the longest journey windows 10

JavaScript is required for this page to work! Please upgrade your web browser or enable JavaScript!

Copyright © Funcom 1998 - 2018 Community Forums Support

The Longest Journey

• High Quality 16.2 MB
• Low Quality 7.2 MB
• High Quality 9.4 MB
• Low Quality 5 MB

Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime. The Longest Journey is more than a game - it's more like a book, a movie and a game all rolled into one. Explore an interactive and beautifully created universe from the perspective of April Ryan, a young art student who soon discovers that there is more to her world than meets the eye.

With the power to pass between worlds like others pass from waking to sleep, April must embark on the longest journey of her life; a journey not only across twin worlds, but also into her very own heart and soul. Embark on a voyage across phenomenal worlds, encounter a fantastic cast of unforgettable characters, and unravel one of the most epic stories ever told.

Experience what critics around the world are calling one of the best adventure games of all time. Experience The Longest Journey !

The Longest Journey (Windows)

• My Abandonware

The Longest Journey

Windows - 1999

Description of The Longest Journey

Easily one of the best adventure games I have played in the past 3-4 years, The Longest Journey is a delightful adventure with, for once, a truly original and fascinating plot.

Had the game been more aggressively promoted, might be able to rejuvenate the dying genre of traditional inventory-based adventure. Unfortunately, poor sales figures mean that the game may be relegated to the realms of underdogs in the very near future. The Longest Journey starts out in a peaceful town of Newport, in some unspecified region of future United States. You are April Ryan, a young art student who is struggling to finish her painting, as well as making sense of the nightmares she is suffering from lately.

Every character in the game is very well developed, and you'll quickly sympathize with April's friends and detest those that she hates. You also can't help but be quickly drawn into the game by its amazing level of detail: for instance, clicking on most things, no matter how trivial, yield interesting descriptions and April's anecdotes. Anyone who gleefully suffers from the "click-everything-in-sight" syndrome (myself included)-- here is the game you've been waiting for. The plot also gets better and more original the more you play-- I don't want to spoil any surprises here, so let me just say that the game's mixture of science and fantasy is very, very well executed, and there are many surprising twists and turns in the story.

Gameplay, thank goodness, is standard point-and-click affair, with mostly easy puzzles but also some that are quite creative (finding use for a rubber ducky is a case in point). The game also follows the player-can't-die design of LucasArts adventures, so there is no frustrating save-and-restore type of puzzles here (although sometimes the long journey you have to make to retrieve a forgotten item may warrant restoring). The game is also, true to its name, very long: all 4 CDs are packed with gameplay (as opposed to superficial movie fodder of most other games), but you'll be so absorbed you'll be sad to see it end.

There's really nothing wrong I can think of with this game, except that the ending is disappointingly anticlimactic, and voice acting is inconsistent in parts. These nits, however, do nothing to dent this amazing adventure that's well worth the money. Two thumbs up!

Review By HOTUD

External links

Captures and snapshots.

Comments and reviews

larry 2022-01-22 0 point

this title is one of the best (adventure) games of all time. how come can its vote score be so low!!!

adventurer 2019-07-14 0 point

amazing game, so memorable... :')

Write a comment

Share your gamer memories, give useful links or comment anything you'd like. This game is no longer abandonware, we won't put it back online.

Buy The Longest Journey

The Longest Journey is available for a small price on the following websites, and is no longer abandonware . GOG.com provides the best release and does not include DRM , please buy from them! You can read our online store guide .

Similar games

Fellow retro gamers also downloaded these games:

• Sid Meier's Civilization
• Need for Speed II: SE
• Oregon Trail Deluxe
• The Incredible Machine
• Mario Teaches Typing
• The House of the Dead
• Prince of Persia
• Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams
• Yu-Gi-Oh!: Power of Chaos - Yugi the Destiny
• The House of the Dead 2
• Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
• The Typing of the Dead
• Nobunaga's Ambition II
• Back to the Future
• Attack Four VolleyBall
• Taiketsu Rumi-Zu!

Ad Consent Terms About Contact FAQ Useful links Contribute Taking screenshots How to play

• Random page
• Recent changes
• Troubleshooting guide
• Editing guide
• Sample article
• Wiki policy
• Maintenance
• Assignments
• Files policy
• PCGW Account
• Other communities
• What links here
• Related changes
• Special pages
• Printable version
• Permanent link
• Page information
• Page values

Anonymous edits have been disabled on the wiki. If you want to contribute please login or create an account.

Warning for game developers: PCGamingWiki staff members will only ever reach out to you using the official [email protected] mail address. Be aware of scammers claiming to be representatives or affiliates of PCGamingWiki who promise a PCGW page for a game key.

• View source

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is a singleplayer cinematic camera and third-person adventure game in the The Longest Journey series.

General information

Availability

Essential improvements, skip intro videos.

Configuration file(s) location

Save game data location, save game cloud syncing.

Controller support

Localizations

Issues fixed, crashes on launch on windows 10 boot camp.

The game may crash a few seconds into the gameplay when run on Windows 10 via Boot Camp.

Retail version won't run on Windows 10

The retail release (Any version: 6 CD, 1 DVD, or 1 DVD Game of the Year Edition) will refuse to launch on modern Windows, without even producing an error message.

Characters get stuck in cutscenes

Bug example: In a Chapter 5 cutscene, Zoë and Damien may get stuck walking in place through the stairwell doorway.

Other information

Graphical enhancements, dreamfall hd textures reworked (high res textures), system requirements.

• ↑ 1.0 1.1 When running this game without elevated privileges ( Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES% , %PROGRAMDATA% , or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA% \VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later ( more details ).
• File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data .
• Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
• The app ID (6300) may differ in some cases.
• Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
• See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.
• ↑ 1.0 1.1 Starforce or any DRM on this? - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
• ↑ Verified by User:Virotti on 2023-04-30 Deleted the files and only a short video is shown before the title screen.
• ↑ Windowed mode? - Official Dreamfall: The Longest Journey forums - last accessed on May 2023
• ↑ Verified by User:Fudgesiclesxd on 2022-07-10
• ↑ Dreamfall: The Longest Journey - Soundblaster.com (retrieved) - last accessed on May 2023
• ↑ EAX 2 not an available choice in Dreamfall - The Longest Journey Forums - last accessed on May 2023
• One-time game purchase
• No microtransactions
• Singleplayer
• Cinematic camera
• Third-person
• Direct control
• Point and select
• Pages needing references

How to play Dreamfall: The Longest Journey on Windows 7/8

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey at 7860x4320

Pixel Boost is our weekly series devoted to the artistry of games, and the techniques required to run them at high resolutions.

1999. 2006. 2014. Like any veteran point-and-click adventure player, the developers of The Longest Journey series know how to take their time. Eight years after the release of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, Ragnar Tørnquist and his team are back with Kickstarter darling Dreamfall Chapters: the Longest Journey. It’s playable now . But if you’ve never played the prequel, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, released in 2006, turned the original 2D point-and-click adventure into a more modern 3D adventure, complete with (admittedly pretty bad) combat and sneaking. Those gameplay elements take a backseat to the story and character development, though, which are as deep as you’ll find in any adventure game. Dreamfall takes its characters through the dual worlds of Stark and Arcadia, one ruled by technology, the other magic.

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is still easily available and playable today, unlike many of the games I feature on Pixel Boost. It doesn’t require any particular voodoo to run--but with a little help from Durante’s GeDoSaTo, it can be downsampled from a resolution like 8K and look much younger than its eight years.

Funcom’s Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is $15 on GOG and $20 on Steam . Also, there’s a $25 bundle on Steam for both Dreamfall and the original 2D Longest Journey. The game easily installs from either service and works on both Windows 7 and Windows 8. Simply install, and move on to the next step: preparing for Downsampling.

Run it in high resolution

Before running Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, download Durante’s downsampling tool GeDoSaTo . In GeDoSaTo’s general settings, you can set the resolution you want to downsample from. With a decent modern graphics card, you should be able to downsample from 4K, 6K or even 8K resolution down to your monitor’s native resolution.

All of those resolution options are in GeDoSaTo by default; GeDoSaTo will also automatically detect the resolution of your monitor. The default renderResolutions should be just fine, but you can add your own (or comment out the ones you don't want the game to see) with #. I played the game at 7680x4320.

After setting the resolution, go into GeDoSaTo’s “whitelist” setting, and add Dreamfall to the list of supported games. Because the game’s .exe is simply titled Dreamfall, that’s all you have to enter in the list.

There aren’t any significant mods for Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, though you can download a few simple graphical changes here .

Wes has been covering games and hardware for more than 10 years, first at tech sites like The Wirecutter and Tested before joining the PC Gamer team in 2014. Wes plays a little bit of everything, but he'll always jump at the chance to cover emulation and Japanese games.

