time the app starts.
The original Locomotion interface was designed for mouse and keyboard input. Because of this, several parts of the interface are being adapted specifically for smartphones and tablets.
Features already implemented include:
More windows and controls will be adapted for touchscreens step by step.
OpenLoco for Android also includes an integrated ModManager.
This allows additional Locomotion objects and mods to be installed directly on the Android device without manually copying files into internal folders.
The ModManager currently supports:
Installed objects are copied into the appropriate OpenLoco user directory and the object index can be rebuilt accordingly.
The ModManager is connected to our WiSim-Welt OpenLoco Repository.
This makes it possible to browse, download and install mods directly from within the app.
The repository can provide information such as:
The goal is to make installing additional Locomotion content on Android as easy as possible.
The current development version includes, among other things:
OpenLoco for Android is still in development.
The current focus is on making the existing OpenLoco source work as cleanly as possible on Android while gradually adapting the user interface for touchscreens.
We want to stay as close as possible to the original OpenLoco project. Our Android-specific changes are intended to extend the existing work, not replace it.
Bug reports, testing on different Android devices and feedback from the community are very welcome.
OpenLoco is released under the MIT License.
OpenLoco for Android is based on the original OpenLoco source code and includes Android-specific modifications and additional functionality.
The original OpenLoco project can be found here:
OpenLoco for Android does not include any original assets from Chris Sawyer’s Locomotion.
A legally obtained copy of the original game is required.
OpenLoco for Android is an unofficial Android port based on the OpenLoco open-source project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the OpenLoco development team.
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