American Truck Simulator: Update 1.61 Released

We are thrilled to announce that the American Truck Simulator Update 1.61 is officially live and ready for download on Steam!

Before diving into the new features, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined our Open Beta and reported bugs or shared feedback on our community forum. Your contributions make it much easier for our developers to fine-tune the build and ensure a seamless rollout.

We are equally grateful to those who tested the 1.61 Experimental Beta, particularly the drivers who shared invaluable insights regarding the Multi-Function Display (MFD) and the In-Game Menu. These additions will debut in an upcoming patch, allowing us the necessary time to refine them into the best possible gameplay experience.

Now, let’s take a closer look at everything included in Update 1.61:

Proximity Exploration

Update 1.61 introduces a brand-new quality-of-life feature designed to make world navigation more intuitive without sacrificing the joy of open-road discovery: Proximity Exploration.

When activated, this feature automatically uncovers a compact radius around your rig as you drive. You no longer need to scour every microscopic side-street to mark it as explored—a massive relief for anyone chasing that elusive 100% map completion achievement! It also highlights nearby interconnected segments near high-density hubs like rest areas, toll booths, border checkpoints, and fueling stations.

Rest assured, hidden roads remain just as mysterious. Proximity Exploration will only reveal the initial approach of a hidden path when you draw close, serving as a subtle hint that adventure awaits. From there, the rest of the route must be traveled the old-fashioned way.

Whether you want to cross off those final stubborn percentages or simply enjoy a more fluid navigation experience, the choice is entirely yours.

Improved Material System

This update significantly elevates the visual fidelity and lighting of truck interiors through our brand-new Improved Material System. The overhaul focuses heavily on how cabin surfaces interact with light, delivering a much sharper, deeply detailed, and realistic truck interior.

A primary highlight of this upgrade is the total redesign of cabin assets. Materials such as premium leather, woven fabrics, textured plastics, and polished metals are now distinctly recognizable, even under low-light conditions. By leveraging dynamic cubemaps, all interior elements react organically to ambient lighting and mirror their surroundings with striking realism.

Engineered from the ground up for our vehicle pipelines, this technology will gradually roll out across existing fleets in both of our core titles. For this update, we are proud to introduce the Improved Material System to the International LT and International LoneStar.

Future updates will bring this cutting-edge feature to more rigs across the board. You can dive deeper into the technical side of this system in our dedicated developer blog post.

Map Changes for Road Trip

In anticipation of our upcoming Road Trip project, our environment and asset teams have laid foundational changes across the American Truck Simulator world to support entirely new ways of exploring.

Drivers will now spot inactive Tourist Boards distributed across multiple states, including California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the upcoming South Dakota DLC. While these remain dormant until the Road Trip expansion launches, they are securely planted in the game world. Alongside these additions, we’ve applied targeted visual touch-ups to various regions.

Additionally, we have added several new gas stations to the map. These pit stops cater to heavy haulers now and are primed to accommodate passenger cars once the Road Trip project officially debuts, expanding your route-planning options.

New Cargoes

Hauling variety gets a welcome boost with fresh cargo additions and visual overhauls for existing freight. Drivers can now accept contracts for Seed Containers, Trailers, and Trusses, injecting extra flavor into American supply chains.

Furthermore, we’ve completely remodeled the existing Rails cargo asset with higher-polygon meshes and high-definition textures, making your roadside deliveries look sharper and more authentic than ever.

Update 1.61 Changelog

Map

• Proximity Exploration system added
• World map adjustments for the Road Trip project

Vehicles

• New cargo types introduced

Visuals

• Improved Material System implemented for the International LT and International LoneStar

We hope you are as excited as we are to experience these additions firsthand! Stay connected with all our latest development updates by following SCS Software on X (Twitter), Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, and by subscribing to our official newsletter. Until next time, keep on truckin’!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/270880/American_Truck_Simulator/

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