In today's blog, we bring you another piece of the puzzle from the upcoming 1.60 update for both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, which we hope will get our #BestCommunityEver very excited. In this update, we will be introducing the Improved Material System for the interior of selected trucks! Let's take a look.
The Improved Material System, which will be introduced in the 1.60 update for both games, significantly improves the lighting and visual quality of vehicle interiors in selected trucks. Its main focus is to enhance how interior materials react to light, which will result in a more readable, detailed, and visually pleasing cabin environment.
During the development of Project Road Trip, we implemented a wide range of visual and technical improvements. One of the most significant changes was a redesign of the materials used in vehicle interiors.ย
This has been requested from our community for some time, as the previous system often made interiors appear too dark and flat, especially in scenes without direct lighting. As a result, it makes differences between materials such as leather, fabric, plastic, and metal far more apparent, even in low-light conditions.
"The main goal of the new technology was to bring more light into shadowed areas of vehicle interiors. The previous system struggled to handle indirect lighting in these situations, causing many details to be lost in darkness. The new solution uses multiple variants of dynamic cubemaps, allowing all materials to reflect their surroundings more naturally and respond to ambient light in a more realistic way. Environmental reflections are no longer limited to highly polished metallic surfaces. This change gives interiors significantly greater depth and readability," says our Vehicle Technical Leader, Daniel.
We have also carried out minor adjustments to the global lighting, primarily focused on exposure and contrast balancing, along with subtle visual refinements for bad weather conditions to achieve a more consistent and refined look.ย
The development of this system took place in parallel with Project Road Trip, where its importance became even more apparent. Smaller, darker passenger vehicle interiors suffered from a lack of indirect light more than trucks with bright cabs and large windows, which often allow direct light to enter. Road Trip thus served as the ideal environment for developing and fine-tuning these technologies.
The entire system was designed from the start with the interiors of trucks in both games in mind, so the base games and their existing fleets will gradually benefit from these improvements as well.ย Throughout the entire process, we kept players with lower-end hardware in mind. We aimed to make the visual improvements as impactful as possible while minimizing the performance cost.
The first trucks to benefit from the Improved Material System will be the DAF NGD and MAN TG3 TGX models in ETS2. In ATS, players will see redesigned interiors for the Mack Anthem and the Western Star 49X. With future updates, we will gradually add this technology for other trucks across both games.
We hope this new feature has you looking forward to the 1.60 update even more, as it brings a major enhancement to these truck interiors and makes the view from the driver's seat better than ever! Please note that theย Road Trip vehicles are not releasing with the 1.60 update.
For many drivers, music and the open road naturally belong together. Whether you are cruising through the countryside at sunset, hauling cargo across busy interstates, or relaxing during a long night drive, the right soundtrack can completely change the atmosphere of your journey. With Game Radio, we wanted to take that experience much further than a simple music player.
Game Radio is a brand-new in-game radio system designed to deepen immersion, support roleplay, and make every drive feel more authentic. Rather than approaching radio as just another technical feature, we created a collection of stations with their own distinct identities, philosophies, moods, and sounds. This is Game Radio's first chapter - built on music, with more layers planned for the road ahead.
At launch, Game Radio will feature five unique radio stations:
Rust FM
Rust FM is a guitar-driven station bridging five decades of rock, from the psychedelic garage sounds of the late 60s all the way to modern indie. Built for drivers who enjoy raw riffs, extended solos, distortion, and live energy.
This station features, amongst others,ย Sorry and SASAMI, both on Domino Records. Sorry is a North London indie band whose debut was co-produced by James Dring of Gorillaz fame, while SASAMI is a classically trained French horn player from the Eastman School of Music who scored films and commercials before going solo. Also on the roster: Holiday Ghosts, a DIY duo from Cornwall who record on their own equipment and have built a devoted cult following in the UK underground.ย
Escape
Escape is for drivers whose nervous systems are stretched thin, a place to slow down, settle in, and find some quiet. Lo-fi textures, jazzy chords, minimal beats. Escape is ideal for peaceful night drives and calm moments behind the wheel.
Escape is also a radio station designed to help content creators, and we are committed to do our best to keep it stream-safe, featuring StreamBeats by Harris Heller, a music library built by a streamer, for streamers. Its music is specifically licensed with streamers in mind, designed to help avoid copyright claims and support content monetization. Players will be able to enable Streamer Mode directly from the game menu.
PUMP IT!
PUMP IT! turns your truck cabin into a dance floor, built on hypnotic beats and precisely engineered production. This station is all about movement and intensity. Don't think it. Just feel it. Featuring Tony Romera, a French producer with official remixes for Calvin Harris and Diplo, and a #1 track on the Beatport Overall Charts, and KIDSร, a Munich duo known for fully improvised live shows with live visual installations across the European festival circuit.
Pop Gear
Pop Gear runs on hooks, momentum, and dopamine. Designed to capture attention and trigger the irresistible urge for just one more song, the station thrives on the emotional highs of contemporary pop: modern production, catchy melodies, hook after hook. Featuring Palace Winter, a Copenhagen duo the New York Times called "a darkly intoxicating potion," and School of X, a Danish artist whose music moves between orchestral pop and raw electronics.
Roadio
Roadio is dedicated to American roots music that feels grounded, honest, and deeply connected to the spirit of the open road. Inspired by wide landscapes, truck stops, desert highways, and classic Americana, Roadio aims to become the perfect companion for long-distance hauls and quiet moments of reflection. Featuring Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, one of indie folk's most revered voices whose song "I See a Darkness" was covered by Johnny Cash; Grammy nominee and 2021 IBMA Songwriter of the Year Thomm Jutz; and New Zealand singer-songwriter Amber Lynn Nicol.
Game Radio features music from artists across some of the most respected independent labels in the world, including Domino Recording Company, home to Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, and Wet Leg, alongside Drag City, Ninja Tune, and independent artists who record and tour entirely on their own terms. Every track was chosen by hand, built to hold up across hundreds of hours of driving.
Game Radio Feature
Game Radio will expand the existing audio experience alongside the current Radio Stream (Online Radio) and Music Player systems, while also bringing a variety of improvements to music selection, user experience, and overall interaction with the in-game audio players.
In-game Widget
While driving, the Audio Player widget will appear above the navigation interface and display detailed playback information, including:
Unique station name and icon
Current song title
Artist name
Animated audio wave visualization
Favorite station indicator
Players will also be able to customize the behavior of the widget through the Widget Options menu (F6), allowing them to tailor how and when radio information appears during gameplay.ย
Support for Community-Created Stations
We are also excited to support creative possibilities for our modding community. Players will be able to create their own custom radio stations featuring their own music and share them with the community for playback, just like any other mods.
Game Radio has been designed to become part of the driving experience itself. Different stations can completely change the atmosphere of your journey, whether you are hauling cargo through dense urban traffic, crossing remote deserts, or enjoying scenic roads across Europe and North America.
This feature also brings improvements to the existing music and radio systems, creating a more seamless listening experience while driving.
We are incredibly excited to finally begin sharing more about Game Radio with our community, and we look forward to hearing which station becomes your favorite once 1.60 arrives. The stations you hear at launch are the foundation. Music comes first, and there is plenty more we want to build on top of it in the future!
We are happy to bring you another preview from the upcoming Iceland map expansion for Euro Truck Simulator 2, as today, we are taking a closer look at the majestic fjords found in this country!
These glacier-carved inlets are an integral part of the Land of Fire and Ice landscape. Theyย can be found in various locations around the island and are filled with wildlife, towering cliffs, and centuries-old fishing villages.
Capturing Iceland's stunning fjords on our scale presented a unique challenge. In reality, these vast landscapes stretch for kilometers, but at a reduced in-game scale, we needed to carefully balance realism with gameplayย so they preserve their breathtaking character and don't lose the sense of grandeur that makes them so iconic.
As a result, players can look forward to routes that faithfully recreate the experience of driving on Iceland's coastline, driving long distances along winding coastal roads to reach the opposite side of a fjord that remains constantly in view, towering majestically beside them the entire journey.
What truly brought these landscapes to life was the presence of water itself. Countless waterfalls, winding streams, tranquil lakes, and bays add a sense of movement and atmosphere to the environment, making Iceland's fjords feel far more vibrant and dynamic than ordinary mountain scenery.
Our map designers also shared some insight into the process behind creating these landscapes. "One of the biggest challenges was modeling and texturing the fjords themselves, which took a considerable amount of time. At the same time, though, it was one of the most enjoyable tasks I've ever had the chance to work on. We also used satellite imagery to better understand how the fjord was formed, so we could design it to look natural even when viewed from different angles and distances," Jan explained.
"At first, the fjords made me feel as if I was looking at another planet. It was hard for me to grasp the sheer scale, size, distance, and shape of these natural formations. But after a while, I began to notice that all the shapes in the rocks have their own logic and continuity. That is exactly the feeling I want to convey to the player who will be driving through these routes. At first glance, they'll be amazed by the size and shape of the fjords, but at the same time, they'll have the chance to look around and understand how the landscape connects," says our map designer, Ashley.
Truckers will encounter a variety of unique locations, each with its own atmosphere. Seyรฐisfjรถrรฐur, nestled deep within the bay of the same name, serves as one of the main gateways to Iceland thanks to the ferry connection from Hirtshals in Denmark. Further south in the Eastern Fjords lies Reyรฐarfjรถrรฐur, home to an aluminum processing plant depot, while nearby Stรถรฐvarfjรถrรฐur captures the quiet charm of the Austfirรฐir region and its coastal settlements.
In the remote and sparsely populated region of the Westfjords, players will drive through รlftafjรถrรฐur, probably the largest and most imposing fjord featured in this DLC. You will also be able to visit รsafjรถrรฐur, a small town built on a narrow headland in Skutulsfjรถrรฐur, which stands as one of the key economic hubs in the western part of the map.
Since the release of the Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator, weโve loved seeing all of your screenshots, videos, reviews, and trucking adventures from across the Prairie State. Watching you explore everything Illinois has to offer has been incredibly rewarding for our team, which is why we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of our favourite community content, as shared by you!
For those of you who may not have had the chance to hit the road in Illinois just yet, we wanted to highlight a few YouTube videos we enjoyed, to give you a glimpse of what awaits in this newest map expansion for ATS. We hope these inspire you to start your own journey through the Land of Lincoln! A big shoutout to everyone featured below, be sure to give them a subscribe and a like!
Weโve also been seeing plenty of amazing screenshots and videos shared across social media on X, BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more. Thank you to everyone who has tagged us, shared their adventures, and shown off their favourite areas of Illinois. Our teams genuinely enjoy scrolling through your photos and seeing your unique trucking setups and routes. Here are just a few that we liked!
