American Truck Simulator’s massive California overhaul continues in latest update

It’s all go for American Truck Simulator; not only does SCS Software currently have its hands full working on its previously announced Montana and Texas expansions, the developer has also been beavering away on its major California overhaul – and phase two of that work is now available in a new update.

California was, of course, one of two states included at American Truck Simulator’s launch back in 2016 (the other being Nevada), and has been starting to show in age in recent times, particularly alongside SCS’ increasingly impressive work on newer state expansions.

As such, the developer pledged a refresh for the ageing location back in 2020, with the aim of bringing it up to current mapping standards. The first phase of this rework arrived last July, making significant changes to California’s northern road network, adding (and in a few cases, removing) scenery towns, and introducing Border Protection Stations.

And now, with the advent of American Truck Simulator’s 1.44 update, phase two of SCS’ California rework is officially upon us, and it’s a big one.

Alongside new roads, rest stops, scenery towns, and Border Protection Stations, not to mention new vegetation and textures, SCS has completely rebuild five northern Californian cities – Eureka, Ukiah, Redding, Sacramento, and Truckee – from the ground up, adding new local landmarks and architecture along the way.

Unfortunately, the update waves goodbye to the city of San Rafael due to map scale issues, but a brand-new city – said to be “larger and of much greater importance in California’s road network” – will be added in phase three of the ongoing rework.

That’s not quite everything in American Truck Simulator’s latest update, however. 1.44 also introduces a new Mod Refund feature that reimburses any in-game currency spend on a third-party truck modification if a user decides to uninstall them.

There’s also a bit of a UI refresh to more clearly indicate Factory, Licensed, Aftermarket, and Unknown accessory parts while in the garage list, and there are tweaks to American Truck Simulator’s unmarked roads exploration mechanic. Now, upon discovering a new unmarked road, the route will be added to the map, making it much easier to find on future journeys.

And that’s still not everything, with SCS packing 1.44 with everything from new special transport routes and ownable drop deck trailers to adjustable suspension height and smart sequential shifting – all of which is detailed more thoroughly on Steam.

As for American Truck Simulator’s next destination, we know that SCS is currently hard at work on its Montana and Texas expansions. Neither has a release date as yet, but SCS continues to detail the progress being made on each state over on its blog.