The 1.61 update for American Truck Simulator is available on Steam. It adds Proximity Exploration, an Improved Material System for two International trucks, Road Trip map preparations, and new cargoes.

Proximity Exploration is a quality-of-life option that automatically reveals a small area around your vehicle as you travel. It removes the need to drive over every tiny section of road to mark it explored, which can help with 100% map discovery. It also reveals nearby accessible roads and areas around rest stops, toll gates, border crossings, gas stations, and other places where road segments sit closely together.

Secret roads remain secret. When you get close, Proximity Exploration reveals only the first segment as a hint. The remaining route is discovered only by driving it. The feature can be enabled or left off.

The Improved Material System improves lighting and visual quality in selected truck interiors by changing how materials react to light, creating a more readable, detailed, and visually pleasing cabin. Leather, fabric, plastic, and metal are more clearly differentiated, even in low light. Multiple variants of dynamic cubemaps let materials reflect their surroundings more naturally and respond to ambient light more realistically.

In 1.61, it applies to the International LT and International LoneStar. The system was designed with truck interiors in both games in mind, so other trucks and existing fleets will receive it gradually in future updates. More on the Improved Material System.

Map and asset work for the upcoming Road Trip project has been added, much of it behind the scenes. Inactive Tourist Boards are now in states including California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the upcoming South Dakota DLC; they remain unavailable until Road Trip releases. New gas stations have been added across the map. They will serve truck drivers now and cars when Road Trip releases. Selected areas also received small visual improvements.

New cargoes include Seed Containers, Trailers, and Truss. The existing Rails cargo has a new model and improved textures.

The Multi-Function Display and In-Game Menu were tested in the 1.61 Experimental Beta but will arrive in a future update, allowing more time to refine and polish them. Open Beta participants reported issues and feedback that helped fine-tune the update; Experimental Beta participants shared thoughts on the Multi-Function Display and In-Game Menu.

Changelog

• Map: Proximity Exploration, map changes for Road Trip
• Vehicles: New cargoes
• Visual: Improved Material System for the International LT and International LoneStar

The upcoming Road Trip module for American Truck Simulator will build on Quick Jobs and the Freight Market with courier work, customer reviews, and a new progression path.

Road Trip’s Quick Jobs work like their trucking counterparts: you don’t need your own vehicle. The company offering the job provides a suitable vehicle and covers fuel, repairs, and other expenses.

Courier jobs include delivering small packages and documents, plus transferring vehicles between car dealerships. Available contracts can vary by vehicle type, so a pickup truck may receive different work than a sports car or a classic vehicle.

After each delivery, the customer reviews your performance in three areas:

• Time Management
• Vehicle Appearance
• Cargo Handling

Reviews are specific to that delivery. Damaging valuable documents can produce very different feedback from successfully delivering delicate plant seedlings. The goal is to make each job feel more personal, with a customer waiting at the other end to judge how well you handled the delivery.

Some customers prioritize one of the three areas. You can see that before accepting the job, and meeting their expectations is more demanding. Taking on that extra risk can also mean a better financial reward.

Time Management is not just about beating a deadline. Customers expect you at a particular time, so arriving too early can be as unwelcome as arriving late. Each completed delivery earns a star rating that contributes to your overall Courier Rating.

Your Courier Rating determines the types of jobs available, the maximum distance of routes you can take on, and how much you can earn. A higher rating unlocks more challenging work, such as fragile or valuable cargo and tighter delivery windows, while also providing a bonus to the offered payout. Consistent five-star deliveries build a Perfect Delivery Streak, which rewards additional money.

Once you have purchased your own vehicle, you gain access to more job opportunities through the Dispatch Market. It is Road Trip’s equivalent of the Freight Market and works similarly to Quick Jobs, but you complete jobs with a vehicle from your own garage. Because you supply the vehicle, these jobs offer a slightly higher payout, though you are responsible for your own expenses, including repairs and fuel.

The same Courier Rating, customer reviews, and performance criteria apply. Some jobs differ from Quick Jobs, such as car jockey work—after all, asking you to give away your own car would be a little unfair.

Money earned from these jobs goes directly into your existing American Truck Simulator profile, which is shared between your trucking career and Road Trip. There is no separate XP system. Progression comes from your Courier Rating, customer reviews, and maintaining a Perfect Delivery Streak.

