The Tool Desk
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What multiplayer means in American Truck Simulator
ATS multiplayer is not a separate downloadable mode. Convoy is integrated into the game’s main menu, so the host creates a session from ATS and invited players join that session. SCS Software describes it as a mode in which players host private sessions, optionally protect them with a password, and drive with friends or other truckers. Public sessions are also available when you want people outside your Steam friend group to find the lobby.
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The official Steam listing identifies the game as supporting Online Co-op. In practical terms, Convoy is coordinated session play: one player hosts the lobby, other players join, and the group drives together in the same session context. SCS’s description is literal: players can team up in Convoy and share the highways with trucks and cars.
The documented setup is for the Steam version. Steam accounts, Steam friendship, online status and Steam overlay invitations are part of the joining process described by SCS. The available instructions do not establish a separate console multiplayer path or a cross-platform Convoy system, so do not assume that a non-Steam edition can join a Steam convoy.
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What everyone needs before starting
Do these checks before anyone creates a lobby. Most failed joins come from identity, version, visibility or mod differences rather than from the driving session itself.
| Check | What each player should do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Steam connection | Use a Steam account, add the other players as Steam friends and set Steam status to online. | SCS’s FAQ describes Steam friendship and online status as part of the Convoy connection flow. |
| Game version | Update ATS so every player is running the current version before joining. | A version mismatch can prevent a player from entering the host’s session. |
| Mods | If the convoy uses mods, install the same mods in the same load order. A profile with no mods is the simplest baseline. | Recent Steam community joining guidance says mod lists and load order must match. |
| Session visibility | Know the host’s exact session name and region if the lobby does not appear in the normal list. | Region filtering can hide a session from the first search view. |
Steam friends and online status
Convoy uses Steam’s social connection rather than a separate ATS friend account. Add everyone to Steam first, then make sure each person appears online. If somebody is set to offline, invisible or otherwise unavailable, the host may not be able to invite them through the documented Steam flow. Have every player open Steam before launching ATS and confirm the intended host is visible in the friends list.
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Every participant should update ATS before attempting to join. The safest order is to close any old ATS session, let Steam finish the update, and then launch the game again. Do not ask one player to join while another is still downloading a patch. If the host and a friend are on different builds, bring both installations to the same current version before investigating lobby visibility.
Decide on a mod policy
For the least complicated first convoy, use a profile with no mods. If the group wants a modded session, compare the complete mod list before the host opens the lobby. The joining guidance available for Convoy calls for exactly the same mods in exactly the same load order. A mod that appears harmless to one player can still make the setups different if another player lacks it or has it arranged elsewhere in the order.
How to host an ATS Convoy
The host creates the session from ATS’s main menu. Use the following sequence for a private friend group or a public lobby.
- Launch American Truck Simulator through Steam and wait until the main menu is available.
- Open Convoys from the main menu.
- Choose Convoy Lobby.
- Select the option to host a session.
- Choose whether the session is public or private. For a private group, set a password when the lobby offers that option.
- Confirm the session name and region settings. Keep the exact name available to friends in case they need to search for it manually.
- Use Steam friends or the Steam overlay to invite the players who should join.
- Wait until the intended participants appear in the lobby, then begin the drive.
Private versus public hosting
A private lobby is the controlled choice for a regular group. A password adds another gate, so people who find the listing still need the host’s password to enter. A public lobby is discoverable by other players and can be useful when you want an open session, but it gives the host less control over who requests to join.
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Convoy’s original release description specifically called out private sessions with an optional password. That does not mean every session must be private: the mode also supports public hosting. Choose the setting before inviting people so the group knows whether it should expect a password or an open listing.
Inviting friends from Steam
SCS documents Steam overlay invitations as part of the Convoy flow. Open the overlay while the session is available and select the friends you want to bring into the lobby. The invite works best when the recipients are already Steam friends and showing as online. If a player does not see the invitation, have them check that Steam is running, the overlay is available in ATS and the account is not set to an unavailable status.
How to join a friend’s convoy
Joining is usually fastest through a Steam invitation, but a listed lobby can also be selected from the Convoy screen.
- Launch ATS through Steam after updating to the same current game version as the host.
- Open Convoys, then enter Convoy Lobby.
- Accept the host’s Steam invitation, or locate the friend’s session in the available lobby list.
- If the session is private, enter the password supplied by the host.
- If the listing is not visible, search using the host’s exact session name and check the region visibility described below.
- Confirm that your profile’s mod list and load order match the host’s if the session uses mods.
- Once admitted, coordinate the same job or route with the host and the other drivers.
Joining from the lobby list
The lobby browser may not show every session in the first view. Region filtering can affect what appears, so a friend’s convoy may exist even when it is absent from the list you are looking at. Ask the host for the exact session name and use the global search option recommended by SCS. Searching the complete name is more reliable than guessing from a partial title.
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Private sessions can use a password, so copy it exactly from the host. If the password is rejected, verify that you are joining the intended session rather than another lobby with a similar name. The host can confirm the session name and provide the password again without changing the game version or mod setup.