When he's not obsessively optimizing and re-optimizing a tangle of conveyor belts in Satisfactory (it's really becoming a problem), he's probably playing a 20-year-old Final Fantasy or some opaque ASCII roguelike. With a focus on writing and editing features, he seeks out personal stories and in-depth histories from the corners of PC gaming and its niche communities. 50% pizza by volume (deep dish, to be specific).

The creators of one of the best detective games ever are back with a new 'open world mascot management crime drama' and I could not be more ready

Telltale shares new images from The Wolf Among Us 2, says it's 'been heads down' on the game

Freakishly large graphics cards and super-hot SSDs mean the fundamentals of PC design needs a big change

Most Popular

• 2 Best ultrawide monitor for gaming in 2024: the expansive panels I recommend for PC gamers
• 3 Best wireless gaming keyboard in 2024
• 4 Best gaming laptops in 2024: I've had my pick of portable powerhouses and these are the best
• 5 Best gaming chairs in 2024: the seats I'd suggest for any gamer
• 2 Dough Spectrum Black 27 review
• 3 HyperX Cloud III Wireless review
• 4 Another Crab's Treasure review
• 5 Sand Land review

Advertisement

The Longest Journey for Windows

• V  varies-with-device

Security Status

Softonic review

A long-haul adventure game for fans of a very long story

Some people enjoy playing a game because it has a good story. Fans of The Longest Journey like playing because they enjoy a very long story. This game is as close to an epic as a video game is able to come. The game is not for children because the story is complex, the ideas are intelligent, and there is frequent swearing and nudity.

Art-filled areas to explore and discover

You play the part of a young student who has to strike a balance between a dreamy magical realm and our logical and scientific realm. The game has over 150 locations to explore that differ dramatically based on if you are stepping into the realm of magic, or if you are stepping back into our world. The Longest Journey offers smooth game play that is littered with plot points that push the story along.Different NPCs have back stories that add depth to the narrative, and even the magical creatures have their own motivations and stories to tell. The game is a role-playing game that works in an episodic fashion as you move from one picturesque location to the next. The story is told along the bottom of the screen where text appears indicating what is being said and what is happening. The game has its fair share of puzzles. Most of the puzzles in the human realm are logical, whereas the ones in the magical realm are a little dreamier where the answers are less obvious.

A game for adults who are willing to commit to a story

One cannot emphasize how long the Longest Journey is. There is a lot of reading and most people cannot complete it within less than fifty hours. The game is not driven by speech. The main character offers expressions of empathy, dry wit, insightful commentary and introspection. You both watch the events unfold and peer into the mind of the young woman experiencing said events.

• There is plenty of gaming hours to enjoy
• It is a game aimed at an adult audience without relying on gore and sex
• If you leave it for a few weeks when you will forget the narrative
• Character modeling not very aesthetically pleasing

The Longest Journey for PC

User reviews about the longest journey.

Have you tried The Longest Journey? Be the first to leave your opinion!

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast

Playable tech showcase for Source engine

John's Background Switcher

Switch your desktop wallpaper periodically

Metro Exodus - Sam's Story

New Metro Exodus expansion

NEKOPARA Vol. 3

Cool Game for Neko Fans

Alternatives to The Longest Journey

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

Cool Game for Adventure Fans

The Long Journey Home

Procedurally generated space simulator

Small World 2

A Full Version Strategy game for Windows

Pre-Civilization Egypt

Dreamfall Chapters

Cool Game for Puzzle Fans

A whole other world

Explore More

DrawaStickman:EPIC

A Unique, Drawing-Based Adventure Game

Kids Numbers and Math

A Fun Number Game for Preschoolers

Nonograms free

Picture-Based Logic Puzzle for Personal Computers

Cougar Family Sim : Mountain Lion

Play big cat in this great free RPG simulation

Master Of Magic

Cult classic turn-based strategy game

BATTLEPILLARS

Plan your next line of attack with Battlepillars

Defense zone

Top-Down Turret Defense Game for Personal Computers and Smartphones

A Full Version PC game for Windows

Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst (Full)

Cool Game for Puzzle Lovers

Brick Breaker Premium 3

Bash More Bricks in Brick Breaker Premium 3

Train Simulator World

An Immersive Locomotive Simulator

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood And Wine

Travel the land, slay monsters, and build your fighting power

Related Articles

The Lord of the Rings blends with the best 2-player board game in history.

Will ChatGPT also be a search engine? Google, watch out.

It is one of the best science fiction series in history, it is from the director of Civil War and it is on Disney+.

Dropbox suffered a serious hack that exposed sensitive data from its users

Breaking news.

Capcom will remove three games from stores next month.

Fallout is about to break the record for viewers on Amazon Prime Video

Now you can download two applications at the same time from Google Play Store

The new game from the creators of Ori is the perfect combination between Dark Souls and Diablo.

Your iPad will soon become a huge Nintendo DS thanks to this new emulator

These are the new features of WhatsApp that will keep you up to date with everything

Laws concerning the use of this software vary from country to country. We do not encourage or condone the use of this program if it is in violation of these laws.

In Softonic we scan all the files hosted on our platform to assess and avoid any potential harm for your device. Our team performs checks each time a new file is uploaded and periodically reviews files to confirm or update their status. This comprehensive process allows us to set a status for any downloadable file as follows:

It’s extremely likely that this software program is clean.

What does this mean?

We have scanned the file and URLs associated with this software program in more than 50 of the world's leading antivirus services; no possible threat has been detected.

This software program is potentially malicious or may contain unwanted bundled software.

Why is the software program still available?

Based on our scan system, we have determined that these flags are possibly false positives .

What is a false positive?

It means a benign program is wrongfully flagged as malicious due to an overly broad detection signature or algorithm used in an antivirus program.

It’s highly probable this software program is malicious or contains unwanted bundled software.

Why is this software program no longer available in our Catalog?

Based on our scan system, we have determined that these flags are likely to be real positives.

Your review for The Longest Journey

Thank you for rating!

What do you think about The Longest Journey? Do you recommend it? Why?

OOPS! This is embarrassing...

Something’s gone terribly wrong. Try this instead

About the mod

The Longest Journey HD is a mod for one of the best adventure games ever made. It includes neural network upscaled backgrounds and sprites, redrawn user interface and a lot of other small improvements thanks to ResidualVM implementation of the game engine. You can play it on Windows, Linux and macOS.

Screenshots

Main Mod: MEGA | ModDB

FMV Pack: MEGA | ModDB

Installation instructions

• 1. Install The Longest Journey. If you don't own the game, you can buy it on GOG or Steam .
• 2. Download the main mod and extract the contents of TLJHD.zip to the game installation directory. If asked, overwrite all existing files. Make sure that the path to the mod looks like this: The Longest Journey\mods\TLJHD\ . You can also download a pack of upscaled in-game videos — extract them to the game directory as well.
• Download ScummVM
• 4. Launch ScummVM, click Add game... and choose the game (not the mod!) directory.
• 5. Make sure that Load modded assets option is enabled.
• 6. Switch to Graphics tab, click Override global graphic settings , then enable Aspect ratio correction and Fullscreen mode options. Enable anti-aliasing for 3D models. From my experience 4x is more than enough.
• 7. Confirm your settings by clicking OK .
• 8. Click Start to launch the game.
• 9. Enjoy the game!

• Video Games

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

The Longest Journey: Adventure Game of the Year Edition - PC

Return this item for free.

Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges

• Go to your orders and start the return
• Select the return method

About this item

• pc gamer game of the year
• mystery/adventure
• great storyline
• editor's choice
• well developed characters

Product information

Warranty & support, product description, product description.

game of the year edition of a rare award winning adventure game. pc gamers editors choice for 2000. In perfect condition; al four cd's in jewel cases ( i put them in cases for protection. ) Still in original box

Originally released in Europe, The Longest Journey has earned international accolades as one of the best adventure games ever made. You play as April, an 18-year old art student who can travel between the twin worlds of Stark and Arcadia, shifting between realities as if stepping through a doorway. Save the balance among the worlds, between order and chaos, science and magic. Along the way, you will discover more than 100 unique locations and encounter more than 50 characters. In this point-and-click adventure game, you will be asked to solve a variety of story-related puzzles. Each scene is displayed using more than 16 million colors, and the characters are rendered in real time and consist of more than 1000 polygons each.

-- GameSpot Review

Looking for specific info?

Customer reviews.

