HOLYMOD
Guide · ATS

Best ATS mods for 1.61: guide by category

The best ATS mods for 1.61: maps, trucks, trailers, weather, traffic, sound and physics, with version, price, DLC and the conflicts to avoid.

Updated: 24 Oct 2026

The best ATS mods for 1.61 are Coast to Coast to complete the US map, Real Traffic Density for traffic, one of Grimes’ seasons such as New Summer for weather, Better Flares for nighttime lighting and Peterbilt 389 Rework to upgrade a stock truck. All five are free and have a 1.61 version. From there, add trucks, trailers and sound depending on how you play.

They all come from Holymod’s ATS mod pages and are downloaded from the official source (Steam Workshop, the SCS forum or the author’s website). The ones stuck on 1.58, 1.59 or 1.60 are grouped together at the end.

Quick overview

Before you install: version, DLC, profile and load order

  • Version 1.61. A mod built for 1.60 may work, throw errors or stop your save from loading. You’ll find the list of what already works in mods compatible with ATS 1.61.
  • DLC. The big maps require the official state DLCs; the trucks, sound, physics and almost all the traffic mods on this list don’t. The exception is Urban Traffic Overhaul, whose author believes you need all the map DLCs. Check what you own in the ATS DLC guide.
  • Test profile. Copy your profile or create a new one before trying big mods. Some affect your save: Clean Traffic No Default SCS Trailers cancels your current job when you enable it, and with Real Eaton Fuller Transmissions it’s best to switch back to stock transmissions before updating or removing it.
  • Load order. In the Mod Manager, whatever is on top takes priority. Sound Fixes Pack needs to be high up. Smarty’s Wheel Pack goes above the trucks it assigns wheels to. Trailer mods go above Clean Traffic. GTM Fixes always goes above the Kenworth T800.

If it’s your first time, follow how to install mods in ATS step by step.

Maps: the essentials

A brief summary; the full selection, with DLC, dependencies and combos, is in the best ATS maps guide.

  • Coast to Coast (2.24.61.1, ATS 1.61): fills in the rest of the continental United States up to the East Coast. It requires all the map DLCs.
  • Reforma (3.0.1.161): Mexico. It needs many map DLCs and the Reforma Mega Resources pack, sold separately. More in ATS in Mexico.
  • Western Canada Expansion (1.7.3, ATS 1.61): western Canada. It requires all the map DLCs.
  • ProMods Canada (1.6.4, ATS 1.61): British Columbia with ProMods-level detail. It only asks for Oregon and Washington.
  • ATS Expansion (23.0, ATS 1.61): more than 200 destinations on the official map. It isn’t compatible with Coast to Coast.

Trucks

Project 3XX

A single mod with six nineties Peterbilt hoods: 330, 357, 377, 377 SFFA, 379 and EXHD. Free, compatible with SiSL’s accessories and, according to the author, works from 1.57 to 1.61 (version 2.148).

Peterbilt 389 Rework

It doesn’t add a truck: it rebuilds the game’s Peterbilt 389 with grilles, bumpers, side skirts, new sounds and eight interiors, no DLC needed. Compatible from 1.58 to 1.61. Since it replaces the original 389, it may conflict with other mods for the same truck, and with the custom grille the low and high beams come out swapped.

Kenworth T660

The conventional truck sold in Mexico until 2017, by JorgeGamer44444. Version 11.0 (September 23, 2026) adds 1.61. This is the free version: a single cab and factory accessories.

International HX520 2022

Harven’s heavy-duty work truck: three cabs, six chassis lengths and Cummins X15 engines only. Up to date for 1.61. It weighs about 673 MB.

Mack R Series

The late-seventies Mack R, with an R600 hood and a day cab as its only configuration. Updated for 1.61. You buy it at the Kenworth dealer, and it isn’t compatible with TruckersMP.

GTM Kenworth T800

One of the most common trucks in Mexico. The base mod has been abandoned since 2020: on 1.61 you also need GTM Fixes, placed above it, or you’ll get blinding headlights and weird reflections.

Freightshaker Classic XL (paid)

Jon Ruda’s replica of the Freightliner Classic XL, with 10 cabs, 8 chassis, an animated interior and 6- to 18-speed transmissions. It costs $35 on the author’s website and updates are downloaded manually. Version 10.10 works from 1.58 to 1.61.

