Currently on version 1.58 we have 100% discovered maps for both games. In ETS2, guide and files for previous version is still actual, so I did not do updated version.
However, in ATS, we received a major map update with the Route 66 rework and new guide is here. But we’re expecting the Illinois DLC soon, so new challenges ahead.
38 minutes gameplay of upcoming expansion for American Truck Simulator is available on official SCS Youtube channel. That means that new DLC is around the corner.
I also collected available footages from developers with new expansion teasers:
New game versions updates are here so we will also see the mods updates and it is perfect time to make you perfect profile.
In this guide I explain how to merge several profiles map discovery progress on example of merging vanilla 100% and Promods 87% profiles on ETS2 1.58. You can try this scheme on future versions in both ETS2 and ATS. Below you can find link to text version, tools and also ready strings used in this video.
Guide:
1. Reason
There are several reasons. The most common one:
You play vanilla + DLC on one profile. And you play mod maps like Promods or Roextended on another profile. Keeping them separate is fine. But what if you want:
Your 100% vanilla discovery
Plus your mod map exploration
Combined into one master profile
Another reason:
You created a new profile for TruckersMP or testing purposes. And later you want your original progress back Or maybe you lost progress after an update and want to rebuild quickly. In all these cases — merging discovered map items makes sense.
Important:
In this tutorial we are merging only discovered map items.
We are not merging:
Garages
Money
Drivers
Trucks
XP
That is a completely different topic.
2. What Was the Problem With the Old Method?
My year-old guide is still mostly actual and you can still use Notepad++ or other editor but new guide can save you hours. Let me remind you that in every profile, discovered roads are stored in a strict indexed order inside the game.sii file.
If you simply copy part of the data:
The order becomes incorrect
Duplicate entries appear
The profile may crash
Or the game may behave unpredictably
And this becomes a serious problem because:
Vanilla profiles contain thousands of discovered entries
With map mods, this can grow dramatically
Manually fixing that with Notepad++ used to require:
Regex
Manual renumbering
Removing duplicates
Reindexing everything from zero
It worked — but it was slow and error-prone. So today we go another way. We automate the process using a Python script.
3. Make backups!
If you plan to modify game files always Make backups! This is extremely important. Your profiles are located by default in: Documents/ETS2/profiles or Documents/ATS/profiles Copy the entire profiles folder somewhere safe. If something goes wrong, you restore everything in seconds. Disable Steam Cloud synchronization for all profiles involved. We cannot modify profiles that are stored only in Steam Cloud. After disabling Steam Cloud, profiles will be saved locally in the Documents folder.
4. Preparations and tools
As always for manipulations with the profiles we need several tools: Truck Tools for save decryption – it is free of charge application you need to install to make various actions with you profiles in both games. You can also use your preferrable tools for game files decryption https://trucksim.top/trucktools Sublime Text – we need good text editor that allow us to run big files. While I use Sublime, you can use your preferable text editor like Notepad++ or even VS Code. https://www.sublimetext.com Python installed on your system – it will run my script. Python is also free of charge. https://www.python.org/ The merge-discovered.py script – you can download the script for free https://sharemods.com/uig6zgjgicrf/merge_discovered.zip.html
How to use Python?
1. Go to the official website: python.org 2. Download the latest stable version for Windows. 3. Run the installer. ⚠️ Very important: Before clicking “Install”, check the box: Add Python to PATH This is critical. If you skip this, the `python` command will not work in Command Prompt. 4. Click Install and wait. 5. That’s it.
How to Check If Python Is Installed?
Open Command Prompt and type: python –version or py –version If you see something like: Python 3.x.x You’re ready to go. If you see an error like “python is not recognized”, then: Either Python is not installed Or it was installed without adding to PATH. In that case, reinstall and check the PATH option.
