South Dakota: Truck Stops

Today, we’re taking another look at the upcoming American Truck Simulator map expansions, this time focusing on South Dakota. Just like in Illinois, our map team has been hard at work recreating some of the truck stops across the state that serve as essential points for rest, refueling, and taking in the local surroundings. Let’s see where the road might take you.

While exploring South Dakota, you’ll discover a variety of truck stops scattered across the state. Drivers can look forward to taking a break and refueling in towns and cities like Buffalo, Spearfish, Martin, and Murdo, each offering its own unique atmosphere.

Rapid City, the second most populous city in the state, features a truck stop situated close to the highway and with a view over a massive industrial complex.

The next truck stop by the town of Wall stands out with its name inspired by the “natural wall” of rock formations near Badlands National Park. Here, drivers will be greeted by the town’s signature high dinosaur statue, keeping watch over US-14 and offering a truly unique landmark.

Sioux Falls, the most populous city in South Dakota, features a truck stop located along I-90, as well as a nearby truck dealership and a driver staffing agency. Within the city, make sure you visit the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial, which honors the state’s military history and serves as a place of remembrance.

In Huron, the truck stop sits not far from Ravine Park Lake. Drivers stopping here will also notice farming machinery nearby, highlighting the strong agricultural traditions of the area.

Watertown features a city truck stop located not far from its signature Art Center building, a cultural landmark that adds to the local identity.

And finally, there is Bison, a town platted in 1907 and named after the American bison that once roamed the land in great numbers. Here, we have to highlight a small regional airport nearby that gives this stop a distinct atmosphere.

We hope you enjoyed this look at truck stops across South Dakota. As always, keep in mind this expansion is still in development, so details may change before release. If you’re eager to explore these locations yourself, don’t forget to add the South Dakota expansion to your Steam wishlist, and also, make sure to follow us on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube, or subscribe to our newsletter for more previews. We’ll see you on the road!

Iceland: Churches

In today's blog, we would like to show you another glimpse from the upcoming Iceland map expansion for Euro Truck Simulator 2. This time, we are showcasing a selection of some beautiful churches you will be able to come across in the Land of Fire and Ice!

Starting off with the Hallgrímskirkja in the capital city of Reykjavík, built in the 20th century. This church has a lot of superlatives. Its tower is 73 metres tall, the largest in the country, and it is also home to Iceland's largest organ. While you won't be able to see it up close, it is an unmistakable part of the Reykjavík skyline.

On the island's northern coast, you can also find some remarkable churches. One is Akureyrarkirkja, a Lutheran church in the city of Akureyri, set on the shore of the Eyjafjörður fjord and framed by mountains. Another is Blönduóskirkja, a striking example of modern architecture in the small town of Blönduós.

From Akureyri, head east to the shores of Lake Mývatn and the town of Reykjahlíð. Here stands the Reykjahlíðarkirkja, a church with a fascinating history. During the 1729 Krafla eruption, lava destroyed much of the town, but the wooden church was spared when the flow split and passed just metres from its walls. It has been rebuilt twice since.

On Iceland's eastern coast lies the small but striking Seyðisfjarðarkirkja. One of the country's most recognisable landmarks, its distinctive colour and design have made it a favourite among visitors, especially since the street leading up to it was painted in rainbow colours.

Travelling south, you'll find Víkurkirkja, perched on a hillside above Vík. Its red roof and white walls stand out sharply against the dark volcanic landscape, making it one of the most photographed spots on Iceland's South Coast.

On the banks of the Ölfusá River, in the town of Selfoss, stands Selfosskirkja. Built and later expanded in the second half of the 20th century, it's worth a visit for its striking tower alone.

Some more churches await discovery, though their surroundings are still in early stages of development, so we took the screenshots of two of them in a placeholder location. Ísafjarðarkirkja, built in 1995, is an Art Nouveau Lutheran church in the city of Ísafjörður. Húsavíkurkirkja, a wooden church built in the early 20th century in the town of Húsavík, features beautiful craftsmanship and architecture that radiate a classic Nordic charm.

That's all for today! If we got you excited about this map expansion, don't forget to support us by adding the Iceland DLC to your Steam wishlist.

