South Dakota: Pierre

Welcome to the capital city of the Mount Rushmore State, Pierre! In today's blog, we will be sharing a preview of our version of this beautiful town and its sister city, Fort Pierre, which are eagerly waiting to welcome their first truckers with the imminent release of the South Dakota DLC.

While being a relatively small town with just around 14,000 residents, Pierre is a hidden gem waiting to be explored. Welcoming nearly 3 million visitors each year, it is a destination for outdoor enthusiasts, offering world-class fishing, scenic trails, and endless opportunities for water recreation. This is made possible by its location along the banks of the Missouri River, set between Lake Oahe and Lake Sharpe, both created by dams.

But it's not just outdoor activities that draw visitors to Pierre. The city is also home to plenty of stunning historic landmarks, some of which we have recreated in our map. One of them is the South Dakota State Capitol Building, constructed in 1910. Keep an eye out for this architectural gem when driving through the city, as it can be spotted from a distance.

When arriving to the Pierre area from the south, you'll first pass through Fort Pierre, the oldest established settlement in the state, dating back more than 200 years. Here, you'll be able to spot a school building featuring a beautiful bison mural, as well as Fort Volunteer, a fort built to honor the volunteers who came to help during the 2011 flood.

Across from it, you'll find the courthouse with its stone monument featuring another bison. Further down the road, you'll also be able to spot the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center Museum up on the hill, which is a multipurpose conference center and historical museum dedicated to the legendary sport of South Dakota rodeo.

Then, crossing the Missouri River over a newly built bridge, you'll be greeted by the "Welcome to Pierre" sign, followed by the Discovery Center building, an interactive, hands-on science museum for families and children.

And if you are driving to Pierre not just for sightseeing, but also to pick up a job, there are also plenty of industries that will need your help transporting their products, such as the shopping center, landscape supplies, and roadwork depots. We have also included the Pierre Airport on the outskirts of the city into the map, where you will be able to deliver cargo to and from. On the other side of the river in Fort Pierre, you will find a local truck dealer, livestock auction, mining machinery service, and truck stop depot.

We hope you are looking forward to exploring the wonderful capital of the Mount Rushmore State. If you do, make sure to add the South Dakota DLC to your Steam wishlist! 

Don't forget to follow us on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube for all the latest news from this map expansion and other American Truck Simulator content, or sign up for our newsletter to stay informed. Until next time, we will see you on the road!

IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026

From the 14th to the 20th of September, members of our team will once again be heading to Hannover, Germany, for IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026, one of the world's leading events for logistics, commercial vehicles, and the transport industry.

Having attended IAA in previous years, we’re excited to return in 2026 and meet with many of our friends and partners from across the automotive industry. We’ll also be working alongside a few of our valued partners to bring our truck simulation experience to the DAF Trucks, MAN and Scania booths throughout the event!

At the Scania booth, visitors will have the opportunity to experience a special Euro Truck Simulator 2 demonstration running on Scania's own motion simulator setup. Our team has been happy to work closely with Scania to develop the software and a specially prepared demo experience for their simulator, and we're looking forward to seeing visitors get behind the virtual wheel and try it out for themselves during the show.

Our friends at DAF and MAN will also both be bringing Euro Truck Simulator 2 to their booths, as we're lending them our very own 4D motion simulators, giving visitors another opportunity to experience our virtual trucking world. We're very happy to support our partners at DAF & MAN for this year's event and to see our motion rigs become part of their presence at the show.

Attending IAA is much more than what visitors will see on the show floor for us. Bringing together manufacturers, suppliers, technology providers, and many other representatives from across the transport industry makes an event of this scale an invaluable opportunity for our team.

Throughout the week, we plan to meet with a number of our existing partners, continue building the relationships which help us bring the world of trucking into Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, and hopefully make some new connections along the way. Events such as IAA also provide our teams with a valuable opportunity to research the latest developments within the transport industry, see new vehicles and technologies up close, and gather useful references and knowledge for our future work.

We're very much looking forward to returning to Hannover and meeting so many familiar faces from across the industry. If you're attending the event yourself, be sure to stop by and check out the simulators; or if you happen to spot some of our team attending, wearing a SCS Software, ETS2 or ATS T-shirt, be sure to stop them and say hello! 

As always, keep an eye on our social media channels for updates from the show floor, as we will be bringing you some cool photos from the event. We hope to see some of you there! Until till next time, keep on truckin'! 

