Illinois: Community Spotlight

Since the release of the Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator, we’ve loved seeing all of your screenshots, videos, reviews, and trucking adventures from across the Prairie State. Watching you explore everything Illinois has to offer has been incredibly rewarding for our team, which is why we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of our favourite community content, as shared by you!

For those of you who may not have had the chance to hit the road in Illinois just yet, we wanted to highlight a few YouTube videos we enjoyed, to give you a glimpse of what awaits in this newest map expansion for ATS. We hope these inspire you to start your own journey through the Land of Lincoln! A big shoutout to everyone featured below, be sure to give them a subscribe and a like!







We’ve also been seeing plenty of amazing screenshots and videos shared across social media on X, BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more. Thank you to everyone who has tagged us, shared their adventures, and shown off their favourite areas of Illinois. Our teams genuinely enjoy scrolling through your photos and seeing your unique trucking setups and routes. Here are just a few that we liked!

@Xavior9 - X

u/AmtrakFan3450 - /r/TruckSim

@TruckerJohn302 - X

@Scoutalt - X

@Cobacoba9 - X

@Chibisuke9900 - X

We also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to leave reviews and feedback on Steam. Reading your comments and impressions means a lot to our developers, map designers, artists, and the entire team behind American Truck Simulator. Your support, suggestions, and enthusiasm continue to help shape the future of the game and motivate us every day. 

If you’ve been enjoying your time in Illinois, we’d really appreciate it if you considered leaving a review on the Illinois DLC Steam page. If you want to, you can still write a review for the Illinois DLC on its Steam page. We would really appreciate it! You can find the review section if you scroll to the bottom of the Illinois Steam page.

We have also reached out to a few content creators who got the opportunity to try out this DLC in early access to give us their opinion on the Illinois map expansion. It's safe to say they enjoyed it too! We also recommend checking out their channels for more content!

BadMae

"The Illinois DLC absolutely blew us away! Chicago is unlike anything we have experienced in American Truck Simulator so far; the scale, skyline, Lower Wacker Drive, Navy Pier, the L train, the Bears stadium, and even the International Trucks headquarters all made the city feel alive and incredibly immersive. What impressed us just as much was how smoothly the map transitions from the busy energy of Chicago into the farmlands, countryside, quarries, and smaller towns that give Illinois so much character. Thornton Quarry is a massive standout, and players who love exploring may want to do some extra hunting around Marion, too! Overall, Illinois easily ranks as one of our favorite ATS states. SCS truly knocked it out of the park, and we cannot wait to see what comes next with South Dakota!" - Christian and Monique, BadMae

RunawayLobster

"Illinois has now become my favorite American Truck Simulator DLC. The hidden beauty spots, the changing environments, and the pure detail and beauty of Illinois blew me away. With a couple of hidden roads I have discovered already, I had not realised how different the scenery would be. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring Illinois and the beauty it had to offer. Hats off to the developers and artists working on this game who, at every opportunity, absolutely blow us away with the attention to detail. Thank you for this great addition to the already incredible American Truck Simulator game!" - RunawayLobster

Prime Simulations

"The Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator is simply fantastic! To no surprise, SCS Software has once again raised the bar for map DLCs with Illinois - recreating cities, landmarks, industries, and more to an impressive level of accuracy. I had the absolute privilege of exploring the Illinois DLC during its early access phase - exploring every corner of the state! From Chicago to Marion, Quincy to Champaign, and every location in between - I can confidently say that the Illinois DLC is a "must have" for all ATS players - especially those who want to complete the Route 66 corridor! I look forward to exploring the Illinois DLC further and for the future of ATS!" - Prime Simulation

DaSimSimma

"The Illinois DLC already feels like a major step forward for American Truck Simulator, especially with Chicago. The city feels explorable and believable, and honestly, this might be the most detailed urban environment ATS has received yet. There’s a real sense of scale and atmosphere here that reminds me of actually visiting Chicago in real life, and I think that familiarity is part of what makes these newer DLCs feel so immersive. As ATS continues moving closer toward my home region around the Great Lakes, I honestly find myself getting more personally invested in every new state release." - DaSimSimma

Project Sim Racing

"SCS Software delivers yet another masterpiece with the Illinois DLC! The attention to detail and the sheer level of immersion make it an absolute joy to drive through. It’s always an honor to showcase your incredible work to my community." - Project Sim Racing

We would like to thank you all for your continued support! Keep on sharing your journeys through the Illinois DLC with us on our social media channels. Until next time, keep on truckin'! 

Star Nation 2026 Update

We’re excited to partner with Western Star Trucks and head back to Bend, Oregon, from June 5th to 8th for the unforgettable Star Nation Experience 2026! Joining us for this incredible all-expenses-paid adventure will be two lucky members of the American Truck Simulator community, who will get the chance to experience the event alongside the Star Nation community and the Western Star team. Ready to meet them?