We also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to leave reviews and feedback on Steam. Reading your comments and impressions means a lot to our developers, map designers, artists, and the entire team behind American Truck Simulator. Your support, suggestions, and enthusiasm continue to help shape the future of the game and motivate us every day.ย
If youโve been enjoying your time in Illinois, weโd really appreciate it if you considered leaving a review on the Illinois DLC Steam page. If you want to, you can still write a review for the Illinois DLC on its Steam page. We would really appreciate it! You can find the review section if you scroll to the bottom of the Illinois Steam page.
We have also reached out to a few content creators who got the opportunity to try out this DLC in early access to give us their opinion on the Illinois map expansion. It's safe to say they enjoyed it too! We also recommend checking out their channels for more content!
BadMae
"The Illinois DLC absolutely blew us away! Chicago is unlike anything we have experienced in American Truck Simulator so far; the scale, skyline, Lower Wacker Drive, Navy Pier, the L train, the Bears stadium, and even the International Trucks headquarters all made the city feel alive and incredibly immersive. What impressed us just as much was how smoothly the map transitions from the busy energy of Chicago into the farmlands, countryside, quarries, and smaller towns that give Illinois so much character. Thornton Quarry is a massive standout, and players who love exploring may want to do some extra hunting around Marion, too! Overall, Illinois easily ranks as one of our favorite ATS states. SCS truly knocked it out of the park, and we cannot wait to see what comes next with South Dakota!" - Christian and Monique, BadMae
RunawayLobster
"Illinois has now become my favorite American Truck Simulator DLC. The hidden beauty spots, the changing environments, and the pure detail and beauty of Illinois blew me away. With a couple of hidden roads I have discovered already, I had not realised how different the scenery would be. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring Illinois and the beauty it had to offer. Hats off to the developers and artists working on this game who, at every opportunity, absolutely blow us away with the attention to detail. Thank you for this great addition to the already incredible American Truck Simulator game!" - RunawayLobster
Prime Simulations
"The Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator is simply fantastic! To no surprise, SCS Software has once again raised the bar for map DLCs with Illinois - recreating cities, landmarks, industries, and more to an impressive level of accuracy. I had the absolute privilege of exploring the Illinois DLC during its early access phase - exploring every corner of the state! From Chicago to Marion, Quincy to Champaign, and every location in between - I can confidently say that the Illinois DLC is a "must have" for all ATS players - especially those who want to complete the Route 66 corridor! I look forward to exploring the Illinois DLC further and for the future of ATS!"ย - Prime Simulation
DaSimSimma
"The Illinois DLC already feels like a major step forward for American Truck Simulator, especially with Chicago. The city feels explorable and believable, and honestly, this might be the most detailed urban environment ATS has received yet. Thereโs a real sense of scale and atmosphere here that reminds me of actually visiting Chicago in real life, and I think that familiarity is part of what makes these newer DLCs feel so immersive. As ATS continues moving closer toward my home region around the Great Lakes, I honestly find myself getting more personally invested in every new state release." - DaSimSimma
Project Sim Racing
"SCS Software delivers yet another masterpiece with the Illinois DLC!
The attention to detail and the sheer level of immersion make it an
absolute joy to drive through. Itโs always an honor to showcase your
incredible work to my community." - Project Sim Racing
We would like to thank you all for your continued support! Keep on sharing your journeys through the Illinois DLC with us on our social media channels. Until next time, keep on truckin'!ย
Weโre excited to partner with Western Star Trucks and head back to Bend, Oregon, from June 5th to 8th for the unforgettable Star Nation Experience 2026! Joining us for this incredible all-expenses-paid adventure will be two lucky members of the American Truck Simulator community, who will get the chance to experience the event alongside the Star Nation community and the Western Star team. Ready to meet them?
Hosted by Western Star Trucks, the Star Nation Experience is a one-of-a-kind four day adventure taking place from June 5th to 8th, 2026, packed with unforgettable experiences including world-class dining, whitewater rafting, the X-Series Ride & Drive Challenge at the Madras Proving Grounds, and more. Earlier this week, Western Star revealed the lucky winners selected from both their own community and ours, who have been chosen to join the experience.
Weโre also excited to once again be part of this incredible event and capture the journey for a special SCS On The Road episode! So without further ado, letโs meet the two members from our ATS community heading to Star Nation Experience 2026!
Nathan
Nathan is an avid American Truck Simulator player, and full-time Crane Operator and part-time truck driver for a local contractor! His first experience getting behind the wheel of a full sized truck was a 1997 Western Star 4900SF with a CAT C15, and ever since he's been hooked! His passion for trucks and love for Western Star since he was young was what drew him to becoming an avid player of ATS, where he also loves hitting the virtual road with the Western Star 49X!
"My local contractor is also a massive Western Star fan! He has a fleet of older Western Stars and a newer 2019 4900SF that I drive pulling a float, my love of trucks follow me home, with various walls of my home being decorated with die-cast trucks."
Conor
Conor is a huge fan of our games, having racked up countless hours in American Truck Simulator, with much of his time on the virtual road spent behind the wheel of the legendary Western Star Trucks 49X. A recent college graduate with a degree in marketing, Conor is passionate about pursuing a career in the trucking industry, with earning his CDL and getting behind the wheel being one of his biggest goals since he was young.
โWhile my official degree is in marketing, my passion for obtaining my CDL and driving is my main goal. I think this is such a cool opportunity to live out a dream Iโve had since I was a kid. Additionally, it could also be a potential step toward finding a place in the industry where I can use my academic knowledge.โ
We canโt wait to see Nathan and Conor take part in the Star Nation Experience 2026 and follow their journey throughout this unforgettable adventure! Weโd also like to give a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to enter this yearโs competition. Your passion, enthusiasm, and continued support means alot to us!ย
Weโd like to give a huge thank you to Western Star Trucks for once again giving us and members of our community the opportunity to be part of this incredible adventure. Be sure to keep a close eye on Western Starโs Facebook and Instagram, along with our X, Instagram, YouTube, Bluesky, and Facebook channels so you donโt miss any updates from Star Nation Experience 2026, which Oscar, Nemiro & Beny from our team will also be attending. See you there!ย
With the upcoming 1.60 update, we are continuing to refine the widget system in both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator based on feedback gathered from our community. Following that, we will be introducing the Job Details Widget, so let's see the changes that will be coming.ย
Based on the feedback from our #BestCommunityEver and upcoming widget designs, the Job Details Widget will be introduced with the 1.60 update. Its primary purpose will be to enable a new, more immediate, and concise way of displaying relevant job info.
In the current design, this info is spread across multiple screens, most of it displayed as part of Quick Info, which currently shows the place of pick up and delivery, job income, cargo type and weight, the next rest stop, and remaining time to complete the job, which is also displayed under the GPS.
Once added, you'll be able to enable the Job Details Widget through the Widget Options menu (F6). The widget will display key job information, including cargo type and weight, delivery location, job income (colour-highlighted), and the remaining time to complete the job, so players will have this info available immediately without the necessity to pause the game.
In addition, the remaining job time will no longer appear on the GPS and will instead be shown exclusively in the Job Details Widget.
We hope that, through ongoing community feedback, we can continue to refine the widget system and improve the overall player experience.
Weโre back with another episode of SCS On The Road! This time, our journey took us across the Atlantic to Dublin, Virginia, where members of our team visited the Volvo Trucks Customer Center to get up close and personal with the all-new Volvo VNL. During our visit, we had the opportunity to gather valuable reference materials, learn more about the truck directly from the experts, and even take it for a test drive!
Join Nemiro, Oscar, Ondลej, and Matฤj from the SCS Software team as they explore one of Volvo Trucks North Americaโs newest and most advanced trucks yet. From detailed photography and video references to capturing authentic sounds and interior details, our team worked hard to ensure that every aspect of the all-new Volvo VNL could be recreated as accurately as possible for our players.ย Weโre also excited that players can already experience this truck for themselves, as the all-new Volvo VNL has officially been released forย American Truck Simulator. Find out more in our dedicated blog here.
A major part of the trip was also learning more about the design philosophy, technology, and innovations behind the truck itself. Weโd like to give a special thank you to Brian Balicki, Head of Design at Volvo Trucks North America, who took the time to share more details about the all-new Volvo VNL and provided fascinating insights into its development and features.
Of course, no SCS On The Road visit would be complete without getting behind the wheel! Our team had the chance to experience the all-new Volvo VNL firsthand during a test drive around the area surrounding the Volvo Trucks Customer Center. Experiencing the truck on the road gave us valuable insight into its handling, driver comfort, visibility, and overall driving feel, all of which helped us better understand how to bring these experiences into our game.
Weโd like to extend a huge thank you to everyone at Volvo Trucks North America and the Volvo Trucks Customer Center for welcoming us and making this visit possible. Opportunities like these are invaluable for helping us deliver authentic and immersive trucking experiences to our community.
Make sure to stay connected with all the latest news and upcoming episodes by following us onย X,ย Facebook,ย Instagram,ย Bluesky,ย TikTok, andย YouTube, or byย subscribing to our newsletter.ย We look forward to bringing you more SCS On The Road episodes in the future, and until next time, keep on truckin'!
We had an amazing day on May 15, as we organized SCS Fay Day Experience #4! We welcomed fans of our games from all around the world to our office in Prague, where they had the opportunity to meet our team, tour the studio, and get a behind-the-scenes look at how our games are made.
After receiving a huge number of applications for this fourth edition of our SCS Fan Day, we had to narrow the list down to a smaller group of some of our most dedicated fans, including visitors who traveled all the way to Prague from countries such as Brazil.
As always, it turned into an unforgettable experience meeting and chatting with members of our #BestCommunityEver. Once everyone arrived, they took on the challenge of driving on our 4D motion simulator before heading out on a tour of the office. Along the way, we stopped by several departments where our colleagues gave them a behind-the-scenes look at what they are currently working on and how the development process looks at SCS Software.
Later in the afternoon, we hosted a special Q&A session with our developers and CEO Pavel ล ebor, where we discussed the community's thoughts on our games and answered plenty of questions from our guests. The session was accompanied by delicious snacks and coffee before we gathered for a group photo, handed out bags filled with SCS merchandise, and unfortunately had to say goodbye - at least until we hopefully meet again someday!
We would like to thank everyone who took part in this year's Fan Day. We hope it was a memorable experience for you, because it was certainly unforgettable for us as well. Your passion, support, and willingness to travel such long distances just to meet us truly means the world to everyone here at SCS Software, and it continues to motivate us every day. We also hope to meet again with everyone who applied but was not selected or was unable to attend this time around.
We hope we will be able to host another Fan Day in the future and meet even more of our amazing fans. Don't forget to give ourย X/Twitter,ย Instagram,ย Facebook,ย Bluesky, andย TikTokย a follow, as you'll receive news from any upcoming events straight to your feed, orย subscribe to our newsletterย to stay informed.
Looking for a mix of nature, history, and relaxation all in one spot? Hot Springs, South Dakota, is calling your name! Located at the southern end of the beautiful Black Hills, this historic town is one of the many destinations youโll discover in our upcoming South Dakota DLC for American Truck Simulator. Scroll on down to take a closer look at our recreation of this unique getaway destination!
