Choose American Truck Simulator
Choose American Truck Simulator if you want an Indie game with Stereo Sound. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 97.3% positive across 91,834 reviews.
American Truck Simulator vs The Bus
American Truck Simulator and The Bus both land in Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Simulation games on Steam. American Truck Simulator (2016) is 10 years older than The Bus (2026). American Truck Simulator scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than The Bus (67.8% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose The Bus
Choose The Bus if you want the Subtitle Options, Color Alternatives, and Mouse Only Option side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 1,685 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both American Truck Simulator and The Bus sit in Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Camera Comfort, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 American Truck Simulator |  The Bus | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Simulation | Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 97.3% positive (91,834 reviews) | 67.8% positive (1,685 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | SCS Software | TML-Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Simulation games on Steam.
- American Truck Simulator (2016) is 10 years older than The Bus (2026).
- American Truck Simulator scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than The Bus (67.8% positive).
- American Truck Simulator is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than The Bus (19.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: American Truck Simulator is Deck Verified, The Bus is Deck Unsupported.
American Truck Simulator vs The Bus — FAQ
- Which is better, American Truck Simulator or The Bus?
- On Steam reviews American Truck Simulator scores higher (97.3% positive) than The Bus (67.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, American Truck Simulator is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play American Truck Simulator or The Bus first?
- If you want chronology, American Truck Simulator (2016) came out before The Bus (2026). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are American Truck Simulator and The Bus similar?
- They overlap on Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both American Truck Simulator and The Bus have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: American Truck Simulator ships Online Co-op, Co-op; The Bus ships Online Co-op, Co-op.