Euro Truck Simulator 2 - Update ETS2 1.61 Open Beta Released

We're happy to announce that the Open Beta for the 1.61 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is now available for players to try out and test. If you choose to participate, we'd greatly appreciate any feedback, bug reports, or issues you encounter being shared in the appropriate section of our official forums.


Your feedback and reports are incredibly valuable to our team, and we truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to help us improve the game experience.

Players who participated in the Experimental Beta should now switch to the Open Beta branch to continue receiving the latest 1.61 updates and fixes. Any saves made during the Experimental Beta will be compatible with the Open Beta.

We'd like to thank everyone who participated in the 1.61 Experimental Beta, especially those who shared their thoughts on the Multi-Function Display (MFD) and the In-Game Menu. Based on the feedback we received, we've decided to postpone these additions from the 1.61 update. This will allow us to spend more time refining these features and ensure they deliver the best possible experience when they're ready.

Now, without further ado, let's take a closer look at what the 1.61 Open Beta has in store.

Proximity Exploration

In the 1.61 update, we are introducing a new feature designed to assist players with exploring the world map and discovering more along their journey. Introducing Proximity Exploration, a new quality-of-life feature that makes map discovery a little more intuitive, while still keeping the enjoyment of exploring the world for yourself.




When enabled, Proximity Exploration automatically reveals a small area around your vehicle as you travel. This means you will no longer need to drive over every tiny section of road to mark it as explored, which should be especially useful for those of you chasing that elusive 100% map discovery! It can also help reveal nearby accessible roads and areas around locations such as rest stops, toll gates, border crossings, gas stations, and other places where multiple road segments may sit closely together.

And don't worry, secret roads will still have secrets to uncover! Proximity Exploration can reveal the first segment of a secret road when you get close enough, giving you a small hint that there might be somewhere new to explore. From there, however, the rest is up to you, as the remaining route will only be discovered by actually driving along it. 



Whether you use Proximity Exploration to help hunt down those final percentages or simply make exploring the map a little smoother, the choice is yours!

Livestock Trailer Rework

We’re excited to introduce a complete rework of the Livestock Trailer, which our vehicle team has done so from the ground up.



Inspired by modern European livestock trailers, our vehicle team rebuilt the trailer entirely from scratch, replacing the previous older model with a brand-new one. One of the biggest changes drivers will notice is the removal of the older belly axle variant, which has been replaced with a lowered chassis configuration featuring dual wheels.



For those who own their own Livestock trailers, the updated trailer will offer multiple customization options, including two chassis variants, a Straight 3 Axle and a Lowered 3 Axle configuration. Drivers will also be able to choose between an Aluminium body or a fully paintable body.




A wide range of accessories have also been included to customize your trailer. We’re also introducing newly configurable paint jobs for owned trailers, allowing you to customize up to four different colour sections across specific parts of the trailer for even greater customization. Freight Market and AI traffic variants have also been reworked based on the new owned trailer model, with company paint jobs completely reworked to better reflect more realistic transport operations.

You can read more about this rework at our dedicated blog.

Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack Update

We’re excited to begin updating the Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack DLC to better reflect their new modern trailer designs, starting with a complete rework of one of its low loader trailers and accessories. Let’s take a closer look!



Leading this update is the redesigned low loader trailer, which has been rebuilt to closely match Schwarzmüller’s latest real-world model.



Alongside the trailer itself, its available accessories have also been updated with refreshed designs to better represent the equipment and styling Schwarzmüller offers today. While the available cargo options remain the same, this update marks the beginning of a larger goal for us, to rework the entire Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack.



We look forward to seeing you on the road with this newly updated trailer! You can read more about this update at our dedicated blog.

Map Changes for Coaches

With the upcoming Coaches DLC, our map and asset teams have also been making a number of changes across Euro Truck Simulator 2 to prepare the world for passenger transport. The biggest of these can be found in Nuremberg, where we have added a brand-new bus station alongside several remade and newly created landmarks in the surrounding area. Our teams have put a lot of work into bringing this part of the city to life and making sure it is ready to welcome coaches.


We have also updated the bus stations in Karlstad, Aarhus, and Thessaloniki so they are now functional with our upcoming Coaches DLC. We've also made other smaller changes, including updates to navigation, access, and layouts.


The coach station at Karlstad has received a brand-new station building, while Thessaloniki now features new signage and other updates. In Heraklion, we have also opened up a previously inaccessible street to make room for the new bus station.


We’ve also made a number of changes to border crossings to ensure they work correctly with coaches. This included introducing vehicle-specific navigation, as well as opening up parts of border areas that were previously inaccessible to players. Border crossings across the map have also received smaller layout adjustments to help coaches follow the correct routes while keeping navigation working as expected.

Alongside these changes, we have made plenty of smaller tweaks to bus stops and their surroundings across the map. While many of these may go unnoticed, they all help make sure the existing world is ready for the arrival of Coaches.

Changelog

Map

• Proximity Exploration 
• Map changes for the upcoming Coaches DLC 

Vehicles

• Livestock Trailer Rework 
• Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack Update 

So enjoy all the new additions, but please remember: It's only an open beta, not a stable public version - so you may encounter bugs, instability, or crashes. It's completely okay if you want to wait for the final release. But if you're interested in helping us to get there faster, we'd appreciate all of your feedback on our forum and your bug reports in the dedicated section.

Please check our modding wiki to get details pertaining to mods for the game.

If you wish to participate in this Open Beta, you can find this version in the Experimental Beta branch on Steam. The way to access it is as follows: Steam client → LIBRARY → right-click on Euro Truck Simulator 2 → Properties → Betas tab → Beta Participation drop-down menu → public_beta. No password is required. Sometimes you will have to restart your Steam client to see the correct branch name there.