SCS On The Road: Isle of Ireland Research Trip

Recently, we shared a blog with details about our Ireland research trip, where members of our Map team, QA team, and our Road Specialist travelled across the Emerald Isle to gather important references, take photos, and experience the roads and locations that will help us recreate our upcoming Isle of Ireland DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2. 

In that blog, we also mentioned that our cameras were rolling throughout the journey, as we worked on a special SCS On The Road episode documenting the trip. Today, we're happy to finally share it with you!

Join Alex, one of our Community Managers, and the team as we take you across Ireland, visit some of the locations featured in our research, and give you a closer look at what goes into gathering the references and information our teams use during development.



We hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride! If you enjoyed the episode, and would like to see more like it, be sure to leave a like, and a comment on where in Ireland you'd love to visit! If you're excited about the upcoming Isle of Ireland DLC, don't forget to add it to your Steam Wishlist! Until next time, keep on truckin'! 

Euro Truck Simulator 2: 1.61 Update Open Beta

We're happy to announce that the Open Beta for the 1.61 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is now available for players to try out and test. If you choose to participate, we'd greatly appreciate any feedback, bug reports, or issues you encounter being shared in the appropriate section of our official forums.

Your feedback and reports are incredibly valuable to our team, and we truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to help us improve the game experience.

Players who participated in the Experimental Beta should now switch to the Open Beta branch to continue receiving the latest 1.61 updates and fixes. Any saves made during the Experimental Beta will be compatible with the Open Beta.

We'd like to thank everyone who participated in the 1.61 Experimental Beta, especially those who shared their thoughts on the Multi-Function Display (MFD) and the In-Game Menu. Based on the feedback we received, we've decided to postpone these additions from the 1.61 update. This will allow us to spend more time refining these features and ensure they deliver the best possible experience when they're ready.

Now, without further ado, let's take a closer look at what the 1.61 Open Beta has in store.

Proximity Exploration

In the 1.61 update, we are introducing a new feature designed to assist players with exploring the world map and discovering more along their journey. Introducing Proximity Exploration, a new quality-of-life feature that makes map discovery a little more intuitive, while still keeping the enjoyment of exploring the world for yourself.

When enabled, Proximity Exploration automatically reveals a small area around your vehicle as you travel. This means you will no longer need to drive over every tiny section of road to mark it as explored, which should be especially useful for those of you chasing that elusive 100% map discovery! It can also help reveal nearby accessible roads and areas around locations such as rest stops, toll gates, border crossings, gas stations, and other places where multiple road segments may sit closely together.

And don't worry, secret roads will still have secrets to uncover! Proximity Exploration can reveal the first segment of a secret road when you get close enough, giving you a small hint that there might be somewhere new to explore. From there, however, the rest is up to you, as the remaining route will only be discovered by actually driving along it. 

Whether you use Proximity Exploration to help hunt down those final percentages or simply make exploring the map a little smoother, the choice is yours!

Livestock Trailer Rework

We’re excited to introduce a complete rework of the Livestock Trailer, which our vehicle team has done so from the ground up.

Inspired by modern European livestock trailers, our vehicle team rebuilt the trailer entirely from scratch, replacing the previous older model with a brand-new one. One of the biggest changes drivers will notice is the removal of the older belly axle variant, which has been replaced with a lowered chassis configuration featuring dual wheels.

For those who own their own Livestock trailers, the updated trailer will offer multiple customization options, including two chassis variants, a Straight 3 Axle and a Lowered 3 Axle configuration. Drivers will also be able to choose between an Aluminium body or a fully paintable body.

A wide range of accessories have also been included to customize your trailer. We’re also introducing newly configurable paint jobs for owned trailers, allowing you to customize up to four different colour sections across specific parts of the trailer for even greater customization. Freight Market and AI traffic variants have also been reworked based on the new owned trailer model, with company paint jobs completely reworked to better reflect more realistic transport operations.

You can read more about this rework at our dedicated blog.

Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack Update

We’re excited to begin updating the Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack DLC to better reflect their new modern trailer designs, starting with a complete rework of one of its low loader trailers and accessories. Let’s take a closer look!

Leading this update is the redesigned low loader trailer, which has been rebuilt to closely match Schwarzmüller’s latest real-world model.