Known for its naturally warm mineral waters, historic architecture, and outdoor activities, this charming town offers drivers a relaxing yet memorable stop on their journey through the Mount Rushmore State. Our team has been busy at work recreating its virtual counterpart in this upcoming DLC, including several landmarks.
However, the warm water isnโt the only thing producing steam in Hot Springs! The town also holds a unique place in railroad history, once home to what was considered the worldโs smallest Union Station. Built in 1891 from locally quarried pink sandstone, this tiny depot became an iconic landmark of the region. While passenger trains no longer run directly into town, the railway heritage of Hot Springs still lives on today, and youโll even find a representation of it in-game! The beautifully preserved building now serves as the local visitor information center.
Speaking of history, this next landmark goes back a little further.. way further! Hot Springs is home to a Mammoth Site, an active paleontological dig site and museum where the remains of 61 mammoths have been discovered, including Columbian and woolly mammoths. Since the first bones were uncovered in 1974, the site has become one of South Dakotaโs most fascinating attractions, featuring an extensive collection of prehistoric remains.
If youโre looking to learn even more about the local area, be sure to take a look at the Pioneer Museum. Originally built in 1893 as a schoolhouse, it later became a museum dedicated to preserving the history of Hot Springs and the surrounding Black Hills region, featuring exhibits on pioneer life, Native American artifacts, and early settlers.
The townโs historic charm is reflected in its distinctive Neo-Romanesque architecture, a style rarely seen in many parts of the United States. Several buildings around Hot Springs almost resemble small castles, giving the downtown area a unique look.
Drivers passing through town can also spot the picturesque Hot Springs Waterfall, located right in the heart of downtown. Nearby, youโll find shops, restaurants, walking trails, parks, and the Kidney Springs Gazebo. Other local landmarks include the historic public library, the Evans building, the old wooden 1888 jail, and numerous art murals!
We think youโll enjoy the laid back charm of Hot Springs, but donโt stay too long, thereโs still plenty more to discover across South Dakota! If youโre excited to hit the road in this upcoming map expansion for American Truck Simulator, be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist using the widget below.ย
We look forward to sharing more development previews here on our blog and across our social media channels on X, Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky, where you can also catch exclusive video content. Until next time, keep on truckinโ!
Today, weโre happy to share a closer look at Stonehenge, one of Britainโs most iconic and mysterious landmarks, which will be featured in our UK Rework for Euro Truck Simulator 2. This prehistoric circular megalithic stone structure has stood watch over the rolling countryside for thousands of years, and continues to captivate visitors from around the world with its scale, history, and mystery.
Believed to date back over 5000 years, Stonehenge remains one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world. Was it a ceremonial site or perhaps even an astronomical calendar aligned with the movements of the sun? While historians continue to debate its true purpose, one thing is certain, it has become a symbol of Britainโs history.ย
This landmark has been carefully recreated by our talented teams as part of our UK Rework project, and drivers passing by in the future will be able to catch a memorable glimpse of these ancient standing stones. However, if you wish to take a quick break and perhaps enjoy the view a little longer, you can!ย
Nearby, youโll also find the modern visitor centre, which welcomes thousands of tourists each year. Built in 2013, this visitor centre houses permanent and temporary exhibitions, including nearly 300 archaeological treasures found buried at the site, from jewellery to pottery to human remains. Complete with a dedicated parking area for buses, there is plenty of room for visitors to stop and learn more!ย
Set within the heart of the Wiltshire countryside, the area surrounding Stonehenge offers a peaceful glimpse into rural southern England. As you drive through this area, you may notice smaller mounds dotted across the landscape. These are not simply natural features, but Neolithic burial mounds, constructed thousands of years ago. They serve as subtle reminders of the deep history that has shaped this region over time.
We're excited to share more previews and features from the UK Rework, which will arrive as a free update for all owners of Euro Truck Simulator 2 in the future. Be sure to let us know in the comments what UK landmarks you'd love to see! Keep on truckin', cheerio!ย
How well do you know รire? Our team is hard at work creating the Isle of Ireland for Euro Truck Simulator 2, and weโve got some early work in progress screenshots to share with you!
We know our community has a sharp eye, so weโre putting you to the test to guess where in Ireland these screenshots were taken. They are based on real life locations being recreated in detail for this DLC, so if you know the area, or have some geo-guessing skills, you might just recognise where each one is from.
Weโd love to hear your guesses, so be sure to share them in the blog comments below, on our social media channels, or even on our official forum.ย
Development on the Isle of Ireland DLC is still ongoing, but we hope this glimpse gives you a sense of the beauty and history that awaits you. Weโll be sure to keep you updated on the latest development news and previews, and if you like what youโve seen here today, be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist to be notified of its release. Until next time, keep on truckin'!ย
It's so exciting when something you've been working on for quite some time is finally done. Today is the day, as the long-awaited Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator is ready to welcome its first truckers!
The Illinois DLC is now released and available on Steam!
We announced Illinois in February 2025, and since then, our asset and map designers have done some amazing work on bringing it to life for our #BestCommunityEver. As we brought you updates on this DLC in the past year, we have seen your amazing feedback and excitement about this map expansion. We are so happy that today, we are finally able to explore it! And believe us, there's so much to discover.
Make the most of your visit to the wonderful Prairie State and enjoy every moment as you:
Explore 11 faithfully recreated cities, such as Chicago, Springfield, Rockford, and Peoria!
See iconic landmarks like Chicagoโs Buckingham Memorial Fountain, the Springfield State Capitol, or the Rock Valley College, and a meticulously recreated downtown in Rockford.
Deliver cargo to brand-new industries, including a construction equipment factory and dealer, marinas on Lake Michigan and Rend Lake, and Chicago's famous international airport.
Discover 7 scenic towns (settlements) like Macomb or Chenoa.
Drive from the starting point of the legendary Route 66 in Chicago!
Explore stunning natural locations including Rend Lake, the Mississippi River, Shawnee National Forest, and Lake Michigan.
Become the vital link in Illinoisโ national rail network, picking up cargo from Chicagoโs Intermodal hub and delivering it by truck across the state.
Enjoy varied driving conditions, from wide-open plains, hilly and forested areas to bustling urban streets in big cities.
Uncover hidden gems across Illinois, from hidden roads and viewpoints to easter eggs and more!
From vibrant cities like Chicago, one of the Midwest's most iconic cities, to breathtaking landscapes shaped by the Mississippi River, winding past picturesque towns, there will be no shortage of new and beautiful locations to explore and haul some cargo. If you own some of our already released DLCs, you will also be able to travel the full length of the legendary Route 66 with the release of Illinois!
Release Live Stream
Don't forget about our special Release Live Stream, which is going to start today at 3 pm CEST. We will introduce some special guests, including the CEO of SCS Software, Pavel ล ebor, who will tell you more about this new map expansion while we drive through Illinois. Towards the end of the live stream, we will officially release the Illinois DLC together, so make sure to be there!
We are eager for you to start trucking in the Prairie State. Remember to tag us in your photos and videos from this map expansion using the hashtag #CruisingIllinois onย X/Twitter,ย Facebook,ย Instagram, andย Bluesky. If you'll enjoy your time in Illinois, we'd really appreciate it if you left a review on its DLC Steam store page. We thank you for all your support, and until next time, happy haulin'!
Today, weโre excited to bring not one, but two new additions to American Truck Simulator! Whether you prefer the power and comfort of long-haul trucking or the cutting-edge innovation of electric mobility, this update delivers something special for every kind of driver. Introducing the all-new 2025 Volvo VNL and Volvo VNR Electric!
From refined aerodynamics and driver-focused interiors to sustainable, zero-emission technology, both vehicles showcase Volvoโs commitment to innovation and performance. Letโs take a closer look at what each of these incredible trucks has to offer.
Volvo VNL 2025
The all-new Volvo VNL arrives in American Truck Simulator as a step forward in long-haul trucking. Designed with efficiency, comfort, and modern styling in mind, this truck is built to conquer the open road.
Players will immediately notice the redesigned exterior, featuring smoother lines and improved aerodynamics. Every detail has been carefully crafted, making it a perfect companion for those long interstate journeys.
Inside the cabin, the VNL focuses on ergonomics and accessibility, with a fully digital dashboard and thoughtfully placed controls ensuring maximum comfort during extended trips.
A wide range of customization options is also available, including chassis configurations, paint jobs, accessories, and much more. This also includes a special paint job for the SCS box trailer.
Under the hood, players can select from a variety of powerful engine options paired with smooth transmissions, delivering the performance and reliability expected from a modern long-haul truck.
Volvo VNR Electric
Alongside the VNL, weโre proud to introduce the Volvo VNR Electric, bringing the first electric truck to American Truck Simulator. While the VNL is a full-size truck that you can own, customize, and expand your fleet with, the VNR Electric is availableexclusively through Quick Jobs, giving players a chance to experience electric trucking in a curated way.
This truck represents a modern era of transportation, designed primarily for urban and regional distribution. Its fully electric powertrain delivers smooth, quiet operation, offering a completely different driving experience compared to traditional trucks.
Visually, the VNR Electric stands out with its modern, clean design and distinctive lighting elements. The interior reflects the same philosophy, offering a sleek and functional workspace tailored for urban operations.
Weโre incredibly excited to see you hit the road with both the Volvo VNL and the Volvo VNR Electric. Whether youโre hauling across states or navigating city streets, these trucks open up new experiences in American Truck Simulator.
We look forward to your feedback, screenshots, and stories from the road!
For our Road Trip project in American Truck Simulator, we continue to expand a growing collection of legendary vehicles that feel perfectly at home cruising endless highways and scenic byways across America. Today, weโre excited to share a work-in-progress look at the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody, one of the most iconic American muscle cars of modern times.
Few vehicles represent contemporary American muscle quite like the Challenger. The Hellcat Widebody stands as a bold statement from an era when muscle cars reached new heights of power, presence, and character, while still paying homage to the unmistakable design language that defined generations before it. It is already regarded as a modern legend, a car that proudly carries the spirit of American performance into the present day.
The Dodge Challenger has always been about more than numbers on paper. Itโs about attitude, confidence, and the feeling of pointing a long hood toward the horizon. The Hellcat amplifies all of that with its aggressive stance, widened bodywork, and unmistakable road presence.
In Road Trip, this vehicle is about experiencing the vastness of North America from behind the wheel of an automotive icon, cruising historic highways, rolling through small towns, and stopping to admire the diverse landscapes and landmarks that define each state. This is the kind of car meant for memorable journeys, where the drive itself is just as important as the destination.
With every new Road Trip vehicle, our team continues to raise the bar for visual fidelity, and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Widebody is no exception. From the muscular exterior proportions to carefully crafted interior details, our vehicle artists are paying close attention to materials, lighting, and overall authenticity to ensure the car feels believable and immersive within the world of American Truck Simulator.
