25 Best American Truck Simulator Mods

Released back in 2013, American Truck Simulator, or ATS for short has 5,000 mods in just the Steam Workshop alone and is supported by a solid modding community. What makes a great mod is that it works well, provides quality of life improvements, and of course, is aesthetically pleasing. With that said, here’s a list of 25 mods that you should check out.

1. SiSL’s Mega Pack

A must-have mod if you decide to start modding your game. Considered by most to be the starter pack for everything ATS.

The kit comes with over 400 accessories giving you a myriad of personalization choices. The accessories provided include but are not limited to scarves, fresheners, toys, snacks, bobbleheads, and electronic devices.

Another neat feature of the SiSL’s Mega Pack is that it allows you to bring in either a male or a female co-driver to keep you company on many lonely roads ahead.

If by chance you don’t find the accessory, you are looking for there is a way to get additional content. Supplementary content can be downloaded from their Facebook Page so you can have your cabin look and feel the way you want it.

2. Google Maps Navigation

If the vanilla GPS navigation system doesn’t cut it out for you, then this mod will surely be a must-have. The Google Maps Navigation mod simulates your in-vehicle Google navigation system and will have it look way more realistic.

Have the option of adjusting how bright the screen is and it even comes with a dark theme.

3. SiSL’s Trailer Pack USA

Another great mod brought to us by SiSL is SiSL’s Trailer Pack USA. This mod provides players with over 100 Trailer skins based on official American brands and has been cross-referenced to each trailer they use. In addition, every skin is recreated over a vector format and interwoven to ease up on performance.

SiSL’s Trailer Pack USA was carefully designed and handpicked to bring about the experience of real American Truck Traffic.

4. Real Companies, Gas Stations & Billboards

Part of the experience of playing American Truck Simulator is seeing different brands as you go about your activities. Real Companies, Gas Stations & Billboards offer a reskin of vanilla game brands into real American brands. These changes apply to shops, gas stations, & Billboards.

Actual brands on display give a more real-life feel to your American Truck Simulator Experience.

5. Real Fuel Prices

No truck driving experience can be more genuine than Real Fuel Prices. Truly feel the realism as gas prices go up and down, but mostly up, with this ultra-realism mod.

Adds the latest fuel prices based on the current US rates which include different prices per state. This mod is compatible with CanaDream, Viva Mexico, Coast to Coast, & Oregon.

If you feel like you’re up for a little challenge, then you should definitely give this mod a shot.

6. New Mountain Textures

The scenic routes are one of the things that truly make this game worthwhile.  The New Mountain textures mod ensures that the views are truly breathtaking.

This mod features a fresh, more realistic, and diverse look for mountains, deserts, and even the Grand Canyon. The mod works well in conjunction with other graphics mods so it is recommended to try it along with other mods of its category.

7. Realistic Roads

The roads form the backbone of any driving simulator game as players will spend most of their time on them. The Realistic Roads mod makes for a great choice if players are wanting a fresher and more realistic look on the roads.

Realistic Roads mod retextures the roads based on photos taken on real-world roads giving them a fresh new and realistic look.

8. Trilex Rims

The wheels, being the cuffs of any vehicle, is something no serious driver would neglect. Trilex Rims by MrOverfloater includes the hubs, disc, nut, and covers and comes in paint or in metal.

One, if not the only one, who provides Trilex Rims, makes this mod a truly must-have.

9. Realistic Mirror FOV

Modding provides a lot of quality-of-life improvements but none as simple yet as effective as Realistic Mirror FOV. If you’ve ever felt that the main vanilla mirror angles are quite off, this mod addresses that issue.

Part of the experience that American Truck simulator provides is in the small details. Whether it be the signages, the lights, the brands, or even the simple view of the back of your truck. This mod adjusts the field of view for main mirrors in all trucks to a more realistic angle.

10. Real Engines and Sounds

Acoustics, in any game, play a major role in its overall experience. Part of the sensation when driving is feeling how the vehicle handles and how engines sound. As American Truck Simulator is all about driving cargo cross country, much of the time you spend will be on the road and in your truck.