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the quality, graphics and difficulty level of the video game. They mention that it's engaging and fun to play, with beautiful graphics. They also appreciate the difficulty level, saying that the puzzles are challenging and fun. Customers are also happy with the voice acting, and entertainment value. However, some customers have different opinions on storyline and writing quality.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers like the graphics in the physical video game software. They mention that the graphics are lush, pretty, and creative. They also say the third person graphics are okay, but they've seen better. Overall, customers find the game to be addictive and enchanting.

"...Right from the start, I was totally entranced by the graphics , sound, and story, which continued to improve as the game progressed...." Read more

"...Many of the reviews here talk about the lush , beautiful graphics...." Read more

"...The others will disappear. Third person graphics are okay , but I've seen better. Plenty of scenes, however...." Read more

"...The graphics were good but not the greatest and the amount of dialogue is tremendous...." Read more

Customers like the quality of the video game. They say it's engaging, fun, and addictive. They also say it’s a great adventure game, and one of the best inventory based games they’ve played.

"I truly have never played a more enjoyable and interesting adventure game than "The Longest Journey"...." Read more

"For a point-and-click, this is as good as it gets. It's fun and imaginative , but dated. There's no way to get around that...." Read more

"...All that said, the game was engaging , the NPCs were fun (even the annoying Crow), and the puzzles were interesting and fun to solve without..." Read more

"...One of the best inventory based games I've played, and overall probably the best game I've played in years. Very creative and engaging." Read more

Customers like the difficulty level of the game. They say the puzzles are challenging and fun. They appreciate the minimal frustration and the painstakingly detailed backgrounds.

"...Storyline is pretty decent as well. Puzzles range from simple to "too much disconnected thinking" involved...." Read more

"...The story unfolded smoothly and evenly, the puzzles were on the easy side (save the one with the blue crystals), but that was very apropos since..." Read more

"...engaging, the NPCs were fun (even the annoying Crow), and the puzzles were interesting and fun to solve without distracting from the plot...." Read more

"...a level of reality and humanization many other games lack, it gets tedious FAST , especially since you may be reluctant to skip through it for fear..." Read more

Customers find the voice acting superb, witty, and appropriate for the story. They also say the characters are well defined and likeable.

"...The character of April Ryan is very likeable, and her dialogue is very real and appropriate for every interaction...." Read more

"...The other characters are amazingly well defined , and really seem like different people, not just plot devices...." Read more

"...The voice acting is supperb , the dialog is really witty, the story is awesome, and the controls are simple...." Read more

"...I thought this game was superior in terms of the story, character development and mythology ...." Read more

Customers find the video game highly entertaining, funny, dramatic, and provides much needed comic relief. They also say the characters are witty and have enough sarcasm to make them interesting.

"...favorite is probably going to be Crow, simply because he provides much needed comic relief ...." Read more

"...But she's witty and has just enough sarcasm to make her interesting ...." Read more

"...The Longest Journey is not terribly challenging, but it is hugely entertaining ." Read more

"... It's funny , it's dramatic, it's sci-fi and it's fantasy. Pick up a copy, it's cheap, and it's worth 3 times the price." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the storyline. Some find it decent, superior, and well-thought-out, while others say it's convoluted and unresolved. They also say the cutscenes are extremely long and the puzzles are too dependent on dialogue.

"...from the start, I was totally entranced by the graphics, sound, and story , which continued to improve as the game progressed...." Read more

"...There are both mythological and science fiction elements and while I am not sure how it really all fits together in the end..." Read more

"...Third person graphics are okay, but I've seen better. Plenty of scenes , however. Storyline is pretty decent as well...." Read more

"...The story is a bit convoluted but to me it made it all the more immersive, interesting...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the writing quality. Some mention the voice acting is superb, the dialogue is really witty, and the game is well-written. They also say the information in those conversations is interesting, but unnecessary to continue game play. However, others say they finished the game, but skipped most of the really bad dialogue, and find the game a little bit wordy.

"...during this journey of discovery, and recognizes it for what a well-written and thoughtful PC game it is." Read more

"...Ryan move across the screen more quickly but also so you can help move the dialogue along ..." Read more

"...The conversations are unending. Much of the information in those conversations is interesting , but unnecessary to continue game play...." Read more

"...I found it a little slow and the dialog dragged in the beginning , but by the end of chapter one, it became quite apparent that the story is very..." Read more

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

Love Exploring

This Is The Most Scenic Train Journey In Your State

Posted: December 28, 2023 | Last updated: December 28, 2023

The right track

America grew rich with the foundation of the railroad, and today its railways are still among the best ways for travelers to traverse the home of the brave. From heritage lines pulled by vintage steam engines to highlights of the expansive Amtrak network, we’ve rounded up the most beautiful train journey in each US state.

Though some (we see you Wyoming) are faring well without scenic rail rides, we’ve found something that rail buffs will love in every part of the the country.

Click or scroll through this gallery to discover your state’s most scenic train journey…

Alabama: Calera and Shelby Railroad

Stationed in Calera, just south of Birmingham in central Alabama, the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum hosts rail excursions on a first-generation diesel-electric locomotive. Riding the Calera and Shelby Railroad, which operates on a former slip of the 1891 L&N Alabama Railroad, you’ll pass through the atmospheric forests of Shelby County on a 75-minute journey.

Seats are available in an enclosed coach or an open-air carriage – if you really want to immerse yourself in the scenery. Trips run twice on Saturdays between March and September.

Alaska: Denali Star

The Denali Star is the flagship service of the Alaskan Railroad. Typically operating between May and September, the journey swings from Anchorage – a city that owes its very existence to the Alaskan Railroad – to Fairbanks through the dramatic heart of Denali National Park. In its entirety the expedition lasts an epic 12 hours, traveling through Southcentral and Interior Alaska with views of North America’s tallest mountain, Denali, on a clear day.

The train’s Adventure Class offers large picture windows, while GoldStar Service gets you glass-domed ceilings and access to an outdoor viewing deck.

Arizona: Verde Canyon Railroad

There’s more than one spectacular canyon in Arizona, and you can ride a vintage train right down the spine of this one. Verde Canyon Railroad was built in 1912 to serve the area’s copper mines and has been transporting sightseers year-round since 1990.

Chasing the meanders of the Verde River, this four-hour round-trip takes passengers past Mars-red rock amphitheaters, historic ranch towns, kiwi-colored cacti, and the ancient ruins of Native American civilizations. Watch for bald eagles overhead as you chug along through the wilderness.

Arkansas: Springdale to Van Buren

Operated by the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad, this all-day round-trip from Springdale, deep in the Ozark Mountains, to the city of Van Buren and back racks up 134 miles of track. The trip includes three hours of free time to explore the historic district of downtown Van Buren, which converges around Main Street and its gingerbread-like architecture.

Silver Feather passengers will ride in the train’s panoramic glass-domed dining room in one direction and ride downstairs in the other, offering two different perspectives of the same journey.

California: Pacific Surfliner

Skirting the Golden State’s gleaming Pacific coastline, the Pacific Surfliner train runs between the sun-drenched cities of San Luis Obispo and San Diego, calling in at Santa Barbara and Los Angeles along the way. For just under nine hours, passengers journey through the warmth of SoCal, passing the narrow Simi Valley towards the Santa Susana Mountains.

Gliding through oceanside towns and past strips of yellow sand, watch surfers in the near-distance as salt spray spatters the windows.

Colorado: Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

A National Historic Landmark, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has occupied a 45-mile stretch of the original Denver and Rio Grande Railway since 1882. Its signature route between Durango’s heritage railway depot and the historic mining town of Silverton opens May through October each year, climbing into the Rocky Mountains alongside the Animas River and looking out onto the brooding San Juan National Forest.

The journey takes three and a half hours each way and includes almost two hours to explore Silverton.

Connecticut: Amtrak Hartford Line

The Amtrak Hartford Line connects leafy New Haven (home to Ivy League juggernaut Yale University) to the city of Springfield in western Massachusetts via Connecticut’s capital, Hartford. Taking just under an hour and a half in its entirety, the journey is the perfect introduction to the state’s pretty cities and to the bucolic beauty of New England, much-loved by American author Mark Twain.

On the leg between Windsor and Windsor Locks, you’ll roll over the Farmington River Railroad Bridge (pictured), which has stood for over 150 years.

Delaware: Wilmington and Western Railroad

The Wilmington and Western Railroad opened in 1872 as a way of transporting goods between the mills of Red Clay Creek and the port of Wilmington. Now it offers passengers the chance to soak up some of the most arresting vistas in the tri-state area, while still paying homage to Delaware’s industrial legacy.

The 10-mile route winds through old milling communities, small canyons, and wooded groves, with the option to de-train at Mount Cuba for a picnic lunch.