Whether parked at a scenic overlook or cruising under changing skies, we want this Challenger to look and feel right in every situation, making each Road Trip experience more atmospheric and visually rewarding.
Weโre looking forward to sharing more updates as the Road Trip project evolves. Please remember that this car is still a work in progress, and further refinements are planned as development continues. With legendary vehicles like the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Widebody, we aim to clearly set expectations: Road Trip is about exploration, atmosphere, and celebrating American automotive culture on the open road, one unforgettable journey at a time.
Today, weโre taking a closer look behind the scenes of Building Canada, focusing on the creation of British Columbia and what it takes to bring it into American Truck Simulator. We spoke with Patrix, our Map Technical Lead for ATS, who shared his perspective on how this ambitious new region is being brought to life and how the new road networks are being made.
"Hi, my name is Patrik (also known as Patrix). Over the past 15 exciting years at SCS Software, a mix of good fortune and personal dedication has taken me on quite a journey, from starting as a junior map designer on Euro Truck Simulator 2 just months before its release, to my current role as a Technical Lead working on American Truck Simulator."
"It's a pleasure and a big responsibility to be trusted by the company in terms of technical knowledge and pipeline correctness. In my early years, I recall breaking a lot of technical rules to achieve any sort of visual that was (or could be) considered nice. Doing that, I was many times inevitably instructed by experienced senior colleagues about how the game engine works and why I should be careful about overloading hardware with random details or items in map scenes."
"As years flew by, I became more responsible and stood rather rational about the complexity of the map and shaped a pretty exact vision of where the limits are and how the map should be done, so that it works smoothly on any computer and is also accessible to maintenance, which is critical for projects that live on for more than 10 years, just like ATS recently proved to be able to."
"Right now, my responsibility is to set and maintain a certain technical consistency in terms of how our map is being done across the entire ATS, which means syncing the attitude towards map creation across several projects and across different map teams."
"When our CEO, Pavel ล ebor, approached us initially with the idea of going north to British Columbia, we immediately knew it would be a challenge. With its significance for the future of ATS, British Columbia reminds me of the times when we worked on Texas. Both were to be bigger than regular DLCs and should also carry a lot of specific new content. Logically, as we are going to another country in ATS for the very first time, we had to prepare a new set of road signage, both vertical and horizontal. Vertical signage are road-side signs, and those in Canada are very similar to the ones in the United States."
"Small things like font differences, dimensions, or rules for placement are exactly those little details we are looking for and following, so that our community of experienced drivers will immediately recognize that they are in Canada, even from unspecified random screenshots."
"Just like we did for the US, we read lots of Canadian documentation to get things right. One of the more complicated decisions was to pick the correct width of road lines. If documentation gives you a variety, what would you pick? The middle, one of the edge cases, or the most common? Also, how would we know from Prague what the most common roadline width is in Canada? When we found answers to these initial questions, even bigger issues appeared with implementation. For our Prism3D engine, different roadlines mean lots of new data that we had to create. Our in-game roads are made from templates of roads and more complex baked segments that we call prefabs. So if we wanted a slightly different yellow and a little wider/narrower lines, it meant making hundreds of road templates and prefabs to be able to bring this detail into British Columbia."
"Another part of my role as technical leader is to check all city layouts and compare their ambitions to the rest of the map, so that we stay consistent in the way we shape the game world."
"Now, British Columbia is actually pretty huge, but just like in many other cases, it is disproportionally balanced in terms of city spacing. The area around Vancouver is surrounded by a huge agglomeration of suburbs, and even cities across the water, like Victoria, were challenging in terms of where to put them on our map scale. Obviously, we had to sacrifice some bridges or interesting road pieces near Vancouver, but on the other hand, we will bring both border crossings from the US to Canada below Vancouver. The one at Interstate 5 is now relevant since we know our car-driving module, Road Trip, is on the way."
"I hope that players will truly enjoy exploring British Columbia and come to appreciate the sheer scale and ambition behind the project. While bringing a brand-new map like this to life comes with its fair share of challenges, itโs also been an incredibly fun and rewarding experience for the team, one weโre excited to share with the community."
Chicago, the city that never stops moving, best known for its iconic skyline, hot dogs, and historic architecture. Today, weโre excited to give you a closer look at the Windy City, its unique road network, and the new Special Transport routes coming with our upcoming Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator which releases on May 14th. Ready to take a look? Letโs head downtown!
As you can imagine, recreating a city of this size and scale in ATS is no easy task. With so much detail to capture, industries to represent, and road networks to connect, there have been many challenges. We spoke with Lukas, one of our Senior Map Designers who has worked on recreating the Windy City for more than a year, to learn more about our in-game version of Chicago and what players can expect.
"Chicago is a unique city" Lukas shares. "Many people know it from movies and games, even if theyโve never been there. My personal goal was to create a believable version that we could all be proud of, not just for our players, but for locals too."
One of the most visually striking features players will notice is Chicagoโs skyline. It's the largest weโve created to date. Lukas shares more "We tried to make the skyline as accurate as possible in terms of scale, space and optimisation... the fact that you can actually drive right into it is crazy, and I'm really glad we managed to make that possible."
When it comes to trucking through the city itself, players will be able to drive through key downtown areas, including the famous Chicago Loop, parts of Streeterville, and the Near South Side. These districts have been recreated with attention to detail. While certain areas such as Navy Pier are represented creatively within the gameโs scale, they remain recognisable and true to their real-world inspiration. Alongside this, iconic routes such as Lake Shore Drive offer stunning views of Lake Michigan and the city panorama.ย
As you can imagine, for many living in the city, driving isnโt the fastest or most affordable way to get around. For many, the Chicago โLโ, the cityโs rapid transit system, is part of the daily commute, and something we couldnโt miss including in our recreation. Complete with a brand-new train model created by our vehicle team, this iconic mode of public transport weaves through the city with elevated, subway, and surface-level lines. Its distinctive steel elevated structures, dating back to 1892, are a defining feature of Chicagoโs streets.
However, thereโs more than meets the eye than just whatโs on the surface. Our team has also recreated Lower Wacker Drive, an iconic three level underground roadway system in Chicago, running beneath the Loop to help alleviate congestion. Completed in 1926, it serves as a fast-moving, often confusing through-route and key shipping artery for the city. We look forward to you experiencing these unique road networks rarely seen in American Truck Simulator.
A city this big couldnโt run without its truck drivers, and Chicago brings a wide range of industries and delivery opportunities. One notable location is OโHare International Airport, the sixth busiest airport in the world, handling more than 850,000 aircraft movements each year. Here, players can take on deliveries within the airport and its cargo operations, including transporting goods to and from a cargo warehouse, unloading at a custom fuel depot, and even delivering directly to a specialised large cargo aircraft on the apron.ย
Beyond the airport, Chicago features a variety of other depots, including a large intermodal yard, and locations such as a car factory and a custom car export depot. Players can also deliver to a construction site located next to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge along Lake Shore Drive. Other delivery locations include the marina, a food processing facility, a heavy machinery service, and a chem oil industry. Some of the most unique deliveries can even take players underground, with the custom-built Undercity storage depo on Lower Wacker Drive, and the Wallbert warehouse situated even deeper below the city.
One industry we could not miss is the iconic Thornton Quarry, one of the largest and most recognisable quarries in the region. This vast, custom-built depot is a standout location for players looking for work, and a landmark in its own right. With its real-life counterpart spanning an immense area, our team has worked hard to bring that same sense of scale and depth into its virtual recreation. Whether you're hauling heavy materials and equipment in or out of the site, or simply passing by, be sure to take a moment to admire this impressive operation located south of Chicago.
Of course, no city would be complete without its landmarks. From towering skyscrapers and historic buildings to well-known attractions such as Buckingham Fountain, the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and Soldier Field, thereโs plenty to see. Navy Pier is also represented, complete with the Chicago Childrenโs Museum and Centennial Wheel. Love bridges? Be sure to check out the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge and the William P. Fahey Bridge, both of which are dynamic. And thatโs just scratching the surface!
So as you can tell, there's plenty to see, deliver and explore in Chicago, but we will leave the rest to you! However, the city is not the only thing that is BIG in Illinois...ย
BIG in Illinois - Special Transport Routesย
If you're looking for a challenge in Illinois, then maybe our new Special Transport routes are for you! Truckers who are ready to take on these mighty loads will find several new Special Transport job contracts.
Whilst these routes have been carefully pre-planned by our dispatchers, you can expect there to be some challenging manoeuvres and scenic views on the road to your final destination. As always, trained escort teams and local police will assist in guiding you along the correct route, and where necessary, help block traffic to allow safe passage.
Think you've got what it takes? Special Transport DLC owners will find contracts on offer between the following cities:ย
Peoria to Chicago Moline to Quincyย Springfield to Marionย
So whether you're taking on Special Transport routes or hauling cargo through the busy streets of Chicago, we truly hope you enjoy all that the Illinois DLC has to offer in American Truck Simulator when it releases on May 14th! If you like what you see, be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist, and until next time, keep on truckin'!
In today's blog, we bring you a glimpse at some of the custom depots featured in the upcoming Iceland map expansion, which is currently in development for Euro Truck Simulator 2. So let's take a look at what our map designers are working on!
The largest one is a landmark depot of a silicon metal factory, which is an accurate 1:1 copy of the real-world facility found in this location. This will be the home of a new virtual company called Kรญsilverksmiรฐja, producing silicon metal, which is used in a wide variety of applications in the chemical industry, production of silicones and silanes, or high-strength aluminium alloys for the automotive industry.
Truckers will be able to drive to nearly every corner of the complex and load or unload their truck in various locations within the complex based on the type of cargo they are hauling. The depot will also feature dynamic cargo loading of logs, which play a key role in this industry. The entire location is positioned near the coast, so in addition to the tunnel connecting the depot and the city, drivers will also get to enjoy some beautiful views of the sea.
Then, you will find three custom-made quarries located in the towns of Selfoss, Patreksfjรถrรฐur, and Blรถnduรณs. Quarrying of aggregate materials, both rock and sediment, is an important industry in Iceland, since aggregates are needed for a wide range of building and road construction projects.
All of these quarries are branches of the well-established MS Stein company that truckers can already know. Set within Iceland's iconic landscapes, these unique depots offer striking surroundings: the first two lie at the foot of towering cliffs, with the second one also boasting sweeping views of the sea.
Truckers will also come across six custom farm depots, each reflecting the characteristic Icelandic rural way of life. These are usually smaller, family-owned homesteads, often situated at the foot of mountains and shaped by the surrounding landscape. Their architecture is adapted to Iceland's demanding climate, using practical materials such as concrete and corrugated metal.
On these farms, you will often see livestock typical of the region, particularly Icelandic sheep and cattle. Some, like those in รรณrshรถfn and near Reykjavรญk, are tucked into the landscape, while others are located right beside the road.