Hosted by Western Star Trucks, the Star Nation Experience is a one-of-a-kind four day adventure taking place from June 5th to 8th, 2026, packed with unforgettable experiences including world-class dining, whitewater rafting, the X-Series Ride & Drive Challenge at the Madras Proving Grounds, and more. Earlier this week, Western Star revealed the lucky winners selected from both their own community and ours, who have been chosen to join the experience.



We’re also excited to once again be part of this incredible event and capture the journey for a special SCS On The Road episode! So without further ado, let’s meet the two members from our ATS community heading to Star Nation Experience 2026!

Nathan

Nathan is an avid American Truck Simulator player, and full-time Crane Operator and part-time truck driver for a local contractor! His first experience getting behind the wheel of a full sized truck was a 1997 Western Star 4900SF with a CAT C15, and ever since he's been hooked! His passion for trucks and love for Western Star since he was young was what drew him to becoming an avid player of ATS, where he also loves hitting the virtual road with the Western Star 49X!

"My local contractor is also a massive Western Star fan! He has a fleet of older Western Stars and a newer 2019 4900SF that I drive pulling a float, my love of trucks follow me home, with various walls of my home being decorated with die-cast trucks."

Conor

Conor is a huge fan of our games, having racked up countless hours in American Truck Simulator, with much of his time on the virtual road spent behind the wheel of the legendary Western Star Trucks 49X. A recent college graduate with a degree in marketing, Conor is passionate about pursuing a career in the trucking industry, with earning his CDL and getting behind the wheel being one of his biggest goals since he was young.

“While my official degree is in marketing, my passion for obtaining my CDL and driving is my main goal. I think this is such a cool opportunity to live out a dream I’ve had since I was a kid. Additionally, it could also be a potential step toward finding a place in the industry where I can use my academic knowledge.”

We can’t wait to see Nathan and Conor take part in the Star Nation Experience 2026 and follow their journey throughout this unforgettable adventure! We’d also like to give a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to enter this year’s competition. Your passion, enthusiasm, and continued support means alot to us! 

We’d like to give a huge thank you to Western Star Trucks for once again giving us and members of our community the opportunity to be part of this incredible adventure. Be sure to keep a close eye on Western Star’s Facebook and Instagram, along with our X, Instagram, YouTube, Bluesky, and Facebook channels so you don’t miss any updates from Star Nation Experience 2026, which Oscar, Nemiro & Beny from our team will also be attending. See you there! 

1.60 Update: Job Details Widget

With the upcoming 1.60 update, we are continuing to refine the widget system in both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator based on feedback gathered from our community. Following that, we will be introducing the Job Details Widget, so let's see the changes that will be coming. 

Based on the feedback from our #BestCommunityEver and upcoming widget designs, the Job Details Widget will be introduced with the 1.60 update. Its primary purpose will be to enable a new, more immediate, and concise way of displaying relevant job info.

In the current design, this info is spread across multiple screens, most of it displayed as part of Quick Info, which currently shows the place of pick up and delivery, job income, cargo type and weight, the next rest stop, and remaining time to complete the job, which is also displayed under the GPS.

Once added, you'll be able to enable the Job Details Widget through the Widget Options menu (F6). The widget will display key job information, including cargo type and weight, delivery location, job income (colour-highlighted), and the remaining time to complete the job, so players will have this info available immediately without the necessity to pause the game.

In addition, the remaining job time will no longer appear on the GPS and will instead be shown exclusively in the Job Details Widget, while the next rest stop information will be removed from the job details and will only appear on the GPS.

We hope that, through ongoing community feedback, we can continue to refine the widget system and improve the overall player experience.

Until next time, remember to stay tuned for more news from the upcoming 1.60 update by following us on our X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. We would also really appreciate it if you could sign up for our newsletter. Keep on truckin'!

SCS On The Road: The All-New Volvo VNL

We’re back with another episode of SCS On The Road! This time, our journey took us across the Atlantic to Dublin, Virginia, where members of our team visited the Volvo Trucks Customer Center to get up close and personal with the all-new Volvo VNL. During our visit, we had the opportunity to gather valuable reference materials, learn more about the truck directly from the experts, and even take it for a test drive!

Join Nemiro, Oscar, Ondřej, and Matěj from the SCS Software team as they explore one of Volvo Trucks North America’s newest and most advanced trucks yet. From detailed photography and video references to capturing authentic sounds and interior details, our team worked hard to ensure that every aspect of the all-new Volvo VNL could be recreated as accurately as possible for our players. We’re also excited that players can already experience this truck for themselves, as the all-new Volvo VNL has officially been released for American Truck Simulator. Find out more in our dedicated blog here.

A major part of the trip was also learning more about the design philosophy, technology, and innovations behind the truck itself. We’d like to give a special thank you to Brian Balicki, Head of Design at Volvo Trucks North America, who took the time to share more details about the all-new Volvo VNL and provided fascinating insights into its development and features.