For the initial release, Road Trip jobs will focus on getting yourself and the delivery safely from point A to point B. More possibilities may be explored in the future.

If you’re ready to get behind the wheel when Road Trip arrives, you can wishlist the Ford Car Pack and RAM & Dodge Car Pack on Steam.

World of Trucks events are returning in their familiar format after a temporary pause earlier this year, while the wider rework continues. The events will run again throughout the months ahead.

Cruising South Dakota is first, followed by Cruising Iceland and the seasonal Halloween and Christmas events later this year. Full details will be shared ahead of each event.

Teams are continuing work on the systems and infrastructure that support the events, aiming to bring much more of the event experience directly into Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator. The previously described improvements include viewing and redeeming rewards, earning and viewing achievements, and following event progress and community milestones in-game. Broader behind-the-scenes changes will also support the World of Trucks service in the future.

The South Dakota DLC for American Truck Simulator will be released on September 24, 2026. The official trailer is out now on SCS Software's YouTube channel, offering a glimpse of the state's roads and scenery ahead of launch.

Truckers will travel from the wide-open Great Plains through the Badlands and into the rugged rock formations of the Black Hills. Landmarks along the way include Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the waterfalls of Sioux Falls, the Dignity of Earth and Sky statue overlooking the Missouri River, the Corn Palace, and Hot Springs. Routes cover busy cities and industrial areas as well as smaller settlements and scenic stretches of highway.

Players can already wishlist the South Dakota DLC on Steam; doing so will send a notification when the add-on becomes available.

The 1.61 Open Beta for American Truck Simulator is live now on Steam. It introduces Proximity Exploration, an Improved Material System for the International LT and LoneStar, new cargoes, and map prep for the upcoming Road Trip project. The MFD and In-Game Menu tested during the 1.61 Experimental Beta are not in this build; the team says they need more polish and will arrive in a future update.

Keep in mind this is a beta, not a stable public version, so expect bugs, instability, or crashes. Feedback and bug reports go to the dedicated forum section.

The headline quality-of-life feature automatically reveals a small area around your vehicle as you travel. You no longer need to drive over every tiny road segment to mark it explored — a big help around tightly packed spots like rest stops, toll gates, border crossings, and gas stations.

Secret roads still have secrets: getting close reveals only the first segment as a hint, and the rest must be discovered by driving along it.

The redesigned interior material system makes leather, fabric, plastic, and metal read more clearly by improving how surfaces react to light, including in low-light conditions. It uses multiple dynamic cubemap variants so interiors reflect their surroundings more naturally. The system arrives on the International LT and International LoneStar in 1.61, with other trucks across both games to follow in future updates. More details are in the SCS Software blog post.

Inactive Tourist Boards have been placed across California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the upcoming South Dakota DLC. They will remain unavailable until the Road Trip project releases, alongside small visual polish in selected areas. New gas stations have also been added across the map; they'll serve trucks now and become available for cars when Road Trip launches.

New cargo types are available now: Seed Containers, Trailers, and Truss. Existing Rails cargo also gets a new model and improved textures.

The team is aware of a rendering issue affecting OpenGL, the primary rendering API on Linux and macOS and an optional rendering mode on Windows. OpenGL users may encounter visual glitches; a fix is in progress.

To join the 1.61 Open Beta: Steam → LIBRARY → right-click American Truck Simulator → Properties → Betas → Beta Participation → public_beta. No password is required, and you may need to restart Steam to see the branch.

SCS Software has announced that American Truck Simulator's upcoming 1.61 update will bring the improved material system to the International LT and International LoneStar. Euro Truck Simulator 2 will get the same system on the Volvo FH Series 6 in its next update. The two International trucks also receive polished interior details, completely redesigned seats, and a new Diamond interior option with leather seats.

The improved material system first arrived in the 1.60 update, where it was added to the DAF NGD and MAN TG3 TGX in ETS2, as well as the Mack Anthem and Western Star 49X in ATS. It enhances interior lighting and visual quality by changing how materials such as leather, fabric, plastic, and metal react to light, making their differences much more apparent even in low light.

SCS says it will gradually bring the feature to more trucks. The redesigned seats in the International LT and LoneStar are intended to better match their real-life counterparts. For a behind-the-scenes look at the implementation process, check out the Under the Hood blog.

