Today, we are happy to share that the 1.55 Open Beta branch for American Truck Simulator is now available to try and test out. If you plan on participating in this Open Beta, we ask that you please help us by reporting any bugs you may encounter in the appropriate section(s) of our official forums.

Your feedback and reports are truly valuable to our team, and we thank you in advance for taking the time to help us out. Please keep in mind that this is the first open beta iteration, and it is still a work-in-progress build that will receive updates throughout the open beta period.  

Now, without further ado, let's take a look at what the 1.55 Open Beta has in store.

Driving Academy - Truck Driving Proficiency

This new Driving Academy module, called Truck Driving Proficiency, will introduce a set of much more challenging scenarios, which will test even the most skilled drivers to the limit. For this new module and set of scenarios, we will also introduce a new reward system. The most important thing is still to precisely complete a scenario by driving along the designated path and avoiding any collisions. For proficiency level, there may be additional conditions you will have to meet to successfully pass the scenario.

Players will be able to achieve up to 3 collectable stars in this module, which can be earned by meeting additional conditions such as only using the interior camera, limiting gear shifts between drive and reverse, or completing the scenario in the set time. You'll earn a reward for completing all the scenarios, and you can unlock additional rewards by collecting all 3 stars in each one.

To really test your skills, you won't find any pre-recorded video tutorials, and you will have to use all the knowledge we taught you in our first module of Driving Academy. Let us know how you get on!

Asynchronous Loading

We have been hard at work implementing a major overhaul in the way our game loads and processes data, a new system we call Asynchronous Loading. This system is designed to improve the loading process by ensuring that the game and loading screens remain uninterrupted while assets are loaded in the background. The primary benefit here is the mitigation of stuttering, resulting in a smoother experience overall.

We'd like to thank everyone who contributed their feedback to the Experimental Beta in Euro Truck Simulator 2, which was centred around this new update. Your feedback was incredibly valuable to our team, and now we are happy to be able to continue to bring this new feature forward into the Open Beta. You can help us fine-tune this feature by reporting any unusual loading behaviour in the dedicated 1.55 forum section.

Fifth Generation Freightliner Cascadia Update

A range of new accessories and improvements have been made to the Fifth Generation Freightliner Cascadia. From a paintable airdam and sunvisor to chrome mirror and filter options, you’ll have more ways than ever to personalize your truck’s look. Inside the cabin, you can now choose from updated tan, grey, or the newly added black interiors, along with either a classic or modern dashboard layout, bringing the total to six interior variants per sleeper!

Exterior updates include refinements to the 72" sleeper side walls, improved blind spot sensors compatible with both traditional and digital mirrors, and revised camera arms with more accurate turn indicator behavior. We've also smashed some bugs along with this update too!


You can check out the full list of changes and additions at this blogpost.

Kenworth T680 Update

The Kenworth T680 is getting an update! First released in December 2023 to celebrate Kenworth’s 100th anniversary, the truck was developed on an accelerated schedule with help from Kenworth’s team. Now, we’re expanding its customization options to give players even more control over how their truck looks and performs.

Players will be able to choose between three cab variants as we are adding the 52" Mid-Roof and the 76" High-Roof, offering more flexibility and personality on the road. The chassis lineup will expand by seven configurations, including 6x4 options for all cabs in both short and long hood versions, as well as 4x2 setups specifically for day cabs.


A total of 20 interior variants will be added: eight for the 76" High-Roof cab and eight for the 52" Mid-Roof, each in both single and double bunk layouts, plus four tailored for the day cab. Every interior will come in Diamond VIT and Vantage trims, with stylish Tan and Grey color options.


Under the hood, drivers will have even more options, as we are adding seven powerful engine variants from the Cummins X12 and X15 series, and also five new transmission options to match their driving style. To top it off, all paint jobs, including those from DLCs, are now fully compatible with the T680. Whether you're going for style, performance, or both, the updated T680 offers everything you need to create your perfect rig.

Check out the full dedicated blog to read about all the changes and updates coming with this update here!

