Ever wanted to hit the roads in a big rig? American Truck Simulator, sequel to the smash Euro Truck Simulator 2, is the game you need. It’s got a huge fan base and some superb mods too.
There are thousands and thousands of mods for American Truck Simulator, but with so many to choose from, where do you start? Here are the ten best mods you should install to give your ATS experience a big boost. They may not all play nicely together and some of the Steam Workshop entries say as much, but you can disable and enable mods individually from within the game.
American Truck Simulator may have a multiplayer mode now but that wasn’t always the case. So, as with Euro Truck Simulator 2, fans stepped up to remedy what with the ATS version of TruckersMP, a mod that lets you and up to 63 other players truck together. It boasts multiple servers and there’s even a moderation team, so if you decide to just go around ramming other drivers you could get the boot. And while ATS’s Convoy mode is a blast, TruckersMP actually exceeds it in some respects.
American Truck Simulator does let you purchase additional trucks but while you’re on a run you’re stuck with the one you’ve got. So it’s important you take good care of it because if you smack it into something it will take damage. Can you repair it? Absolutely. Can you leap out of the cab and steal the next truck that comes along? Not an option.
This Realistic Truck Wear mod doesn’t throw that out of the window but it hones the damage system to be a little fairer and a little more well, realistic. For example, instead of having to replace your tyres, you can now retread them a few times before the entire tyre needs replacing. However, not all the changes in the player’s favour. You’ll have to pay more on insurance, for a start, so there’s an extra incentive to drive safe. Even if you don’t install the mod, it’s fun just poking around the Steam Workshop thread, which includes input from real truckers.
Also available for Euro Truck Simulator 2, this Sound Fixes pack includes a host of audio tweaks and it also adds in several new sounds. Sure, you might have your eyes on the road (I hope) but you’ll still take in all those little sound effects as you drive along. Some of these changes seem obvious, such as the wind whistling sound being more audible when your windows are open. Others, such as reverb being strong under a bridge, aren’t things Joe Truck Driver would think of, but they absolutely add to the American Truck Simulator audio experience. And you can’t go wrong with a mod that adds in five new air-horns.
Advertising deals aside, it’s relatively rare for real brands to pop up in open-world games. PS2 game The Getaway, set in London, featured Pizza Hut, WH Smiths, Jessops and more. It also let you hijack a British Telecom truck and shoot up a police station, which had to be removed in later editions because BT weren’t too happy about it.
This Real Companies, Gas Stations and Billboards mod takes a leaf out of The Getaway. Not the shooting up police stations bit, but it inserts various real-world companies into the game. Walmart, UPS, Shell and many others get a look in, adding an extra dash of authenticity to American Truck Simulator.
Realistic Truck Physics is another way to make American Truck Simulator more true-to-life. That might sound like a bit of a nightmare if you’ve been catching your trailer on every single object in the game, but it’s not specifically designed to make the game harder.
Instead, it’s largely focused on improved vehicle suspension and other changes that won’t turn the game on its head but will please serious truck heads. The same mod is also available for Euro Truck Simulator 2 if you’re also driving your way around Europe.
This mod, on the other hand, could make your trucking journey hell. But if you’re up for a challenge, particularly if you’re streaming your journey, Ludicrously Long Trailers will fit the bill. Ever seen those trucks with two trailers? This mod dials things up to 11.
“Have you ever felt like your trailers just aren’t quite long enough because you can’t block multiple intersections simultaneously? Do you want to have a turning radius wider than a jumbo jet and experience the sheer thrill of having a 0-60 time measured in hours? Ludicrous Transport LLC has your masochistic needs covered!”, boasts the blurb.
The one snag is that this wonderfully ridiculous mod doesn’t work in multiplayer, so won’t have the joy of trolling other players with your absurdly long load.
Despite the name, Realistic Brutal Graphics and Weather doesn’t turn American Truck Simulator into a tornado-filled hellscape, where your trailer is in danger of getting annihilated by ball lightning. What it does do is give the game’s weather system a visual overhaul, including some new skyboxes.
So, for the most part, you’ll notice the weather is a lot more realistic; that includes different fog intensities that could leave you feeling like you’re trucking through Silent Hill or The Mist (without the latter’s deeply disturbing ending). And best of all, it doesn’t require a higher-powered machine than vanilla ATS.
Ever been on the road and got stuck behind a tractor, garbage truck or some other slow-moving vehicle? This Slow Traffic Vehicles mod brings that experience to American Truck Simulator and while it may seem slightly masochistic, this mod should spice up your truck-driving journey.
You can even find yourself stuck behind a combine harvester and while overtaking is absolutely an option, you may not be the only one stuck. On the flip-side, there’s also the joy of roaring past while the opposite lane is packed.
I’ve got good news and bad news for Transformers fans. The bad news is that there isn’t a single Optimus Prime skin in American Truck Simulator. The good news is that there are eight, and while this G1 Optimus Prime mod is my favourite, there are paint jobs for Optimus Prime’s movie incarnations too.
You will have to purchase the appropriate truck, in this case a Freightliner FLB, then apply the paint job, but it’s worth the outlay. You could, of course, cheat but that’s the kind of thing only a Decepticon would do.. right?
Finally, this More Realistic Fines mod makes breaking the law a little easier. Instead of getting fined for every transgression, you can actually get away with speeding and running a red light if it’s not captured on camera or by a police officer. Granted, it’s horribly, horribly dangerous, to the point where your truck could get annihilated by another eight wheeler, but if you choose to take that risk, that’s up to you. You monster.
Those are the ten best mods for American Truck Simulator, and if you’re planning on trucking around Europe, check out the ten best mods for Euro Truck Simulator 2.