Real Engines and Sounds provides the most popular engines, removes redundancies, and offers a realistic sound for each. Where most mods simply provide new engines using the game default sounds, this mod uses realistic engine sounds for added immersion.

11. Realistic Vehicle Lights Mod

If it’s optimum immersion that you’re after, then this lights mod will do you well to have. Specially designed high-resolution flares give it a more realistic feal to lights.  Flare visibility has also been adjusted for various distances as well as light reflections.

The features of this mod apply to various available light sources and not just your own such as AI vehicles and other in-game objects.

12. Smarty’s Wheel Pack

If you already have Trilex Rims then Smarty’s Wheel Pack should be your next stop. This mod provides a wide range of wheels to choose from giving you an extended degree of customization.

Smarty’s Wheel Pack is also focused on a variety of uses and applications making sure that your truck is ready for most, if not all, eventualities. When you’re starting out modding your American Truck Simulator Smarty’s Wheel Pack should be one of the top on your list.

13. SiSL’s FlatUI

Although a game’s User Interface isn’t really what makes or breaks it, having an unattractive or dated UI can make a game feel less desirable. Like several titles, American Truck Simulators Vanilla UI was less than attractive for a lot of players.

Another Mod in the list from SiSL, SiSL’s Flat UI replaces the vanilla version with more simple icons and fewer gradients giving the user a more up-to-date feel. Already seen as a requirement by players, SISL’s FlatUI is still in Beta and will surely come with more features and improvements in the future.

14. Real Advertisements

The little details, more often than not, are what make a good game great. The mod Real Advertisements provides one of those little things. As per its namesake, Real Advertisements replaces the vanilla ads on the streets, highways, and billboards.

Ads in the game enhance the realism and contribute to the overall experience of American Truck Simulator. Another must-have on your list of mods.

15. Municipal Police Traffic Pack

In this mod, it’s not the player-controlled vehicles that are getting the attention but the police. At times getting pulled over can be unavoidable, especially if you are one to break the law now and then. The Police in the game is usually not a welcome sight given they take your money when you have violations and that they don’t look so appealing

The Municipal Police Traffic Pack adds police vehicles to almost every city in California, Arixzona, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, & Wyoming. The mod replaces vanilla police vehicles with new ones fitted with various pushbar, wheel, and lightbar combinations.

16. “I Support Single Moms” Mudflap Pack

There seems to be a lack in the mudflap category when it comes to mods. Tricked-out mudflaps are what makes an “American Trucker” and nothing says it more than the “I Support Single Moms” Mudflap Pack.

The pack includes more than 50 amusing variants of the “I Support Single Moms” mudflaps. The flaps come in high-resolution textures for more clear and crisp images. This pack also supports custom trucks although having one is not a requirement to use this mod.

17. Actual Day-/Night Times

Regularly updated, this mod changes the day and night cycle of the game to real-world time. Experience longer days in summer with shorter nights and the opposite during wintertime.

Don’t be alarmed as this mod doesn’t actually touch time zones so playing from a different place won’t be an issue at all.  What the mod really does is simply change the time when the sun rises and sets. Sometimes it only takes a small shift to make a big impact on one’s game experience.

18. Real Traffic Density and Ratio for ATS

Very basic is how players will describe the vanilla American Truck Simulator traffic density. Traffic density is very low even on busy streets during the hectic times of the day. Real Traffic Density and Ratio for ATS aims to improve on this matter.

The mod uses rational on spawn numbers and matches it with the limits of the game. The developer of this mod poured in hours of testing to ensure that the numbers add up and the game doesn’t crash in the process.

Based on real graphic charts, the mod sets out to peak traffic density during rush hours and slow it down come nighttime. Not only does it adjust density by time but it also accommodates the different types of roads as well as the size of the city it’s in.

What makes this mod so terrific is that not only does it calculate vehicle density but also goes in deeper into detail by adding a vehicle spawn ratio. This means realistic portions of cars, trucks, and other vehicle types are spawned within the set traffic ratio.

