Euro Truck Simulator 2’s 1.61 update left the beta branch and shipped to the live game on September 17, 2026, and it is a content patch with an obvious centre of gravity: Volvo’s centenary, a rebuilt livestock trailer, and a map-discovery feature that quietly changes how the world reveals itself. SCS Software also used the same release to push its interior-lighting overhaul onto three more Volvo models and to prepare the existing map for the upcoming Coaches DLC — work that matters to long-haul players well beyond the version number.
What this covers: Every element of the ETS2 1.61 update — Proximity Exploration, the Volvo FH Series 6 100 Year Edition, the trucks that received the Improved Material System, the Livestock Trailer and Schwarzmüller reworks, and the map edits made for the Coaches DLC — plus what SCS Software has said is coming next. Why it matters: Proximity Exploration changes how map discovery works, which affects anyone chasing 100% exploration, and the lighting overhaul is rolling out truck by truck rather than arriving as a single switch. Who should care: Existing owners on PC, macOS and Linux, players who run Volvo or livestock-trailer configurations, and anyone tracking the Coaches, Iceland and Soul of Anatolia expansions.
1.61 at a glance
| Content | What it changes | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Proximity Exploration | Reveals a small area around your vehicle as you drive | Base game, opt-in feature |
| Volvo FH Series 6 100 Year Edition | Centenary paint jobs, light boxes and a new interior for the Aero XL cabin | Base game |
| Improved Material System | Rebuilt interior materials and lighting response on three Volvo trucks | Base game |
| Livestock Trailer Rework | Ground-up rebuild with new chassis and paint options | Base game, owned and Freight Market |
| Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack update | Low loader trailer and its accessories rebuilt | Owners of the paid pack |
| Coaches map preparation | New and upgraded bus stations, plus border-crossing changes | Base game map |
How 1.61 arrived
The update did not appear unannounced. SCS ran an Experimental Beta first, then opened a public Open Beta on September 3, 2026, telling players they could opt in through Steam’s beta branch for ETS2 at no password cost. That beta pass changed the shipped feature list. The Multi-Function Display (MFD) and the In-Game Menu were pulled from the release, and the patch notes are explicit about why: “Based on the feedback we received, we’ve decided to postpone these additions from the 1.61 update.” The September release post repeats the point, saying the two additions “will be introduced in a future update”, with more time to refine and polish them. Neither SCS post attaches a version number to that future update, so 1.61 as shipped does not contain the MFD or the In-Game Menu.
Proximity Exploration
The headline quality-of-life change is a new optional feature called Proximity Exploration. When it is enabled, the game automatically reveals a small area around your vehicle as you travel. In SCS’s words, that means “you will no longer need to drive over every tiny section of road to mark it as explored” — a direct benefit to anyone working toward the map’s 100% discovery figure, and a help around places where road segments sit close together, such as rest stops, toll gates, border crossings and gas stations.
SCS was careful to say the feature does not hand the map over wholesale. Secret roads keep their secrets: Proximity Exploration can reveal the first segment of a hidden route when you get close enough, but “the remaining route will only be discovered by actually driving along it”. The setting is described as a choice rather than a default, so players who prefer the old method can leave it off.
The Volvo FH Series 6 100 Year Edition
The marquee vehicle addition is the Volvo FH Series 6 100 Year Edition, which SCS Software describes as joining Volvo Trucks in marking the manufacturer’s centenary. The dedicated August blog post explains the timing: “Volvo Group was established in 1927 and will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year.” The in-game content is aimed at the Aero XL cabin of the FH Series 6.
On the outside, the update adds two paint jobs — 100 Year Edition – Night and 100 Year Edition – Day — with dark or light exterior striping and two Centennial logos on either side of the truck. Buyers can also pick between two light boxes, one carrying the 100 Year logo and one carrying the FH16 logo.
Inside, SCS has added a new interior option with black leather door panels and unique stitching, carpet, a rear wall decoration carrying the 100 Year Edition logo, and decorative dashboard ambient LED lighting in a choice of red or blue. The finishing accessories are a black leather steering wheel and two-tone seats that combine a black leather base with a grey textile upper section and the 100 Year logo. Note that these additions sit in the base game of ETS2 rather than behind a separate purchase.
Improved Material System
The Improved Material System is the patch’s biggest non-obvious change, and it is worth separating from the Volvo special edition because the two are related but not the same. The system was introduced earlier, with the 1.60 update, when it was added to the DAF NGD and MAN TG3 TGX in Euro Truck Simulator 2 and to the Mack Anthem and Western Star 49X in American Truck Simulator. Its purpose is to change how interior materials react to light, so leather, fabric, plastic and metal read differently even in low-light conditions; SCS says the new approach uses multiple variants of dynamic cubemaps so surfaces reflect their surroundings.