To round out your trucks, Smarty’s Wheel Pack (1.10.4, released after 1.61 came out) adds real-brand rims and tires and fixes invisible rims caused by other mods. The author doesn’t list the exact game version.

Trailers and cargo

  • Traffic Trailer Mega Pack (ATS 1.61): about 500 trailers with real company logos, in traffic and on the freight market. It weighs more than 1 GB; don’t keep the same author’s individual packs enabled at the same time.
  • Trail King Schnabel (updated on October 2, 2026 for 1.61): a Schnabel trailer for huge parts. When configuring it, you sometimes have to pick the invisible axle. It weighs almost 800 MB.
  • Military Cargo Pack by Jazzycat (1.6.5, ATS 1.61): 22 military cargoes on the freight market, about 50 MB. If you don’t see the cargo, check its order relative to other packs.
  • USA Trailer Pack by Jon Ruda (9.5, from 1.58 to 1.61): six highly detailed ownable trailers. It’s paid, $35.

Graphics and weather

Grimes’ seasons

Grimes has a collection of seasons for ATS, all with a 1.61 version: Frosty Winter (6.1, snow), Spring (4.5), New Summer (4.5), Early Autumn (4.6) and Late Autumn/Mild Winter (5.4, winter without snow). Use only one at a time and disable any other weather, graphics or HDR mod. The free download goes through ShareMods, with ads; Grimes sells a direct download of Frosty Winter with all its add-ons for 1 dollar.

Realistic Brutal Graphics And Weather

HDR weather and lighting, rain with more than ten intensities, fog and new skies. It also changes physics, headlights, traffic lights and traffic, so it may conflict with other mods. The mod page lists version 11.2 (September 27) but doesn’t give the game version: confirm it on the author’s website before installing. View mod page.

Realistic Weather System

Rain and storms with ten intensities and a probability based on the area, using real summer climate data. Version 3.0 is for 1.61. It isn’t compatible with graphics, weather or rain mods, including Grimes’ seasons. View mod page.

Realistic Rain

It only improves the rain: droplets, spray, dynamic sound and about 20 thunderclaps. 5.2.1 is compatible from 1.54 to 1.61. It requires DirectX 11 and goes above weather and graphics mods. View mod page.

Lights: Better Flares or Realistic Vehicle Lights

Better Flares (4.8) redoes the halos and the headlight beams, and it’s modular: you enable only what you want. Its traffic add-on needs Sound Fixes Pack. Realistic Vehicle Lights (7.7) extends how far away lights are visible and is Convoy-compatible according to the author. Both work on 1.61, but they both change the flares: pick one.

Real MX Graphics

More faithful textures and colors on the Reforma-based Mexico maps. The free version 1.5 is marked for 1.61 and has to go above the maps. Outside those maps it’s barely noticeable. View mod page.

Traffic

Real Traffic Density

It raises density sensibly: more cars at rush hour and fewer in the early morning, based on road type and city size. It takes up less than 6 MB and works with the base map, the DLCs and traffic packs. Leave g_traffic at 1. View mod page.

Brutal Traffic

It doesn’t add vehicles: it changes how the AI behaves. You get traffic jams, accidents, different density by day and night, and more cautious AI at intersections. 8.4 is for 1.61. The jams can delay deliveries with tight deadlines. View mod page.

Other traffic mods

  • More AI Traffic (1.6.1, ATS 1.61): more density and higher speed limits. Convoy-compatible according to the author. Don’t combine it with another density mod.
  • Urban Traffic Overhaul (v25, September 25, 2026): fills the big cities and leaves everywhere else with stock traffic. The thread doesn’t list the game version.
  • Mr Larrington’s Traffic and Trailer Pack (1.61.0): double and triple trailers in traffic, with modules per DLC. Follow the order in the instructions file.
  • Bus Traffic Pack by Jazzycat (1.4.26, ATS 1.61): buses in traffic. They’re not drivable.
  • Clean Traffic No Default SCS Trailers (2.1, ATS 1.61): removes the default trailers from traffic so the ones from your packs show up. It’s useless without an active trailer pack.

Sound

Sound Fixes Pack

ATS’s most veteran sound mod: road noise based on the surface, rain, railroad crossings, traffic engines and horns, sirens and GPS voices. It doesn’t touch your truck’s engine, works in Convoy as an optional mod and needs to be high in the load order. The mod page lists version 26.67, but doesn’t give the game version. View mod page.

