We are excited that the 1.59 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is now officially released and available on Steam! We hope you will enjoy all the new features, which you can read about in more detail below.
As always, we would like to thank everyone who took part in the open beta phase and reported possible issues or any kind of feedback on our forum, as it helped us fine-tune everything for a smooth transition to the full update!
Benelux Rework Release
We are happy to reveal that the long-awaited Benelux Rework project is released with this update! Our assets and map designers have completely rebuilt the whole original map of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg from scratch, delivering a richer, more detailed experience.
Truckers can explore a wide range of revamped major cities and their surroundings, including Amsterdam, Groningen, Rotterdam, Brussels, Liège, and Luxembourg City. Each location has been carefully redesigned to highlight its unique character with plenty of landmarks and details!
You can also look forward to hauling cargo through entirely new locations. These include Antwerp, home to one of Europe's largest container ports; the DAF Trucks facility in Eindhoven, which has been recreated with remarkable detail in close cooperation with our partners at DAF Trucks; as well as key transport corridors - the busy E40 and A2 motorway.
You'll be able to drive from the beautiful hilly landscapes of the Belgian Ardennes to the flat polders and picturesque coastal roads in the northern Netherlands - the reworked Benelux offers a diverse and varied environment that truly reflects the region's look and feel.
Whether you're cruising through dense city centers, navigating busy highways, or discovering scenic country routes, the Benelux region now offers a far more immersive and authentic journey. You can see more from what is coming in our already released blogs on this topic.
Volvo Trucks Experience Center
In partnership with our friends at Volvo Trucks, we are adding the renowned Volvo Trucks Experience Center, situated in Gothenburg, Sweden, to the map, where you can test your trucking skills.
The center's standout feature is its dedicated driving circuit, which incorporates sweeping bends, tighter technical corners, elevation changes, downhill stretches, and varied road layouts. This allows drivers to assess vehicle behaviour in a controlled environment, highlighting stability, braking precision, handling characteristics, and overall driving comfort in ways that go beyond everyday road conditions.
The Volvo Trucks Experience Center has been recreated almost entirely on a 1:1 scale in our map with a strong attention to detail. You can drive the full circuit and explore the surrounding areas of the facility.
To find this amazing facility, you need to venture around the roads near Gothenburg to discover an entrance that will initially not be shown on your GPS. And remember, since it is located in Sweden, you need the Scandinavia DLC to be able to visit it. You can read more about this addition here.
Thermo King Update
Thermo King, a global leader in transport temperature control, is coming to Euro Truck Simulator 2 with their trailer refrigeration units! These replace all the unbranded units we had on our base game and DLC reefer trailers so far. This adds an extra touch of realism when you are hauling temperature-sensitive cargo and spot a famous real-world brand on your trailer.
With this update, you can see the Thermo King A-360, A-400, A-500, SLXi-300, and SLXi-400 refrigeration units on the front of your single trailers, which deliver a range of trailer refrigeration performance to suit different transport needs. On top of that, we also added the UT-1400R unit, designed for double-trailer configurations and mounted beneath the trailer. Find out more about this update here.
Advisor Update - Finances & Damage Widgets
We've been closely listening to feedback from our community, and one of the most common points raised in the new route advisor was that many players missed having quick access to information on vehicle damage and finances. While our teams are actively working on the next steps in our broader vision for a redesigned UI in this area, we didn't want to make you wait until that work is complete. Instead, we've prioritized implementing some of the most frequently requested improvements as soon as possible.
Based on that, we've implemented the Damage and Finances widgets. These widgets are designed to restore easy access to information about truck damage, plus trailer and cargo damage, if you are currently driving with a trailer and cargo, as well as your current bank balance, with an average profit over the last seven days displayed too.
These widgets can be turned on and off in the Widget Settings Menu, and if enabled, they will be displayed in the bottom right corner above your GPS.
Tow to Road
The Tow to Road feature was designed to improve the overall quality of life for players by reducing frustrating situations during gameplay. It allows drivers to quickly recover if their truck overturns or gets stuck in a ditch or uneven terrain. It also helps prevent disruptions in multiplayer sessions, enabling players to continue with their convoy when they find themselves stuck, without the need to be towed to a service location, which could cause unnecessary delays.
So when you are in a difficult situation, you can simply find the new "Tow to Road" button under the Service menu (set to F7 by default). After paying a small fee for the towing service, you will be transported to your last safe location on the road. You can read more about this feature here.
Skills UX Redesign
The Skill Screen has received a visual rework while remaining in its original place within the interface. This update focuses on improving clarity and overall user experience without changing its core functionality.
You can now view both your current skill level and the next step in its progression. Tooltips also allow you to explore other ranks within each skill. Selecting a skill provides improved readability and clearer visual feedback, including a better indication of how many steps remain in that skill's progression path.
Each skill is represented as a clickable button, making it easy to access more detailed information. The redesign also improves navigation when using a controller.
QoL UI/UX Changes
We're continuing to refine the overall user experience with updates focused on readability, clarity, and smoother controller navigation.
The in-game news banner has received a visual refresh to better align with our newer UI style while improving readability. When hovering over a news item, a tooltip will now display a longer excerpt along with a clear call to action. Deactivated news items now feature a clearer status indicator, which also doubles as an activation button.
We're making navigation on the world map more intuitive for controller users. A new "undo last pin" feature has been added, along with remapped controls for adding, removing, setting avoid areas, and resetting pins.
Save handling has also been improved, with new saves now using the standard save icon instead of a black screenshot and overwriting clearly labeled as "Overwrite". Garage upgrade cutscenes can now be skipped more consistently using the (B) button, and the controller navigation has been further refined with improved D-pad accessibility across UI.
Traffic Sound Rework
We've also made some adjustments to traffic audio as part of this update. Sounds have been softened and rebalanced to better match real-world perception, with less emphasis on distant engine noise and more on the subtle "road hiss" of tires. Honking behavior has also been slightly randomized to reduce repetition. Overall, traffic should now feel less intrusive and better integrated into the ambient soundscape.
Height Blend Improvements
We've also made a few improvements to the Height Blend feature. Derived normal maps can now be enabled to help conserve GPU memory, and we've also addressed several graphical issues to ensure more consistent, visually accurate results.
Detour Feature Maintenance
We've decided to temporarily disable the detour feature to focus on maintenance and further development. We've received numerous reports of Detours not functioning as intended, and the current system no longer meets our needs.
As a result, we'll be shutting down detours while we work on improving and upgrading the feature in the background to make it more stable and reliable. Please note that this change only affects detours - random road events will continue to be available in the game.
Changelog
Map
- Benelux Rework Release
- Volvo Trucks Experience Center
Vehicles
- Thermo King Update
- Tow to Road Feature
UI/UX
- Advisor Update - Finances & Damage Widgets
- Skills UX Redesign
- QoL UI/UX Changes
- Improved News Banner Readability
- World Map Pin Enhancements
- Save Icon Update
- Garage Cutscene Skipping
- D-pad Accessibility Improvements
Visuals
- Height Blend Improvements
Sounds
- Traffic Sound Rework
- Detour Feature Maintenance
source http://blog.scssoft.com/2026/05/euro-truck-simulator-2-159-update.html
