Better Flares for American Truck Simulator
Reworks headlight flares and beams in ATS, with six light colors for 100+ mod trucks, traffic with varied headlights and dimmed streetlights. Free, for 1.61.
Download Better Flares
More screenshots on forum.scssoft.com ↗
What this mod does
Better Flares changes how lights look in American Truck Simulator, especially at night. It replaces the flares (the halos around each light) with more natural ones and reworks the pattern the headlights cast on the road.
What’s included
- Base file: completely new flares for headlights, taillights and turn signals.
- Headlights addon: realistic headlight patterns in six colors, compatible with up to 140 mod trucks.
- Traffic addon: SCS traffic with nine headlight tints and two brake light variants.
- City Lights addon: dimmed streetlights and, since 4.8, new flare textures for street lighting.
Who it’s for
For anyone who drives a lot at night and finds the game’s halos exaggerated or unrealistic. You can use only the modules you’re interested in.
Version
Version 4.8 (September 23, 2026) is ready for ATS 1.61: it reworks the headlight beams, shrinks almost all flares and improves compatibility with Sound Fixes Pack. Heads up: the Traffic addon needs Sound Fixes Pack; without it, no traffic shows up.
Holyfix Check
Will it work with your mods?
Load your game.log.txt and check whether this mod is for your ATS version, whether you're missing a mod or DLC it needs and where to place it.
It's in Documents › American Truck Simulator › game.log.txt. It's read in your browser: the file is never uploaded.
Something else failing? Holyfix for ATS checks all your mods at once.
User rating
Highlights and things to keep in mind
- More natural night lighting without changing the weather or sky
- Modular: you enable only what you want
- The author marks version 4.8 for ATS 1.61
- The Traffic addon depends on Sound Fixes Pack
- Installed by extracting an archive, not as a single .scs
- Reuploading it to other sites is prohibited
Requirements
- American Truck Simulator 1.61
- Sound Fixes Pack if you use the Traffic addon
- No DLC required
How to install it
- Open the official Better Flares for ATS thread on the SCS forum (or its TruckyMods page) and download version 4.8.
- Extract the archive to Documents/American Truck Simulator/mod.
- If you're going to use the Traffic addon, install Sound Fixes Pack too.
- Launch the game and enable the base file and the addons you want in the Mod Manager.
- Test it at night: you should see smaller halos and a different headlight pattern.
Version history
-
4.823 Sep 2026Current
New headlight beams, smaller flares, new streetlight textures and better compatibility with Sound Fixes Pack
-
4.6.6 v226 May 2026
Fixed traffic textures and headlight support for more modern trucks
-
4.6.68 Apr 2026
Fog flare texture on streetlights is back, plus better DOT headlights
Common problems
Why is there no traffic after installing it?
The Traffic addon needs Sound Fixes Pack. Install it or disable that addon.
Does it work with mod trucks?
Yes, the Headlights addon supports up to 140 mod trucks in addition to the SCS ones.
Do I have to use all the addons?
No. The base file works on its own; the headlight, traffic and streetlight addons are optional.
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