Euro Truck Simulator 2 is getting more roads to run

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Euro Truck Simulator 2 is one of those very niche games that's really only possible on PC, but it's also a genuine hit. Years after its release, thousands of people still play it daily—nearly 19,000 are big-rigging it right now, according to SteamDB—and so developer SCS Software continues to expand its map with more roads to run, places to go, and things to see.

The next addition, Road to the Black Sea, will let players haul their loads through the Transylvanian forests and Carpathian mountains of Romania, the Black Sea coastline of Bulgaria, and the Trakya region of Turkey, the gateway to Istanbul.

"From large cities to small humble villages in the countrysides, truckers will also be able to drive on roads which lead to scenic coastlines alongside the Black Sea," SCS said. "These regions also offer a large variety of industries for players to deliver to and from; including farms, logging companies and the mining industry."

The commitment to games like Euro Truck Simulator 2 can seem odd or amusing on the surface, but it's no joke. Andy Kelly examined the game's appeal in a three-hour Odense-to-Bergen road trip in 2015, and four years later he's still truckin': "Not once in my life have I ever thought about being a truck driver, or really had an interest in them as vehicles," he wrote in an interview with SCS Software earlier this year. "Yet I find the game utterly captivating."

Road to the Black Sea is listed on Steam, but there's currently no release date. The hope, "if everything goes according to plan," is to have it out near the end of 2019.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.