An American Truck Simulator dedicated server gives your group a private Convoy that stays online long after everyone else logs off. It boots straight onto the base California, Nevada and Arizona map, so nobody has to touch a config file to start driving together. This guide takes you from first boot to a named, password-protected server running the map mods and state DLCs you want.
First boot and your session ID
When your order completes, the server installs itself and starts on the default map. Open the Console tab in your DoomHosting control panel and let the startup log run to the end. Once it finishes, it prints a Session search id: a short number that is the only thing your friends need to find the server from inside the game. Keep that tab open, because the id changes every time the server restarts.
A fresh server needs no file edits at all. If you just want to run the base map, jump to the next section and hand out the id.
How friends join your Convoy
American Truck Simulator has no server browser in the usual sense. Everyone joins through Convoy:
- From the main menu, open Convoy.
- Pick Search by ID and type in the Session search id from your Console tab.
- Highlight the server and hit Connect.
The base map has no DLC requirement, so anyone who owns the game can hop in. That changes once you add content, which is covered further down.
Set a name, password, and slot count
Server settings live in a file called server_config.sii. Open the Files tab and edit it there, or if you prefer a desktop FTP client, our guide on connecting with FileZilla or WinSCP covers that. Adjust the lines you care about:
lobby_name: "Coast to Coast Convoy"
description: "Cross-country hauls, all welcome"
password: "yourpassword"
max_players: 8
Set max_players up to 8, the ceiling for the official server. Leave password empty if you want anyone with the id to join. Save the file and restart from the Console tab so the server reloads with your settings.
Adding map mods and state DLCs
This is the part unique to American Truck Simulator, and it is where the game's big map projects come in: Coast to Coast, ProMods, Reforma, and the official state DLCs like Texas and Oklahoma. The dedicated server never downloads any of this itself. Instead it reads two files that pin down exactly which map, DLCs, and mods a session expects: server_packages.sii and server_packages.dat. You build them from a copy of the game that already has everything enabled, then upload them.
To generate the pair:
- Open Documents/American Truck Simulator/config.cfg and switch on the developer console:
uset g_developer "1"
uset g_console "1"
- Launch the game on a profile that owns and has enabled the exact mods and DLCs you want live on the server.
- Press the tilde key (~) to open the console, enter the command, and press Enter:
export_server_packages
- The game drops server_packages.sii and server_packages.dat into your Documents/American Truck Simulator folder.
To put them on the server:
- Open the Files tab in your control panel.
- Upload both files over the defaults already there.
- Restart from the Console tab.
From now on, every driver needs the same mods and DLCs installed and enabled in the same load order, or the game refuses the connection. Most ATS map mods come from the Steam Workshop or the big projects' own sites, and the load order has to match the profile you exported from. This server package workflow is shared across SCS games, so if you also run Euro Truck Simulator 2, our Euro Truck Simulator 2 setup guide mirrors these steps.
When drivers cannot connect
Missing server packages: if the log says it cannot find server_packages.sii or server_packages.dat, either upload both files again or reinstall the server to restore the stock pair.
Nobody can find the server: double-check they typed the current Session search id and that the Console tab shows the server fully started. Remember the id is reissued on every restart.
Kicked after adding content: a driver whose mod or DLC list does not match the exported package will be turned away. Compare their enabled mods and DLCs against the profile you ran export_server_packages on.
Sizing your server
American Truck Simulator barely touches memory, so a small plan carries a full 8-driver Convoy without breaking a sweat, even with a heavy map mod loaded. See every plan and starting price on the American Truck Simulator server hosting page.