Euro Truck Simulator 2 (ETS2) and American Truck Simulator (ATS) come from the same Prague studio, SCS Software, cost the same on Steam and share most of their mechanics. The real difference is the setting: ETS2 is Europe, ATS is the United States. ETS2 has been out longer and has far more DLCs, while ATS adds American details such as 53-foot trailers and weigh stations. This comparison sticks to the facts, so you can decide which region you’d rather drive in.
Short answer
- Same studio, same price: both by SCS Software, both €19.99 on Steam (on 14 November 2026 both on sale for €4.99).
- Europe vs the US: ETS2 covers 37 European countries with all map DLCs, ATS starts with three US states and expands to 20+ states through DLCs.
- More content in ETS2: Steam lists 108 DLC items for ETS2 and 62 for ATS (both including unreleased ones).
- Same hardware: the Windows requirements are identical.
- Same features: Convoy multiplayer, Steam Workshop, 30 interface languages and announced console versions.
Comparison table
| Euro Truck Simulator 2 | American Truck Simulator | |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | SCS Software | SCS Software |
| Steam release | 12 October 2012 | 2 February 2016 |
| Regular price (Steam) | €19.99 | €19.99 |
| Base map | 12 European countries | California, Nevada, Arizona |
| With map DLCs | 37 countries | 20+ states |
| DLC items on Steam | 108 (incl. 3 unreleased) | 62 (incl. unreleased) |
| Minimum (Windows) | i5-6400 / Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB RAM, GTX 660 / RX 460, 25 GB | same |
| Recommended (Windows) | i5-9600 / Ryzen 5 3600, 12 GB RAM, GTX 1660 / RX 590 | same |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Interface languages | 30 | 30 |
| Age rating | PEGI 3, USK 0 | USK 0 |
| Steam recommendations | 795,302 | 170,143 |
Prices and DLC counts are from Steam as of 14 November 2026. Steam doesn’t list a PEGI rating for ATS. The recommendation counts are Steam’s own figures and say nothing about which game is better.
Europe vs the US: maps and DLCs
The ETS2 base game covers 12 countries: Czechia, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Poland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Slovakia. Eleven map DLCs have been released, from Going East! in 2013 to Iceland on 10 November 2026, and together they bring the map to 37 countries. Bought at regular prices, the eleven come to €177.89 in total. Our ETS2 DLC list goes through them one by one.
ATS starts with California, Nevada and Arizona. Further DLCs expand the map to more than 20 states, and SCS says Canada is coming too.
In short: ETS2 spreads across many European countries, ATS across the states of the US.
Trucks and trailers
ETS2 features 7 licensed truck brands and more than 20 models. ATS uses American truck brands and adds things specific to US trucking: trailers up to 53 feet long and weigh stations, where your load is checked for overweight.
Both games build on the same mechanics. SCS says ATS’s gameplay is based on ETS2, so a lot will feel familiar if you switch from one to the other.
Shared features: Convoy, Workshop, consoles, TruckersMP
- Convoy: both games have the official multiplayer for up to 8 players. See our Convoy guide.
- Steam Workshop: both support mods through the Workshop.
- Languages: both have 30 interface languages on Steam, Czech included.
- Consoles: PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are announced for both games. SCS hasn’t given a release date yet.
- TruckersMP: this free multiplayer mod works with both games. It’s unofficial and isn’t made by SCS Software.
Coaches vs Road Trip
Each game has one DLC that takes you out of the truck. ETS2 got Coaches on 12 November 2026 for €14.99: you drive coaches with passengers, on scheduled routes and tourist trips. The Coaches DLC guide covers it in detail.
ATS has the Road Trip DLC, which adds Car Mode, so you drive a passenger car. SCS built both on the same Mode Switch system. In ETS2, Truck Mode and Coach Mode keep separate career progress, but money and the explored map are shared.
Which one to start with?
Since price, requirements and features are the same, the choice comes down to a few facts:
- Region: European roads and cities in ETS2, American ones in ATS.
- Amount of content: ETS2 has been out since 2012 and has more DLCs, ATS since 2016.
- Specific DLCs: buses only exist in ETS2 (Coaches), passenger cars only in ATS (Road Trip).
- Your PC: the requirements are the same, so the system requirements apply to both.
Check the official Steam pages for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator for current prices and offers.
Join our Discord to find out what other drivers are playing: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
Yes, both are by SCS Software from Prague. ATS came out in 2016 and its mechanics are based on ETS2.
Neither. Both cost €19.99 on Steam, and on 14 November 2026 both are on sale for €4.99.
On Windows, yes: at least an i5-6400 or Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB RAM and a GTX 660 or RX 460, plus 25 GB of space. Both also run on macOS and Linux.
ETS2. Steam lists 108 DLC items for ETS2 and 62 for ATS, both counts including unreleased ones.
Yes, both have the official Convoy multiplayer for up to 8 players. The unofficial TruckersMP mod, which isn’t made by SCS Software, works with both too.
Information verified on 14 November 2026. We update this article after new DLCs and game updates. Find more guides in our ETS2 guides section.