As of November 9, 2026, the most complete graphics mods for American Truck Simulator 1.61 are free: Kass’s Realistic Brutal Graphics and Weather for weather and lighting, dirceu junior’s Weather 3.9 4K for skies, and Allan’s All-In-One Graphics Fidelity if you want everything in one 6.5 GB pack. For winter, Grimes’s Frosty Winter Weather Mod covers ATS in snow. Here they are by what they change, with version, size and how to combine them.
Summary: the best ATS graphics mods for 1.61
| Mod | What it changes | Game version | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Realistic Brutal Graphics and Weather | Weather, light, fog and water | 1.61 | — |
| Weather 3.9 4K | 4096×1024 skies and weather | 1.60 and 1.61 | 2.56 GB |
| Allan’s All-In-One Graphics Fidelity | Sky, light and weather in one pack | 1.61 | 6.54 GB |
| Realistic Graphics Mod (TGMODZ) | Skies, rain, fog and reflections | 1.60 | 22.1 GB |
| Improved Lighting (TGModz) | Lighting without touching skies | 1.61 | 4.1 MB |
| Frosty Winter Weather Mod | Winter with snow | 1.61 | — |
| Tree Improved 4K | 4K trees and bushes | 1.60 and 1.61 | 4.76 GB |
| Realistic Rain | Rain on glass and tyres | 1.54 to 1.61 | 42.9 MB |
| Better Headlights | Rebuilt headlights | 1.61 | 2.44 MB |
All are free and none needs a DLC. Grimes’s mods also offer a $1 ad-free download, but you don’t have to pay.
Weather and skies
Realistic Brutal Graphics and Weather is the ATS edition of Kass’s mod: rain with more than ten intensities, storms, fog, new HDR and improved water, on version 11.2 for 1.61. dirceu junior’s Weather 3.9 4K brings 4096×1024 skies and new weather types; its latest version is 30% smaller and works with every map. Lionv8’s Realistic Weather System spreads rain according to real climate data for each region, with ten intensities.
All-in-one packs
Allan’s All-In-One Graphics Fidelity bundles 73 16K HDR skies, sunrises and sunsets, lightning storms and windshield rain in 6.5 GB, updated on October 12, 2026. TGMODZ’s Realistic Graphics Mod changes skies, rain, fog, reflections and storm sounds, but it takes 22 GB and its author lists 1.60. If you only want better lighting, TGModz’s Improved Lighting (4 MB) improves it without touching skies, though it can’t be combined with other lighting mods.
Winter and seasons
Grimes’s Frosty Winter Weather Mod turns ATS into permanent winter: snow instead of rain, icy vegetation and roads, snowy roofs and shorter days (version 6.1 for 1.61). For a winter without snow there’s Late Autumn/Mild Winter, and for the rest of the year Early Autumn, Spring and New Summer. Useful add-ons: Winter sounds, the snowflake add-on in Better Raindrops and Actual Day-/Night times, which sets sunrise and sunset to the real times every week.
Rain, vegetation and lights
- Darkcaptain’s Realistic Rain and Cold Rain: sharper drops, splashes and dynamic rain and thunder sounds.
- Denis’s Yet Another Rain Mod, with its Pure Rain and Particles add-ons: they only touch glass and splashes, so they coexist with weather mods.
- dirceu junior’s Tree Improved 4K and Grass 4.0 4K for vegetation (the grass isn’t compatible with Grimes’s seasons), and Improved Vegetation LOD to see detailed trees from further away.
- Headlights: Better Headlights, Real Good Headlights, Realistic Headlighting and Realistic Vehicle Lights; and to see map lights from afar, HDSRL.
- More realistic traffic colours: C.O.A.T and Real World Car Colors.
Compatibility and load order
- Only one sky, weather or season mod at a time: Brutal Graphics, Weather 3.9, Allan’s, TGMODZ’s mod and Grimes’s seasons overwrite each other.
- Glass rain, headlight and texture mods usually go above the weather mod in the mod manager.
- Check the mod page before mixing: Grass 4.0 says it’s not compatible with Fael Environment or Grimes’s seasons.
Step by step in ATS mod load order and, if something breaks, in why ATS mods are not working.
More ATS guides: realistic mods, trailer mods, best ATS mods and how to install ATS mods.
FAQ
What is the best graphics mod for ATS 1.61?
Realistic Brutal Graphics and Weather for the most complete weather overhaul, Weather 3.9 4K for better skies with little weight, and Allan’s All-In-One if you prefer a single pack.
Are there snow mods for American Truck Simulator?
Yes: Grimes’s Frosty Winter Weather Mod swaps rain for snow and adds a winter landscape. The normal game has no snow.
Can I combine several weather mods?
It’s not a good idea: two sky or weather mods overwrite each other. Combine one weather mod with glass rain, headlight or vegetation mods.
Are ATS graphics mods free?
All the ones in this guide are.