Can you use Euro Truck Simulator 2 mods in American Truck Simulator? What transfers between the games and what never will

24 Oct 2026 · 3 min read · ModsDrop

Pictured: RAM 3500 SCS – Realistic Pickup Truck Addition, from the ModsDrop library.

Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator run on the same engine, read the same mod format and share a Mod Manager, so the question comes up constantly: can I use an ETS2 mod in ATS, or the other way round? Sometimes. The file format is shared; the content it refers to mostly is not. Here is what transfers, what does not, and how to tell before you download.

What is identical

The archive format (.scs or .zip), the folder structure inside it, the definition language, the model and texture formats, the sound engine, the Mod Manager and its load order rules. A modder who can make an ETS2 mod can make an ATS mod with the same tools, and many release both versions of the same idea.

What differs

Everything a mod points at. ETS2’s trucks, companies, cargoes, cities, road signs, trailer standards, licence plates, traffic vehicles and radio stations are European; ATS’s are American. A mod that adds a trailer references ETS2 companies that do not exist in ATS; a paint job references a truck model ATS does not have; a map mod edits sectors of a map ATS does not contain. The file loads without a format error and does nothing, or produces errors in the log about missing units.

Category by category

Trucks: not interchangeable as files. A European truck appears in ATS only when its author releases an ATS version, with American dealers, licence plates and accessories. Many authors do; look for “ATS version” on the page.
Trailers and cargo: game-specific, because they are tied to companies and cargo definitions. The big trailer-pack authors maintain parallel ETS2 and ATS packs.
Traffic packs: game-specific for the same reason, and because European and American traffic looks different. Released per game.
Paint jobs: tied to a truck model. A paint job for the Scania S is meaningless in ATS, which has no Scania. Paint jobs for trucks present in both games (there are few) still need separate definitions.
Sound mods: engine packs for a truck follow the truck; environment packs (tyres, wind, rain, brakes) are often released as one file that works in both, and the description says so.
Graphics, weather and lighting mods: usually work in both, sometimes released as separate files only because the two games’ default weather definitions differ. The most portable category.
Interior accessories and tuning parts: tied to the truck they fit; game-specific in practice.
Maps: never. Different worlds.
UI, HUD and camera tweaks: usually both, because the interface is shared.

How to tell from the page

The game is in the title or the first line of any properly described mod; on ModsDrop it is on the mod’s crashmods.com page linked from the file. If a page shows trucks that exist only in one game (a Kenworth, a Peterbilt, a Scania, a MAN), that is the game. If the description mentions companies, cities or states, same. If none of that helps, open the zip: ETS2 mods reference /def/vehicle/truck/scania.s_2016/-style paths and European company names; ATS mods reference kenworth.w900, peterbilt.389 and American ones.

What happens if you install the wrong one

Nothing dramatic. The Mod Manager lists it, you activate it, the profile loads, and the content is absent, with “unit not found” or similar lines in game.log.txt. A wrong-game mod cannot corrupt a profile by itself, though an active job referencing a cargo that does not exist can be cancelled. Deactivate it and move on.

Porting a mod yourself

Possible, and how many ATS trucks began life. It means changing every definition the mod references to the other game’s equivalents, adjusting plates, mirrors, dealers and accessories, and testing. It is modding, not installing, and the result may only be shared with the original author’s permission. If you want a European truck in ATS, the right route is to ask its author or find the version they already made.

One folder, two games

Each game has its own mod folder under its own Documents folder. Mods do not have to be sorted by hand; a mod placed in the ATS folder is visible only to ATS. Keep them separate, and keep downloads labelled with the game they are for, because the file name rarely says.