SCS Software has released a new Road Trip: Vehicle Configuration & Purchase Process video trailer for American Truck Simulator. The footage shows both the vehicle purchase process and how players will configure and customize vehicles in the upcoming Road Trip module — a system SCS says will work a little differently from what players may be used to with trucks in ATS.

The trailer follows up on last week's dedicated blog post, which covers the same process in more detail. SCS hopes the video gives a clearer look at what to expect when Road Trip arrives further down the road.

Both Road Trip car-pack DLCs can be wishlisted on Steam:

• Ford Car Pack
• RAM & Dodge Car Pack

SCS Software has introduced the developers behind American Truck Simulator's Nevada Rework, the project refreshing one of the game's original states with updated roads, cities, landscapes, and landmarks. The "Meet the Team" update focuses on the people restoring the Silver State rather than a release date, and it highlights several major locations players will rediscover.

• Las Vegas is a centerpiece. Johny is rebuilding the northern part of the city, while Roman — who calls it "NEW Vegas" — is focused on detailed work meant to make the city feel alive.
• Reno and Fallon are being handled by Pavel. Reno is rebuilt from the ground up with attention to layout, atmosphere, and recognizable landmarks, plus reworked sections of I-80. Smaller Fallon is being treated as a desert oasis, with greenery and farmland standing out against the dry landscape.
• Carson City is getting a fresh look from Filip, who is also working on its surroundings and a "small surprise."
• Elko and Carlin are Mykyta's territory, including the Carlin Tunnel and interesting places in the surrounding landscape.
• Panaca and the road from Las Vegas to Panaca are shared by Johny and another Filip; the area includes a Visitor Center worth a detour.
• Northern and western Nevada are covered by Rob and Samuel, with sun-baked desert roads, highly detailed cities, and authentic biomes.

Long straight roads are a Nevada signature, according to Tom, who expects players to enjoy driving into the distant horizon over dry mountains and hills. Margo promises hidden fun details, including "nice UFO references to spot." Ella, the team's road specialist, is overseeing Nevada's road layout and truck stops, and notes she is also working on Phoenix, Arizona, as another part of the Rework project.

The team includes veterans of the California Rework and Route 66 Rework, and Jakub sums up the goal simply: "Nevada looks like Nevada."

SCS Software today detailed the oversized-cargo routes coming with the American Truck Simulator South Dakota map expansion. Players who own the Special Transport DLC will be able to haul huge loads on three routes: Pierre to Spearfish, Winner to Mitchell, and Mobridge to Buffalo.

Like other Special Transport jobs, these hauls require escort vehicles and police assistance, use specially chosen wide routes, and pay appropriately for the extra responsibility. The developer warns that navigating South Dakota's roads with an extra-large trailer can still get tricky, so staying alert is part of the job.

• Pierre → Spearfish: Deliver equipment from the mining machine service in Pierre to the custom quarry depot in Spearfish.
• Winner → Mitchell: Move specialized cargo such as a giant silo or large reservoir tank from the agriculture equipment dealer in Winner to a custom farm depot in Mitchell.
• Mobridge → Buffalo: Load a large tank or pipes at the oil service depot in Mobridge and deliver them to the warehouse in Buffalo.

The South Dakota expansion is now available to wishlist on Steam. The Special Transport DLC is also available separately for players who want to take on the routes.

The latest Road Trip preview for American Truck Simulator details the vehicle configuration and purchase process for cars. Buying and configuring a car will work differently than with trucks: you purchase it through a new Car Dealer tab on the in-game desktop, then customize it in the My Cars garage.

At the Car Dealer, you first choose a brand from the Car Pack DLCs you own. Owning both the Ford Car Pack and RAM & Dodge Car Pack unlocks Ford, RAM, and Dodge; the RAM & Dodge pack alone unlocks two brands.

From there, you can pick a model like the Ford Mustang or Dodge Challenger, inspect its light signature, and review its description, technical details, and specifications. Cars can be browsed like a catalog or compared side-by-side in a table view, and you can pick from a range of unique colours before buying.