Florida: Walt Disney World Railroad

After being out of service for four long years, the Walt Disney World Railroad reopened to passengers in December 2022 with a revamped track and a new conductor. Found within the world-famous tourist attraction’s Magic Kingdom, the nostalgic railroad's fleet of four restored vintage narrow-gauge steam engines leads Disney fans on a leisurely 20-minute ride around the park.

Walt Disney himself was a lifelong rail buff – he loved trains so much that he built a miniature railway in his backyard.

Georgia: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

Tracing the Toccoa River in the Appalachian foothills of northern Georgia, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway coasts along on tracks first laid towards the end of the 19th century. Starting from the downtown depot of the eponymous town of Blue Ridge, this peaceful round-trip journey sweeps through the greens and browns of the Georgian countryside before pausing in the sister towns of McCaysville in Georgia and Copperhill, just over the border in Tennessee.

You can choose to ride in a climate-controlled vintage rail car or an open-air carriage.

Hawaii: Kauai Plantation Railway

On Hawaii’s oldest island, you can learn about the original sugar cane and taro crops that have sustained native Hawaiians since ancient times in a really unique way. The Kauai Plantation Railway tours the 105-acre Kilohana Plantation, where more than 50 varieties of fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, and other plants grow in fragrant orchards, fields, and groves.

The narrated 40-minute journey aboard mahogany-hewn carriages also features a stop to feed the working farm’s animal residents, including pigs, goats, and donkeys.

Idaho: Silverwood Theme Park

Idaho is full of stunning landscapes, but sadly has little to offer those wishing to enjoy them from the tracks. The Gem State’s sole tourist train route, the Thunder Mountain Line, had to close down in 2016, while its lone Amtrak station at Sandpoint is served by the Empire Builder service but only in the dead of night.

However, Silverwood Theme Park, in the panhandle of northern Idaho, does have its own steam train – Engine No 7. It circles the park and ventures into the Silverwood forest, also participating in immersive theater shows.

Illinois: California Zephyr

Spanning 2,424 miles and over 50 hours from Chicago to San Francisco, the California Zephyr is one of Amtrak’s longest routes. The leg through Illinois begins as the train pulls away from the Windy City’s Union Station in the middle of the afternoon and makes its way into Chicago's suburbia.

From the sightseer lounge, Amtrak’s observation car, catch views of pastoral Illinois that will remind you why its nickname is the Prairie State, with grasslands and farms melting into wetlands and trees the closer you get to Iowa.

Indiana: French Lick Scenic Railway

The French Lick Scenic Railway was founded with the desire to replicate the golden age of train travel when trains were the primary vehicle for long-distance travel across America. In addition to hosting a program of themed rail adventures aimed at young families, French Lick runs a scenic ride through parts of the Hoosier National Forest (pictured).

The journey lasts an hour and 45 minutes, departing from a 1907 train depot and twisting through the hills and forests of southern Indiana, passing through the state’s second-longest railroad tunnel in the process.

Iowa: Boone and Scenic Railroad

Since the 1920s, Iowa has lost more than 50% of its rail mileage, which had boomed around the turn of the century. The state retains several heritage stations and railroads that now serve as tourist attractions, and one of these is the Boone and Scenic Railroad.

Its classic Fraser Train facilitates excursions from May to October, starting in Boone and traveling to the old coal-mining settlement of Fraser through the Des Moines River Valley. A literal high point of the journey is crossing the 156-foot Bass Point Creek High Bridge (pictured).

Kansas: Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad

The Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad was established in 1993 as a tribute to the Sunflower State’s railroad history. Running on heritage tracks initially laid in 1886, the volunteer-led line's regular excursions through the Smoky Hill River Valley feature vintage carriages and open-air viewing cars, where you can sit and watch the sights of old agricultural Kansas rock by.

The service departs from the listed Rock Island Depot (pictured) in historic Abilene – take the dinner train for a truly magical experience.

Kentucky: Big South Fork Scenic Railway

The Big South Fork Scenic Railway often finds itself high up lists of America's most delightful rail journeys, especially during leaf-peeping season. Perfect for nature lovers and history buffs, this round-trip adventure clanks along accompanied by views of the Daniel Boone National Forest and the Big South Fork River and Recreation Area.

This trip culminates in a two-hour layover at the Barthell Coal Camp where passengers can learn about life during the early 1900s in the southernmost Appalachians.

Louisiana: Sunset Limited

Departing three times a week, the Sunset Limited connects the Big Easy to LA and is the oldest named train in Amtrak's fleet (it turns 130 in 2024). After leaving New Orleans the train remains in Louisiana for around five hours, calling at four stations in the state on a journey that jangles past balcony-trimmed small towns, ethereal bayous, and seas of sugarcane before dipping into dusty Texas.

Maine: Downeaster

Named after the Down East region of maritime Maine, the Amtrak Downeaster links the Pine Tree State to New Hampshire and Massachusetts, from Brunswick to Boston. The route through Maine takes up around half the just over three-hour journey, hugging the rugged coast and taking in stops like Wells – with its seven miles of soft beaches – and Portland, where lobster rolls await.

The terminus town of Brunswick has plenty going for it too, with a year-round farmers’ market and nature-rich bike trails to hit. Five round-trips operate each day.

Maryland: Western Maryland Scenic Railroad

Cruising through the Allegheny Mountains between Cumberland and Frostburg, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad navigates creeks, canyons, streams, bridges, and tunnels on its four-and-a-half-hour round-trip. The historic diesel and steam locomotives climb up the mountainside and traverse thick forest before reaching the charming town of Frostburg, where passengers can hop off and explore.

Willis Mountain, Haystack Mountain, Cash Valley, and Helmstetter Farm are among the most interesting sights along the way. The route operates year-round.

Massachusetts: Cape Cod Central Railroad

Dating back to the mid-1800s, the Cape Cod Central Railroad offers excursions that are not only stunningly scenic but educational too. As the train threads through salt marshes, sand dunes, woodlands, and cranberry bogs, passengers are treated to narrated tales of fruit harvests, canal history, and the cape's coastal ecology.

The classic circular two-hour trip starts from Hyannis and makes its way through idyllic villages like Sandwich (the oldest on the cape) before crossing the landmark Buzzards Bay vertical lift bridge.

Michigan: Blue Water

Amtrak's Blue Water service laces together several Michigan stops between Port Huron and Chicago. It bends around the southern shore of Lake Michigan before heading into the Great Lake State's interior, terminating on Lake Huron's shores.

The westbound Blue Water service makes for a pleasant morning on the tracks, while the eastbound train leaves Chicago in the late afternoon, promising some serious sunset action if you travel when the evenings are longer.

Minnesota: North Shore Scenic Railroad

Minnesota's North Shore Scenic Railroad traverses the westernmost spur of Lake Superior's shoreline. Operating on a 28-mile strip from Duluth to Two Harbors, known as the Lakefront Line, these trains roll along tracks first laid more than 100 years ago, which once contributed to the North Star State's iron ore industry.

The railroad hosts various excursions – treat yourself to a first-class ticket on the Duluth Zephyr, where the major perk is the chance to ride in the Dome Car, its curved windows optimized for sightseeing.

Mississippi: City of New Orleans

Traveling 900 miles and through several decades of America's musical heritage, the City of New Orleans train is one of Amtrak's greatest hits, linking some of the country’s finest cities. The journey between Chicago and New Orleans will strike a particular chord with blues lovers – one of the best stops is Mississippi state capital Jackson (pictured), nicknamed 'the city with soul.'

The southbound service spends more than four hours rattling through Mississippi on a daylight run, flanked by snowy-white cotton fields.

Missouri: Missouri River Runner

With daily departures, the Missouri River Runner crosses the Show-Me State from Kansas City to St Louis in less than six hours. Partially trailing the Missouri River, the longest river in the United States, the train's highlights include the scenic bluffs of Jefferson City, which give way to conservation areas where eagles can be spotted overhead from the comfort of your seat.

As the gap between the train and St Louis closes, lush stands of green foliage herald your approach to the gateway of the west.

Montana: Empire Builder

Tracking through still-wild tracts of land once explored on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Amtrak's formidable Empire Builder train covers more than 40 stations in eight states from Illinois to Washington over the course of 46 hours. Perhaps the most majestic part of the route is the Montana leg, which skates through natural wonders like the Kootenai River Valley (pictured) and Glacier National Park.

Around 12 hours of the Empire Builder’s journey is dedicated to the Treasure State, so you can safely take a nap without fear of missing out.

Nebraska: Omaha Zoo Railroad

Since the Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad ceased operations in 2012, Nebraska now has no standard-gauge scenic train routes to ride. The California Zephyr, Amtrak's most visually impressive journey, passes through at night regardless of your direction of travel, making rail adventures in the Cornhusker State hard to come by.

