18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul

2007 SCS Software Racing

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxPlatinum

Steam DeckPlayable

Gamicality score

Metacritic Not rated

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 691

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today4.5/5

Design today1.5/5

Steam user reviews

Mostly Positive

73%

494 reviews1

Get it on Steam

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does 18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxPlatinum

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Platinum, runs perfectly out of the box.3

Steam DeckPlayable

Playable, as rated by Valve. May need some setup.1

Played 18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get 18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul running today

If the game crashes or will not start on Windows 11, set alh.exe to Windows XP SP3 or Windows 7 compatibility mode and run it as administrator (Steam discussion).
If that is not enough, place the d3d8to9 wrapper next to alh.exe and pick a low resolution at 60 Hz in the launch configuration utility for the first start (Steam discussion; Steam discussion).
Optionally install the official 1.01 beta patch, which digital releases do not include (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

An early truck driving and haulage business simulation from SCS Software, the studio later behind Euro Truck Simulator 2. You drive freight between cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico, then grow the business by buying trucks and garages and hiring drivers.

Developer: SCS Software
Released: 2007
Genre: Racing
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

It drew little critical attention: Metacritic lists a single critic review, a 75 from PC Gamer UK, and no Metascore. Gameswelt praised the large truck roster and road network but criticized the lack of any tutorial, empty roads, crude graphics, dated menus and drives that can stretch for hours. Players today remain mostly positive and fond of its nostalgic, relaxed hauling. Recent complaints center on the driver tiring every few minutes, weak brakes and handling, and display problems on modern Windows.

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

4.5/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
The game is single player and nothing has been removed from the current release (PCGamingWiki).
Supports modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen and 4K resolutions are supported, though some text is hard to read above 1080p (PCGamingWiki).
Full controller support or remappable controls
Controllers are supported with remapping, though not every function is mapped (PCGamingWiki).
Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists no open crashes, and launch problems on Windows 11 are isolated reports with a known compatibility fix (PCGamingWiki; Steam).

Design today

1.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Keyboard steering is clumsy and the default bindings are confusing, and players still call the brakes weak. Controller support is partial rather than full. Source: gameswelt.de, gog.com, pcgamingwiki.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
The menus look dated, some interface text does not scale above 1080p, and the game scales incorrectly when Windows display scaling is above 100 percent. The full road map hides behind an Assistance submenu that players struggle to find. Source: gameswelt.de, pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
The main menu offers new game, load and save, so progress can be saved by hand whenever the player steps out of a drive; no opened source describes autosaves. Source: steamcommunity.com, pcgamingwiki.com.
Hard to make progress without a guide
There is no tutorial or in-game help; the only guidance is a text file in the install folder. Players turn to the forums to find the map, learn how to rest and locate newly bought trucks. Source: gameswelt.de, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
The driver grows tired roughly every ten real minutes, forcing frequent stops at hotels that are often far apart in a day cab. Long routes over empty highways can take hours of real time. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
Players complain that the default chase view sits too close behind the truck and that the view cannot be zoomed out the way later SCS games allow, and Gameswelt found the handling half-baked. Source: steamcommunity.com, gameswelt.de, gog.com.