| American Truck Simulator | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | SCS Software |
| Publisher | SCS Software |
| Series | Truck Simulator |
| Platforms | |
| Release | 2 February 2016[1] |
| Genre | Vehicle simulation |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer[2] |
American Truck Simulator is atruck simulator game developed and published bySCS Software. It was first announced as being in development in September 2013[3] and unveiled at theE3 2015. It was released on February 2, 2016 forMicrosoft Windows,Linux, andmacOS.[4] The game is the parallel toEuro Truck Simulator 2, the spiritual successor of18 Wheels of Steel, and the fifth installment in theTruck Simulator series. The game is set in a condensed depiction of theUnited States, featuring Americanconventionalsemi-trucks and various locations across the U.S., where players pick up a variety of cargos and deliver them to their destinations.
Since its release, the game has sold over 6 million copies.[5]
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American Truck Simulator is a truck driving simulator with business management elements. A beginning player will be directed to found a truck driving business and select a home city from which to operate that business. Upon selection of the home city, the player will own the pre-placed truck garage located in that city, which will operate as the player's home base.[6]
During gameplay, the player will select from a menu of currently available goods delivery routes to drive one of several models ofclass 7 and 8 and deliver the selected load to a designated location within a fixed amount of time. By making such deliveries, the player earns money for the player's company and experience points for the player themself. By delivering the selected cargo to its designation within the allotted time and with the least damage to the goods, the player will maximize the amount of money and experience points earned. Late deliveries or deliveries with damage will result in the player earning reduced cash and experience points. The amount of money and experience points earned are commensurate to the length of the delivery in distance traveled and type of goods being transported.
A beginning player will own a garage, but no trucks or trailers. The player will begin by completing "quick jobs," which are goods deliveries that utilize an in-game company's trucks and trailers. Once the player has earned enough money, they may then begin purchasing one or more trucks, but they may continue making "quick job" deliveries if desired. After purchasing a truck, the player may elect to use the purchased truck for deliveries or go back to performing quick job deliveries.
As the player completes deliveries, they will unlock skills by spending experience points to purchase particular skills upgrades. These upgrade categories includefuel efficiency, route delivery distance, carrying heavy cargo, carryingdangerous goods, carrying fragile cargoes, or making urgent deliveries. Players may take out loans in which they will pay back in daily installments. The money is also needed to pay for fuel and maintenance on any vehicles or trailers owned by the player's company. When performing quick job deliveries using an in-game company's truck, repairs and other costs are paid by that in-game company and not from the funds of the player's company. The player may also use the company's money to purchase additional trucks and trailers which are held in designated slots in the garage.
The player may use company funds to hireNPC drivers (and pay their associated expenses), who are placed in additional driver slots in the garage. Once the player has earned sufficient money, the player may also purchase garages in other cities and hire NPC drivers to drive from those garages, as well. The longer an NPC driver is employed by the company, the more experience points they will earn, thus increasing the amount of money that driver earns from each delivery. Much like the player's experience points, the player may direct the focus of each hired driver's experience points, thereby ensuring that particular hired drivers become experts in particular skill areas, such as hauling dangerous goods or performing long-haul deliveries. Company money may be used to upgrade garages, which will allow the garages to hold additional trucks, trailers, and NPC drivers, as well as place a reduced cost fueling station at the garage. The company money may be used to upgrade the company's trucks and trailers, specifically by upgrading their associated liveries, mechanical, and structural upgrades and changes.
While driving routes, the game will direct the player to stop at designatedweigh stations to determine the weight of the cargo before being permitted to proceed (though the game may occasionally allow the driver to bypass such station). When crossing the border into the state of California, the player is similarly obliged to stop atCalifornia Border Protection Stations to have their vehicle inspected. Avoiding a weigh station or border protection station will result the player being fined. The only exception where the California Border Protection Station can be avoided entering California is throughDeath Valley National Park onNevada State Route 374 andCalifornia State Route 190 between the settlements ofBeatty, Nevada andOlancha, California.
The game is set in a condensed 1:20-scaled version of theUnited States. At launch, the game started off with the U.S. states ofCalifornia andNevada.Arizona was released in June 2016 as a free update to all players.[7] A number of other states have now been added as paiddownloadable content.
Combined with all downloadable map content, the game now covers the entireWestern Contiguous andSouth Central regions, including part of theMidwestern region. Map expansions are available forNew Mexico,Oregon,Washington,Utah,Idaho,Colorado,Wyoming,Montana,Texas,Oklahoma,Kansas,Nebraska,Arkansas,Missouri,Iowa andLouisiana as DLCs.[8] Assuming the player has all the states available to them, the game features 240 visitable cities, including moststate capitals and major cities, as well as many thousands of miles worth of in-game roads.[8] Currently, the player may travel as far north asBellingham, Washington, as far south asBrownsville, Texas, as far west asEureka, California, and as far east asCape Girardeau, Missouri. SCS has stated that most future map expansions, if not all, will be at additional cost.[8]
SCS Software announced the game on 6 September 2013.[9] It was revealed atE3 in 2015.[10]
On 11 April 2014, SCS Software announced that there will be 100+ cities in the game once completed (not initially), and SCS released screenshots of the game. Truck brands included onAmerican Truck Simulator so far areKenworth,Peterbilt,Volvo,International Trucks,Western Star,Mack andFreightliner. More will follow; the only setback remains the licensing of trucks from their manufacturers. SCS plans to eventually include the entire contiguous United States, as long as the game continues to do well. On 26 January 2015, SCS Software published a one-hour video toYouTube of footage from early alpha of the game. On 18 December 2015, SCS Software announced the official release date forAmerican Truck Simulator, 3 February 2016, on their blog. The game was released one day earlier instead.[11]
The game was released for PC-DVD on 14 December 2017.[12][13][better source needed]
Since the game was launched, the developers have continued regular DLC releases of U.S. states, unique cargo, and more. The most recent state to be added was Louisiana, which was released on December 4, 2025.[14]
On October 27, 2025, SCS announced a map extension forBritish Columbia, a province ofCanada, which, when released, will be the first time the game covers areas outside of the United States.[15]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 76/100[16] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 85%[17] |
| Edge | 70% |
| Eurogamer | 70%[18] |
| IGN | 8/10[19] |
| Polygon | 8/10[20] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5[21] |
| PC Gamer | 80/100[22] |
American Truck Simulator has received mostly positive reviews from critics, scoring 76/100 onMetacritic.[16]
James Cunningham ofHardcore Gamer gave the game a 4 out of 5 saying, "While a little more realism would makeAmerican Truck Simulator more fun, paradoxical as that may sound, there’s no escaping how fantastically playable it is."[21] Laura Dale fromPolygon rated the game a 8/10 saying, "As someone who sunk countless hours intoEuro Truck Simulator 2, a fresh coat of paint, an unfamiliar set of sights and the challenge of driving on the wrong opposite side of the road left me confident that I'll be sinking just as many hours intoAmerican Truck Simulator."[20]
Andy Kelly ofPC Gamer commended the game and noted that it shared the strengths and shortcomings of its predecessor due to the two games' similarities, though advised that it was not finished on launch and urged more cautious gamers to wait until it was more completed before purchasing the game.[22]
American Truck Simulator won Best Technological Solution at the 2016Czech Game of the Year Awards, and was also nominated for Best Game, Best PC/Console Game, and Best Audio.[23]