There is, however, a small steam-powered train offering short trips around Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, which carries passengers in its open-air cars from March to November every year.

Nevada: Virginia and Truckee Railroad

The so-called 'Queen of the Short Lines,' the Virginia and Truckee Railroad whisks passengers back in time on some of the oldest locomotives in the state. The line has been a fixture of Virginia City since 1869; today, century-old steam engines and heritage diesel trains still depart from the original depot.

Passengers can expect to see some of the most famous Comstock mines and ruins en route to Gold Hill, while listening to the conductor’s stories of the region’s legendary silver rush. Wild horses and raptors call these ranges home, so keep your eyes peeled.

New Hampshire: Mount Washington Cog Railway

The world's first mountain-climbing cog railway, this little locomotive journeys to the peak of the highest mountain in the northeastern United States. Rising above Bretton Woods and New Hampshire's White Mountains, the National Historic Engineering Landmark operates three-hour round-trips daily from May to October.

If you’re lucky enough to dodge the mountain's notorious weather (it can snow on Mount Washington even in summer), the 360-degree views from the summit can extend all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

New Jersey: Whippany Railway Museum Excursions

An excursion from Whippany Railway Museum starts with a woman dressed all in white welcoming you onto restored vintage carriages. She is a representation of Phoebe Snow, a fictional character who appeared in adverts for the Lackawanna Railroad at the beginning of the 20th century.

Over the course of 45 minutes, you'll follow the route of the historic Whippanong Trail, over a high steel bridge and past all that remains of Lake Passaic, an ex-glacial lake where swamp-dwelling wildlife now roams. Trips run on select spring, summer, and fall days.

New Mexico: Sky Railway

Passengers on New Mexico’s Sky Railway are walking in the footsteps of Hollywood icons Judy Garland and Clark Gable by riding the heritage line. For over 140 years, these tracks have swept travelers across the amber and olive-green landscapes between Santa Fe and Lamy.

There are a few different ways to enjoy the round-trip journey – the Stargazer experience unlocks the mysteries of the night sky above the Galisteo Basin, while the Sunset Serenade sets the coming of dusk to a soundtrack of live music.

New York: The Adirondack

After a three-year hiatus, Amtrak’s much-loved Adirondack service returned to the rails in the spring of 2023. In 10 hours, the route connects New York City to Montreal in Canada, but for the vast majority of the journey upstate New York takes center stage.

The train rolls out of NYC’s Moynihan Train Hall and into the winelands of the Hudson River Valley, passing through serene Saratoga Springs and the Adirondack Mountains. It’s not hard to see why it's often ranked as one of the world’s top scenic train rides, especially when the fall colors catch fire.

North Carolina: Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Spanning 53 miles (85km) of track, some of which dates back to the late 19th century, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad runs round trips from Bryson City that traverse secluded patches of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that are hard to reach in other ways. The line’s most scenic excursion transports passengers across the rusting trellis bridge over Fontana Lake and into the heart of the Nantahala Gorge.

Book a ticket in the open-air gondola for uninterrupted views.

North Dakota: Fort Lincoln Trolley

As one of the most sparsely populated and rural states in America, North Dakota doesn’t have too much to contribute when it comes to scenic train journeys. Amtrak’s Empire Builder does pass through, but only one company operates tourist train excursions – and those are currently on pause.

The Fort Lincoln Trolley has historically run from Mandan to Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park (pictured), ferrying passengers in a replica streetcar. But in mid-2023, the owners of the trolley announced their retirement, and it’s not yet known if successors have been found.

Ohio: Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

The Cuyahoga River nourishes dense forests, billowing hills and vast farmlands, and you can see them all in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There's no better way to tour this green haven than a heritage train carriage, and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad hosts rail excursions into the park ranging from immersive murder mysteries to boozy cruises.

Keep it traditional with the two-hour National Park Scenic Excursion, operating between January and April (yes, even in the snow). A seat in Upper Dome class promises sublime panoramic views.

Oklahoma: Heartland Flyer

It might not be the longest journey on Amtrak’s route map, but the daily Heartland Flyer from Fort Worth in Texas to Oklahoma City isn’t short on impact. For most of its just-over-four-hour dash, the train slips through the Sooner State’s cities and countryside, running the gauntlet of 'Tornado Alley' and passing through lands rich with Native American history.

Summer is the best time of year to take the northbound service, which offers superb sunsets. Ardmore (pictured) is one of five Oklahoma stations on the line.

Oregon: Mount Hood Railroad

The snow-capped peak, the fluffy tree blossom, the romance of train travel – it could barely be a more inviting scene. Riding the Mount Hood Railroad is a bucket-list experience, starring Oregon's highest point (an active volcano) and the striking valleys of the Columbia River Gorge.

Trips are laid on throughout the year, including special excursions for Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, swinging through woodlands, vineyards, and orchards with Mount Hood and Mount Adams looming above. Hold onto your hat as the train navigates one of only five switchbacks remaining in the US.

Pennsylvania: Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway

This tourist train operates out of the historic town of Jim Thorpe, which has been called the Switzerland of America in its time. As its name might suggest, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway is swaddled by towering cliffs, mountains, and abundant wildlife on its forested run to Old Penn Haven.

Featuring passenger cars that have been in service since as early as 1917, the train offers open-air, vista-dome, and standard coach seating on its narrated 70-minute round-trip journeys.

Rhode Island: Newport and Narragansett Bay Railroad

Rhode Island might be known as the Ocean State, but you can leave your boat in the dock for this scenic voyage. The Newport and Narragansett Bay Railroad is a fantastic way to explore America's smallest state overland, though the water is never too far away.

Tracing the contours of Narragansett Bay, passengers can opt to ride the rails the unconventional way – on pedal-powered Rail Explorers (pictured) – or aboard the Grand Bellevue, an opulent dinner train guaranteed to only leave you hungry for another trip.

South Carolina: Palmetto

Amtrak’s Palmetto train out of NYC is the cropped variant of the Silver Star and Silver Meteor routes that continue south to Florida through Savannah, Georgia. These only slip through South Carolina in the wee hours, while the Palmetto catches the state famed for its sabal palm trees at much more sociable times.

Passengers can watch as it sails through Charleston (pictured) and Florence, the closest rail station to Myrtle Beach. You’ll rattle through urban sprawls and country parks, past lakes and quaint communities, all without moving a muscle.

South Dakota: Black Hills Central Railroad

The Mount Rushmore State’s only major excursion line, the Black Hills Central Railroad operates on restored, vintage rolling stock. These historic tracks are credited with the emergence of modern South Dakota, having carried settlers and town planners over the plains and into the mountains, for better or worse.

Now they carry the 1880 Train, which provides passengers with a stunning introduction to the dramatic landscapes of these ancient hills. Journeys last for a little over two hours.

Tennessee: Tennessee Valley Railroad

There are a few different excursions on the Tennessee Valley Railroad to choose from, but we love the 50-mile round-trip on the Hiwassee Loop. Here, the line’s tracks tie themselves in knots as they crisscross each other on the train’s journey up the mountain near Farner.

Unlike many heritage rail excursions, there’s no layover on this route, so you can enjoy five hours of unbroken, nostalgic travel.

Texas: Texas Eagle

From end to end, the longest iteration of Amtrak's Texas Eagle route takes a whopping 65 hours to complete, making it America's longest rail journey. The daily service runs just from Chicago to San Antonio, but three times a week it continues on to Los Angeles.

You'll likely snooze through much of Arizona, but the Texas leg is definitely worth staying awake for, as around half the train's journey takes place in the Lone Star State. Expect pine woods, seemingly endless fields, cosmopolitan cities, pretty small towns, and peaceful rivers on your passage.

Utah: Rocky Mountaineer

You get two states for the price of one on the Rocky Mountaineer’s Rockies to the Red Rocks route, a dramatic two-day journey between Moab, Utah, and Denver, Colorado that includes an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs. While most of the run coasts through Colorado, Utah’s rust-red scenery is impossible to overlook.

After crossing the state line, you’ll see the shadow of Mount Peale rise above the valley, often sprinkled with snow up to early summer, contrasting with the warm scarlet sandstone of Moab and Arches National Park.

Vermont: Champlain Valley Dinner Train

From June through October, the Champlain Valley Dinner Train serves up an indulgent three-course meal with a side order of Green Mountain State splendor. From the window of your 1930s dining car – Vermont’s fastest-moving restaurant – gaze out on the undulating landscapes of green, purple and gold while feasting on delicious dishes that evolve with the seasons.

The decadent journey operates on weekends, departing from and returning to Burlington on the eastern shores of Lake Champlain, where mountains meet Vermont’s most populous metropolis.