Before starting
1. Make sure all profiles you plan to modify have Steam Cloud disabled. 2. If merging modded profiles, verify that all required mods are present in your mod folder. 3. Enable file decryption in config: g_save_format 2 4. Enable console: uset g_developer 1 and uset g_console 1 5. Make sure all profiles are from the same game version (don’t combine ATS profiles with ETS2 profiles and vice versa)
5. Prepare profiles
Enter each profile you want to merge. Create a new save to identify them easily by timestamp. Decrypt each profile using Truck Tools. Inside each profile, locate the file: game.sii and copy them one by one to a new folder.
6. Merging Process
With the old method, you had to manually clean and reorder everything in Notepad++. With the new method, we only extract the necessary data in seconds. Instead of manually: Removing prefixes Reordering numbers Re-adding brackets Generating incremental indices Removing duplicates
We now use a Python script that: Extracts all discovered item IDs Removes duplicates automatically Reorders them correctly Recreates properly indexed discovered items entries Outputs a ready-to-paste result Shows you stats
Collect all game.sii files from desired profiles in one folder. You can rename them as you wish, just make sure that they have .sii extension. Example profile3.sii or promods.sii etc. Put the script merge_discovered.py to the same folder. Open terminal or command prompt in the script folder (right click with Shift – Open Powershell window here) and type:
python merge_discovered.py
or
py merge_discovered.py
Press enter The script will: Detect all `.sii` files in the folder Show how many items were found per file Show total collected items Show duplicates removed Generate output file: merged_discovered.txt – fully indexed and ready to paste.
Then Open the target profile’s `game.sii (The profile in which we want to get results of merge) Replace its `discovered_items` block with the newly generated one. Save the file. Open the save in the game. Enjoy the results.
One known side effect
Recruitment agencies may not work properly after modifying discovered items. If you attempt to hire new drivers after merging, the game may crash. Recommended workaround: Hire all drivers you need before modifying profiles.
Since the last update we have numerous new secret roads in ATS 1 .58 I was thinking about updating the guide for America – I found already 18 new hidden roads and still in progress (mostly checking the correctness of them than discovery). But I believe soon we will see also new Illinois DLC so can expect new secrets on that new state. Unfortunately youtube rank and promote older videos first and below guides have a very bad discoverability and low views. So I don’t want to spent a lot of time for guide with 700 views. Below you find all hidden roads in ATS and ETS2 found in version 1.57. You can see the complete list of cities with hidden paths here: https://trucksim.top/y9t6. It is probably won’t help you with exact secrets locations but you can check if you missed any.
I’m sharing found hidden secret roads in both American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 periodically since 2022 when this feature been released on ETS2 and ATS 1.44. But maybe right now it is time to freeze the series and let others do this job.
ETS2 (updated 01.24.2026, actual on 1.58 with Scandinavia Refresh and Nordic Horizon DLC, 110 roads so far)
ATS (updated 12.26.2025, actual on 1.57 with Louisiana DLC, 245 roads so far)
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.
Based on official developer posts from SCS Software and available previews, here is everything currently known about the upcoming Illinois map expansion.
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.
Expected Release Window
While no official release date has been announced yet, community expectations suggest the Illinois DLC may arrive sometime in 2026, possibly as one of the next ATS map expansions after the current development pipeline.
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.
As development continues, we can expect more previews showcasing new cities, industries, landmarks, and highways from this upcoming expansion.
For now, Illinois already looks like a promising addition to the growing ATS map.
The big map combo for ATS 1.58. It includes Coast to Coast, Promods Canada, ATS Expansion, More American Cities, Radiator Springs, Beyond, EMMN, Sierra Nevada and other mods. Links below consist 23 maps and additions. Only Free mods.
On the game version 1.58 I started later with map combo setups and while we are good in Europe, American combination will be probably release later this week. As I mentioned earlier I’m not rushing 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.
There are already well-established rules and best practices that help avoid conflicts and common mistakes I’ve covered in Beginner’s Guide, which I strongly recommend watching before building or updating your map combo. It will save you time, prevent recurring issues, and help you create a stable and enjoyable setup from the start.
Youtube channel as well as this blog is my hobby so I can spend on it only the free time. If you like my content please consider to support Trucksim on Patreon.
