Euro Truck Simulator 2

Driver's view from a DAF XF during gameplay, crossing the Belgian-Dutch border. There is a UI in the bottom right corner in which the player can view a map with 2 separate UI elements representing the mirrors.

Euro Truck Simulator 2 is a truck driving simulator with business management elements. Players drive articulated trucks in an open world rendition of Europe, delivering loads to a designated locations in order to be compensated with money and experience points. The payload must be delivered to the destination within a given amount of time, and with the least amount of damage to the goods as possible, in order to get the most money and experience points possible.[4] Players will have to spend money on refuelling, toll costs in certain countries, and maintenance costs if damage is incurred.

When starting out, players choose their headquarters location in any of the game map's cities. At first, the player can only take what is known as quick jobs—these jobs involve making hired driver deliveries while employed by a delivery company, with a provided truck and all expenses (fuel, road tolls, ferry crossings) covered. As the player earns money or takes bank loans, they can eventually afford to buy themselves a truck, acquire a home garage, and start accepting better-paying jobs by using their own truck instead of being a driver for hire with equipment being provided.

Money earned in the game can be spent on upgrading or purchasing new customizable trucks and ownable trailers, hiring non-player character drivers to take on deliveries, buying more garages and expanding them to accommodate more trucks and drivers.[4] The skills of the drivers hired by the player also grow with experience and the player can create a huge fleet of the trucks, each with the option of having their own trailer, and drivers to drive the fleet, in turn, expanding the business across Europe.

The player gains experience points after each delivery. A skill point is awarded after each level-up. Skill points can be used to unlock deliveries that require different ADR classes, longer distance deliveries, special cargo loads, fragile cargo loads, deliveries that are urgent and eco-driving. This progression allows the player to take on better-paying jobs. The base game features 71 cities in twelve countries, over twenty types of cargo and over fifteen fictional European companies. There are seven items of map downloadable content (DLC) that expand the game to more countries and locations, and multiple other truck and trailer DLCs.

The game was generally well received by critics, holding a score of 79/100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[37]

In a review for Destructoid, Jim Sterling praised the game's accessibility, noting how easy the GPS and map features were to use, as well as the option to stream European internet radio, and the multitude of control options available. They also praised the graphics, stating that "[f]rom the shape of the traffic lights to the atmosphere of the backdrops, there's a sense of individuality to each new territory you uncover, and the trucks themselves are lovingly recreated with an intricate level of detail", although they did criticise the AI of the other vehicles on the road.[38]

In a similarly favourable review, Tim Stone of PC Gamer called it "unexpectedly engrossing", praising the size of the map and the variation of the roads and scenery available. He did however have reservations about the accuracy of the surroundings, commenting "no one seems to have told SCS’s countryside crafters that rural Britain features long green things called hedges. Cities are often depicted with the shortest of visual shorthand – a few warehouses, the odd landmark if you’re lucky."[5]

Rock, Paper, Shotgun listed Euro Truck Simulator 2 ninth on their list of "The 25 Best Simulation Games Ever Made".[39] In 2012, PC Gamer awarded the game with the accolade of "The Sim of The Year 2012".[40]

• Official website
• Euro Truck Simulator 2 at IMDb