Farm Machinery DLC Update

We’re excited to introduce a new free cargo addition to the Farm Machinery DLC, the Windrower! This essential piece of agricultural equipment is used to gather and align crops into neat rows for drying and harvesting, and now it’s your job to haul it where it’s needed most.

The Windrower will be available on the job market in two color variants: a classic green and a yellow version branded with OWL, one of our in-game farming equipment manufacturers. Designed for lowboy trailers, it’s a wide and impressive load that brings more variety to your agricultural deliveries.


You can find the full details about this update at here.

FlowBelow Painted Parts

We're introducing a visual enhancement for select trucks featuring FlowBelow aerodynamic parts in American Truck Simulator. These drive wheel closeouts, designed to improve fuel efficiency and airflow, now come with the option to be paintable. 


This means players can now customize these components to match their truck’s color scheme, creating a more polished and unified appearance. Whether you're aiming for a clean fleet aesthetic or giving your rig a show truck vibe, we’re confident this small update will help you tailor your truck even more to your personal style.


Don’t forget to share your fresh paint jobs with us on our social media channels!

Custom City Intros for New Mexico DLC

With this update, New Mexico has received several new Custom City Intros! These special cutscenes play when a player selects a starting city while creating a new profile.

You’ll now find these intros available for the following cities in New Mexico:

•     Farmington

•     Las Cruces

•     Roswell

•     Santa Fe
  

We hope that new players, or those starting afresh, will enjoy these additions, which showcase the area where your journey begins!  

Mail UX Redesign

The mail screen has been redesigned to enhance UI, UX, and controller navigation. It features two main sections: a mail list on the left and the mail content on the right, which is now larger for improved readability and easier to scroll through. Mails populate from the top, and when the list exceeds the screen, pagination is used. Users can navigate through emails using the arrow keys or the controller's D-pad, with emails opening instantly on selection. Mail content may include clickable or keybind-accessible embedded links.

Options QoL Improvements

In this update, we’ve added a small but useful quality-of-life improvement to the graphics settings menu. You’ll now see example screenshots next to various settings, giving you a better idea of how each option affects the game’s visuals.

Whether you're tweaking things for smoother performance or aiming for the best possible look, these previews should make it easier to find the right balance for your setup.

Map Improvements - "My Location" Hotkey

We are adding a "My Location" hotkey as part of our map improvements. When pressed, it instantly centers the game map on the player's current location. We hope you find this small addition useful on the road!

Change of Steam Achievements 

Our team is working around the clock on engine updates, many of which are not visible during regular gameplay. Some of these are visible instantly, such as new light systems, but we also need to work on changes that are not normally visible when you play.

Updating the achievement system gives us foundations that will allow us to make different and new types of achievements, as well as manage existing ones that often rely on different DLCs and regions. As a part of that, we have a new system coming out in 1.55, which we would like to test in open beta. 

To ensure that the new code is well tested before release, some small changes were made to existing achievements and their goals to let us see if the changes we make are working smoothly for all of our users.

Changelog

Gameplay

• Driving Academy - Truck Driving Proficiency

• Map Improvements - "My Location" Hotkey

Vehicles

• Fifth Generation Freightliner Cascadia Update

• Kenworth T680 Update

• FlowBelow Painted Parts

• Farm Machinery DLC Update 

Visual

• Custom city intros for New Mexico

• Mail UX redesign

• Options QoL Improvements - Graphics settings visualisation

Other

• Steam achievements update with text and icon improvements

• Save manager improvements

• Asynchronous loading

So enjoy all the new additions, but please remember: It's only an open beta, not a stable public version - so you may encounter bugs, instability, or crashes. It's completely okay if you want to wait for the final release. But if you're interested in helping us to get there faster, we'd appreciate all of your feedback on our forum and your bug reports in the dedicated section.

Please check our modding wiki to get details pertaining to mods for the game.

If you wish to participate in this Open Beta, you can find this version in the Experimental Beta branch on Steam. The way to access it is as follows: Steam client → LIBRARY → right-click on American Truck Simulator  → Properties → Betas tab → Beta Participation drop down menu → public_beta. No password is required. Sometimes you will have to restart your Steam client to see the correct branch name there.