American Truck Simulator News

[p]South Dakota is a lovely state, home to diverse landscapes and rich wildlife. Let's take a look at some of the natural locations our map designers are currently recreating for this in-development map expansion for American Truck Simulator.[/p][p][/p][p]The Mount Rushmore state is located in the North Central Region of the United States. As you can see on the screenshots from these locations, South Dakota's landscape offers a truly unique driving experience, ranging from vast open plains with far-reaching views across the countryside to rolling hills, lush green forests, fertile fields, and striking rock formations along the roadside. [/p][p][/p][p]In the western part of the state, you'll come across a region full of dense forests and distinctive dome-shaped mountains, known as the Black Hills. Several scenic routes wind through this beautiful national park, including US 85, US 385, US 18, and SD-44, which pass through beautiful cities like Sturgis or Hot Springs. [/p][p][/p][p]As you head further east, you can take Interstate 90, which runs east to west across the state and passes near the stunning Badlands National Park - just like SD-44.[/p][p][/p][p]Next, you'll cross the Missouri River, which flows through the center of South Dakota and divides the state into two. On the eastern side lies the Prairie Plains, a landscape of wide rolling hills, flat river valleys, and vast fields of sunflowers. You will be able to spot these beautiful locations, especially when driving on roads such as SD-34, SD-50, I-90, and US 18, all of which showcase the area's pristine natural beauty.[/p][p][/p][p]We hope you liked this preview of South Dakota's wonderful nature, but you can look forward to more, as we will explore the lovely Black Hills and Badlands National Parks in greater detail in our future blog posts![/p][p]If you are excited to explore this state's natural beauty, make sure to add the South Dakota DLC to your Steam wishlist! Also, remember to follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube for all the latest news from not only this map expansion, but also other American Truck Simulator projects, or sign up for our newsletter to stay informed. Happy haulin'![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][p]Ever wondered if your virtual truckin’ skills could translate into the real world? Then our newest SCS On The Road episode is for you! Join us as we travel to Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, where we visit the Ontario Truck Training Academy, a school that’s been training drivers since the mid-90s.
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For Mark, our Vehicle Production Coordinator, this isn’t new territory. It’s his former workplace, and this time he’s back with Oscar, our Chief Partnership Officer, who he signed up for an exclusive one-day experience to get behind the wheel and try his hand at driving and manoeuvring real American trucks. There's a lot to learn, and even more so in just a day! Do you think Oscar can handle it? Then take a watch of the newest episode at our official YouTube channel below.
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We’d like to extend a massive thank you to the entire team at the Ontario Truck Training Academy for their warm hospitality and for putting together this special day for us. If you’re in the area and looking to learn, we highly recommend checking them out at their official website: https://www.otta.ca.[/p][p]
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoyed our latest SCS On The Road episode! Until next time, keep on truckin’![/p]

[p]Today, we’re excited to give you a closer look at one of the key cities featured in our upcoming Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator. Situated on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, Moline is a destination where industry, history, and scenic beauty all come together. Let's see what's happening in Moline! 


Founded in the mid-1800s, Moline grew quickly thanks to its location along the river, which provided both transport and power for early manufacturing. Over time, the city became an important part of the Quad Cities region. Today, it remains a vibrant community that blends its history with the modern role it plays in the Midwest.

As some may know, Moline is home to one of the world’s largest agricultural machinery production facilities, which has been central to the city’s growth. In-game, this is represented by the harvester works depot, a major hub where players can pick up and deliver jobs tied to agricultural equipment. The company’s presence has shaped the region with multiple factories and facilities, making this landmark an essential part of the city’s economy and our in-game representation.



Moline also features a number of landmarks and points of interest that add to its character. One of these is Bridge Point 485, originally constructed as a testing facility for the Montgomery Elevator Company. Its distinctive tower was once used for high-speed elevator trials, which still stands as a recognizable feature on the city’s riverfront. 

Drivers will also be able to spot the Western Illinois University Quad Cities campus, which occupies a former tech center located right along a small road which runs parallel to the Mississippi River unsurprisingly called River Drive. 


