SCS Software just released ATS 1.59. If you tried beta don’t forget to disable it – go to Steam client → LIBRARY → right-click on American Truck Simulator → Properties → Betas tab → Beta Participation drop-down menu → None. And if you tuned up buffer settings before this version it is time to disable it in config file.
What began as a simple idea — sharing tips, discoveries, and experiments in American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 — turned into something much bigger than I expected.
🚛 What happened over these 6 years
Dozens of guides on profiles, map discovery, and game mechanics
Experiments with save editing and optimization
Coverage of new DLCs, updates, and features
YouTube content alongside the blog
A growing audience of people who actually care about the details
Some posts were simple. Some took hours (or days) of testing. But the goal stayed the same: make useful, practical content for truck sim players.
🔧 What makes this blog different
There are a lot of ATS/ETS2 blogs and videos out there. Most repeat the same info.
Here, I try to go deeper:
Not just what works, but why it works
Not just guides, but real experiments
Not just news, but context
If you’ve ever used one of my profiles, strings, or guides — you know what I mean.
📈 What changed
A lot.
The games evolved. The map got bigger. Tools and mods became more advanced.
And honestly — the expectations are higher now. People want faster, better, more detailed content.
🔮 What’s next
I’m not planning to stop.
In fact, I want to push further:
More advanced guides (especially around map data & automation)
Better tools and reusable templates
More structured content instead of one-off posts
Deeper integration between blog and YouTube
🙌 Thanks
If you’ve been reading, watching, or using anything from trucksim.top — thank you.
Even if you just stopped by once to grab a guide — that still counts.
American Truck Simulator continues its expansion into the American Midwest, and one of the most anticipated upcoming map expansions is the Illinois DLC. This new state will bring players to the heart of the U.S. transportation network, featuring major cities, iconic highways, and a diverse economy centered around agriculture, industry, and logistics.
SCS Software revealed official date of release – May, 14 – 2026 as well as official video trailer.
Welcome to the Prairie State
The Illinois DLC was officially announced in February 2025. The state is often called the Prairie State, known for its vast farmland, historic towns, and one of the most important transportation hubs in the United States.
In ATS, Illinois will allow players to:
Drive along historic routes such as Route 66
Explore the state capital Springfield
Visit the massive metropolitan area of Chicago
Travel through agricultural regions and industrial corridors
The state sits in a key geographic position connecting the Midwest with the rest of the country, which makes it an important logistics hub both in real life and in the game.
Cities Expected in the Illinois DLC
According to teasers and previews, Illinois will include a mix of major cities and smaller towns. The currently known or expected cities include:
Chicago
Springfield
Peoria
Champaign
Bloomington
Rockford
Quincy
Effingham
Marion
East St. Louis
Moline
These locations will allow players to experience a mix of large metropolitan areas, mid-sized industrial cities, and smaller agricultural communities.
Detailed City Previews
Peoria
One of the cities already showcased by SCS is Peoria, located along the Illinois River.
In ATS, the city will include:
Industrial depots related to heavy equipment manufacturing
A custom river port depot
Scenic riverfront driving routes
Connections via Interstate 74 and US Route 24
Peoria’s strong manufacturing heritage and river logistics will play an important role in the cargo economy of the region.
Champaign
Another previewed city is Champaign, part of the Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area.
Highlights expected in ATS include:
University-inspired landmarks and buildings
A recognizable downtown skyline
Agricultural industries such as corn and soybean farming
Depots like food processing plants, warehouses, and retail stores
The region will represent the agricultural heart of Illinois, providing a variety of cargo opportunities for players.
Smaller Towns and Settlements
In addition to the main cities, the Illinois DLC will feature at least 11 smaller settlements. These towns help make the map feel more realistic and provide additional road connections and scenery.
One example shown by the developers is Monmouth, a historic agricultural town in western Illinois near the Iowa border.
These settlements will likely include:
Small agricultural communities
Scenic rural roads
Truck stops and service areas
Industries and Cargo
Illinois is one of the most economically diverse states in the U.S., and the DLC will reflect that with a wide range of industries.
Expected cargo sectors include:
Agriculture (corn, soybeans, farm supplies)
Food processing
Manufacturing and heavy equipment
Logistics and warehousing
River and rail transportation
The state is also known for its role in national exports and manufacturing, making it a natural fit for ATS freight operations.
Roads and Truck Stops
Developers have already teased several truck stops and highway facilities located across the state, including rest areas near:
Peoria
Rockford
Effingham
Rend Lake
These locations will provide realistic rest areas for long-distance trucking routes through the Midwest.
