In today's blog, we bring you another piece of the puzzle from the upcoming 1.60 update for both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, which we hope will get our #BestCommunityEver very excited. In this update, we will be introducing the Improved Material System for the interior of selected trucks! Let's take a look.

The Improved Material System, which will be introduced in the 1.60 update for both games, significantly improves the lighting and visual quality of vehicle interiors in selected trucks. Its main focus is to enhance how interior materials react to light, which will result in a more readable, detailed, and visually pleasing cabin environment.

During the development of Project Road Trip, we implemented a wide range of visual and technical improvements. One of the most significant changes was a redesign of the materials used in vehicle interiors. 

This has been requested from our community for some time, as the previous system often made interiors appear too dark and flat, especially in scenes without direct lighting. As a result, it makes differences between materials such as leather, fabric, plastic, and metal far more apparent, even in low-light conditions.
"The main goal of the new technology was to bring more light into shadowed areas of vehicle interiors. The previous system struggled to handle indirect lighting in these situations, causing many details to be lost in darkness. The new solution uses multiple variants of dynamic cubemaps, allowing all materials to reflect their surroundings more naturally and respond to ambient light in a more realistic way. Environmental reflections are no longer limited to highly polished metallic surfaces. This change gives interiors significantly greater depth and readability," says our Vehicle Technical Leader, Daniel.

We have also carried out minor adjustments to the global lighting, primarily focused on exposure and contrast balancing, along with subtle visual refinements for bad weather conditions to achieve a more consistent and refined look. 

The development of this system took place in parallel with Project Road Trip, where its importance became even more apparent. Smaller, darker passenger vehicle interiors suffered from a lack of indirect light more than trucks with bright cabs and large windows, which often allow direct light to enter. Road Trip thus served as the ideal environment for developing and fine-tuning these technologies.

The entire system was designed from the start with the interiors of trucks in both games in mind, so the base games and their existing fleets will gradually benefit from these improvements as well. Throughout the entire process, we kept players with lower-end hardware in mind. We aimed to make the visual improvements as impactful as possible while minimizing the performance cost.

The first trucks to benefit from the Improved Material System will be the DAF NGD and MAN TG3 TGX models in ETS2. In ATS, players will see redesigned interiors for the Mack Anthem and the Western Star 49X. With future updates, we will gradually add this technology for other trucks across both games.

We hope this new feature has you looking forward to the 1.60 update even more, as it brings a major enhancement to these truck interiors and makes the view from the driver's seat better than ever! Please note that the Road Trip vehicles are not releasing with the 1.60 update.Until next time, be sure to follow us on X/Twitter, Facebook[www.facebook.com], Instagram[www.instagram.com], Bluesky[bsky.app], and YouTube for all the latest updates. Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter[www.scssoft.com] as well! See you out on the road, and keep on truckin'!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/227300/Euro_Truck_Simulator_2/https://store.steampowered.com/app/270880/American_Truck_Simulator/

Today, we are excited to share with our community a brand-new feature coming to both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator with the upcoming 1.60 update - Game Radio!

For many drivers, music and the open road naturally belong together. Whether you are cruising through the countryside at sunset, hauling cargo across busy interstates, or relaxing during a long night drive, the right soundtrack can completely change the atmosphere of your journey. With Game Radio, we wanted to take that experience much further than a simple music player.

Game Radio is a brand-new in-game radio system designed to deepen immersion, support roleplay, and make every drive feel more authentic. Rather than approaching radio as just another technical feature, we created a collection of stations with their own distinct identities, philosophies, moods, and sounds. This is Game Radio's first chapter - built on music, with more layers planned for the road ahead.

At launch, Game Radio will feature five unique radio stations:

Rust FM

Rust FM is a guitar-driven station bridging five decades of rock, from the psychedelic garage sounds of the late 60s all the way to modern indie. Built for drivers who enjoy raw riffs, extended solos, distortion, and live energy.

This station features, amongst others, Sorry[sorryband.co.uk] and SASAMI[sasamiashworth.com], both on Domino Records. Sorry is a North London indie band whose debut was co-produced by James Dring of Gorillaz fame, while SASAMI is a classically trained French horn player from the Eastman School of Music who scored films and commercials before going solo. Also on the roster: Holiday Ghosts[www.instagram.com], a DIY duo from Cornwall who record on their own equipment and have built a devoted cult following in the UK underground.

