Your feedback and reports are really valuable to our team, and we truly appreciate you taking the time to help us in improving the game. Now, let's dive in and see what the 1.58 Open Beta has to offer.
Route 66 Rework Project
With the 1.58 update for American Truck Simulator, we’re excited to roll out the Route 66 Rework Project, which has been a project led by our dedicated Rework team to refresh the legendary Historic Route 66, including surrounding locations, depots, landmarks, and cities found along this world-famous highway. This release focuses on key stretches in Northern Arizona and parts of New Mexico.
This legendary American highway will at last be completed with the upcoming Illinois DLC. We wanted to revisit some of the older sections of this iconic route which no longer match our current mapping standards. This update features a completely reworked stretch of I-40 and Historic Route 66, along with reworked cities, road networks, and more.
Drivers travelling in Northern Arizona in 1.58 will discover that cities including Kingman, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon Village, Page, Kayenta, Camp Verde, and Show Low have been completely reworked from the ground up, alongside the addition of a brand-new city, Lake Havasu City, located on AZ-95. Known as a premier vacation destination in Arizona that attracts visitors from all around the world, it sits right along the Colorado River.
This city is especially famous for being home to the London Bridge. Originally built in 1831 and spanning the River Thames, it was relocated from its original home in London, England and rebuilt brick by brick here over the Bridgewater Channel in 1971! Players will not only be able to see this iconic British landmark in Lake Havasu City, but drive across it too. We highly recommend celebrating your first crossing with a nice cup of proper tea.
However, that’s not the only change in the map, as we say goodbye to the city of Holbrook and hello to the city of Winslow, a new addition you’ll definitely want to check out. Crossing the state border into New Mexico, the cities of Gallup, Albuquerque, and Tucumcari have also been completely reworked from the ground up, adding more detail to the cities, routes, and surrounding scenery that make the Route 66 corridor so iconic.
Alongside the cities and highways themselves, the Route 66 Rework Project also revisits memorable landmarks and scenic drives across the region, including places like the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, and Monument Valley, giving them a fresh look and helping the entire area feel more up to date and rewarding to explore. You can read more specifically about the work around these legendary U.S Landmarks in our recent dedicated blog post.
The best way to learn about all the changes is by hitting the road! We hope you enjoy what the team has created here, they’ve worked hard to bring this legendary route and its surrounding areas up to date with our current mapping standards, while still keeping the familiar feel that long-time drivers will recognise.
If you'd like to learn more about the Route 66 Rework Project, then be sure check out the series of dedicated blog topics here.
Driving Academy - Double Trailer Handling
This update will introduce a new module for Driving Academy, called the Double Trailer Handling. This time, our team took a deep dive into how we could pass on more hands-on know-how about handling trucks with two trailers, better known as doubles. We've put together a set of challenging scenarios that guide players step-by-step through forward driving, maneuvering, and reversing with doubles.
The experience is split into three chapters, beginning with forward-driving maneuvers, then easing players into the techniques needed to reverse double trailers. From there, it shifts into more lively, real-world-inspired scenarios where you can really put your newly gained skills to the test.
Just like in the previous modules of Driving Academy, we have prepared a reward for you! Completing all the scenarios in this chapter will reward you with an adorable wiener dog toy - named Frankie - for your truck cabin, ready to ride along with you. Keep in mind that this reward is tied to the in-game profile you used to complete this chapter. You can read more about the new module here.
Thanks to your feedback, we've also adjusted an achievement in the second module of Driving Academy, the Truck Driving Proficiency. To unlock the "Nerd of the Road" achievement, you now need to obtain three stars in only 15 scenarios instead of 23. This change will be active during the Open Beta, but on Steam, the achievement may still show the previous info until a few days before the official update releases.
New Truck Garages
Over the years, garages have become an essential part of building your trucking empire. They’re not just a place to store your trucks and hire drivers, but also a space that represents your progress and success on the road. That’s why our teams decided it was time to give them a well-deserved refresh.
As part of the 1.58 update, our designers have reworked the truck garages, bringing a fresh new look that better reflects the quality and level of detail you’ve come to expect from American Truck Simulator. From updated interiors to improved visuals and atmosphere, these changes are designed to make your garages feel more modern, immersive, and enjoyable to spend time in.
Our teams carried out a full visual rework of all three garages. The main goal was to refresh spaces that have become rather outdated and bring them up to date. They approached this rework with considerable ambition and genuine care. Their goal wasn’t just to update old models, but to turn the garages into a place players actually enjoy returning to. A space that feels rewarding to upgrade, explore, and appreciate down to the smallest details.
You can read more about the New Truck Garages at its dedicated blog topic here.
Vehicle Behavior Physics & Collisions Update
As we prepare the ground for the arrival of new vehicle types through upcoming content for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator such as Road Trip and Coaches, we’ve revisited and significantly refined the in-game physics simulation, including how vehicles behave, how they respond to your inputs, and how collisions and contact with the world are handled. To make that possible, we had to take a major look “under the hood” and revisit some of the fundamentals of how physics is simulated in our games.
Some adjustments were made with these new vehicle categories in mind, often lighter, shorter, and in some cases more powerful than what our simulation was originally tuned for, but many of the improvements also benefit every vehicle, including the trucks you’re already familiar with. The goal throughout all of this has been simple, to improve realism and responsiveness, while keeping the core truck driving experience you know and love fully recognizable, just better refined.
We first focused on improving throttle response, now based on a proper throttle torque engine map, alongside more realistic off-throttle engine resistance for smoother, more natural coasting. The engine also now revs slightly to build torque before pulling away, and a hill start assistant was added to make starts on inclines more reliable.