For 1.61, the two SCS posts frame the rollout slightly differently. The August preview said SCS was “expanding this feature to the International LT and International LoneStar in American Truck Simulator, as well as the Volvo FH Series 6 in Euro Truck Simulator 2.” The September release post lists the ETS2 recipients as “the Volvo FH Series 6, Volvo FH Series 5 and Volvo FH Series 4 alongside the already updated DAF NGD and MAN TG3 TGX models.” Taken together, the Volvo FH Series 6 was the model previewed ahead of time, and the shipped 1.61 build extends the system to the FH Series 5 and FH Series 4 as well.
| Update | Trucks with the Improved Material System |
|---|---|
| 1.60 (ETS2) | DAF NGD, MAN TG3 TGX |
| 1.60 (ATS) | Mack Anthem, Western Star 49X |
| 1.61 (ETS2) | Volvo FH Series 6, Volvo FH Series 5, Volvo FH Series 4 |
| 1.61 (ATS) | International LT, International LoneStar |
SCS has been explicit that this is a staged rollout: the system “was designed from the start with the interiors of trucks in both games in mind”, and the base game fleets will “gradually” receive it in future updates. The same August post also notes a new Diamond interior option with leather seats for the two International trucks in American Truck Simulator.
Livestock Trailer rework
The Livestock Trailer was rebuilt from scratch rather than retouched. SCS says the goal was a model that closely matches what you see on real European roads, and the most visible structural change is the removal of the older belly axle variant, which has been replaced by a lowered chassis configuration with dual wheels. For players who own their own livestock trailers, there are two chassis choices — Straight 3 Axle and Lowered 3 Axle — and a body that can be aluminium or fully paintable.
The accessory list has grown to include storage boxes, water tanks, side protections, full side covers, fenders, marker lights, rear bumpers, mudflaps, a spare tire and a fire extinguisher. Owned trailers also gain configurable paint jobs with up to four customisable colour sections, and the Freight Market and AI traffic variants were rebuilt on the new model, with company paint jobs reworked as well. That combination of owned-trailer, contract and traffic variants is the reason this change touches more players than the trailer’s narrow cargo category suggests. If you enjoy the logistics side of hauling more than the driving, our guide to Satisfactory 1.2 fluid trucks and spline pathing covers a very different take on moving cargo by road.
Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack update
The paid Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack also received attention in 1.61, though on a smaller scale. SCS rebuilt one of the pack’s low loader trailers to match Schwarzmüller’s latest real-world design and refreshed its accessories to better represent the equipment the manufacturer offers today. The available cargo options are unchanged. SCS frames this as the start of a wider effort: the release post calls it “the beginning of a larger goal for us, to rework the entire Schwarzmüller Trailer Pack.”
Coaches map changes folded into 1.61
Part of 1.61 exists purely to prepare the map for the Coaches DLC, which SCS still refers to as upcoming. The largest single change is in Nuremberg, where SCS added a brand-new bus station plus “several remade and newly created landmarks” around it. Three further bus stations — in Karlstad, Aarhus and Thessaloniki — were made functional for coaches, with Karlstad getting a new station building and Thessaloniki new signage. In Heraklion, a previously inaccessible street was opened to make room for a new bus station.
Border crossings were also adjusted. SCS introduced vehicle-specific navigation so coaches follow the correct routes, opened up parts of border areas that were previously inaccessible, and made smaller layout adjustments. The post is candid that many of these tweaks “may go unnoticed”, but they are part of the same map-prep work. Because these changes ship inside 1.61, players who never buy the Coaches DLC still see the new bus stations and the road and navigation edits.
What comes next: Iceland, Soul of Anatolia and Coaches
Three map expansions are in the pipeline, and only one has fresh material. On October 14, 2026, SCS published the first gameplay video for the Iceland DLC, a drive that starts in the small settlement of Seyðisfjörður and travels through countryside and towns to Goðafoss, the waterfall SCS calls the Waterfall of the Gods. SCS stresses this is “just a small glimpse” of the area and asks players to add the DLC to their Steam wishlist. No release date is given in that post.
Soul of Anatolia, announced on April 15, 2026, will take ETS2 into Türkiye. The announced route runs from Istanbul to Aksaray, the easternmost point of the expansion, and includes the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge — which SCS describes as the longest suspension bridge in the world — plus the Yavuz Sultan Selim and Osmangazi bridges, Ankara, Tuz Gölü, Antalya and Alanya. SCS is clear that the work is early: the expansion is “still really much in a work-in-progress state and may change until the DLC is released.” The Coaches DLC remains upcoming as well, with the 1.61 map edits above serving as its groundwork.