With these farms, our map designers tried to convey theย narrow Icelandic roads, deep valleys, charcoal-colored rocks and soil, and farmsteads appearing as clusters of modest farm buildings nestled against the base of rugged mountains. Beyond them, you will see just vast stretches of land that extend far into the rocky highlands, with roaming sheep.
We are excited that the 1.59 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is now officially released and available on Steam! We hope you will enjoy all the new features, which you can read about in more detail below.
As always, we would like to thank everyone who took part in the open beta phase and reported possible issues or any kind of feedback on our forum, as it helped us fine-tune everything for a smooth transition to the full update!
Benelux Rework Release
We are happy to reveal that the long-awaited Benelux Rework project is released with this update! Our assets and map designers have completely rebuilt the whole original map of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg from scratch,ย delivering a richer, more detailed experience.
Truckers can explore a wide range of revamped major cities and their surroundings, including Amsterdam, Groningen, Rotterdam, Brussels, Liรจge, and Luxembourg City. Each location has been carefully redesigned to highlight its unique character with plenty of landmarks and details!
You can also look forward to hauling cargo through entirely new locations. These include Antwerp, home to one of Europe's largest container ports; the DAF Trucks facility in Eindhoven, which has been recreated with remarkable detail in close cooperation with our partners at DAF Trucks; as well as key transport corridors - the busy E40 and A2 motorway.
You'll be able to drive from the beautiful hilly landscapes of the Belgian Ardennes to the flat polders and picturesque coastal roads in the northern Netherlands - the reworked Benelux offers a diverse and varied environment that truly reflects the region's look and feel.
Whether you're cruising through dense city centers, navigating busy highways, or discovering scenic country routes, the Benelux region now offers a far more immersive and authentic journey. You can see more from what is coming in our alreadyย released blogsย on this topic.
Volvo Trucks Experience Center
In partnership with our friends at Volvo Trucks, we are adding the renowned Volvo Trucks Experience Center, situated in Gothenburg, Sweden, to the map, where you can test your trucking skills.
The center's standout feature is its dedicated driving circuit, which incorporates sweeping bends, tighter technical corners, elevation changes, downhill stretches, and varied road layouts. This allows drivers to assess vehicle behaviour in a controlled environment, highlighting stability, braking precision, handling characteristics, and overall driving comfort in ways that go beyond everyday road conditions.
The Volvo Trucks Experience Center has been recreated almost entirely on a 1:1 scale in our map with a strong attention to detail. You can drive the full circuit and explore the surrounding areas of the facility.
To find this amazing facility, you need to venture around the roads near Gothenburg to discover an entrance that will initially not be shown on your GPS.ย And remember, since it is located in Sweden, you need theย Scandinavia DLCย to be able to visit it. You can read more about this additionย here.
Thermo King Update
Thermo King, a global leader in transport temperature control, is coming to Euro Truck Simulator 2 with their trailer refrigeration units! These replace all the unbranded units we had on our base game and DLC reefer trailers so far. This adds an extra touch of realism when you are hauling temperature-sensitive cargo and spot a famous real-world brand on your trailer.
With this update, you can see the Thermo King A-360, A-400, A-500, SLXi-300, andย SLXi-400 refrigeration units on the front of your single trailers, which deliver a range of trailer refrigeration performance to suit different transport needs. On top of that, we also added the UT-1400R unit, designed for double-trailer configurations and mounted beneath the trailer. Find out more about this updateย here.
Advisor Update - Finances & Damage Widgets
We've been closely listening to feedback from our community, and one of the most common points raised in the new route advisor was that many players missed having quick access to information on vehicle damage and finances. While our teams are actively working on the next steps in our broader vision for a redesigned UI in this area, we didn't want to make you wait until that work is complete. Instead, we've prioritized implementing some of the most frequently requested improvements as soon as possible.
Based on that, we've implemented the Damage and Finances widgets.ย These widgets are designed to restore easy access to information about truck damage, plus trailer and cargo damage, if you are currently driving with a trailer and cargo, as well as your current bank balance, with an average profit over the last seven days displayed too.
These widgets can be turned on and off in the Widget Settings Menu, and if enabled, they will be displayed in the bottom right corner above your GPS.
Tow to Road
The Tow to Road feature was designed to improve the overall quality of life for players by reducing frustrating situations during gameplay. It allows drivers to quickly recover if their truck overturns or gets stuck in a ditch or uneven terrain. It also helps prevent disruptions in multiplayer sessions, enabling players to continue with their convoy when they find themselves stuck, without the need to be towed to a service location, which could cause unnecessary delays.
So when you are in a difficult situation, you can simply find the new "Tow to Road" button under the Service menu (set to F7 by default).ย After paying a small fee for the towing service, you will be transported to your last safe location on the road. You can read more about this featureย here.
Skills UX Redesign
The Skill Screen has received a visual rework while remaining in its original place within the interface. This update focuses on improving clarity and overall user experience without changing its core functionality.
You can now view both your current skill level and the next step in its progression. Tooltips also allow you to explore other ranks within each skill. Selecting a skill provides improved readability and clearer visual feedback, including a better indication of how many steps remain in that skill's progression path.
Each skill is represented as a clickable button, making it easy to access more detailed information. The redesign also improves navigation when using a controller.
QoL UI/UX Changes
We're continuing to refine the overall user experience with updates focused on readability, clarity, and smoother controller navigation.
The in-game news banner has received a visual refresh to better align with our newer UI style while improving readability. When hovering over a news item, a tooltip will now display a longer excerpt along with a clear call to action. Deactivated news items now feature a clearer status indicator, which also doubles as an activation button.
We're making navigation on the world map more intuitive for controller users. A new "undo last pin" feature has been added, along with remapped controls for adding, removing, setting avoid areas, and resetting pins.
Save handling has also been improved, with new saves now using the standard save icon instead of a black screenshot and overwriting clearly labeled as "Overwrite". Garage upgrade cutscenes can now be skipped more consistently using the (B) button, and the controller navigation has been further refined with improved D-pad accessibility across UI.
Traffic Sound Rework
We've also made some adjustments to traffic audio as part of this update. Sounds have been softened and rebalanced to better match real-world perception, with less emphasis on distant engine noise and more on the subtle "road hiss" of tires. Honking behavior has also been slightly randomized to reduce repetition. Overall, traffic should now feel less intrusive and better integrated into the ambient soundscape.
Height Blend Improvements
We've also made a few improvements to the Height Blend feature. Derived normal maps can now be enabled to help conserve GPU memory, and we've also addressed several graphical issues to ensure more consistent, visually accurate results.
Detour Feature Maintenance
We've decided to temporarily disable the detour feature to focus on maintenance and further development. We've received numerous reports of Detours not functioning as intended, and the current system no longer meets our needs.
As a result, we'll be shutting down detours while we work on improving and upgrading the feature in the background to make it more stable and reliable. Please note that this change only affects detours - random road events will continue to be available in the game.
We're thrilled to announce that the 1.59 updateย forย American Truck Simulatorย has officially been released and is now available on Steam!
First of all, we would like to thank everyone who took part in the Open Beta and reported any issues or provided general feedback on ourย forum. This makes it much easier for our team to fine-tune everything and helps ensure a smooth transition to the full update release.
Advisor Update - Finances & Damage Widgets
We've been closely listening to feedback from our community, and one of the most common points raised in the new route advisor was that many players missed having quick access to information on vehicle damage and finances. While our teams are actively working on the next steps in our broader vision for a redesigned UI in this area, we didn't want to make you wait until that work is complete. Instead, we've prioritized implementing some of the most frequently requested improvements as soon as possible.
Based on that, we've implemented the Damage and Finances widgets. The widgets are designed to restore easy access to information about truck damage, plus trailer and cargo damage, if you are currently driving with a trailer and cargo, as well as your current bank balance, with an average profit over the last seven days displayed too.ย
These widgets can be turned on and off in the Widget Settings Menu, and if enabled, they will be displayed in the bottom-right corner above your GPS.
Tow to Road
The Tow to Road feature was designed to improve the overall quality of life for players by reducing frustrating situations during gameplay. It will allow drivers to quickly recover if their truck overturns or gets stuck in a ditch or uneven terrain. It will also help prevent disruptions in multiplayer sessions, enabling players to continue with their convoy when they find themselves stuck, without the need to be towed to a service location, which could cause unnecessary delays.
So when you are in a difficult situation, you can simply find the new "Tow to Road" button under the Service menu (set to F7 by default).ย After paying a small fee for the towing service, you will be transported to your last safe location on the road. You can read more about this featureย here.
Skills UX Redesign
The Skill Screen has received a visual rework while remaining in its original place within the interface. This update focuses on improving clarity and overall user experience without changing its core functionality.
You can now view both your current skill level and the next step in its progression. Tooltips also allow you to explore other ranks within each skill. Selecting a skill provides improved readability and clearer visual feedback, including a better indication of how many steps remain in that skill's progression path.
Each skill is represented as a clickable button, making it easy to access more detailed information. The redesign also improves navigation when using a controller.
QoL UI/UX Changes
We're continuing to refine the overall user experience with updates focused on readability, clarity, and smoother controller navigation.
The in-game news banner has received a visual refresh to better align with our newer UI style while improving readability. When hovering over a news item, a tooltip will now display a longer excerpt along with a clear call to action. Deactivated news items now feature a clearer status indicator, which also doubles as an activation button.
We're making navigation on the world map more intuitive for controller users. A new "undo last pin" feature has been added, along with remapped controls for adding, removing, setting avoid areas, and resetting pins.
Save handling has also been improved, with new saves now using the standard save icon instead of a black screenshot and overwriting clearly labeled as "Overwrite". Garage upgrade cutscenes can now be skipped more consistently using the (B) button, and the controller navigation has been further refined with improved D-pad accessibility across UI.
Traffic Sound Rework
Weโve made some adjustments to traffic audio as part of this update. Sounds have been softened and rebalanced to better match real-world perception, with less emphasis on distant engine noise and more on the subtle โroad hissโ of tires. Honking behavior has also been slightly randomized to reduce repetition. Overall, traffic should now feel less intrusive and better integrated into the ambient soundscape.
Height Blend Improvements
Weโve also made a few improvements to the Height Blend feature. Derived normal maps can now be enabled to help conserve GPU memory, and weโve addressed several graphical issues to ensure more consistent, visually accurate results.
Detour Feature Maintenance
We've decided to temporarily disable the detour feature to focus on maintenance and further development. We've received numerous reports of Detours not functioning as intended, and the current system no longer meets our needs.
As a result, we'll be shutting down detours while we work on improving and upgrading the feature in the background to make it more stable and reliable. Please note that this change only affects detours - random road events will continue to be available in the game.
