Today, following its recent open beta, SCS Software has officially released American Truck Simulator Update 1.61 for PC (Steam).
American Truck Simulator Update 1.61 introduces Proximity Exploration, an improved material system for selected truck interiors, map preparations for the upcoming Road Trip project, and several new and updated cargo options.
Proximity Exploration is designed to make map discovery more intuitive by automatically revealing a small area around the player’s truck while traveling. The feature can help uncover nearby roads and areas around rest stops, toll gates, border crossings, gas stations, and other locations where multiple road segments are close together, though secret roads will still require players to drive most of their routes to fully discover them.
American Truck Simulator Update 1.61 also introduces the Improved Material System, which enhances the lighting and visual quality of truck interiors by making materials such as leather, fabric, plastic, and metal respond more naturally to their surroundings.
The system uses multiple variants of dynamic cubemaps to improve reflections and ambient lighting. It is also available on the International LT and International LoneStar, with additional trucks across both games planned to benefit in future updates.
American Truck Simulator Update 1.61 also lays the groundwork for the upcoming Road Trip project, with inactive Tourist Boards added across California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the upcoming South Dakota DLC. New gas stations have also been placed across the map, planned to support cars when the Road Trip project releases, alongside smaller visual improvements and additional map polish.
New cargo options further expand the game’s hauling opportunities, with Seed Containers, Trailers, and Truss now available for transportation. Existing Rails cargo has also received a brand-new model and improved textures, adding additional visual detail to deliveries encountered on the road.
The Multi-Function Display and In-Game Menu features tested during the Experimental Beta will also arrive in a future update as development continues to refine and polish them. American Truck Simulator is available for PC, and it’s the sister game to Euro Truck Simulator 2. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are also coming.
South Dakota is the next DLC and will release next week, September 24, 206. We already saw its Truck Stops, countryside, towns, cities, more Truck Stops, the road network, more settlements, even more towns, Hot Springs, Badlands National Park, the Industry, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Pierre, and plenty of gameplay.
The game will soon cross the borders of the United States and go to Canada with the British Columbia DLC, of which we also saw some screenshots, some of the towns, the tunnels, and Whistler. Then American Truck Simulator will return to the US with Indiana and North Dakota, on top of a Nevada rework.
For more info on American Truck Simulator Update 1.61 and future updates, be sure to check back to Simulation Daily for updates.