Alongside the trailer itself, its available accessories have also been updated with refreshed designs to better represent the equipment and styling Schwarzmüller offers today. While the available cargo options remain the same, this update marks the beginning of a larger goal for us, to rework the entire Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack.

We look forward to seeing you on the road with this newly updated trailer! You can read more about this update at our dedicated blog.

Map Changes for Coaches

With the upcoming Coaches DLC, our map and asset teams have also been making a number of changes across Euro Truck Simulator 2 to prepare the world for passenger transport. The biggest of these can be found in Nuremberg, where we have added a brand-new bus station alongside several remade and newly created landmarks in the surrounding area. Our teams have put a lot of work into bringing this part of the city to life and making sure it is ready to welcome coaches.

We have also updated the bus stations in Karlstad, Aarhus, and Thessaloniki so they are now functional with our upcoming Coaches DLC. We've also made other smaller changes, including updates to navigation, access, and layouts.

The coach station at Karlstad has received a brand-new station building, while Thessaloniki now features new signage and other updates. In Heraklion, we have also opened up a previously inaccessible street to make room for the new bus station.

We’ve also made a number of changes to border crossings to ensure they work correctly with coaches. This included introducing vehicle-specific navigation, as well as opening up parts of border areas that were previously inaccessible to players. Border crossings across the map have also received smaller layout adjustments to help coaches follow the correct routes while keeping navigation working as expected.

Alongside these changes, we have made plenty of smaller tweaks to bus stops and their surroundings across the map. While many of these may go unnoticed, they all help make sure the existing world is ready for the arrival of Coaches.

Changelog

Map

• Proximity Exploration 
• Map changes for the upcoming Coaches DLC 

Vehicles

• Livestock Trailer Rework 
• Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack Update 

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 the 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 → LIBRARY → right-click on Euro Truck Simulator 2 → 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.

South Dakota Release Date & Video Trailer Reveal

The wait is almost over, truckers! The time has come to mark your calendars and get ready to explore the rugged landscapes, wide-open roads, and unique sights of the Mount Rushmore State. We’re excited to officially reveal that the...

South Dakota DLC for American Truck Simulator
will be released on September 24th, 2026

To celebrate this milestone, we’re also happy to share the official South Dakota DLC trailer on our YouTube channel. This new video offers a glimpse at the scenery and experiences awaiting you!

So, sit back, turn up the volume, and take a look at the trailer below!

As we approach release, our teams are putting the finishing touches on the DLC and making sure everything is ready for its big debut. 

South Dakota offers plenty of variety for truckers to discover. You’ll travel through the vast Great Plains, pass through the stunning Badlands, and explore the rugged rock formations of the Black Hills while encountering iconic landmarks along the way, including the famous Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the waterfalls of Sioux Falls, the Dignity of Earth and Sky statue overlooking the Missouri River, the Corn Palace, Hot Springs, and many more.

From busy cities and industrial areas to smaller settlements and scenic stretches of highway, every route brings something different to your journey, with plenty of new ground to cover.

If you haven’t already, be sure to add the South Dakota DLC to your Steam wishlist. It’s a great way to support the project and ensures you’ll be notified when the DLC becomes available.

We’re incredibly excited to finally share the release date and trailer with you, and we can’t wait to see you hitting the roads of South Dakota for yourselves. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm throughout the development of this DLC.

Remember to follow us on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, and YouTube for all the latest news, or sign up for our newsletter to stay informed. Until the release day, keep those wheels turning, and we’ll see you on the road!

American Truck Simulator: 1.61 Update Open Beta

We’re excited to share that the 1.61 Open Beta for American Truck Simulator is now available for players to try out. If you decide to join the beta, we’d really appreciate it if you report any bugs or issues you encounter in the appropriate section of our official forums.

Your feedback plays a huge role in helping us improve the game, and we truly value the time and effort you put into testing these new features and changes.

We'd also like to thank everyone who participated in the 1.61 Experimental Beta, especially those who shared their thoughts on the Multi-Function Display (MFD) and the In-Game Menu. These additions will be introduced in a future update, giving us more time to refine and polish these features and ensure they deliver the best possible experience when they are ready.

Now, let’s dive into what you can expect in the 1.61 Open Beta update:

Proximity Exploration

In the 1.61 update, we are introducing a new feature designed to assist players with exploring the world map and discovering more along their journey. Introducing Proximity Exploration, a new quality-of-life feature that makes map discovery a little more intuitive, while still keeping the enjoyment of exploring the world for yourself.