Virginia: Northeast Regional

Amtrak’s Northeast Regional is not just a fast and convenient commuter service – it’s also one of the best ways to explore the celebrated state that gave America four of its first five presidents. There are various daily routes of the Northeast Regional that serve Virginia, connecting state capital Richmond to the coastal city of Newport News and Alexandria, the latter of which stands on the western bank of the Potomac River.

You can also use the train to visit Fredericksburg, as well as the historic triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.

Washington: Amtrak Cascades

While the Coast Starlight train from Seattle to Los Angeles might get all the fanfare for being one of North America’s greatest train journeys, it’s actually the Amtrak Cascades service that gives you the best span of Washington State. The Washington leg of this route extends from Vancouver in the south (not to be confused with the Canadian city where the train also happens to terminate) to Bellingham in the north, following the shores of Puget Sound out of Seattle (pictured) and into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest.

West Virginia: Cass Scenic Railroad

Located in West Virginia's Pocahontas County, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is unusual among America's roster of state parks, as it was created to preserve and promote a heritage train line. Founded to serve the old lumber company town of Cass, the 11-mile railroad now conveys passengers out of the Greenbrier Valley and up into the mountains on a characterful steam locomotive.

Wisconsin: Osceola and St Croix Valley Railway

Managed by the Minnesota Transportation Museum, the Osceola and St Croix Valley Railway operates seasonal tourist rail journeys through the scenic St Croix River Valley on a vintage locomotive. The route sweeps through gorgeous landscapes marked by waterfalls and blonde sandstone bluffs on a 90-minute round-trip that toes the Minnesota border.

Fall is a particularly wonderful time of year to ride this train; the riverside foliage turns orange and ocher, while birds and animals scramble among the fallen leaves.

Wyoming: Jackson Hole Aerial Tram

With not a single Amtrak service or tourist train ride to speak of, it seems the iron horse is no match for a real one in the Cowboy State. But trains haven’t always been absent from Wyoming, and attractions like the Union Pacific Roundhouse and the Cheyenne Depot Museum document some of the state’s rail heritage.

And if you’re still keen to experience a scenic journey here, riding the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain is the next best thing.

Now take a look at America's most eccentric attractions

More for You

Rock ‘n’ roll pioneer dies aged 86

IRS says number of audits about to surge. Here's who it is targeting.

Kurt 'CyberGuy' Knutsson unveils what may be world’s most powerful humanoid robot

Here are the highest-paid CEOs in the US , some of whom have 9-figure compensation packages

I Lost 50lbs With 3 Lifestyle Changes

Here’s What the US Minimum Wage Was the Year You Were Born

Face of 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman recreated after being dug up from Iraqi cave

The Best Steakhouse in Every State

11 Facts You Should Know About Hard-Boiled Eggs

These Are the 18 Best-Behaved Dog Breeds You Can Own

Man loses 450 pounds after reaching 'rock bottom.' 1 key diet change helped

7 weird jobs that are well-paying but nobody knows about, according to a viral Reddit thread

This humanoid robot currently holds the world record for speed

One of these pictures of me is real and the other is AI – but which is which?

Another Boeing whistleblower is dead—this time a healthy 45-year-old who battled a sudden, severe infection

The best public college in America, based on data—and see the rest of the top 100

18 ‘Normal’ Things From the ’80s and ’90s That Are Considered Luxuries Now

17 Jobs That Pay $25 an Hour to Work From Home

17 Animals You Can’t Keep as Pets in the US

Leaving These 13 Things by the Front Door Could Keep You Safe

This ultraportable AI laptop wants to travel with you, and it's got insane battery life to do it

Touchscreen oled, amd ryzen 7 8840hs, and amd radeon 780m in a super lightweight ai pc..

Windows Central Verdict

This is a fantastic, lightweight AI PC that is ready to travel with you anywhere. Lengthy battery life and a slim design make it the perfect on-the-go companion. It might not be the most powerful device on the market, but it does offer solid performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU with an AI-boosting NPU and its AMD Radeon 780M GPU. Plus, that OLED touchscreen shows off colors to their best advantage.

Extremely long battery life

Gorgeous OLED touchscreen

Great build quality

Slim and lightweight for easy portability

MyASUS app gives more control over the system

Lacks an SD card slot and fingerprint reader

Fingerprint smudges show up too easily

Why you can trust Windows Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

• Price & specs
• Design & build
• Software & apps
• Performance & thermals
• Battery life
• Keyboard & touchpad
• Camera, mic, & audio
• Competition
• Should you buy it?

1. Pricing & specs 2. Design & build 3. Software and apps 4. Display 5. Performance & thermals 6. Battery life 7. Keyboard & touchpad 8. Camera, mic, & audio 9. Competition 10. Scorecard 11. Should you buy it?

ASUS has done a fantastic job lately of creating extremely thin laptops with fantastic battery life and solid performance. As with many other laptop companies, ASUS has also been producing its own AI PCs, which incorporate an AI CPU that features an NPU (neural processing unit) intended for running local AI tasks more efficiently (you can learn more at our NPU guide or AI PC guide ). 

The Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) is one such ultra-thin AI PC, outfitted with an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU along with an AMD Radeon 780M GPU. Now, as I discussed with AMD during an interview , AMD's AI CPUs are reportedly more powerful than Intel's, so I was very interested to check this OLED laptop out. At the time of writing, I've spent over three weeks using the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) to get a feel for its capabilities. Here's what I've discovered.  

• ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406) at ASUS for $999.99

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA)

With its lightweight build and slim chassis, the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) is ready to be taken anywhere. It also has extremely long battery life to keep up with over a full day's use. Thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS, this laptop is ready to handle local AI tasks. 

This review was made possible thanks to a review unit provided by ASUS. The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Price and specs

Pricing & specifications highlights

• This is a value laptop, thanks to it being well under $1,000 while housing a powerful processor and OLED display in a lightweight design. 
• ASUS also offers other Zenbook 14 laptops with different specs, but this specific model doesn't have configuration options. 
• The Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) can currently be purchased from the ASUS website or Walmart. 
• Value rating: 5/5

Price : $799.00 OS: Windows 11 Home CPU : AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS GPU : AMD Radeon 780M RAM : 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 Storage : 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD Display : 14-inch 16:10 FHD (1920 x 1200) OLED touchscreen, 400 nits Battery : Up to 17hrs 17 mins Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E Ports: 1x USB-C Thunderbolt, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB-A  3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack Size : 312.62 (W) x 22.63 (D) x 14.9 (H) mm Starting Weight : 2.82 pounds (~1.28 kg)

Technically, the full model number for this laptop is UM3406HA-S74T, but I'll stick to just the first half of that to prevent things getting too unwieldy. The ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3460HA) is a very slim and lightweight laptop with an OLED display, a powerful AI processor, and a modest discrete graphics card. Even so, it sells for only $799.00 at Walmart, making it a true value buy. Many similar AI PC laptops on the market are more likely to cost around $1,000, so this is a very good price. 

While ASUS does produce different Zenbook 14 models (such as ones with Intel CPUs and GPUs), the company doesn't offer configuration options for this specific model. As such, the only option is to get 16GB of RAM with 512GB SSD storage. These are fair capacities for average work, school, or personal laptop needs. 

Those interested in purchasing this specific Zenbook 14 model can do so directly from the ASUS website or from Walmart. 

Recommended configuration

R7 8840HS | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD | 14-inch OLED

This specific model of the ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) only comes in one configuration, so you don't have to worry about choosing the best specs for it. AMD AI CPUs are competitive with Intel's AI CPUs, so this is a strong option to go with. 

Back to the top ^

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Design and build

Build quality and design highlights

• The Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) has a very pleasant design overall, with the ASUS logo etched into the metal chassis lid.
• There's a decent port selection, however, there is no SD reader of any kind.
• The lightweight build and slim frame make it very easy to slip this laptop into a bag or backpack. 
• Fingerprint smudges show up far too easily on the chassis.
• Design rating: 4.5/5

Overall, the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) has a very nice, if simple, look to it, with the ASUS logo etched into the metal chassis lid in a subtly artistic way. Speaking of, the lid opens very smoothly and doesn't have any issues resting at the exact angle I leave it at. This is a very light and thin laptop, measuring in at just 2.82 pounds and only being about 15mm tall, so I found it very easy to walk around with it or slip it into a bag before leaving the house. 

As far as ports go, the Zenbook 14 has just about everything I need, but with one notable exception. There's a USB-A port, two USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a headphone jack, but the lack of an SD card reader of any kind is a little strange. Still, I didn't feel limited when it came to plugging in accessories or a monitor. 