To further add to the greatness of this mod is that it’s the only mod of its kind that adds motorcycles, sports, and classic cars as separate vehicles you can find on the road. It is also currently the only mod that brings separate speed limits to specific vehicles. Lastly, to avoid unwanted congestions, this is also the only mod that keeps spawns low on emerging roads.

If it’s the experience of realism in Traffic for ATS, then your game should definitely not go without this mod.

19. Realistic Rain

Part of driving a truck for long periods of time is experiencing the different weather changes. What Realistic Rain brings to the table are improvements to the way rain looks and feels in the game.

A noticeable difference from vanilla to Realistic Rain would be the raindrop textures from inside the cabin. Drops seen are much more refined and mimic what rain really looks when hitting the windshield and the windows.

There are also behavioral improvements on the drops seen on the windows and windshield. Depending on rain intensity and direction, the raindrop count will vary. Water particles also spray more realistically observed through the wheels of your truck and AI vehicles.

Apart from how the rain looks, Realistic Rain also improves on the sounds produced when it rains. The sound of rain will vary from inside and outside the cabin.

 A variety of thunder sounds taken from high-quality real samples have also been added mimicking the different sounds of thunder. To further on the realism, thunders can be heard about 1 to 5 seconds after the flash simulating real life.

After experiencing the Realistic Rain mod, players would no longer be able to imagine playing American Truck Simulator without it.

20. Air Ride: Premium

Proudly presented by Momo & Yuna as Game-changing seat suspension technology, Air Ride: Premium is actually a physics mod. Playfully presented by the authors, Air Ride: Premium is a mod that specifically handles seat suspension.

Hitting speedbumps and seeing your truck vigorously jump up and down can become uncomfortable for a lot of players. Thankfully Air Ride: Premium is here to help with that issue and acts as the truck’s hydraulics making for a smoother and more comfortable ride.

21. Cummins N14 Sound & Engine Pack

Recorded from a Peterbilt with 8-inch open pipes, Cummins N14 Sound & Engine Pack takes in-game engine revving up several notches. Experience different quality sounds as the volume of each sound source is heard differently at a variety of distances.

The variations in the sound quality of this mod is due to multiple synchronized microphones. Each microphone was placed strategically at various points of interest throughout the truck. These places include the intake, the exhaust, the cabin, inside the trailer, and even at the engine.

Add this mod to your arsenal and hear the engine as it breathes through the intakes.

22. Realistic Truck Physics Mod

Another physics mod in the list is specifically intended for non-cab over truck mods. Published by Frkn64, Realistic Truck Physics Mod is compatible with the current list of ATS trucks.

The mod comes with realistic brakes and suspension springing for a more authentic and cleaner feel when hitting speed bumps. Realistic cabin shaking, Adapted Active Roll and improved interior camera movements are also present for an even more pleasant in-cabin experience.

23. Air Brake Sound Mod

A simple mod yet one that may impact your overall American Truck Simulator experience. The Air Brake Sound mod replaces the vanilla brake sounds with ones from a Peterbilt. The mod has 2 variations to the cut-off sound when the air compressor is unloaded by the governor and 7 variations to the air brake release.

24. Road & Wind Noise Sound Mod

The experience of driving cross country is not just a visual sensation but an acoustic one as well. One of many in our list by Zeemods, Road & Wind Noise Sound mod promises the ultimate enhancement for your soundscape.

This mod features multiple road sounds including asphalt, gravel, rumble strips, and tire bumps. Apart from road sounds, the mod also brings with it interior cabin noises. Interior sounds include windshield noise, open and partially open window wind noises, and general cabin ambiance at speed.

25. Realistic Economy (Hard Mode)

American Truck simulator is generally an easy game to play with most challenges coming from steering and parking. This mod will change all of that. Published by author ptr1ck, Realistic Economy aims to make the in-game economy more true to life.

The mod introduces cuts to income, both in dollar value and percentages, credit limits, and experience gained. The mod also comes with its positives in the form of lowered costs and fines.

This mod was made for players who seek a challenge in the business aspect of the game by having to make calculated financial decisions. Definitely not a mod you want if you simply intend to breeze through the game, but we certainly do still recommend it.

Try this mod out together with Real Fuel Prices and experience the game in possibly its hardest setting.