Driving together once everyone is in
Convoy is designed around coordinated travel. After the group has joined, choose the same job or route so everyone has a shared destination and can leave together. The host controls the session context, so agree on the departure plan before the host starts the convoy.
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Use one agreed route
Players can use the session to drive the same highways with their trucks and cars. A group that selects the same job or route has a clear meeting point and destination. Before moving, confirm that everyone has loaded the intended profile and understands which route the host is using. This avoids a situation in which drivers are technically connected but traveling toward different destinations.
Let the host establish the session context
Because the session is player-hosted, the host should create the lobby, verify the participants and then start the coordinated drive. If the group changes plans, make the change before leaving the lobby rather than expecting each player to infer the new route. The host’s session is the reference point for the convoy.
Keep the first session simple
For a first attempt, use a private lobby, no mods and a short agreed route. This removes the most common compatibility variables. Once everyone can join reliably, add a password policy, public participants or a modded profile one change at a time so a later problem has a clear cause.
Why you cannot see a friend’s convoy
A missing lobby does not automatically mean the host failed to create it. Work through these checks in order.
Check Steam visibility first
Both players should be connected through Steam, be friends on Steam and show as online. The host should send the invitation from the Steam overlay while the lobby is active. If either player is offline or unavailable, correct that status before trying to diagnose the ATS browser.
Search by the exact session name
Ask the host to read the session name exactly as it appears. In Convoy’s lobby browser, use the global search recommended by SCS and enter that exact name. A region filter can prevent the session from appearing in the initial results, so do not rely only on the default regional list.
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Confirm the game version
Everyone must update to the same current ATS version. If the host updated after creating the lobby or a joining player has a pending Steam download, close the attempt, finish the update and start the connection again.
Compare mods and load order
If the lobby is modded, compare every mod and its position in the load order. The available joining guidance requires an exact match. For a clean diagnostic, try again with a no-mod profile; that creates a common baseline without changing the host’s privacy or region settings.
Check the invitation path
If an invite does not arrive, use the Convoy lobby list and exact-name search instead of repeatedly sending the same invitation. Confirm that the Steam overlay is enabled and that the recipient is online. Once the player can see the session, the host can provide the password if the lobby is private.
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How many players can join?
SCS’s 2021 announcement for the original 1.41 Convoy launch said that the implementation supported up to eight players. That is a historical launch figure, not a confirmed limit for every current ATS build in 2026. Game capacity can change with later updates, so check the live Convoy lobby and current SCS documentation before planning an event around a specific number.
The important practical point is that Convoy is a multiplayer session rather than a single-player-only feature. Do not present the old eight-player statement as a guaranteed current cap without verifying the version you are using.
What Convoy is—and what it is not
It is built into ATS
You do not need a separately installed multiplayer client to use Convoy. The mode is selected from ATS’s own main menu, and the host creates the session inside the game.
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It supports private and public sessions
A host can create a private session, optionally protect it with a password, or open a public session. The choice determines how other players discover and enter the lobby.
It is coordinated session play
Convoy is centered on a host and a shared drive. Players join that host’s session context and can travel together on the highways. It is not documented here as a persistent, always-running world that remains available independently of a player-hosted lobby.
It depends on Steam for the documented PC flow
Steam friendship, online status and overlay invitations are part of SCS’s stated process. The evidence available for this guide does not establish a separate cross-platform or console procedure.
A reliable first-convoy checklist
- Every participant owns and launches ATS through Steam.
- Everyone has added the others as Steam friends and appears online.
- All installations are updated to the same current game version.
- The group has chosen either a no-mod profile or an identical mod list and load order.
- The host knows whether the session will be public or private.
- A private session has a password that can be shared with the intended players.
- The host records the exact session name and region.
- Players know to use Convoys, then Convoy Lobby, rather than looking for a separate multiplayer application.
- The group agrees on the same job or route before leaving.
Practical setups for different groups
Two or three friends who want a quick drive
Use a no-mod profile, host a private session and invite the group through Steam. Once everyone is visible in the lobby, select the same route and start. This setup minimizes the number of variables if one person has never used Convoy before.
A regular group with a shared mod list
Choose one profile for Convoy and document the exact mod order for every participant. Have players align their installations before the host opens the lobby. If somebody cannot join, temporarily return to a no-mod profile to determine whether the problem is mod compatibility or session visibility.
An open public session
Host publicly when you want other truckers to find the convoy. Give friends the exact session name anyway, because region filtering can affect the browser view. If the group needs controlled access, switch to a private password-protected lobby instead.
Bottom line
American Truck Simulator is multiplayer through its built-in Convoy mode. Open Convoys and Convoy Lobby from the main menu, host a public or private session, invite Steam friends, and drive the same job or route. Keep Steam status, game versions and mod load order aligned; when a lobby is missing, search globally by its exact name and account for region filtering. Treat the original 2021 eight-player figure as historical until the current game confirms the live capacity.
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