Driving and flying simulations are a genre of their own. To outsiders, it seems crazy that some spend their day virtually traveling from A to B without getting up from the PC. “American Truck Simulator” (Steam) does its job so well that it has received 96% positive reviews on Steam and is now a large freight company recruiting drivers there.
What kind of game is American Truck Simulator?
- American Truck Simulator was released on February 2, 2016, and is a spin-off of “Euro Truck Simulator 2″. The game costs €20 on Steam, with a bundle of 9 DLCs going up to €81.
- Essentially, the player drives a tractor-trailer and must deliver goods. To do this, they establish a company, choose a hometown, and receive their own truck garage that serves as their home base.
- At the beginning, the player drives borrowed trucks until they earn enough money to build their own fleet. Over time, the player unlocks additional skills, can even hire NPC drivers, and further upgrade the garage.
Here you can see the launch trailer for the simulation:
For players, the simulator is pure relaxation
What do the reviews say? For many fans of American Truck Simulator, the game seems to be especially relaxing. The reviews say:
- “The game is really fun when you want to clear your head. I play it all the time while listening to music.”
- “The graphics and details are great. I love driving through areas I know.”
- “All the roads, trips, and the feeling – without the painfully high fuel prices. Perfect for the budget-conscious tourist.”
MeinMMO editor Patrick Freese is also an enthusiastic driver of virtual trucks. He writes:
As a casual game to unwind, I can recommend these truck simulators.
Game aims to help address the shortage of professionals in truck driving
This is the latest development: The game is so popular that now a large freight company, Schneider National, has started to advertise for new employees with huge billboards in the game. Previously, the developers used the billboards to show new updates. Now a real trucking company advertises there for employees.
There are indications that they are testing the advertising billboards in the “relatively small” American Truck Simulator before venturing into the even larger “Euro Truck Simulator” 2.
The developers say that when approached by the company, they were excited and chose to collaborate:
“[…] It’s an opportunity to help the trucking industry, which is currently suffering from a shortage of professionals.”
Players seem to have no issue with real advertisements appearing on the huge billboards in their game. They even find it “good and realistic,” as a user points out on Twitter.
We have already showcased a simulation on Steam on MeinMMO that has a massive impact on the industry it simulates:
Steam: A €30 game from Switzerland has completely changed how farmers buy tractors today
