More than three million downloads: These four ATS mods dominate the Steam Workshop!

For many players, the Steam Workshop is the easiest way to expand American Truck Simulator. A mod is subscribed to, downloaded automatically and then activated through the Mod Manager. The four extensions that have reached the most players over the years are especially interesting: none of them expands the road network. Instead, they improve the existing world in areas that can be seen or heard during almost every journey.

With 907,171 downloads, SiSL’s Mega Pack takes first place in the supplied figures. The mod adds more than 400 objects to ATS truck cabins. These include male and female co-drivers, bobbleheads, food, drinks, electronic devices, computers, tablets, scarves, air fresheners and numerous toys. Individual objects such as picture frames, mugs and national flags can also be personalised with custom designs.

Its success can mainly be explained by the importance of the cabin. We spend almost the entire game there. A drink beside the seat, a figure on the dashboard or a personal photograph changes neither the performance nor handling of the truck, but it turns a standard interior into an individual workplace. The mod supports vehicles from manufacturers including Freightliner, International, Kenworth, Mack, Peterbilt, Volvo and Western Star.

Only 17,814 downloads behind it is Real Companies, Gas Stations & Billboards. With 889,357 downloads, the mod comes surprisingly close to first place. Its scope is much larger than simply replacing a few fuel station logos: fictional companies, advertisements and other parts of the world are replaced with familiar real brands or realistically designed alternatives.

The mod changes deliverable companies, fuel station brands, high-resolution trailer skins, fast-food restaurants, shops, hotels and motels. It also includes aircraft liveries, company vans, road-service signs, containers and several smaller objects. The intention is to make journeys through ATS feel more like travelling through the real United States. Instead of delivering exclusively to fictional businesses, we see familiar company names and advertising along the highways.

This can make a major difference during long journeys. Fuel stations, advertisements and logistics centres are constantly visible. Replacing them with real brands makes the environment feel more familiar without changing the roads, traffic rules or contracts. According to the Workshop description, however, the mod must be placed above map mods and other extensions affecting logos, textures or traffic skins. Other mods for real companies, fuel stations or billboards may cause conflicts.

Third place belongs to the Realistic Vehicle Lights Mod by Frkn64, with 657,656 downloads. It reworks the behaviour and appearance of headlights, taillights, indicators and other vehicle lighting. The mod uses custom high-resolution light flares, adjusted visibility distances and enhanced reflections on vehicles and the surrounding environment. The changes apply not only to the player’s truck, but also to AI traffic and several illuminated objects throughout the world.

The difference should be most noticeable at night. Lights are intended to remain visible from longer but still balanced distances and look less like static graphics placed over vehicles. Reflections give the environment greater depth, while indicators and taillights can be recognised more clearly in traffic. The mod does not alter driving physics or the economic gameplay system.

With 604,659 downloads, the Sound Fixes Pack by Drive Safely takes fourth place. The package has been developed for more than ten years and combines numerous audio changes inside one mod. It reworks suspension and tyre sounds, fuel stations, trains, railway crossings, rain, thunder, wet roads, police sirens, air brakes and AI traffic.

Tyres receive different sounds for asphalt, gravel, grass, snow and other surfaces. Reverb becomes stronger beneath bridges, open windows allow wind noise into the cabin, and coupling or uncoupling a trailer receives a longer sequence of effects. ATS-specific features also include working sounds for the Musical Road on Historic Route 66 and optional police scouting reports through the CB radio.

According to the developer, the Sound Fixes Pack does not replace the individual engine sounds of the player’s truck. It can therefore generally be combined with additional engine sound mods. It supports single-player and Convoy, where it is marked as an optional mod. However, it requires higher Mod Manager priority than rain, AI traffic and map mods.

Together, the four extensions have 3,058,843 downloads or subscriptions in the supplied figures. This does not automatically represent more than three million different players, because one person can subscribe to all four mods. Their combined reach nevertheless demonstrates which aspects matter particularly strongly to the ATS community.

It is especially notable that none of the four mods adds another state or a completely new truck. SiSL makes the cabin more personal, Real Companies changes the visible brand world, Frkn64 improves night driving and Drive Safely fills the world with additional sounds. The largest ATS mods do not necessarily build more content – they make the existing thousands of kilometres more believable.

Players should still check the currently supported game version before installation. The Real Companies Workshop page currently lists ATS 1.47 to 1.60, while the Realistic Vehicle Lights Mod is labelled for ATS 1.60. The Sound Fixes Pack already lists support for ATS 1.60.1 and the experimental 1.61.700 build. SiSL’s Mega Pack was last updated on its Workshop page in December 2023. Popularity alone therefore does not guarantee that every mod will immediately work without issues following each ATS update.

Even so, the four mods can essentially be viewed as a complete realism package. The cabin receives more personality, companies and fuel stations look more familiar, the lights become more believable and the complete journey sounds more alive. That is precisely why these mods are not restricted to one particular state – we notice them during almost every kilometre of American Truck Simulator.

Which of these four major Workshop mods is essential to your American Truck Simulator installation?