After the purchase, you can drive immediately or open the My Cars tab on the in-game desktop for more personalization. The new garage space lets you view and compare the cars you own, then hit Configure for paint jobs and exterior and interior parts tailored to each car. Selected cabin accessories will also be compatible with Car Pack DLCs, and you can sell cars from the garage. Hitting Drive starts exploring American Truck Simulator from a completely new and different perspective.

Further options are still being researched, with more features and customization planned for Road Trip vehicles. Both the Ford Car Pack and RAM & Dodge Car Pack can be added to your Steam wishlist.

SCS Software has spotlighted Mount Rushmore in the upcoming South Dakota DLC for American Truck Simulator, a map expansion that can be wishlisted on Steam. The monument is the reason South Dakota is officially known as the “Mount Rushmore State” and is set among the Black Hills.

Mount Rushmore towers above the surrounding landscape with carved granite faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Carved into the mountain between 1927 and 1941, the landmark attracts millions of visitors from around the world each year.

Nearby, the small town of Keystone serves as a popular gateway to the monument. It offers a charming downtown, unique Western-style character, and a depot for the historic 1880 Train — a steam-powered excursion railroad connecting Keystone and Hill City along an original late-1800s mining route.

US-16, also known as Mount Rushmore Road, connects Keystone with nearby communities and winds through the Black Hills, passing tunnels that frame Mount Rushmore in the distance. The scenic US-16A, or Iron Mountain Road, adds another memorable drive with winding curves, forested surroundings, and carefully designed bends.

The Black Hills contrast sharply with South Dakota's wide-open plains, offering dense forests, rugged rock formations, and curvy mountain roads. The region's motorcycle culture is also part of the atmosphere, with riders' bikes parked in some of the area's parking lots.

Mount Rushmore is just one of the highlights planned for the South Dakota DLC. You can also check the Black Hills blog post or add the expansion to your Steam wishlist.

American Truck Simulator's upcoming Road Trip DLCs will bring a new exploration feature called Atlas, and SCS Software has released a video trailer showing it in action.

Atlas is built around discovery: players use Tourist Boards to find, visit, and learn about selected locations across the ATS world. Doing so uncovers Points of Interest, Viewpoints, and Photo Trophies that spotlight significant regional spots, with a special postcard reward for tracking them all down.

Atlas will only be unlocked for players who own any Road Trip DLC: the Ford Car Pack or the RAM & Dodge Car Pack, both available on Steam. The feature is not limited to cars, so truck drivers can use it too.

More details are in the dedicated Atlas blog post, and the packs can be wishlisted on Steam: Ford Car Pack and RAM & Dodge Car Pack.

SCS Software will attend Tokyo Game Show 2026 for the first time in the studio's history, with playable American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 DLCs at its booth. The 30th-anniversary show runs September 17–21, and SCS will be at Hall 09, Booth E86, supported by Neon Noroshi.

Visitors can try the Iceland DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and the British Columbia and South Dakota map expansions for American Truck Simulator. SCS is also working to bring playable builds of Road Trip and Coaches, plus a PlayStation 5 version of Euro Truck Simulator 2, though those aren't confirmed yet.

The first two days of TGS are reserved for industry professionals, while the final three are open to the public. Japanese-speaking attendees will have interpreters available at the booth throughout the event.

The upcoming South Dakota DLC for American Truck Simulator has a new gameplay preview today. It follows a delivery route that starts in the Black Hills, passes scenic Pactola Lake, and crosses the Spring Creek Memorial Bridge on the way to a wood processing depot.

Along the route, the preview drives through the city of Hot Springs and part of the historic town of Deadwood, with the footage showing winding mountain roads, small communities, and the kind of scenery players can expect across the state. SCS Software notes that everything shown is still a work in progress and subject to change during development.

You can add the South Dakota DLC to your Steam Wishlist ahead of its release.

SCS Software has unveiled Atlas, an exploration-focused gameplay feature coming to American Truck Simulator with Road Trip. Announced on August 7, Atlas will be available to anyone who owns either Road Trip DLC—the Ford Car Pack or the RAM & Dodge Car Pack—and it isn't limited to cars, so truckers can use it too.

Atlas lives in the Navigation tab of the in-game desktop. It centers on Tourist Boards scattered across the map: pick one, and the GPS will route you to it. Arriving at the board reveals a set of exploration locations spread across the surrounding region.