Changelog:
Gameplay
Tow to Road Feature
UI/UX
Advisor Update - Finances & Damage Widgets
Skills UX Redesign
QoL UI/UX Changes
Improved News Banner Readability
World Map Pin Enhancements
Save Icon Update
Garage Cutscene Skipping
D-pad Accessibility Improvements
Visuals
Height Blend Improvements
Sounds
Traffic Sound Rework
Other
Detour Feature Maintenance
We hope you are also excited to try out all the new features! Make sure to keep up to date with the future updates by following us onย X/Twitter,ย Facebook,ย BlueSky,ย YouTube, andย Instagram, and byย subscribing to our newsletter! Until next time, happy haulin' and we'll see you on the road!
Today, we're excited to give you a closer look at the 2023 Ford Bronco Badlands, one of the vehicles that you'll be able to get behind the wheel of in our upcoming Road Trip module with the Ford Car Park DLC for American Truck Simulator.
Few vehicles have captured the spirit of American adventure quite like the Ford Bronco. Its legendary status comes from decades of exploring the wild, built on a foundation of rugged capability, a good mix of abilities, and open-air freedom.
It became an easily recognizable vehicle by people all over the world in the past decades, featured in some popular movies, too. The 2023 Bronco Badlands, which you will be able to drive with the Ford Car Pack, is a part of its sixth generation.
First introduced in the mid-1960s as a revolutionary 4x4, the Bronco quickly achieved cult success, with more than 1.1 million cars manufactured across multiple generations over 31 years of production. With a long-awaited return in 2021 after a 25-year hiatus, it has reclaimed its reputation as a vehicle that can handle almost anything, from technical rock crawling in the desert to scenic coastal cruises and everything in between.
Over the years, the Bronco has grown and evolved alongside its drivers. What started as a simple, utilitarian off-roader has transformed into a lineup featuring advanced EcoBoost powertrains, cutting-edge G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any type of Terrain) modes, and performance-focused suspension, all while staying true to its iconic boxy roots.ย
This ability to master any surface is a big reason why the Bronco remains a symbol of outdoor exploration, equally at home as a daily driver or a hardcore companion for those who love to venture far off the beaten path.
Players can also look forward to a selection of factory-inspired exterior colours from the 2023 lineup, including striking options such as Azure Gray, Cactus Gray, Eruption Green, Pepper Red, Velocity Blue, or Yellowstone paint.
Truckers, start your engines and get ready to roll through The Prairie State! From the towering skyline of Chicago to the highways that carry freight across the Midwest and beyond, weโre excited to announce that the..
Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulatorย will be released on May 14th 2026
Weโre just as excited as you are! To keep the wheels turning, weโve released the official Illinois DLC trailer on our YouTube channel. Put together by our talented video team, it offers a glimpse into the diverse landscapes, iconic landmarks, industries and cities waiting for you on the road. Be sure to check it out, and if you enjoy it, drop a like and let us know what you think!
As we approach the release, our teams are putting the final touches on Illinois to ensure everything is ready for the journey ahead. We canโt wait to see you hit the road for the very first time! From navigating the busy streets of Chicago, with its skyscrapers and intricate road network, to cruising through the stateโs vast agricultural heartlands, Illinois offers a rich and varied trucking experience.ย
Along the way, youโll encounter detailed landmarks, unique infrastructure, and locations inspired by real-world industries, all carefully crafted by our teams to bring an authentic and immersive trucking experience to every mile of the journey. We think you'll love what they've been able to bring to this DLC!
With the release of Illinois, weโre also proud to mark a major milestone in American Truck Simulator, as the iconic Route 66 is now fully driveable across the map. From its western beginnings all the way to its eastern reaches, drivers can experience this legendary highway in its entirety, taking in the sights, history, and atmosphere that have made it a symbol of the open road.
Ready to roll through Illinois? Donโt forget to add the Illinois DLC to your Steam Wishlist to be notified as soon as it goes live. Your support truly means a lot to us and helps drive our future projects forward. We look forward to welcoming you to the roads of Illinois with you very soon. Until then, keep on truckinโ!
Lately, thereโs been quite a bit of chatter echoing across the highways ofย American Truck Simulator. From truck stops to weigh stations, drivers have been exchanging stories about a certain unfamiliar rig cruising the open road. Naturally, this caught our attention!
This mysterious machine hasnโt made things easy for those trying to get a closer look. With its smooth ride and surprisingly quiet presence, it seems to come and go before anyone can properly study it. The image weโve seen so far leaves plenty of questions unanswered, but also sparks a lot of excitement.
What weโre seeing here is a truck that keeps its secrets well. Its modern design and refined presence hint at something built with both performance and driver comfort in mind. However, details remain limited, and no one has managed to get a closer, clearer lookโฆ yet.
Reports suggest that this mysterious newcomer could be a strong contender for both long-haul journeys and regional routes alike, offering versatility for all kinds of jobs across the vast American landscape. Beyond that, though, weโll leave the speculation up to you.
Do you think you know what it might be?
Weโll be sharing more information when the time is right. Be sure to stay connected with us on our social media channels onย X/Twitter,ย Facebook,ย BlueSky,ย YouTube, andย Instagram, and byย subscribing to our newsletterย so you donโt miss any future updates! Until next time, happy haulin'!
Weโve kept the engine running, because today weโre excited to share a second gameplay preview from our upcoming Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator! Ready to hit the road?
On this trip, weโre taking on a job contract that takes us through the bustling streets of Chicago. We start our journey at a construction site in the heart of the city, near the Roosevelt Bridge, where weโll make our way through downtown. Be sure to look out for landmarks such as Buckingham Fountain and for stunning skyline views of the city!
From there, we head south on Interstate 57, where we'll travel towards the picturesque landscapes of southern Illinois, with our final destination being a scenic marina near the city of Marion, located along the shores of Lake Rend. Fancy tagging along for the ride? If so, join us as a co-driver by watching the video below!ย
We hope you enjoyed this gameplay preview of Illinois and the trucking opportunities it will bring to American Truck Simulator! If you like what you've seen, be sure to add the Illinois DLC to your Steam Wishlist. Not only does it support our work, but it also ensures you'll be notified as soon as the DLC is released. Thank you all for your kind comments and support so far, we can't wait to see you out on the roads of The Prairie State.ย
As the work on the Isle of Ireland DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2 continues, we thought about taking you behind the scenes of our work and showing you more about what a job as a researcher in SCS Software looks like. So today, we bring you an interview with our colleague Adam, who will tell you more about his work on the Isle of Ireland!
Adam joined SCS in 2022, and since then, his primary focus has been on map DLCs for Euro Truck Simulator 2.ย
"I've conducted research for the West Balkans, Greece, Nordic Horizons, and the reworks of Switzerland and the Benelux. The UK rework and the Isle of Ireland are the first two projects I've been tasked with overseeing for the Research & Game Development department. The Isle of Ireland is special to me for personal reasons as well, since this is the first time I have the opportunity to collaborate with my brother, who is the map lead for this DLC."
Adam is responsible for ensuring that the department prepares high-quality materials for the Isle of Ireland DLC in a timely manner for the other departments. "These aren't just references for map designers; other specialized departmentsย โย such as the vehicle, vegetation, and road design teamsย โย also rely on our work. But I don't do this alone. Our team has experts for all of these various areas. I work alongside many talented and enthusiastic people," Adam explains.
So, how exactly does the process of research for map expansions look? The department's involvement begins long before any actual map building starts, laying the groundwork that shapes everything that follows.
"In the first phase, it was necessary to thoroughly familiarize ourselves with the history, culture, natural environment, relevant laws, and traffic regulations. In collaboration with the map lead, we selected the cities we wanted to include in the DLC, and I proposed which highways and roads would connect them. An important part of our work is also figuring out the placement of depots across the map so that the economy works for us. We have a specialist on our team dedicated to this very issue. With her help, and in collaboration with the map lead, we also prepared completely new economy depots for the DLC. We then researched exactly how they work and designed the best way to implement them in our game," Adam says.
Once the planning phase is complete, the team moves on to gathering detailed real-world references, capturing both the big picture and the subtle differences that make each location unique.
"The next step was collecting photographic data, during which our team "scanned" all the roads and towns, shot by shot, trying to capture what is typical for the island. We tried to capture the most important elements, but we also focused on the small details. I also emphasized that different parts of the island vary significantly, and it was necessary to take this into account. As an example, I can mention road markings, which are completely different between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland," he told us.
"The result of this phase of the project is a shortlist of the most important assets, which the asset department creates based on the source materials, so that map designers can subsequently use them to assemble the map. In the same way, and in collaboration with our vegetation specialist, specifications for the vegetation department are then developed," Adam explained to us.
The work of the department goes far beyond general research - it often requires diving deep into highly specific and technical details to ensure authenticity.
"We also need to understand the local culture, customs, and context. As an example, I can mention directional signs, where it was necessary to study manuals, and together with the road department, figure out how to approach the fact that specific dimensions vary from sign to sign - requiring a solution that respects reality while remaining technically feasible. In reality, all dimensions are based on the size of the lowercase letter "x," and once this value is determined, we divide it by 4 to get the so-called "Stroke Width," and all other elements - spacing, arrow size, borders, and the size of the sign itself - are calculated as multiples of this unit. And the size of "x" itself is influenced by the permitted speed and the type of sign."
But their work is far from over, and it won't be finished until the Isle of Ireland DLC is actually released. "We're continuing to prepare materials for the creation of new vehicles, assets, 3D character models, vegetation, and branding. We're also conducting quality checks directly in the editor and gathering all sorts of additional information," Adam told us.
The biggest challenge regarding research for the Isle of Ireland is that it is a vibrant and rapidly developing region, as new developments are constantly being built and the landscape is literally changing in front of your eyes.
"For example, the port of Rosslare underwent a major modernization last year, completely transforming its transportation layout. Waterford, meanwhile, is currently undergoing one of the largest urban transformations in its modern history. As for the architecture, perhaps the biggest challenge was to accurately capture the differences between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as to convey the character of the smaller, charming towns with their picturesque, colorful houses. It's satisfying when I manage to solve a problem and track down information or a reference thatโs hard to find," he says.
To bring all that research and planning to life, the map team will carefully translate Ireland's unique character into the in-game world, giving players a lot to explore as they uncover the map filled with plenty of landmarks to discover.
"The Irish island has a rich and complex history and a strong cultural identity, all of which will be reflected in the map's design.ย The entire island is a landmark in its own right, thanks to its unique scenery, but players can look forward to downtown Dublin on the banks of the River Liffey, the Samson & Goliath cranes in Belfast Harbor, the peat bogs in central Ireland, the wild landscapes of Connemara and the Killarney area, and much more," Adam hints.
And with that, Adam and the whole team would like to send a final message to our #BestCommunityEver as they continue to work hard on bringing you another quality map.
"I hope we'll be able to capture the magical atmosphere of this landscape with its cozy, colorful towns. I hope players will appreciate the attention to detail, discover all sorts of easter eggs, and that we'll be able to convey to them the enthusiasm with which we've approached the Isle of Ireland DLC from the very beginning. I myself am looking forward to getting behind the wheel and driving along the winding roads that twist through the green hills."