Illinois is expected to feature major interstate connections, including corridors linking the state with neighboring DLC regions.
Final Thoughts
The Illinois DLC represents an important step in the eastward expansion of American Truck Simulator. With major logistics hubs like Chicago, historic highways like Route 66, and a mix of industry and agriculture, the Prairie State has the potential to become one of the most interesting regions in the game.
Illinois looks like a promising addition to the growing ATS map.
Trucksim is on hold right now. I’m reading news and even did couple videos but rarely open games. It is still some reasons for that – luck of free time and motivation. I’m trying to balance my personal life with this hobby project, and that naturally slows things down.
The channel is no longer growing the way I once expected. To be honest, I feel somewhat dependent on YouTube’s algorithms and the uncertainty of ad revenue. Income from YouTube and the blog is quite small, and Patreon is still at $0.
Because of that, I’ve decided to dedicate more time to my personal life and reduce the amount of high-effort editing and complex guide scripting.
About the Guide Series
For those who follow the channel for guides, I currently have three main series:
I don’t have specific plans yet for the first two. I tried 1.59 open beta for ATS but not on 100% there and waiting for Illinois DLC. Hidden roads is also on pause despite I have numerous new roads in ATS but not consolidated them all. Map Combos are obviously are waiting for the final releases of both games and mods update so they will not return very fast. Ans since I plan to reduce the number of setups (and therefore videos), I will probably start with something bigger and more comprehensive than other parties. I don’t plan to rush out a combo setup just to be first. I’m not interested in clickbait or quick tricks to gain views. Instead, I will release a combination setup that I personally enjoy and would actually use myself — even if that means it comes out later and gets fewer views.
So for now: No dates. No commitments. And no answers to questions like, “When will the 500-map combo be available?”
When it’s ready — and when I’m truly satisfied with it — I’ll share it.
The mystery is over. After teasing us last week with a cryptic post called “Bridge Between Communities” — featuring a single shot of the iconic 1915 Çanakkale Bridge — SCS Software has officially pulled back the curtain today. The next map expansion for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is called Soul of Anatolia, and it’s taking us deep into Türkiye.
What Is Soul of Anatolia?
Soul of Anatolia is an upcoming paid DLC for ETS2 that covers Anatolia — the vast Asian heartland of Türkiye that has never been in the game before. SCS describes it as a land of stunning contrasts: sunlit coasts, towering mountains, open plains, olive groves, and the glittering Mediterranean. The expansion runs from Istanbul all the way east to Aksaray.
The confirmed locations and highlights from the reveal include:
1915 Çanakkale Bridge — the world’s longest suspension bridge, crossing the Dardanelles strait, serving as your gateway into Anatolia
Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and Osmangazi Bridge — two more engineering landmarks you’ll cross on your routes
Ankara — the capital city, positioned as a central logistics hub of the expansion
Tuz Gölü — the massive salt lake in central Anatolia
Antalya and Alanya — major Mediterranean tourist cities with hotel cargo delivery routes
Challenging coastal roads along both the northern and southern shores, plus steep mountain routes with tight turns and big views
Türkiye is already partially in ETS2 — the Road to the Black Sea DLC (2019) added the European side of the country: Edirne, Istanbul with Bosphorus views, and the Kapikule border crossing. Istanbul is still one of the largest and most detailed cities in the game. But everything beyond the Bosphorus — Ankara, Izmir, the entire coastline, Central Anatolia — has been missing for over six years.
Soul of Anatolia fills that gap, and then some. More importantly, this DLC marks a historic first: ETS2 stepping outside of Europe and into Asia. That’s not just a geographical expansion — it’s a signal of where the game can go next. The Caucasus, the Middle East, Central Asia — none of that is confirmed, but it’s now a realistic conversation for the first time.
What About the Mods?
While the official DLC has been in the community’s wishlist for years, modders never waited around. The most well-known community effort is the Roextended updated up to ETS2 1.58.
There’s also Road to Heavy: Türkiye, a more niche mod focused on heavy haulage simulation across Turkish highways.
Worth noting: once Soul of Anatolia releases officially, these mods will almost certainly become incompatible. They’re great for right now, but treat them as a placeholder — the real thing is coming.
When Can We Expect It?
SCS has been clear that Soul of Anatolia is still early in development — everything shown is work-in-progress and subject to change. There’s no release date, and given SCS’s typical pace of roughly one major map DLC per year, with Iceland and Ireland both still in the queue, a realistic window is no earlier than 2028, with 2029 being equally possible.
That wait will be long, but the announcement itself is the milestone. Soul of Anatolia is happening, it’s confirmed, and the Steam page is live. Add it to your wishlist and settle in.
