Truck Driver: The American Dream

Do you have what it takes to follow on your dad's footsteps?

Truck Driver: The American Dream had a cool idea in bringing a backstory to a truck simulator, but it failed in several technical and aesthetic aspects. The feeling I got was that it was a title from a few generations ago that had been reheated and re-released for the current one. Compared to many current simulators, this game falls far short of the dream its name suggests.

Truck Driver: The American Dream has potential, but it needs more development time, especially in visual and performance optimization. Despite having the right tools, the game fails to deliver in nearly every aspect, and that should not be the case. Under all of this, there is still an enjoyable element with some solid mechanics in place, but until the developers put in a little more time in it and make it perform better, I cannot recommend the game at this point. It has a lot of good going on for it, but the bad simply overshadows it.

Truck Driver: The American Dream is an interesting evolution for the franchise. Its focus on combining accessible simulation, narrative, and customization sets it apart from other titles centered solely on driving.

Truck Driver: The American Dream ended up being one of those games that quietly sneaks up on you. On paper, it sounds mundane. You drive trucks slowly from one place to another. That’s it. Yet there’s a strange comfort in mastering the roads, listening to conversations during long journeys, and simply taking your time. It’s not flashy. It’s not action-packed. But it is relaxing, immersive, and surprisingly enjoyable. If you’re looking for a laid-back driving experience with a touch of heart behind it, this is well worth a look. Just remember to stop at red lights, unlike me.

The idea of making a story-centric truck simulator isn’t inherently bad, but Truck Driver: The American Dream, as a whole, felt incredibly unfinished. Between the dated visuals, amateurish physics, poor controls, and myriad of game crashing glitches, there isn’t a lot worth praising in this janky trucking simulator. The voice acting was good, but when everything else surrounding it was just doing their best to make me want to rage quit, I don’t think that’s exactly good enough of a positive to make you want to consider purchasing it.

Truck Driver: The American Dream makes some minor improvements to the original game from 4 years ago and is a small step in the right direction, but the series still has a long road ahead before it can be taken seriously as a truck driving simulator. Players seeking the ideal trucking video game experience will have to look elsewhere.