My one big complaint with the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) design is that the metal chassis material is far too eager to pick up fingerprint smudges. Whenever I first get a laptop, I wash my hands with soap to avoid leaving any markings for pictures, but even then, my fingers left notable prints all over the place. After two weeks of using this laptop, it was covered in markings to the point of honestly looking disgusting, both around the keyboard and on the lid. These blemishes clean off easily enough with a damp cloth, but I had to scrub it frequently to keep it looking pristine. 

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Software and apps

Software and apps highlights.

• MyASUS is intuitive and easy to navigate.
• The app makes it easy to check system performance, check for updates, run system diagnostics, adjust laptop settings, get customer assistance, and more.
• Microsoft Copilot is responsive and ready to help with just the press of a button.  
• Design rating: 5/5

- Best gaming laptops - Best Windows laptops - Laptop review and buying guides - Best gaming headsets - Best gaming monitors

The latest version of MyASUS is an improvement upon the program's earlier layouts. It's very easy to navigate this app and find the specific tools I'm looking for. Overall, the software is very helpful, providing ways to check system performance, run diagnostic testing, look for updates, or control various ASUS devices. The Customer Support tab also allows me to get help and information for my specific model of laptop. I basically have all of my needs met from within MyASUS and can customize performance or change modes as I see fit. 

While not something specifically tied to ASUS or the Zenbook 14, the presence of a Microsoft Copilot key to the right of the space bar does make it more convenient to bring up the AI tool with just the press of a button. The software responds very quickly and generates images (via DALL-E 3) or text responses fast as long as the laptop has a good internet connection. I found it can be very useful for brainstorming ideas for work or personal projects. 

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Display

Display highlights

• The OLED display produced 100% of sRGB, 95% of AdobeRGB, and 100% of P3. 
• It offers great motion clarity and contrast with true black.
• This screen gets decently bright, but it would be nice if it got even brighter.
• Being able to use the touchscreen to navigate makes web browsing more convenient.
• Display rating: 5/5

It is an absolute pleasure to watch videos or work on creative projects while viewing this 14-inch OLED screen. If interested, you can learn more about screen types with my OLED vs QD-OLED vs QLED vs AMOLED vs Mini LED display guide . As is typical with OLED panels, the Zenbook 14 OLED screen displays a beautiful color range. In a color gamut test, it specifically produced 100% of sRGB, 95% of AdobeRGB, and 100% of P3, which means it offers accurate and vibrant colors that don't feel oversaturated. 

Meanwhile, results from a brightness and contrast test showed that this OLED screen produces the same type of results we expect to see in this kind of display. Contrast is amazing thanks to the pixels producing true black rather than grey. This, in turn, makes colors stand out that much brighter and more distinctly. However, as is typical with OLED screens, this one doesn't get as bright as some others. In testing, it capped out at around 350nits, which means it might be hard to see things on the display when working outside or in very brightly sunlit rooms. 

I love that this is also a touchscreen, which allows me to tap on text boxes or navigate around the internet quickly without having to use the keyboard unless I want to. It's all very responsive and does what I'd expect. 

As far as motion clarity goes, this OLED screen can reach up to a 60Hz refresh rate with a 0.2ms response time to quickly bring me the latest imagery from the system. That's more than decent for a non-gaming laptop, and serves well whether the laptop is being used to watch videos or work on creative programs. Another important thing to note is that the screen produces 70% less blue light than standard LCD screens, so it can be more comfortable for people with sensitive eyes to use.

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Performance and thermals

Performance & thermals highlights.

• This AI PC laptop offers solid performance overall.
• The AMD AI processor model of the Zenbook 14 has performance tradeoffs with a similar Intel AI processor model.
• Thermals-wise, the system keeps itself at a good temperature and the fans rarely ever get loud.
• Performance rating: 5/5

It's been interesting seeing where the AI chips lie, as testing for these kinds of laptops continues to reveal how well they actually perform. As I've previously mentioned, the UM6405HA AMD model of the Zenbook 14 utilizes an AMD AI processor — the R7 880HS, with an NPU to boost AI tasks. Meanwhile, there is also the UX3405 Intel model, which utilizes an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H that also has an NPU to provide more efficient AI abilities. As such, I heavily compared the AMD Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) laptop's performance against the Intel AI CPU model. Suffice it to say that both are similarly good, with the two's benchmark scores often dancing around each other.

Overall, the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) is a solid little laptop that is very efficient and powerful for its size. It's more than capable of handling everyday office and school tasks. It outperformed the Zenbook 14 (UX3405) in several benchmark tests, but there were a few where the UX3405 model produced better results. For instance, this AMD model scored slightly higher than the Intel model in PCMark Modern Office testing, which tests CPU performance while running a laptop through common workplace workflows. But in Geekbench 6, which is yet another CPU evaluator, the Intel model earned a 12,597 score while the AMD model got 10,948. It's not a huge difference, but shows that the two are similar with different tradeoffs. Both results are good, by the way, and show that these are powerful processors.

Overall, the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) is a solid little laptop that is very efficient and powerful for its size. It's more than capable of handling everyday office and school tasks.

I used Cinebench R23 to evaluate CPU graphics rendering performance. Both laptops earned decent scores, but to my surprise, the Intel model earned a significantly lower score of just 11,300 while this AMD model earned a higher 13,484 score. But then later in Crossmark testing, which evaluates overall system performance, the Intel model earned a slightly better score. So it seems the AMD model has a stronger CPU, but that the Intel model was designed in such a way that its components work together better overall. 

CrystalDiskMark is the program I used to evaluate the Zenbook 14's SSD storage, and it was here that the AMD model once more scored slightly higher with its 5,090 MB/s read speed and 3,870 MB/s write speed than the Intel model's 4,880 MB/s read speed and 3,382 MB/s write speed. Once more, these are both respectable results, showing that both laptops are decently fast at saving and loading data.

Since this laptop just has a modest Radeon 780M GPU, its graphical rendering abilities aren't anything to brag about. Still, it is reliable enough for average computer use. As an example, it only earned a score of 3,169 in the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark, which is about where other Radeon 780M laptops have scored in at. 

Now, as for the AI-boosting NPU itself. Strangely enough, when I attempted to run Microsoft Windows ML benchmark in Polycyon, the program was unable to detect an NPU even though the AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS definitely has one. It might be that AMD firmware needs to be updated before the Polycon will work with this NPU. I'll check again later and will add this info if I can. However, I can say from my own experiences using the laptop, that it did seem to handle AI tasks in programs very quickly.

Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) Thermals

This Zenbook 14 manages to stay relatively cool without the use of loud fans. Even after running through a 20-minute CPU graphics rending test, the laptop never felt overly hot to the touch, and it never made significant cooling sounds either. The hottest point is, of course, the side vents which reach up to a peak of 106 degrees Fahrenheit (~41.1 degrees Celsius). The second-warmest area is above the keyboard which measures in at a peak of 93 degrees Fahrenheit (~33.9 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, the center of the keyboard itself only reaches as high as 85 degrees Fahrenheit (~29.4 degrees Celsius). 

Overall, this really isn't that warm. I never had to worry about it scalding my lap while I sat working on my couch, either.  

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Battery life

Battery highlights

• This laptop battery lasts far longer than average, making it ideal for students, business persons, or people on the go. 
• The power adapter plugs into the laptop via USB-C. It's also compact and easy to travel with. 
• Battery rating: 5/5

Here at Windows Central, we test laptop battery life by putting the laptop screen down to roughly 200 nits brightness and then running various battery tests on it. I've seen some impressive battery life results while reviewing laptops, but the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) is the longest lasting one I've ever seen. 

While running a PCMark 10 Battery test, which has the laptop perform standard office tasks like opening programs, attending virtual meetings, browsing the internet, and such, the battery managed to last 17 hours and 17 minutes. That might be overkill for some, but incredibly useful for others. Either way, this makes it the longest-lasting battery of any laptop we've tested thus far. 

I also ran a Microsoft battery report after using the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) daily for roughly three weeks. The report estimated that the battery would be able to last 15 hours and 14 minutes on average, which is also a very good length of time. Of course, depending on what programs are running and what brightness the screen is at, the battery might drain faster or slower. At any rate, the laptop is ideal for people who tend to be away from outlets for long stretches during their days. Even just staying at home, I liked that I didn't have to charge the laptop up each day. It always had enough juice for me to use it for two or three days in a row. 

As far as recharging goes, the laptop comes with a small USB-C power adapter that wraps up nice and tight thanks to the included Velcro strip. This small size makes it very easy to throw the adapter into a bag when I travel or take off on a day trip.

