Euro Truck Simulator

Euro Truck Simulator is a long-haul trucking simulator from SCS Software in which the player, as a truck driver, hauls freight between European cities, earns money, buys new trucks and gradually builds up their own trucking company with hired drivers. The game focuses on calm, realistic driving along highways and roads, with the player having to monitor driver fatigue, vehicle condition, fuel and traffic regulations, and deliver cargo on time to maintain a good reputation with clients and be able to accept more lucrative and demanding routes.

On PC, the game offered a simplified but fairly faithful map of Western Europe with recognizable cities and a road network, accompanied by models of several truck brands that the player could gradually buy and customize. The soundtrack consists mainly of ambient radio and engine noise, underscoring the meditative, calming pace of play without the time pressure typical of racing games, and the driving itself feels more relaxing than adrenaline-fueled, which won the game players who otherwise don't seek out racing or action games at all. Euro Truck Simulator was SCS Software's first major entry into the truck simulator genre after previously making similar games focused on other regions and smaller budgets, and so it focused on a simpler, more accessible driving model than harder-edged, competing professional simulators.

The game laid the foundations for a successful series and a style that SCS Software later developed into a much more expansive sequel with a more elaborate driving model and a larger map. Even years later, Euro Truck Simulator is seen as a pioneering title that showed how even a seemingly unexciting activity like driving a truck can, in game form, be engaging, relaxing and surprisingly addictive, even for players who otherwise have no interest in real trucks.

Why play it: Thanks to its pioneering standing, it's worth trying even today - the game showed that driving a truck can, in game form, be engaging and relaxing even for players with no interest in real trucks.