Weโre excited to continue our journey across South Dakota, highlighting even more of the cities coming with this DLC for American Truck Simulator. Each one has its own unique history and charm, which has been captured and recreated by our talented teams. Ready to check them out? Letโs get rolling!
Aberdeenย
Located in northeastern South Dakota, Aberdeen serves as an important hub for agriculture and industry, and also acts as a key gateway for drivers heading towards North Dakota. Known as the โHub City,โ it plays a vital role in connecting surrounding rural communities.
In-game, drivers will find a variety of industries to explore, including a large farm, a sizeable farm equipment scrapyard, and a soybean processing facility, reflecting the steady flow of agricultural freight that defines trucking across this part of the state. The city also features several notable buildings and landmarks such as the White House Inn, Aldersgate Church, and the Brown County Offices. There's plenty for you to explore here on your travels. Oh, and be sure to stop by the local truck stop before continuing your haul! Watertown
Surrounded by farmland and home to a range of industrial businesses, Watertown offers a unique blend of rural charm and economic activity. The city sits near the notable glacial Pelican Lake, a popular destination for outdoor activities and a natural getaway shaped by melting glaciers over 20,000 years ago.
Watertown is also known as the home of one of the most well-known American artists of wildlife and rural nostalgia, Terry Redlin, with an Art Centre named after him located in the city, which we've included in our recreation. Drivers will also be able to deliver to and from a range of industries in Watertown, including an ethanol plant, trailer manufacturing facility, and residential development depots.ย
Whilst driving through Watertown, you may notice the cityโs unique layout, which reflects its early origins. Diagonal streets form the original town centre, which were aligned with the railway that once ran through it, allowing for easier access when transporting goods. As the city grew beyond its initial footprint, development gradually shifted to a more traditional straight grid pattern, creating the distinct mix of layouts you can see today.
Brookings
Home to South Dakota State University, Brookings is a lively city with plenty to discover. One of its most recognisable sights is the Coughlin Campanile, a 165-foot-tall chimes tower completed in 1929, which stands proudly on the university campus. It was later listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Elsewhere in the city, youโll find Veterans Memorial Park, a multi-war memorial that honours all veterans, past, present, and future. Its design features a centralised star symbol representing the five branches of the armed forces.
Drivers passing through Brookings will also come across Pioneer Park, a popular local spot that hosts community events throughout the year. Looking for work? Brookings offers a wide range of job opportunities, including a custom farm depot and a furniture manufacturing facility, alongside several other industries that supports the local economy.ย
Yankton
Situated along the Missouri River, Yankton is a city deeply connected to the water, often earning it the nickname โRiver Cityโ. One of its most iconic landmarks is the Meridian Bridge, completed in 1924. This historic double-deck, vertical-lift structure was the first permanent crossing over the Missouri River in the Yankton area and played a vital role in connecting the region, including early freight routes moving goods across state lines.
Originally built to carry traffic between South Dakota and Nebraska, the bridge remained in use for over 80 years before being replaced in 2008. Today, it has been preserved as a pedestrian and bicycle crossing, allowing visitors to experience this impressive piece of engineering up close. It still stands as a defining landmark of Yankton, reflecting both the cityโs history and its strong connection to the river.
In Yankton itself, drivers can also pass by the Veterans Memorial and a local church. Many visitors are drawn to nearby Lewis and Clark Lake, one of the most popular recreation areas in the South Dakota state park system. Here, drivers will have the opportunity to complete deliveries to a local depot, all whilst taking in the sights and sounds of the city.ย
Mitchellย
Located along Interstate 90 between Sioux Falls and Pierre, you'll find Mitchell, best known for one of South Dakotaโs unique attractions, the famous Corn Palace! Decorated with elaborate murals made entirely from corn and other grains, it draws visitors from across the country and stands as a true local icon. It's kinda corny, but we had to include it!ย
In addition to this landmark, Mitchell features a variety of industries for drivers to deliver to and from, including a grain elevator, farm depot, trailer production facility, and building materials factory. Youโll also find an oil and natural gas site nearby, along with a spacious truck stop, a familiar sight for long-haul drivers travelling along I-90.
Our team has done their best to squeeze in as much detail as possible into these smaller cities, within the scale of ATS. Finding the right balance is always a challenge, but we think theyโve done a great job bringing these South Dakota cities to life. Let us know what you think in the comments, weโd love to hear from you!
If you enjoyed todayโs look at the cities of South Dakota, be sure to add this upcoming DLC to your Steam Wishlist. Your support means a lot to us and helps drive our future releases. We look forward to sharing more development news and previews in the near future. Until next time, happy haulinโ!ย
In today's blog, we would like to show you the custom depots and completely new companies you will deliver cargo to and from in our upcoming Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator, so let's take a look!
Illinois has one of the most diverse economies in the United States and a long history of manufacturing, producing a wide range of goods. It is also a major producer of non-electrical machinery, such as industrial and construction equipment, which is among its most important export industries.
As always, we wanted to reflect the real world when choosing depots for this map expansion, which is why you'll see representations of these industries in our newly created companies, as well as in our established custom depots. One of them is Antlion, a large construction machinery factory in Peoria. From there, you can take vehicles straight from the production line to the new dealer, GroundBreaker, in Quincy.
If you're a fan of boats, you're in for a treat. With Lake Michigan being a popular recreation spot in the state, you'll also be able to transport boats to or from the new Aqua Vista marinas in Marion and Chicago, as well as the already established Rock Port logistics company in Peoria.
And we couldn't forget about the Chicago International Airport, one of the busiest in the whole world. In our game, it's represented by a landmark cargo terminal, carefully recreated to match the real one, where players can load cargo onto aircraft. You will also be able to deliver cargo straight into a massive ULTIMUS transport plane!
In the Missouri DLC, we introduced underground warehouses, which offer an unusual experience of transporting cargo below the surface. Following that, you will be able to find the new UnderCity storage in Chicago, a big underground depot used for storing a wide range of products for the city's needs. Another one can be found near Quincy, a branch of the Terrastore company, which you are already familiar with from Missouri.
Agriculture is just as important to the state as manufacturing. Illinois is home to around 75,000 farms that cover nearly three-quarters of its land. Farmers produce large amounts of soybeans, corn, and dairy products, as well as raising pigs and cattle, helping supply food across the U.S. and around the world. That is why you will find plenty of custom depot farms around the cities of Marion, Champaign, Rockford, and Effingham.
Alongside these farms, you will also come across large Flavorfair grain elevator custom depots in East St. Louis and Quincy. These facilities play an important role in the agricultural supply chain, collecting and storing grain from nearby farms before it is transported onward for processing or distribution.
But that's not all. If you're looking to haul something a bit heavier, be sure to check out the quarries around Chicago and Rockford. You can also head to the custom timber harvest depot near Marion, where logging operations keep a steady supply of timber ready for transport.
Today, weโre excited to share a closer look at another key part of our upcoming Coaches DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2. While stepping behind the wheel of a coach introduces a brand-new way to experience the road, an equally important part of this new gameplay lies in where your journey begins and ends; the coach stations and stops themselves.
When development on Project Coaches began, there were already quite a few bus station prefabs placed across the ETS2 map. Many of you may have already spotted these throughout the map long before our official announcement of Coaches. While they served well as scenic placeholders, they were not really designed with our Coaches DLC in mind. As a result, a significant part of the Coaches development has focused on reworking these older assets, refreshing their layouts, and in many cases rebuilding them from the ground up so they better reflect real-world locations and integrate more naturally into their surroundings.
At the same time, expanding coverage across the map became a key priority. We spoke with Dominik, Producer of Project Coaches, to learn more. "From the very beginning, we faced a significant challenge, expanding the network of bus stations and stops across all of Europe. In some existing DLCs, these locations were scarce or missing entirely. Our primary goal was to cover key cities to ensure players can take on bus jobs even if they own a DLC that is currently disconnected from the rest of the road network. Following that, we focused on covering as many capital cities as possible while identifying new spots where we could realistically fit bus infrastructure into the map."
Of course, integrating these new locations into an already established world is far from straightforward. Many of our map expansions, such as Italia, Road to the Black Sea and Beyond the Baltic Sea were originally built without the Coaches' gameplay in mind. This means that adding new stations required revisiting existing cities and carefully adapting them to fit new infrastructure.
One of our map designers shares, "Most bus terminals require varying degrees of intervention into the existing map. Creating a brand-new station from scratch is a relatively straightforward process, essentially standard map development. However, adding new areas to locations where they weren't originally planned presents a unique set of challenges, especially in parts of the map that are nearly a decade old. In those cases, we must carefully use older assets and techniques to ensure the new additions don't feel out of place."
Even in our newer map expansions, space is often limited, especially in dense urban environments. "It is quite a puzzle to integrate two hundred meters of road and a large bus terminal into a space where, originally, there was only room for half of that. Itโs a constant balancing act between our vision and the technical reality of the existing map."
In some cases, this has even led to cities being expanded to include parts of their town centres, allowing for more authentic placement of coach stations. Additionally, map designers who have been working on specific DLCs have been implementing their own stations, with the Coach Team stepping in to provide technical support and ensure that all necessary gameplay functionality is properly implemented.
"Itโs been great to be part of the Coaches development team as a tester and to have the opportunity to see all of these newly created locations come to life." Simon B from our QA team adds "The asset and map designers have really outdone themselves on this project, creating vibrant bus stations and once again bringing a large portion of the real world closer through stunning landmarks and scenery.
That said, with so much work to do, there are always some remaining issues or imperfections that can go unnoticed with each new bus station, which is where I come in. Whether itโs a smaller detail or a larger issue, and whether the fix is quick or more involved, everything is resolved smoothly and efficiently thanks to the proactivity of the wider team. Iโm excited to continue helping ensure these bus stations are in top condition, and I canโt wait to see the final result of all our work."
With the Coaches DLC, weโre not just introducing a new vehicle type, but so much more! From reworked legacy prefabs to newly built landmark stations and expanded city areas, we want to ensure that players can enjoy this upcoming addition across our already established Euro Truck Simulator 2 map.ย
Excited for the Coaches DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2? Be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist! It really helps support our future releases and ensures youโll be notified when it launches. In the meantime, follow us on our official social media channels to stay up to date with the latest development news. Until next time, see you on the road!
Weโre back with another episode of SCS On The Road! This time, weโre taking you to the Netherlands, where we visited DAF Trucks in the city of Eindhoven. During our trip, we had the opportunity to explore their facilities, gather valuable reference materials, and get up close with the DAF XF Electric.