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Keyboard and touchpad

Keyboard and touchpad highlights

• Keys are well situated to provide a comfortable typing experience. 
• The touchpad is a decent size and is very responsive. 
• A dedicated Microsoft Copilot key makes it easy to access the AI software at any time.
• There is no fingerprint reader. 
• Keyboard and touchpad rating: 5/5

The backlit keyboard has a good layout with plenty of space between keys to make typing a comfortable experience. Everything presses down nicely and works as it should. It is worth noting that all four arrow keys are half the height of other keys on this keyboard. In my experience, that's better than them being different sizes, but it can still be less convenient for some people. 

As is usually the case, the function keys along the top share common commands like speaker mute, speaker volume adjustment, microphone mute, screen brightness, and Display setting options. Strangely enough, there is also an emoji key on F8 as well as a more standard F12 MyASUS key to facilitate access to these programs and tools. Another unique thing is that pressing F10 toggles Directional Recording mode on and off. As previously mentioned, there's a Microsoft Copilot key to open the software quickly. Considering that there are so many unique keys, it's odd that there is no fingerprint reader, so I cannot unlock the laptop that way. 

Meanwhile, the touchpad is a good size and always responds accurately to my movements. I never had any issues while navigating around programs or web browsers. 

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Camera, mic, and audio

Camera, mic, and speaker highlights.

• AISense FHD 3DNR IR camera captures fantastic color and detail, while a built-in camera shutter ensures privacy. 
• Super-linear speakers provide great sound clarity, but bass isn't as deep as would be preferred.
• Two-way AI noise cancelation helps keep microphone audio clear and artifact-free. 
• Windows Hello is easy to set up and quickly logs me in after detecting my face.
• Direction recording mode toggles on and off for clearer and more precise recordings.  
• Camera, mic, and speaker rating: 5/5

Overall, the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) is more than good enough for handling everyday video calls and virtual work meetings. The FHD (1080p) camera provides good image clarity and good color accuracy to display me well whether I'm talking to family or colleagues. Thanks to the built-in shutter, I can feel more confident about my privacy with a simple slide. Additionally, Windows Hello is available thanks to the ASUS AISense camera. I got this set up very quickly and the camera was always able to detect me, so I could log in fast. 

The microphone always carries my voice clearly without any distracting artifacts or buzzing. This clarity is in part made possible via two-way noise cancelation, which helps keep audio clear during virtual meetings or recordings. Speaking of, the previously mentioned F10 Direction Recording Mode toggle, provides more precise recordings for those who need it. However, anyone wanting better sound quality should consider investing in one of the best computer microphones . 

Now for the speakers. While they don't provide the best bass I've ever heard in my life, the Zenbook 14 Super-linear speakers are very clear. They are designed so that anyone sitting right in front of the laptop gets the best sound experience. Sounds do seem a bit more distant when sitting to the side of the laptop, though. As is always the case, if you want better audio quality, you'll need to use one of the best headsets or get one of the best computer speakers . 

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Competition

Honestly, the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA)'s biggest competitors are other 14-inch ASUS Zenbooks . For instance, our editor-in-chief is currently working on the Zenbook 14 (UX3405) review for the Intel model I referred to so much in the performance section. It currently sells for $1,299.99 at Best Buy and comes with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. 

Meanwhile, another colleague is currently working on testing the Zenbook 14 (Q425MA), which features an AI-enhanced Intel Core Ultra 7 processor (a.k.a Meteor Lake) and Intel graphics card rather than the AMD CPU and GPU found in the model I reviewed. The Zenbook 14 (Q425) has an MSRP of $1,049.99 at Best Buy .

If you like the idea of a Zenbook 14 but want something a bit more hefty, you should check out my colleague's Zenbook X14 (UX3404) review . They especially appreciated this laptop's amazing battery life, solid performance, and portability. It does cost a bit more, though, with an MSRP of $1,499.99 at Best Buy . 

Outside of ASUS, the HP Envy 2-in-1 is a pretty similar 14-inch touchscreen AI PC laptop. It also has an AMD Ryzen 7 8000 Series CPU that works with the AMD Radeon GPU to boost AI tasks. However, it has an IPS touchscreen rather than an OLED one. While still considered a budget laptop for its caliber, it also has a higher starting price than the ASUS Zenbook 14, with an MSRP of $1,049.99. At the time of writing, the HP Envy 2-in-1 is on sale for $749.99 at Best Buy .

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA): Scorecard

Asus zenbook 14 (um3406ha): should you buy it.

✅ You should buy this if...

• You need a laptop with long battery life: The Zenbook 14 OLED has a fantastic battery life that allows it to last for up to 17 hours depending on what you're doing. In that way, it's perfect for students or professionals on the go who are often away from outlets.
• You want a laptop that quickly performs local AI tasks: Thanks to the AI processor and its NPU, the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) can handle local AI tasks much faster and more efficiently than non-AI boosted laptops. 
• You'd prefer an OLED touchscreen: There's no denying that OLED screens produce amazing color and contrast. With a 60Hz refresh rate and 02ms response time, videos and animations play very smoothly. Plus, being able to tap on the screen and navigate it that way makes the laptop very convenient to use. 

❌ You should not buy this if...

• You need a more powerful laptop: While the Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) is designed around local AI efficiency, there are definitely more powerful processors out there. If you see yourself needing to use graphically intensive programs, it might be better to go with a beefier laptop. 
• You specifically want a laptop with an SD card reader: While there are a good number of connections on this laptop, it doesn't have an SD card slot nor does it have a microSD card slot. If that's something you think you'd use often then it might be worth looking at another laptop. Alternatively, you could still get this laptop and then use a hub that has an SD card reader. 
• You'd prefer a laptop with a full number pad: Like many other 14-inch laptops out there, this one does not have its own numeric keypad on the right. If that's important to you, you should check out our list of the best laptops with number pads . 

I currently have some very powerful laptops in my home, but even so, I've found myself gravitating toward the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (UM6405HA) over those beastly devices. The Zenbook 14 is super lightweight, easy to tote around, and has phenomenal battery life that makes it the ideal on-the-go companion. Plus, that gorgeous OLED touchscreen display shows off videos so beautifully while making it easy to navigate websites with my fingers. It's extremely convenient and nice to look at. 

There are a couple of things missing from this laptop — an SD card slot and a fingerprint reader. However, as long as you don't need those things, it should serve you well. Additionally, while it does have a nice design overall, the metal chassis material is eager to pick up fingerprint smudges so you might find yourself needing to clean it frequently. 

But really, overall this is a fantastic AI PC laptop that sells at a value price ( $799.00 at Walmart and $999.99 at ASUS ) and offers an amazing display. It can last for a couple of work days before needing to recharge and is incredibly easy to bring with you wherever you go. If you tend to work away from outlets for long stretches then you should definitely consider this laptop. 

With it's extremely long battery life, solid build-quality, and small form factor, the ASUS Zenbook 14 (UM3406HA) makes for a fantastic on-the-go laptop. Plus, thanks to the Ryzen AI processor, it can handle local AI tasks far more efficiently than non-AI PC laptops. 

Self-professed gaming geek, Rebecca Spear, is one of Windows Central's editors and reviewers with a focus on gaming handhelds, PC gaming, and laptops. When she isn't checking out the latest games on Xbox Game Pass, PC, ROG Ally, or Steam Deck; she can be found digital drawing with a Wacom tablet. She's written thousands of articles with everything from editorials, reviews, previews, features, previews, and hardware reviews over the last few years. If you need information about anything gaming-related, her articles can help you out. She also loves testing game accessories and any new tech on the market. You can follow her @rrspear on X (formerly Twitter).

• The Werewolf The article claims the laptop has "USB thunderbolt," but in fact according to ASUS' website, it has USB 4 which is a subset of Thunderbolt 4 and does not support all TB4 features. Reply
• View All 1 Comment

It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all). We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome , Firefox , Internet Explorer or Opera

Sign in to add this item to your wishlist, follow it, or mark it as ignored

Sign in to see reasons why you may or may not like this based on your games, friends, and curators you follow.

Join Our Discord

About This Game

New: become a champion, new: build your victory, daily changing content, 1v1 clash - unleash your competitive skills, play with friends, collectibles and lol pass seasons, system requirements.

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 | AMD Phenom II X4 965
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7750 | NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 512 MB available space

More like this

What curators say, customer reviews.

You can use this widget-maker to generate a bit of HTML that can be embedded in your website to easily allow customers to purchase this game on Steam.

Enter up to 375 characters to add a description to your widget:

Copy and paste the HTML below into your website to make the above widget appear

Popular user-defined tags for this product: (?)

Sign in to add your own tags to this product.

The Longest Journey

Originally posted by UnicoRn < oJ : Read Requirements tab in Steam. Use your brain. Go to GoG.com and get this game 100% working on WinXP/Vista/7even/8/8.1/10. Profit!!!:boxing:

Report this post