Your objective is to visit every location tied to a Tourist Board. These fall into three categories: Viewpoints, Photo Trophies, and the new Points of Interest. A Point of Interest is marked as explored simply by driving through its designated area—no stopping or trigger required. If you revisit one through Atlas or the Gallery, you'll get a live camera feed of the location, and if your vehicle is parked there, it appears in the view.

Discovering a new location triggers an on-screen widget (which can be enabled or disabled in the widget settings), a short celebratory sound, and unlocks a brief description of the place. Unlocked cutscenes can be replayed anytime from the Atlas interface.

Completing every location on a Tourist Board marks that board as completed and rewards you with a postcard inspired by the region, which you can display on your vehicle's dashboard.

Tourist Boards start in California and in the Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota DLCs, with more states to be added gradually.

You can add the Ford Car Pack and the RAM & Dodge Car Pack to your wishlist.

Today's look at American Truck Simulator's upcoming British Columbia DLC focuses on the tunnels and snow sheds found along its highways, from mountain passes to Metro Vancouver.

One of the most recognizable structures is the Great Bear Snow Shed on the famous Coquihalla Highway, a concrete landmark that protects drivers from avalanches and falling snow. Further east, several snow sheds line the Trans-Canada Highway (TC-1) through Glacier National Park, sheltering the road amid towering mountains and dense forests.

The winding stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Hope includes a collection of tunnels carved through the mountainsides:

• Yale Tunnel
• Alexandra Tunnel
• Hell's Gate Tunnel
• Ferrabee Tunnel
• China Bar Tunnel

Together, they form one of the most memorable highway stretches in the expansion, with dramatic canyon views between each passage.

In the Vancouver area, the Cassiar Tunnel carries traffic beneath a major city corridor, while another tunnel runs underneath the Fraser River to connect parts of Metro Vancouver.

The British Columbia DLC is still upcoming. Drivers eager to explore the province can add it to their Steam wishlist now.

A new look at American Truck Simulator's upcoming South Dakota DLC heads into the Black Hills, one of South Dakota's most iconic regions. The area spans thousands of square miles across western South Dakota, and this preview takes a closer look at the historic town of Deadwood and the scenic US-385 highway. You can add South Dakota to your Steam Wishlist now.

Founded in 1876 during the Black Hills Gold Rush, Deadwood became one of the American West's most famous frontier towns, known for legendary figures such as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. The in-game recreation lets you drive along the historic Main Street, lined with charming storefronts, local attractions, and beautifully preserved architecture. Recognizable landmarks include the Town Hall, Museum, and historic Train Station.

One of South Dakota's most scenic highways, US-385 winds through the heart of the Black Hills past rolling hills, dense pine forests, towering igneous and metamorphic rock formations, and mountain vistas. If you're lucky, herds of bison may be spotted grazing alongside the road. The route also passes Pactola Lake — the largest reservoir in the Black Hills — where a visitor center overlooking the lake offers panoramic views and is surrounded by forested hills.

The next map expansion for American Truck Simulator is North Dakota, and the North Dakota DLC is now up on Steam for wishlisting. The Peace Garden State will take drivers across the Northern Plains and up to the Canadian border, with destinations including the capital city of Bismarck, Fargo, Pembina, and the Devil's Lake region.

North Dakota's road network will feature major highways, the scenic ND-57, and parts of the famous Enchanted Highway, where towering metal sculptures line the roadside. The expansive National Grasslands will also bring broad open prairie to the map.

The state's freight opportunities will center on agriculture, including a sugar processing plant in Wahpeton, along with support for North Dakota's oil industry. Drivers can also watch for distinctive landmarks such as the state's highest TV tower and Wahpeton's Wahpper, billed as the World's Largest Catfish.

More locations and details about the expansion are expected in future updates.

A new American Truck Simulator gameplay preview released July 31 gives a first look at the iconic 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback in action, as part of the upcoming Road Trip module and the Ford Car Pack DLC.

The drive runs from Modesto, California, into Yosemite National Park, taking in winding roads and scenery while showcasing the car's performance and driving dynamics. Along the way, the preview also offers a first look at one of the new exploration mechanics coming with Road Trip.

Everything shown remains work in progress: vehicle sounds and driving behaviour will be refined before release. You can add the Ford Car Pack to your Steam Wishlist to be notified when it launches.