Realistic Rain & Water & Thunder Sounds

More than 40 thunderclaps, different inside and outside the cab, and dynamic lightning. 10.1 is for 1.61. It can clash with other rain mods. View mod page.

Slav Jerry’s engine sounds haven’t reached 1.61 yet: they’re in the pending list.

Physics and driving

Real Eaton Fuller Transmissions replaces the generic transmissions with 30 real Eaton Fuller models, manual and automated, with 1,800 combinations. It works with the 17 stock trucks and many modded ones. It’s optional in Convoy. Version 26.1.11 is from January 2026 and the author says it’s compatible with 1.50 and later, without mentioning 1.61. Before updating or removing it, put stock transmissions on your trucks.

Tools

  • ATS Elog (ELD) (1.0.6.3, October 10, 2026): logs driving, on-duty and rest hours, with a web interface and an experimental Android app. It’s in beta, Windows only, and installs to bin/win_x64, not as a .scs. The author doesn’t list the game version.
  • Carsmaniac’s truck and trailer templates: PSD and PNG files for every truck and trailer so you can create your own paint jobs. Complete up to 1.59; almost 1 GB.

Recommended combos and conflicts

Combos that work

  • Full traffic: Real Traffic Density or Brutal Traffic, plus Traffic Trailer Mega Pack and, below it, Clean Traffic No Default SCS Trailers. The Real Traffic Density author recommends adding a traffic pack, and Brutal Traffic works with any pack because it doesn’t replace models.
  • Weather and sound: one of Grimes’ seasons with Sound Fixes Pack. Grimes confirmed in June 2026 that sound mods can be used without issues.
  • Lights and sound: Better Flares with its traffic add-on needs Sound Fixes Pack; without it, no traffic shows up.
  • Mexico: Reforma, Real MX Graphics above the map and the Kenworth T660 or the T800 with GTM Fixes.
  • Classics: Smarty’s trucks with Real Eaton Fuller Transmissions, which has supported them since January 2026.

Conflicts to avoid

  • Two weather mods at once. Grimes’ seasons, Realistic Brutal Graphics And Weather and Realistic Weather System can’t be combined with each other. Realistic Rain goes above weather mods, but Realistic Weather System doesn’t support rain mods.
  • Two flare mods. Better Flares and Realistic Vehicle Lights change the same files; only the one higher up takes effect.
  • Two density mods. More AI Traffic, Real Traffic Density and Brutal Traffic change the same things. Pick one.
  • Two mods for the same truck. Peterbilt 389 Rework replaces the stock 389 and may conflict with others that also modify it.
  • Incompatible maps. ATS Expansion doesn’t work with Coast to Coast. The details for each map are in the maps guide.

Still waiting for a 1.61 update

These mods are worth it, but their mod page doesn’t confirm 1.61. Test them in a separate profile or wait for their author’s update.

How to install them

Steam Workshop mods are installed by subscribing. The rest go in the mod folder inside Documents/American Truck Simulator and are enabled in the Mod Manager. Several official downloads go through ad-supported file hosts (ShareMods, Modsfire or MediaFire): only click the file’s download button. You’ll find it step by step in the guide to installing mods in ATS.

Frequently asked questions

Which ATS mods should I install first?

Real Traffic Density, Better Flares and one of Grimes’ seasons: they don’t require DLC. With the map DLCs, move on to Coast to Coast or Reforma.

Do I need DLC to use these mods?

For the trucks, trailers, sound and physics on this list, no. The maps do: Coast to Coast and Western Canada Expansion require all the map DLCs, Reforma requires many, and ProMods Canada requires Oregon and Washington. Urban Traffic Overhaul probably requires all of them too.

Can I use them in multiplayer?

Only when the mod page says so. Sound Fixes Pack and Real Eaton Fuller Transmissions work in Convoy as optional mods, and Realistic Vehicle Lights and More AI Traffic are declared Convoy-compatible. The Mack R Series isn’t compatible with TruckersMP. For the rest, the mod page doesn’t confirm it.

Are there paid mods on the list?

Yes, two: Freightshaker Classic XL and USA Trailer Pack, $35 each on Jon Ruda’s website. Grimes’ seasons and Reforma are free with optional paid extras. Be wary of any website offering a paid mod for free.