Remember to give our X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and TikTok a follow as you'll receive updates about our games straight to your feed, or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed! Until next time, keep on trucking.

Louisiana: Road Network

More news from the Pelican State! In today's blog, we would like to show you some of the road networks currently in the works for the upcoming Louisiana DLC for American Truck Simulator. Let's take a look!

First, let's start with two toll gates you will regularly pass through. The first one is located in the very south of the state on LA-1 on the way to Port Fourchon. You will come across the other toll gate on the northern bank of Lake Pontchartrain, right at the entrance to the stunning bridge, which is actually the longest continuous bridge over water in the world, spanning almost 24 miles across the lake to New Orleans.

As you cruise along I-10, cutting across Louisiana from east to west, you'll pass through the breathtaking Atchafalaya Basin, the nation's largest river swamp. Here, the highway rises above the water, offering sweeping views of classic bayou scenery.

Two other major road hubs in Louisiana are I-20, which runs east to west across the northern part of the state through cities like Monroe, and I-49, which stretches north to south all the way to Lafayette. The two highways intersect in Shreveport, making it a key crossroads for travelers.

Beyond the interstates, you'll navigate your truck through a mix of complex intersections, particularly in major cities like New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport, as well as a handful of roundabouts.

And that's it for today! Remember to add the Louisiana DLC to your Steam Wishlist and don't forget to give our X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and TikTok a follow as you'll receive updates about our games straight to your feed! Or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed. Smooth rides ahead!

Euro Truck Simulator 2: 1.56 Update Open Beta

Today, we are happy to share that the 1.56 Open Beta branch for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is now available to try and test out. If you plan on participating in this Open Beta, we would truly appreciate it if you could help us by reporting any bugs you may encounter in the appropriate section(s) of our official forums. Your feedback and reports really aid our team, and we would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to help us out.

Alongside this, we'd also like to mention that our teams are currently adapting to a new internal update cycle. Because future console releases will require us to lock in content earlier, this adjustment helps us better coordinate timing across every platform. It's a step toward greater consistency, and we're confident it will keep things running like clockwork.

It's also worth noting that while today's blog highlights some of the most visible changes and new content, there is always a lot happening behind the scenes. From preparing for consoles to laying the groundwork for upcoming projects such as the Coaches expansion for ETS2 or the Road Trip project for ATS, our teams are working hard to build the future of our games.

Now, without further ado, let's take a look at what the 1.56 Open Beta has in store.

Height Blend

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.

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.

Under the hood, our team has converted, tweaked, and visually checked over 1,300 materials from our library to ensure seamless integration. 

HS-Schoch Tuning Pack DLC Update

With this update, the HS-Schoch Tuning Pack is also receiving a substantial refresh and expansion! Our teams have been working diligently to update this popular DLC, adding new features and addressing many of the community’s requests. Let’s take a closer look at what is coming your way!

Accessory finishes:

• Chrome
• Paintable (can now be customised in any colour of your choice)
• Matte paintable (also fully colour-selectable)
  
  
  

  

  

Grilles and Light Bars:

• Roof bars will have new LED and non-LED versions
• Front light bars will now feature LED, non-LED, and even strobe versions
• Bottom grilles will also be updated, with slot-based options as well as an LED version
  
  
  
  

We are also bringing you two brand-new paint jobs. All of these new additions will give you more freedom to match (or otherwise) the tuning parts with your truck’s paint scheme and overall look!

Since the release of the HS-Schoch Pack, several new trucks have been added to ETS2. With this update, we’ve made sure to include bars for all the vehicles that were not part of the game at the time of the DLC’s original launch. We’re also excited to announce that big auxiliary lights will be receiving improvements, and this will be available to everyone as part of the base game update.

We truly appreciate your passion for customisation, and we’re happy to bring these improvements into the game. We can't wait to see how you tune up your truck with the HS-Schoch Pack! Read the full dedicated blog about the update here.



Special Transport DLC Update - CZ LOKO

Exciting news! With the upcoming 1.56 update, we will introduce new cargoes from the company CZ LOKO, a renowned manufacturer of locomotives, both to the Euro Truck Simulator 2 base game and also as part of the Special Transport DLC, giving players the opportunity to haul one of the heaviest cargos we’ve ever introduced into the game.