Speaking of rivers, we’ve also included a stretch of the Great River Road, an officially designated All-American Road recognized for its cultural and scenic significance. Bringing this route into the game allowed us to highlight a nationally important roadway that carries one-of-a-kind features and history along the Mississippi River.

From a cultural and historical perspective, you’ll also find two notable churches included in our recreation of Moline. One of these, a former Scottish Rite Cathedral, has since been converted into a local theater, reflecting the city’s evolving identity and community use of its historic architecture.



Bringing Moline into the game "was like an interesting puzzle." Quinten, one of our Map Designers tells us. With Davenport, Iowa right across the river, we needed to carefully scale and adapt the city so the two would feel connected yet distinct. The focus was on what makes Moline special, its industrial heritage, riverfront character, and recognizable landmarks, without causing conflict or overwhelming the area. [/p][p]

We hope you enjoyed this look into Moline and what you can expect to see on your future visits to the Prairie State. If you like what you see, don’t forget to add Illinois to your Steam Wishlist. Until next time, keep on truckin’! [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]This past Sunday marked the conclusion of the #CruisingIowa World of Trucks event, which ran for over two months in celebration of the Iowa DLC release for American Truck Simulator. Today, it’s time to take a look back and share the final results with you all![/p][p][/p][p]First and foremost, we’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone in our #BestCommunityEver who joined in #CruisingIowa, as well as to the dedicated team who helped bring this event to life. The passion, support, and enthusiasm from our community always make these events truly special.[/p][p]At the beginning, we set two goals for you. The community objective was to collectively drive 125,000,000 miles (201,168,000 km) by hauling cargo to or from any city in the Hawkeye State. Thanks to your incredible efforts, this milestone was already reached by the end of August, well before the conclusion of the event! And by the end, together you logged an impressive 138,480,798 miles (222,863,241 km).[/p][p][/p][p]The personal goal challenged players to deliver cargo to or from 12 different cities across Iowa, with each qualifying delivery covering at least 100 miles (161 km). In total, you completed 433,189 deliveries, with 27,962 dedicated truckers successfully achieving their personal goal. Congratulations to everyone who unlocked the special rewards: the Golden Flight ATS paint job and the Porcelain Wild Rose hanging ornament Steam inventory item![/p][p][/p][p]Even if you didn’t manage to complete the event, we hope you enjoyed exploring Iowa and being part of the journey. As always, it’s not just about the destination, it’s about the roads traveled and the experiences shared along the way.[/p][p]Don't forget to follow us on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube for all the latest news about upcoming events and other news from our games. You can also sign up for our newsletter to stay informed. Until then, keep on trucking'[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]We have good news for all American truckers. The 1.56 Update for American Truck Simulator is officially released! Let's see what's in store for you.[/p][p]Before we take you through all the new features this update brings to the game, we would like to thank everyone who took part in the Open Beta and reported issues on our forum. This really helped us fine-tune the update and make it ready for the full update release.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Height Blend[/p][p]The Height Blend effect is a technique used to create more realistic and visually appealing transitions between different types of terrains or surfaces, like grass, dirt, or stone. It works by utilizing a height map texture, a grayscale image that represents the elevation of a surface, to determine how different textures blend together.[/p][p][/p][p]For example, where a grassy hill slopes into a rocky cliff, the height blend effect ensures the textures mix naturally based on the terrain's height and slope, avoiding harsh or unnatural edges. For map designers, it eliminates the need for many decals, which previously had to be added to achieve a believable look, saving time and effort.[/p][p][/p][p]Under the hood, our team has converted, tweaked, and visually checked over 1,300 materials from our library to ensure seamless integration. During our testing, we didn't observe any significant impact on performance. There is only a minimal increase in memory usage, caused by the newly added texture.