Of course, no SCS On The Road visit would be complete without getting behind the wheel! Our team had the chance to experience the all-new Volvo VNL firsthand during a test drive around the area surrounding the Volvo Trucks Customer Center. Experiencing the truck on the road gave us valuable insight into its handling, driver comfort, visibility, and overall driving feel, all of which helped us better understand how to bring these experiences into our game.

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone at Volvo Trucks North America and the Volvo Trucks Customer Center for welcoming us and making this visit possible. Opportunities like these are invaluable for helping us deliver authentic and immersive trucking experiences to our community.

Make sure to stay connected with all the latest news and upcoming episodes by following us on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, and YouTube, or by subscribing to our newsletter. We look forward to bringing you more SCS On The Road episodes in the future, and until next time, keep on truckin'!

SCS Fan Day Experience Vol. 4: Wrap Up

We had an amazing day on May 15, as we organized SCS Fay Day Experience #4! We welcomed fans of our games from all around the world to our office in Prague, where they had the opportunity to meet our team, tour the studio, and get a behind-the-scenes look at how our games are made.

After receiving a huge number of applications for this fourth edition of our SCS Fan Day, we had to narrow the list down to a smaller group of some of our most dedicated fans, including visitors who traveled all the way to Prague from countries such as Brazil.

As always, it turned into an unforgettable experience meeting and chatting with members of our #BestCommunityEver. Once everyone arrived, they took on the challenge of driving on our 4D motion simulator before heading out on a tour of the office. Along the way, we stopped by several departments where our colleagues gave them a behind-the-scenes look at what they are currently working on and how the development process looks at SCS Software.

Later in the afternoon, we hosted a special Q&A session with our developers and CEO Pavel Šebor, where we discussed the community's thoughts on our games and answered plenty of questions from our guests. The session was accompanied by delicious snacks and coffee before we gathered for a group photo, handed out bags filled with SCS merchandise, and unfortunately had to say goodbye - at least until we hopefully meet again someday!

We would like to thank everyone who took part in this year's Fan Day. We hope it was a memorable experience for you, because it was certainly unforgettable for us as well. Your passion, support, and willingness to travel such long distances just to meet us truly means the world to everyone here at SCS Software, and it continues to motivate us every day. We also hope to meet again with everyone who applied but was not selected or was unable to attend this time around.

We hope we will be able to host another Fan Day in the future and meet even more of our amazing fans. Don't forget to give our X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and TikTok a follow, as you'll receive news from any upcoming events straight to your feed, or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed.

South Dakota: Hot Springs

Looking for a mix of nature, history, and relaxation all in one spot? Hot Springs, South Dakota, is calling your name! Located at the southern end of the beautiful Black Hills, this historic town is one of the many destinations you’ll discover in our upcoming South Dakota DLC for American Truck Simulator. Scroll on down to take a closer look at our recreation of this unique getaway destination!

Known for its naturally warm mineral waters, historic architecture, and outdoor activities, this charming town offers drivers a relaxing yet memorable stop on their journey through the Mount Rushmore State. Our team has been busy at work recreating its virtual counterpart in this upcoming DLC, including several landmarks.

However, the warm water isn’t the only thing producing steam in Hot Springs! The town also holds a unique place in railroad history, once home to what was considered the world’s smallest Union Station. Built in 1891 from locally quarried pink sandstone, this tiny depot became an iconic landmark of the region. While passenger trains no longer run directly into town, the railway heritage of Hot Springs still lives on today, and you’ll even find a representation of it in-game! The beautifully preserved building now serves as the local visitor information center.

Speaking of history, this next landmark goes back a little further.. way further! Hot Springs is home to a Mammoth Site, an active paleontological dig site and museum where the remains of 61 mammoths have been discovered, including Columbian and woolly mammoths. Since the first bones were uncovered in 1974, the site has become one of South Dakota’s most fascinating attractions, featuring an extensive collection of prehistoric remains.

If you’re looking to learn even more about the local area, be sure to take a look at the Pioneer Museum. Originally built in 1893 as a schoolhouse, it later became a museum dedicated to preserving the history of Hot Springs and the surrounding Black Hills region, featuring exhibits on pioneer life, Native American artifacts, and early settlers.

The town’s historic charm is reflected in its distinctive Neo-Romanesque architecture, a style rarely seen in many parts of the United States. Several buildings around Hot Springs almost resemble small castles, giving the downtown area a unique look.

Drivers passing through town can also spot the picturesque Hot Springs Waterfall, located right in the heart of downtown. Nearby, you’ll find shops, restaurants, walking trails, parks, and the Kidney Springs Gazebo. Other local landmarks include the historic public library, the Evans building, the old wooden 1888 jail, and numerous art murals!

We think you’ll enjoy the laid back charm of Hot Springs, but don’t stay too long, there’s still plenty more to discover across South Dakota! If you’re excited to hit the road in this upcoming map expansion for American Truck Simulator, be sure to add it to your Steam Wishlist using the widget below. 

We look forward to sharing more development previews here on our blog and across our social media channels on X, Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky, where you can also catch exclusive video content. Until next time, keep on truckin’!