Escape

Escape is for drivers whose nervous systems are stretched thin, a place to slow down, settle in, and find some quiet. Lo-fi textures, jazzy chords, minimal beats. Escape is ideal for peaceful night drives and calm moments behind the wheel.

Escape is also currently the only stream-safe station available at launch, featuring StreamBeats by Harris Heller[streambeats.com], a music library built by a streamer, for streamers. Its music is specifically licensed with streamers in mind, designed to help avoid copyright claims and support content monetization. Players will be able to enable Streamer Mode directly from the game menu.

PUMP IT!

PUMP IT! turns your truck cabin into a dance floor, built on hypnotic beats and precisely engineered production. This station is all about movement and intensity. Don't think it. Just feel it. Featuring Tony Romera[www.instagram.com], a French producer with official remixes for Calvin Harris and Diplo, and a #1 track on the Beatport Overall Charts, and KIDSØ[kidso-music.com], a Munich duo known for fully improvised live shows with live visual installations across the European festival circuit.

Pop Gear

Pop Gear runs on hooks, momentum, and dopamine. Designed to capture attention and trigger the irresistible urge for just one more song, the station thrives on the emotional highs of contemporary pop: modern production, catchy melodies, hook after hook. Featuring Palace Winter[tambourhinoceros.net], a Copenhagen duo the New York Times called "a darkly intoxicating potion," and School of X[schoolofx.org], a Danish artist whose music moves between orchestral pop and raw electronics.

Roadio

Roadio is dedicated to American roots music that feels grounded, honest, and deeply connected to the spirit of the open road. Inspired by wide landscapes, truck stops, desert highways, and classic Americana, Roadio aims to become the perfect companion for long-distance hauls and quiet moments of reflection. Featuring Bonnie 'Prince' Billy[www.instagram.com], one of indie folk's most revered voices whose song "I See a Darkness" was covered by Johnny Cash; Grammy nominee and 2021 IBMA Songwriter of the Year Thomm Jutz[thommjutz.com]; and New Zealand singer-songwriter Amber Lynn Nicol[amberlynnnicol.com].

Game Radio features music from artists across some of the most respected independent labels in the world, including Domino Recording Company, home to Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, and Wet Leg, alongside Drag City, Ninja Tune, and independent artists who record and tour entirely on their own terms. Every track was chosen by hand, built to hold up across hundreds of hours of driving.

Game Radio Feature

Game Radio will expand the existing audio experience alongside the current Radio Stream (Online Radio) and Music Player systems, while also bringing a variety of improvements to music selection, user experience, and overall interaction with the in-game audio players.

In-game Widget

While driving, the Audio Player widget will appear above the navigation interface and display detailed playback information, including:

• Unique station name and icon

• Current song title

• Artist name

• Animated audio wave visualization

• Favorite station indicator

Players will also be able to customize the behavior of the widget through the Widget Options menu (F6), allowing them to tailor how and when radio information appears during gameplay.

Support for Community-Created Stations

We are also excited to support creative possibilities for our modding community. Players will be able to create their own custom radio stations featuring their own music and share them with the community for playback, just like any other mods.

Game Radio has been designed to become part of the driving experience itself. Different stations can completely change the atmosphere of your journey, whether you are hauling cargo through dense urban traffic, crossing remote deserts, or enjoying scenic roads across Europe and North America.

This feature also brings improvements to the existing music and radio systems, creating a more seamless listening experience while driving.

We are incredibly excited to finally begin sharing more about Game Radio with our community, and we look forward to hearing which station becomes your favorite once 1.60 arrives. The stations you hear at launch are the foundation. Music comes first, and there is plenty more we want to build on top of it in the future!

Be sure to follow us on X/Twitter, Facebook[www.facebook.com], Instagram[www.instagram.com], Bluesky[bsky.app], and YouTube for all the latest updates. Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter[www.scssoft.com] as well! See you out on the road, and until next time, keep on truckin’.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/270880/American_Truck_Simulator/