Credit: SCS Software
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American Truck Simulator Is Heading to North Dakota
August 3, 2026·4 min read
North Dakota may not be the first state people picture for a dramatic road trip, but its long highways, farmland, oil fields, and roadside landmarks fit American Truck Simulator well. SCS Software's latest map expansion is taking the game deeper into the Northern Plains, where you can enjoy quieter roads and a more peaceful drive.
The DLC will include Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, and Williston, along with smaller stops near Theodore Roosevelt National Park. A release date and price have not been announced, so the reveal remains an early look at how the state will expand the northern side of the map.
Eastern North Dakota will lean on farmland, rural towns, and the wide roads that connect them. Interstate 29 runs north through Fargo and Grand Forks, while Interstate 94 crosses the state from east to west. Those routes give long-distance jobs a clear backbone before smaller highways pull drivers toward farms, depots, and roadside stops.
The scenery becomes rougher in the west, where the Badlands and Missouri River break up the flat horizon. Medora is confirmed as a smaller destination near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, giving the map a scenic corner away from the larger cities. That contrast should help the state avoid feeling like one long stretch of prairie.
SCS is also filling the route with landmarks that suit the game's slower pace. Drivers can pass the World's Largest Buffalo in Jamestown, the Enchanted Highway sculptures, Four Bears Bridge near New Town, Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot, and the state capitol in Bismarck. These details make a familiar highway feel tied to one place.
Farming will provide much of the work across the eastern and central parts of the state. Grain, machinery, and other agricultural cargo fit North Dakota's rural economy, while larger cities can support deliveries linked to processing, storage, and manufacturing. The full cargo list is still unknown, but the setting gives SCS plenty of practical jobs.
Western North Dakota should offer a different rhythm once routes reach Williston and the state's oil country. Heavy equipment, industrial supplies, and energy-related freight could make those drives feel more demanding than a run between farms. SCS has confirmed oil and energy production, but it has not named the companies or depots involved.
The strongest version of this DLC will connect those industries to the roads instead of hiding them behind similar delivery yards. Long approaches through open land, changing weather, active work sites, and regional cargo can give each route its own character. North Dakota does not need constant spectacle if the freight makes players notice where they are.
North Dakota will connect directly with the existing Montana expansion, opening more eastbound routes along the top of the map. The future South Dakota DLC can later extend those journeys south, creating a wider Northern Plains network instead of leaving Montana at the end of several long routes.
SCS is developing several map expansions at once, including South Dakota, Indiana, and British Columbia, so North Dakota is not guaranteed to arrive next. The studio has not confirmed a release order, and the Steam page has no launch window. Players should treat the announcement as a first look rather than a sign that release is close.
The next useful update needs to show more of the road network, freight companies, and smaller towns between the headline cities. North Dakota's appeal depends on making quiet places feel worth the drive, and the first proper gameplay footage should show whether those long highways have enough local detail to stay memorable.
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American Truck Simulator puts you in the seat of a driver for hire entering the local freight market, making you work your way up to become an owner-operator, and go on to create one of the largest transportation companies in the United States.
Released
February 2, 2016
Developer
SCS Software
Publisher
SCS Software
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