American Truck Simulator Is Now a True Road Trip Game—Is Forza Horizon Being Dethroned?

For racing game fans, Forza Horizon has long been the go-to title for exploring virtual destinations. However, a new DLC for American Truck Simulator (ATS) could challenge that dominance by offering a more authentic road trip experience. The DLC, called Road Trip, lets players drive personal cars and explore tourist spots across the United States, complete with a massive-scale map and a realistic day-night cycle.

ATS has long been known as a serious truck simulation, in which players haul cargo from one factory to another. But the Road Trip DLC adds passenger vehicles and a Tourist Board—a kind of tourist information board that provides a list of attractions to visit. Currently, several Ford cars are available, such as the F-150, Bronco, Mustang Fastback 1967, and Crown Victoria 1998, with Dodge and Ram packs to follow. The ATS map itself covers 21 states, and players can start a journey from any of seven scattered Tourist Boards, for example in Northern California leading to Lake Tahoe, Eldorado National Forest, and Yosemite National Park.

Unlike Forza Horizon, which offers a compact, action-packed map, ATS prioritizes realism. The map scale is around 1:20, so a trip from Las Vegas to Flagstaff, Arizona, for example, takes about an hour in-game—enough to feel the changing landscape and the shift from day to night. Players must also manage rest and fuel, creating a more relaxed yet deeper travel rhythm. "It's like a giant scale model of the real world," the author of the original article said, noting that they had mapped road trip routes in every Forza Horizon installment.

Even so, ATS is not without flaws. Passenger cars do feel less fun than trucks, and the road network focuses more on interstate routes than on scenic winding roads. Still, for those craving an immersive virtual road trip experience, this DLC offers its own appeal. Developer SCS Software continues to expand the map eastward, with Illinois and Louisiana as the latest frontier after ten years of development.

For the simulation game industry, SCS Software's move shows that demand for deep, unhurried virtual experiences keeps growing. In a market dominated by arcade racing games like Forza Horizon, ATS offers an alternative for players who want to explore without competitive pressure. This aligns with the increasingly popular "slow gaming" trend, in which players value exploration and immersion over fast action.

In Indonesia itself, simulation games like ATS have a fairly loyal fan base, especially among modding and streaming communities. The arrival of the Road Trip DLC could broaden the game's appeal, not only for truck enthusiasts but also for those craving a virtual vacation amid their busy lives. With an affordable DLC price, a cross-state road trip experience can be an entertaining escape.

Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see whether SCS Software expands the Road Trip feature to Euro Truck Simulator 2 or even brings destinations outside the United States. Meanwhile, Forza Horizon may need to innovate so it does not lose its title as the king of virtual road trips. What do you think? Is ATS now worthy of that title?