Dynamic Cargo Improvements[/p][p]We have expanded the dynamic loading and unloading feature to cover more cargo types. Truckers using their own logger or chipvan trailers can now see a material handler dynamically managing their loads at selected depots across the USA. The logger's cargoes - large tubes, logs, and utility poles - as well as the chipvan's metal scrap, are now included in this feature to make your trucking experience more immersive.[/p][p][/p][p]Camera Zoom - Hold/Toggle[/p][p]The 1.56 update also brings a small but welcomed accessibility feature. Players can now choose whether the interior zoom function requires holding the key (the default) or can be switched to a toggle mode. This option not only adds convenience but also improves accessibility, offering a more comfortable way for all players to take a closer look at the details inside their cab, in the mirrors, and around their truck. Players can find this feature in "Options → Gameplay and Options → Accessibility".[/p][p][/p][p]DLC Browser[/p][p]We are also introducing a brand-new design for the DLC Browser. This redesign aims to make browsing and discovering additional content for your game easier and more enjoyable.[/p][p][/p][p]The updated browser now features improved categorization, with clear sections such as Featured, Bundles, Map, Cargo, Trailer, Accessories, and Paint Jobs. The main layout has been completely redesigned, increasing the number of items displayed per row from three to four for a cleaner and more modern look.[/p][p][/p][p]The DLC browser is just the beginning of a feature with the potential to grow and evolve further. While it may take time and further development to see how far it can go, the vision is to make it possible for players to explore and enjoy all our DLCs without ever leaving the game. We plan to continue gathering feedback, and this feature might get some future adjustments.[/p][p]Career Creation and Start-up Flow[/p][p]We gave the career system a big refresh, which includes a new UI design and improved navigation. The old table-style list of careers has been replaced with larger, card-like slots that give a cleaner and more modern look. Your active career will always appear at the top, with your other careers sorted by most recent playtime. The first slot is reserved for starting a brand-new career, and switching between your careers is now quicker; simply double-click on a card to jump right in.[/p][p][/p][p]Whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, the career creation process has also been redesigned to be simpler and clearer, focusing only on the most important options and selections needed when starting a new career.[/p][p][/p][p]A new Truck Preference screen has also been added between selecting your headquarters and the opening cutscene. Here, you can preview all available trucks in a rotating 3D view that spins automatically, or you can rotate them yourself. You'll be able to cycle through brands, switch between different models, or even press a “random” button to let the game surprise you. We hope this new preference screen gives both new and experienced players a detailed look at each truck and its key specifications.[/p][p][/p][p]We've also refreshed the Edit Career screen, which now focuses only on details that really matter for your career. Many of the older fields have been moved elsewhere, keeping the editing process simple and uncluttered. To make things more convenient, clicking on your career from the desktop top bar now opens a new Driver Details screen, where you can view all the important info about your career and even change your avatar without having to return to the title screen.[/p][p]This redesigned approach not only makes career navigation smoother but also gives the whole experience a cleaner, more modern feel. Whether you're starting your very first trucking journey or managing multiple careers, we hope this update makes your career management more streamlined and accessible. As we gather more input, this feature could see further improvements down the road.[/p][p]Management UI/UX Improvements[/p][p]In the Company tab on the Desktop, the Driver, Trailer, Truck, and Garage Manager screens now feature a redesigned company subscreen. The refreshed company subscreen shows the company name and logo alongside key statistics, a redesigned seven-day profit graph, and highlights of the most profitable assets. It also introduces an economy summary pop-up for quick performance review and a company properties option for editing the name and logo. [/p][p][/p][p]We've also added a quality-of-life improvement to the relocation screen: when both a driver and their truck can be placed in the same garage slot, a checkbox allows relocating them together in one step. To improve accessibility, the Garage Manager and Driver Manager are now unlocked from the very start of the game, rather than only after purchasing a truck. [/p][p][/p][p]Finally, the Driver Manager subscreen has been polished with a clearer layout, including a new XP bar that lets players track their NPC drivers' progress, and a simplified job information and skills overview, where you can assign a collective preferred training policy for newly hired drivers. Our plan is to keep gathering feedback, so in the future, this feature might be further refined. [/p][p]Changelog[/p][p]Gameplay [/p]

• [p]Dynamic cargo improvements[/p]
• [p]Camera zoom - hold/toggle[/p]

[p]Visual [/p]

• [p]Height blend[/p]

[p]UI[/p]

• [p]Career creation – redesigned UI/UX and start-up flow[/p]
• [p]Management UI/UX improvements[/p]

[p]Other [/p]

• [p]DLC browser - redesigned[/p]

[p]Make sure to stay tuned for more updates from American Truck Simulator by following us on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and TikTok, or by subscribing to our newsletter! Until then, we wish you safe travels![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]