When enabled, Proximity Exploration automatically reveals a small area around your vehicle as you travel. This means you will no longer need to drive over every tiny section of road to mark it as explored, which should be especially useful for those of you chasing that elusive 100% map discovery! It can also help reveal nearby accessible roads and areas around locations such as rest stops, toll gates, border crossings, gas stations, and other places where multiple road segments may sit closely together.

And don't worry, secret roads will still have secrets to uncover! Proximity Exploration can reveal the first segment of a secret road when you get close enough, giving you a small hint that there might be somewhere new to explore. From there, however, the rest is up to you, as the remaining route will only be discovered by actually driving along it.

Whether you use Proximity Exploration to help hunt down those final percentages or simply make exploring the map a little smoother, the choice is yours!

Improved Material System

The Improved Material System 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 results in a more readable, detailed, and visually pleasing cabin environment.

One of the most significant changes was a redesign of the materials used in vehicle interiors. As a result, it makes differences between materials such as leather, fabric, plastic, and metal far more apparent, even in low-light conditions. 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.

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. In this update, we're excited to bring the Improved Material System to the International LT and International LoneStar.

With future updates, we will gradually add this technology for other trucks across both games. You can read more about this feature here.

Map Changes for Road Trip

With the upcoming Road Trip project, our map and asset teams have also been preparing the world of American Truck Simulator for a new way to explore the roads. While many of these changes are happening behind the scenes, they help lay the groundwork for future features and ensure the map is ready for the journey ahead.

We have implemented inactive Tourist Boards across several states, including California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the upcoming South Dakota DLC. These Tourist Boards will remain unavailable until the Road Trip project is released, but they are already in place and ready for the future. Alongside these additions, we have also applied various small visual improvements and polish updates to selected areas across the map.

As part of these preparations, we have also added a number of new gas stations across the map. These locations will not only serve truck drivers but will also become available for cars when the Road Trip project releases, giving players more places to stop and refuel during their travels.

These changes are just a small part of the preparation work being done behind the scenes, helping us make sure the American Truck Simulator world is ready for new adventures on the road.

New Cargoes

We are also introducing new cargo options and improving the visuals of some existing ones. Players can now transport new types of freight, including Seed Containers, Trailers, and Truss, adding more variety to their hauling jobs across America.

Alongside these additions, we also updated existing Rails cargo with a brand-new model and improved textures. These changes help bring more detail and visual quality to the cargo you see on the road, making each delivery feel even more realistic.

Changelog:

Map

• Proximity Exploration
• Map Changes for Road Trip

Vehicles

• New Cargoes

Visual

• Improved Material System: International LT & International LoneStar

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 the 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 → 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.

1.61 Update: Improved Material System Update

Today, we bring good news to our #BestCommunityEver! With the upcoming 1.61 update, the improved material system will be implemented on three additional trucks, so read on to find out more!

We first introduced the improved material system with the 1.60 update, when it was added to the DAF NGD and MAN TG3 TGX in Euro Truck Simulator 2, and the Mack Anthem and Western Star 49X in American Truck Simulator. With the next update to our games, we will be expanding this feature to the International LT and International LoneStar in American Truck Simulator, as well as the Volvo FH Series 6 in Euro Truck Simulator 2!

But that's not all, as we have also polished a few details in the interior and completely redesigned the seats in the International LT and LoneStar to better match their real-life counterparts. Along with that, we are introducing a new Diamond interior option with leather seats for both trucks!

The improved material system significantly enhances the lighting and visual quality of vehicle interiors, with a particular focus on how different interior materials react to light. This results in a more detailed, readable, and visually pleasing cabin environment. It also makes the differences between materials such as leather, fabric, plastic, and metal much more apparent, even in low-light conditions.

As promised, we are gradually bringing this feature to more trucks, allowing you to enjoy beautiful cabin interiors across a wider range of vehicles. If you would like to learn more about what the process of implementing this feature on new vehicles looks like, make sure to check out our Under the Hood blog, where we spoke with colleagues working on the improved material system.

We hope you will be happy to see the improved cabin interiors in more trucks with this upcoming update! Remember to stay tuned for more news from our games by following us on our X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. We would also appreciate it if you could sign up for our newsletter, so you can be informed. Until next time, keep on trucking!