World of Trucks: Cruising South Dakota Event

SCS Software has announced the “Cruising South Dakota” event for World of Trucks, launching alongside the release of the South Dakota DLC for American Truck Simulator. Scheduled for Thursday, September 24, the initiative invites players to engage with the new map through a specific community-driven challenge. The event serves as a structured way for users to explore the newly added region while contributing to a shared milestone.

The core mechanic of the event is straightforward. Participants must haul cargo to or from any city within the South Dakota DLC. The collective goal for the community is to accumulate 150,000,000 miles (241,402,000 km) of driving distance. This type of cooperative objective aligns with previous “Cruising” events, where individual player actions aggregate toward a global target. The announcement emphasizes the community aspect, noting that the collective strength of the user base is expected to achieve the goal.

For individual players, there is a distinct personal challenge. The South Dakota DLC features 13 cities. To earn an exclusive reward, a player must deliver a job to or from all 13 of these locations. This requirement encourages thorough exploration of the map rather than focusing on a single route. The event imposes a specific constraint on job selection: all jobs counted toward the event must be at least 100 miles (161 km) long. This ensures that participants engage with the long-haul aspects of the simulation, traversing the varied terrain of the state.

The South Dakota map itself is highlighted for its diverse landscapes. The announcement describes the region as a place where vast prairies meet the rugged Black Hills and the Badlands. Key geographical features include long crossings over the Missouri River, which divides the rolling east from the rugged west of the state. The map includes specific points of interest that players can encounter during their routes. These include Mount Rushmore National Memorial, described as an iconic monument carved into a granite face in the Black Hills. Badlands National Park is also featured, noted for its dramatic maze of layered rock spires and buttes. Additionally, the map includes Deadwood, a historic gold rush town, and various Missouri River crossings.

The announcement provides context for the region’s history and natural significance. It notes that the Black Hills, known to the Lakota people as Paha Sapa, are considered sacred ground. The text also highlights Badlands National Park as preserving one of the richest fossil beds on Earth, referencing the discovery of SUE the T. rex. While these details provide atmospheric context for the simulation, the primary focus for players remains the driving mechanics and the event objectives.

Participation is flexible regarding vehicle configuration. As with past Cruising events, players can participate using their own trailer by selecting jobs from the External Market. This allows users to integrate the event into their existing gameplay setups without needing to use specific event-only vehicles or trailers. The event is accessible through the World of Trucks platform, which serves as the hub for such community challenges and rewards.

The timing of the event coincides with the release of the South Dakota DLC. This synchronization ensures that players have immediate access to the new content required for the challenge. The 100-mile minimum job length requirement necessitates that players plan their routes carefully to ensure they meet the distance threshold while still hitting the required city nodes for the personal reward. The collective 150 million mile goal provides a shared metric for the community, though individual progress is tracked for the personal reward.

The announcement does not specify a deadline for the event, only the start date of September 24. Players are encouraged to join by using the hashtag #CruisingSouthDakota. The event is framed as a journey across the Great Plains, emphasizing the visual and historical aspects of the new map. The technical requirements are limited to the standard gameplay mechanics of American Truck Simulator, specifically the ability to accept and complete long-distance jobs and the use of the External Market for trailer selection.

For simulation users, the event offers a structured way to test the new map’s routes and cities. The requirement to visit all 13 cities ensures that players will encounter a wide variety of the DLC’s content. The 100-mile minimum distance ensures that the gameplay experience involves sustained driving, which is central to the trucking simulation genre. The exclusive reward for completing the personal goal provides an incentive for thorough map exploration. The community goal adds a layer of collective engagement, typical of SCS Software’s World of Trucks events.

The source material confirms that the event is tied to the South Dakota DLC release. It details the specific mechanics, including the distance requirements and the city visitation goal for rewards. It also lists the key geographical and historical landmarks included in the map. The announcement is directed at the existing player base of American Truck Simulator, inviting them to participate in this new community challenge. The tone of the announcement is promotional, highlighting the scenic and historical aspects of the new map while outlining the clear rules for participation and rewards.