In the base game, we will be adding the MUV 75 and EffiShunter 300 locomotives. While these aren't the largest or heaviest machines you'll encounter, don't underestimate them - make sure your truck is well-prepared to handle the load. The MUV 75 tips the scales at over 14 tonnes, while the EffiShunter 300 weighs in at a hefty 36 tonnes.

Our Special Transport DLC roster is expanding with a true heavyweight, the EffiShunter 1000, a massive locomotive built by CZ LOKO. Truckers will haul this behemoth on a lowbed trailer. Just how big is it? The total height (including the trailer) reaches an impressive 5.3 metres, with a length of 16 metres and a width of 3.1 metres. Navigating corners with the EffiShunter 1000 in tow will demand precision and nerves of steel.

Your truck will need a powerful engine for this job - the locomotive alone weighs 80 tonnes, plus another 10 tonnes for the trailer. That's 90 tonnes of pure challenge rolling behind you.

You'll be able to deliver the EffiShunter 1000 along three routes: Berlin to Szczecin, Kassel to Hamburg, and Bremen to Travemünde. Each journey will be escorted by two escort vehicles to help ensure a safe trip from departure to delivery. Still, it's up to you to avoid any mishaps - and to keep this stunning locomotive free from so much as a scratch.

Want to read more about CZ LOKO in Euro Truck Simulator 2? Take a read of our dedicated blog here.



Schmitz Cargobull Trailer Pack DLC Update

We are pleased to reveal an exciting addition to the Euro Truck Simulator 2, the Schmitz Cargobull Trailer Pack. Our collaboration with Schmitz Cargobull continues to grow, and this update introduces new trailer types and features that expand your hauling experience.

The highlight of this update is the Schmitz S.CS High Capacity Transport (HCT). This configuration features two trailers connected with a dolly. Schmitz Cargobull now becomes the second brand in Euro Truck Simulator 2 to feature a 32m HCT trailer setup.

Also arriving in this update is the Schmitz S.KO City chassis, equipped with a steering axle, which provides greater manoeuvrability in tighter spaces. While this feature is primarily aimed at navigating urban environments, in Euro Truck Simulator 2, you are free to take it anywhere you like.

In addition to these trailer configurations, we’re also introducing new lighting options across Schmitz Cargobull S.CS, S.KO, S.BO, and S.KI trailers. These lights proudly display the Schmitz Cargobull logo, adding an extra layer of authenticity to your setup.

Read more about this update at our dedicated blogpost here.



Camera Zoom - Hold/Toggle

The 1.56 update also brings a small but welcome 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".

DLC Browser

With the 1.56 update, 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, while also giving you a better overview of what each DLC has to offer.

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 also been refreshed, increasing the number of items displayed per row from three to four for a cleaner and more modern look.

The DLC browser is just the beginning of a feature with the potential to grow and evolve further. While it may take time and development to see how far it can go, the vision is to make it possible for players to explore and enjoy all of our DLC without ever leaving the game. Please note that this feature is still deep in the work-in-progress stage.

New Profile Creation and Start-up Flow

We're giving the profile system in Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator a big refresh, which includes a new UI design and improved navigation. The old table-style list of profiles has been replaced with larger, card-like slots providing a cleaner and more modern look. Your active profile 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 profiles is now quicker; simply double-click on a card to jump right in.

Whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, the profile 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.

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 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.

We've also refreshed the Edit Profile 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 uncluttered and straight forward. To make things more convenient, clicking on your profile 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.

This redesigned approach not only makes profile 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 profile management more streamlined and accessible. Please note that this feature is still very much under development.

Management UI/UX Improvements

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.

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.

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. Please remember that this feature is still deep in the work-in-progress stage.

Changelog 

Gameplay

• Camera Zoom - Hold/Toggle

Vehicles

• HS-Schoch Tuning Pack DLC Update
• Special Transport DLC Update - CZ LOKO
• Schmitz Cargobull Trailer Pack DLC Update 

Visual

• Height Blend

UI

• New Profile Creation and Start-up Flow
• Management UI/UX Improvements

Other

• DLC Browser

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.