For keyboard users, a new optional double-tap throttle control system allows smoother control, holding the key applies partial throttle for easier cruising, while double-tapping gives full acceleration when needed.
Beyond engine response, the update also includes mechanical improvements that add extra nuance to how trucks behave on different surfaces. Wheels now camber when going off-road in a way that better reflects how a solid axle suspension behaves, and turning wheels also incorporate caster. These are subtle details, but they contribute to a more authentic feel when the terrain gets uneven or when you move away from perfectly flat roads.
The audio you hear whilst driving has also been refined, with turbocharger sounds now reflecting more accurately what the engine is doing, making the overall driving feedback feel more connected. Another change that you may notice is that the engine now revs slightly to build up torque before pulling away.
In American Truck Simulator, we’ve updated the collision geometry on almost all roads, improving stability and enabling smoother curvature for better wheel contact and more predictable handling. To learn more in-depth about this topic, you can read more in our dedicated blog post topic here.
Tutorial Redesign & Contextual Hints
We are introducing a redesigned tutorial focused on a new system of contextual hints. The goal is to introduce the game and its features to new players more organically by presenting helpful information at the right moment, rather than relying solely on a single, linear tutorial flow.
Initially, this system will incorporate prompts from the current first job tutorial, complemented by a selection of newly created hints. These prompts are designed to appear naturally during gameplay, helping new players understand core mechanics while allowing experienced drivers to stay focused on the road.
Route Advisor Redesign
One of the most visible changes coming with the 1.58 update is the complete redesign of the Route Advisor. In fact, the current Advisor, as you know, is being removed and replaced with an entirely new widget-based system.
Instead of a single, fixed panel, information will now be presented through individual graphical widgets, each dedicated to a specific function. This approach allows for a cleaner on-screen experience and gives players more control over what information they want to see while driving. The widgets can be customized to better suit different playstyles and preferences, whether you prefer a minimal setup or a more information-rich HUD.
This redesign has been in development for some time and was frequently requested by the community. We previously showcased it exclusively to fans attending our third SCS Fan Day, and it has since undergone extensive internal testing, as well as senior external testing, with very encouraging results. As with all major changes, we will continue to closely monitor the Open Beta phase to collect your feedback, allowing us to incorporate it into future iterations and updates. Our ultimate goal is to ensure everything works smoothly and meets the expectations of the widest possible range of players.
Quick Info Feature
The Pause Screen has been completely reworked to better reflect how our games are played today. With this in mind, we took the opportunity to rethink the Pause Screen from the ground up and give it a clearer purpose, redesigning it into a Quick Info feature. The new design focuses on presenting key information in a structured and easily readable way, including controls, truck information, job details, and local regulations, all in one place.
As part of this change, some information that was previously shown directly in the Adviser has been moved to the Quick Info feature. This primarily includes job information, truck damage details, as well as options for truck settings and calling for service. This redistribution helps keep the on-road HUD cleaner, while still ensuring that all important data is only a pause away when you need it, and it also helps pave the way for future gameplay experiences such as Coaches and Road Trip.
Overall, the newly designed Quick Info fits naturally into the new UI direction of the 1.58 update and supports our goal of creating a more modern, flexible, and future-ready user experience.
Truck Configurator Improvements
The Truck and Trailer Configurator, along with the Explorer, are also receiving targeted improvements. While these screens are powerful, we recognize that their current form is not always optimal for controller or mouse use, with some functions being unclear, difficult to navigate, or lacking helpful tooltips and hints. A number of smaller issues have also been addressed as part of this update.
Rather than a complete redesign, our goal here is to refine and improve the existing UI. This means clearer navigation, better feedback, added hints where needed, and overall stability improvements, all while keeping the familiar structure intact.
These changes should make vehicle customization more accessible and enjoyable, whether you’re fine-tuning details with a mouse or navigating menus from the comfort of a controller.
This is a fairly big set of changes, and we want to be transparent about that. We know acclimatising to these adjustments may take some time, and that feedback from the community is crucial. That’s why the Open Beta phase will be especially important for us, allowing a broader audience to try these changes and share their thoughts.
All of these improvements are part of our long-term vision for American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2. They help us prepare the core of our games for exciting new projects that are yet to come, while also making everyday gameplay smoother and more enjoyable.
Management Screen Improvements
The 1.58 update brings a set of finishing touches to the existing management screens, including the Driver, Trailer, Truck, and Garage Managers. Rather than a major overhaul, these changes focus on refining what’s already there by improving usability, clarity, and overall polish, while also addressing a number of smaller imperfections.
One of the practical improvements is better visibility of information related to hired drivers. Players will now be able to more easily track the progress of their drivers’ skills, making it clearer how their team is developing over time. In addition, the currently selected skill training for each hired driver will be highlighted directly in the skills overview, allowing players to see it at a glance.
Alongside these refinements, we’ve also made incremental UX, UI, and controller-control improvements, as well as added clearer access to company-related information, such as the company name and logo, including options to edit them.
All of these adjustments are designed to make everyday management tasks smoother and more informative, enhancing the experience without changing the familiar structure players are already used to.
Changelog
Gameplay
- Driving Academy - Double Trailer Handling
Vehicles
- Vehicle Behaviour, Physics & Collisions Update
- Route 66 Rework Project
- Map Changes In Preparations for Road Trip
- New Truck Garages
- Tutorial Redesign & Contextual Hints
- Route Advisor Redesign
- Quick Info Feature
- Truck Configurator Improvements
- Management Screen Improvements
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 → LIBRARY → right-click on American Truck Simulator → Properties → Betas tab → Beta Participation drop-down menu → public_beta. No password is required. Sometimes you will have to restart your Steam client to see the correct branch name there.
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