Join Nemiro, Oscar, Filipkoo, and George, members of our SCS Software team, as they meet with Tim Gerth, Sales Information Manager at DAF Trucks NV. In this episode, we will take you behind the scenes of how we recorded authentic sounds and captured detailed photographic references for the DAF XF Electric.ย
We also had the opportunity to gather video and photo references of the DAF Eindhoven campus, which weโve recreated in Euro Truck Simulator 2, and that players will get to explore as part of our Benelux Rework update. You can read more about that here!ย
We'd like to give a massive thank you to our friends at DAF Trucks, and to everyone who made our visit possible, for allowing us to visit their Eindhoven facility, get up close with the DAF XF Electric, and ultimately bring both of these into Euro Truck Simulator 2. We'd also like to give a special thanks to Tim Gerth, who we met during our visit and who we've had the opportunity to interview in a previous SCS On The Road episode,ย which you can find here.ย We highly recommend taking a watch!ย
Make sure to stay connected with all the latest news and upcoming episodes by following us on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, and YouTube, or by subscribing to our newsletter. We look forwarding to bringing you more SCS On The Road episodes in the future, and until next time, keep on truckin'!ย
Today, weโre incredibly excited to share a truly special milestone for American Truck Simulator, one that celebrates not only our journey, but the legacy of one of the most iconic roads in the world.
Route 66 is a legendary highway in the United States, stretching from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California, crossing eight states along the way. First established in 1926, it became one of America's first continuous highways, playing a major role in U.S. culture and history.ย
In 2026, Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary, and to mark this milestone, a wide range of events and initiatives are being organised to honour its legacy. As part of these celebrations, the Route 66 Centennial Commission has brought together official projects that help preserve, showcase, and share the story of this legendary road with the world.
We are incredibly proud to share that American Truck Simulator has been recognised as an Official Route 66 Centennial Project. This prestigious designation, approved by the United States government and Congress, places our work alongside a range of initiatives honouring the legacy of Route 66 as it reaches its 100-year milestone.ย
We put together a short video showcasing some of the iconic locations you can find along this historic highway in American Truck Simulator, check it out below!
So, what does this mean? The Route 66 Centennial Project highlights a
variety of efforts from around the world that help share the story of
this historic highway. These include preservation work, cultural
programmes, and modern digital experiences like ours. "SCS Softwareโs
Route 66 recreation in their American Truck Simulator video game offers
an unprecedented way to experience the history, culture, and beauty of
Americaโs most iconic highway," said Bill Thomas, Commissioner for the
Route 66 Centennial Commission. "This digital re-creation not only
celebrates the centennial milestone but also honours the people and
communities that have kept Route 66 alive for generations."ย
We are truly honoured that American Truck Simulator has been included in this initiative. Since the release of ATS in 2016, our team has been carefully building the game world state by state, always aiming to recreate real locations with authenticity and care. One of our long-term goals has been to bring Route 66 to life in a way that players everywhere can experience and enjoy.
With the upcoming release of the Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator, our virtual recreation of Route 66 will be completed in full, allowing players to drive the entire historic route from Chicago to Los Angeles across all eight states. This marks a major milestone not only for our game, but also for everyone who has dreamed of experiencing this legendary journey.
We would like to thank the Route 66 Centennial Commission for this incredible recognition, and of course, our community, whose support continues to drive us forward. We look forward to sharing more with you as we approach the completion of Route 66 in American Truck Simulator.
We're happy to share that the Open Beta for the 1.59 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is now available for players to try out and test. If you decide to take part in this Open Beta, it would be a huge help if you could report any issues or bugs you may encounter in theย appropriate section of our official forums.
Your feedback and reports mean a lot to our team, and we genuinely appreciate the time you are taking to help us improve the game. With that said, let's jump in and explore what the 1.59 Open Beta brings.
Benelux Rework Release
We are happy to reveal that the long-awaited Benelux Rework project will be released in this update! Our assets and map designers have completely rebuilt the whole original map of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg from scratch,ย delivering a richer, more detailed experience.
Truckers will be able to explore a wide range of revamped major cities and their surroundings, including Amsterdam, Groningen, Rotterdam, Brussels, Liรจge, and Luxembourg City. Each location has been carefully redesigned to highlight its unique character with plenty of landmarks and details!
You can also look forward to hauling cargo through entirely new locations. These include Antwerp, home to one of Europe's largest container ports; the DAF Trucks facility in Eindhoven, which has been recreated with remarkable detail in close cooperation with our partners at DAF Trucks; as well as key transport corridors - the busy E40 and A2 motorway.
You'll be able to drive from the beautiful hilly landscapes of the Belgian Ardennes to the flat polders and picturesque coastal roads in the northern Netherlands - the reworked Benelux offers a diverse and varied environment that truly reflects the region's look and feel.
Whether you're cruising through dense city centers, navigating busy highways, or discovering scenic country routes, the Benelux region now offers a far more immersive and authentic journey. You can see more from what is coming in our already released blogs on this topic.
Volvo Trucks Experience Center
In partnership with our friends at Volvo Trucks, we are adding the renowned Volvo Trucks Experience Center, situated in Gothenburg, Sweden, to the map, where you will be able to test your trucking skills.
The center's standout feature is its dedicated driving circuit, which incorporates sweeping bends, tighter technical corners, elevation changes, downhill stretches, and varied road layouts. This allows drivers to assess vehicle behaviour in a controlled environment, highlighting stability, braking precision, handling characteristics, and overall driving comfort in ways that go beyond everyday road conditions.
The Volvo Trucks Experience Center has been recreated almost entirely on a 1:1 scale in our map with a strong attention to detail. You will be able to drive the full circuit and explore the surrounding areas of the facility.
To find this amazing facility, you will need to venture around the roads near Gothenburg to discover an entrance that will initially not be shown on your GPS.ย And remember, since it is located in Sweden, you will need the Scandinavia DLC to be able to visit it. You can read more about this addition here.
Thermo King Update
Thermo King, a global leader in transport temperature control, is coming to Euro Truck Simulator 2 with their trailer refrigeration units! These will replace all the unbranded units we had on our base game and DLC reefer trailers so far. This will add an extra touch of realism when you are hauling temperature-sensitive cargo and spot a famous real-world brand on your trailer.
From the 1.59 update, you will be able to see the Thermo King A-360, A-400, A-500, SLXi 300, andย SLXi 400 refrigeration units on the front of your single trailers, which deliver a range of trailer refrigeration performance to suit different transport needs. On top of that, we will also be adding the UT-1400R unit, designed for double-trailer configurations and mounted beneath the trailer. Find out more about this update here.
Advisor Update - Finances & Damage Widgets
We've been closely listening to feedback from our community, and one of the most common points raised in the new route advisor was that many players missed having quick access to information on vehicle damage and finances. While our teams are actively working on the next steps in our broader vision for a redesigned UI in this area, we didn't want to make you wait until that work is complete. Instead, we've prioritized implementing some of the most frequently requested improvements as soon as possible.
Based on that, we've implemented the Damage and Finances widgets.ย These widgets are designed to restore easy access to information about truck damage, plus trailer and cargo damage, if you are currently driving with a trailer and cargo, as well as your current bank balance, with an average profit over the last seven days displayed too.
These widgets can be turned on and off in the Widget Settings Menu, and if enabled, they will be displayed in the bottom right corner above your GPS.
Tow to Road
The Tow to Road feature was designed to improve the overall quality of life for players by reducing frustrating situations during gameplay. It will allow drivers to quickly recover if their truck overturns or gets stuck in a ditch or uneven terrain. It will also help prevent disruptions in multiplayer sessions, enabling players to continue with their convoy when they find themselves stuck, without the need to be towed to a service location, which could cause unnecessary delays.
So when you are in a difficult situation, you can simply find the new "Tow to Road" button under the Service menu (set to F7 by default).ย After paying a small fee for the towing service, you will be transported to your last safe location on the road. You can read more about this feature here.
Skills UX Redesign
The Skill Screen has received a visual rework while remaining in its original place within the interface. This update focuses on improving clarity and overall user experience without changing its core functionality.
You can now view both your current skill level and the next step in its progression. Tooltips also allow you to explore other ranks within each skill. Selecting a skill provides improved readability and clearer visual feedback, including a better indication of how many steps remain in that skill's progression path.
Each skill is represented as a clickable button, making it easy to access more detailed information. The redesign also improves navigation when using a controller.
QoL UI/UX Changes
We're continuing to refine the overall user experience with updates focused on readability, clarity, and smoother controller navigation.
The in-game news banner has received a visual refresh to better align with our newer UI style while improving readability. When hovering over a news item, a tooltip will now display a longer excerpt along with a clear call to action. Deactivated news items now feature a clearer status indicator, which also doubles as an activation button.
We're making navigation on the world map more intuitive for controller users. A new "undo last pin" feature has been added, along with remapped controls for adding, removing, setting avoid areas, and resetting pins.
Save handling has also been improved, with new saves now using the standard save icon instead of a black screenshot and overwriting clearly labeled as "Overwrite". Garage upgrade cutscenes can now be skipped more consistently using the (B) button, and the controller navigation has been further refined with improved D-pad accessibility across UI.
Traffic Sound Rework
We've also made some adjustments to traffic audio as part of this update. Sounds have been softened and rebalanced to better match real-world perception, with less emphasis on distant engine noise and more on the subtle "road hiss" of tires. Honking behavior has also been slightly randomized to reduce repetition. Overall, traffic should now feel less intrusive and better integrated into the ambient soundscape.
Height Blend Improvements
We've also made a few improvements to the Height Blend feature. Derived normal maps can now be enabled to help conserve GPU memory, and we've also addressed several graphical issues to ensure more consistent, visually accurate results.
Detour Feature Maintenance
We've decided to temporarily disable the detour feature to focus on maintenance and further development. We've received numerous reports of Detours not functioning as intended, and the current system no longer meets our needs.
As a result, we'll be shutting down detours while we work on improving and upgrading the feature in the background to make it more stable and reliable. Please note that this change only affects detours - random road events will continue to be available in the game.
Changelog
Map
Benelux Rework Release
Volvo Trucks Experience Center
Vehicles
Thermo King Update
Gameplay
Tow to Road Feature
UI/UX
Advisor Update - Finances & Damage Widgets
Skills UX Redesign
QoL UI/UX Changes
Improved News Banner Readability
World Map Pin Enhancements
Save Icon Update
Garage Cutscene Skipping
D-pad Accessibility Improvements
Visuals
Height Blend Improvements
Sounds
Traffic Sound Rework
Other
Detour Feature Maintenance
So enjoy all the new additions, but please remember: It's only an open beta, not a stable public version - so you may encounter bugs, instability, or crashes. It's completely okay if you want to wait for the final release. But if you're interested in helping us to get there faster, we'd appreciate all of your feedback on our forum and your bug reports in theย dedicated section.
Please check our modding wiki to get details pertaining to mods for the game.
If you wish to participate in this Open Beta, you can find this version in the Experimental Beta branch on Steam. The way to access it is as follows: Steam client โ LIBRARY โ right-click on Euro Truck Simulator 2 โ Properties โ Betas tab โ Beta Participation drop-down menu โ public_beta. No password is required. Sometimes you will have to restart your Steam client to see the correct branch name there.
Log in
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
