Truck Driver: The American Dream

Truck Driver: The American Dream tries to offer something different from classic truck simulations. Instead of relying solely on cargo transport, economy, and long highway drives, the game focuses on the story, characters, and a more personal view of a truck driver's life. This is its most interesting asset. The campaign features around forty chapters, fully voiced dialogues, and an American atmosphere that fits well with the theme. There is even a special Cinema Experience mode, where key scenes can be rewatched in a visual novel style.

In addition to the story, there is also the Freedom-to-Roam mode, which serves as a simpler and more arcade-like alternative to more serious truck simulations. The player takes on random deliveries, earns money and experience, unlocks new skills, trucks, and customization options. The map is large enough that longer drives really feel like longer routes, and the overall pace of the game is more relaxing than demanding. For those looking for a calmer drive after a long day, without too much complication regarding realism, this approach may be quite suitable.

Truck Driver: The American Dream also has one unusual circumstance that is hard to ignore. The game first released on September 26, 2023, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, while the PC version on Steam arrived only on May 29, 2026. For most games, this might not be particularly strange, but with truck driving, we would expect the opposite path. The PC is a more natural environment for this genre, mainly due to support for steering wheels, pedals, keyboard, mouse, and broader control customization options. Therefore, it is even more surprising that the PC version, after nearly three years of waiting, does not feel like the most complete edition of the game.

The biggest problem lies in the controls. They feel sluggish on the gamepad, while on the keyboard and mouse, the handling is too abrupt, and the support for steering wheels is clearly not at the level that such a game should have. The lack of remapping options further complicates matters, especially for players using a wheel and pedals. In practice, it often feels like a comfortable gaming experience requires a combination of keyboard, mouse, gamepad, or wheel, rather than the game naturally adapting to the chosen control method.

The sound is also disappointing. The options are too limited, music cannot be sufficiently separated from the voices, and volume adjustments do not always yield the expected results. This is particularly problematic because the game builds a large part of its identity on the story and dialogues. When the music drowns out conversations or the entire game has to be quieted because of it, the narrative aspect loses weight. In a game that wants to sell the atmosphere of the American road, the sound of the engine, ambiance, and conversations needed to be much better arranged.

Visually, Truck Driver: The American Dream can look decent, especially on higher settings, but the impression varies greatly. At Epic settings, the game can be pleasing to the eye, but lowering the details quickly undermines the overall presentation. Rain and bad weather conditions particularly highlight the weaknesses of the graphics, and from a game powered by modern technology, we expected a more stable and convincing visual impression. The optimization is not catastrophic, but finding a balance between better visuals and more stable performance too often becomes more important than the driving itself.

However, not everything is negative. At its core, this is a relaxed, accessible, and potentially charming truck game. The story provides a good reason to keep playing, the arcade driving model may appeal to audiences who find serious simulations too dry, and the very idea of a narrative truck adventure sets the game apart from the competition. When everything falls into place, driving can be enjoyable, calm, and simple enough to serve as casual relaxation.

That’s why it’s a shame that the PC release isn’t better rounded. When the game arrives on a platform that should suit its genre best nearly three years after the console release, expectations are higher. The PC version should have used the extra time for better optimization, more flexible controls, higher quality wheel support, and more detailed audio settings. Instead, the impression is that the most important version for this genre arrived late, but without the finishing touches that would justify the wait.

Conclusion

Truck Driver: The American Dream has potential, especially due to its story and more relaxed arcade approach to driving, but the PC version currently suffers too much from sluggish controls, poor wheel support, limited audio settings, and inconsistent technical performance. Genre enthusiasts may find something charming in it, but for most players, the recommendation is to wait for a few larger patches. This is not a completely failed game, but in its current state, too many basic things do not function well enough.

A copy of the PC version of the game for review purposes was provided by the publisher SOEDESCO