How to play American Truck Simulator on Mac with force feedback (CrossOver + Torqer)

Bytorqer

American Truck Simulator runs very well on Apple Silicon Macs through CrossOver, and with Torqer you can get proper force feedback on a compatible wheel instead of just basic steering. Once it is set up properly, ATS feels much closer to the way a truck sim should feel: steady steering weight, surface detail, and real resistance through the wheel.

This guide covers the setup that matters if you want ATS on Mac with working FFB.

What you’ll need

  • A Mac with Apple Silicon (M-series) running macOS 13 or later
  • A Torqer-compatible wheel
  • CrossOver
  • Torqer — free download, includes a 5-day full-feature trial
  • A Steam copy of American Truck Simulator

Step 1 – Prepare your Mac

1a. Remove Logitech G Hub if installed

G Hub conflicts with Torqer’s direct hardware access. If it is installed, remove it before continuing.

Open G Hub and use its uninstall flow, or drag it from /Applications to the Trash and remove its launch agent:

sudo rm /Library/LaunchAgents/com.logi.ghub.engine.plist

Leave your wheel plugged in. Torqer talks to the hardware directly.

1b. Install CrossOver

  1. Download CrossOver from codeweavers.com
  2. Drag it to /Applications
  3. Launch it

Important: Do not rename the CrossOver app. Its internal code signature expects the default app name.

1c. Create a Windows 10 64-bit bottle

  1. In CrossOver, click New Bottle
  2. Create a Windows 10 64-bit bottle
  3. Name it something like ATS or Steam

Open the bottle settings and enable:

  • D3DMetal
  • MSync

This is the verified working setup from Torqer’s compatibility testing.

Step 2 – Install Steam and American Truck Simulator

  1. Select the bottle in CrossOver
  2. Click Install Software
  3. Search for Steam and install it
  4. Sign into Steam
  5. Install American Truck Simulator

Once the game is installed, launch it once to confirm it reaches the menus, then close it before setting up FFB.

Tip: Enable macOS Game Mode before launching. It helps reduce background CPU and GPU load, which can improve frame pacing in CrossOver. Guide: How to enable Game Mode on Mac for CrossOver and Wine games

Step 3 – Install Torqer and enable FFB

3a. Download and install Torqer

Download Torqer, open the DMG, and drag Torqer to your Applications folder.

Launch Torqer. On first launch it starts a 5-day full-feature trial automatically.

3b. Connect your wheel

Plug in your wheel via USB if it is not already connected. Torqer should detect it automatically and show a green connected state.

3c. Install Torqer into your CrossOver bottle

  1. In Torqer, click Install FFB in the sidebar
  2. Select your ATS bottle
  3. Click Install

This installs Torqer’s DirectInput wrapper into the bottle so American Truck Simulator’s force feedback signal can reach the wheel.

3d. Select American Truck Simulator in Torqer

In Torqer’s sidebar, click American Truck Simulator.

ATS currently uses Native FFB, which means Torqer forwards the game’s own force feedback signal directly to the wheel. No advanced mode is needed here.

Step 4 – Configure the wheel in ATS

Launch American Truck Simulator through CrossOver and go to the controller settings.

Make sure the game is using your wheel rather than a keyboard-only profile, then map or confirm:

  • Steering
  • Throttle
  • Brake
  • Clutch if applicable
  • Gear controls or paddles if you use them

Then open the force feedback section and enable FFB if it is not already active.

Good starting points:

  • Overall FFB / Gain: 80–100%
  • Centering at high speed: moderate
  • Road surface / bumps: moderate
  • Engine resonance / collision effects: lower, then raise to taste

American Truck Simulator feels best with clear steering weight and moderate detail, not every effect slider maxed out.

If the wheel still feels weak after raising the in-game settings, increase Native FFB Intensity on Torqer’s American Truck Simulator page.

Step 5 – Drive and fine-tune

Once Torqer is installed in the correct bottle, ATS is straightforward: launch Torqer first, then launch the game through CrossOver.

If the wheel feels too light:

  • raise the in-game FFB strength first
  • then raise Native FFB Intensity in Torqer

If the wheel feels too busy over small bumps:

  • lower the road surface and resonance-related sliders in ATS
  • keep the main steering force stronger than the secondary effects

Truck sims usually feel better with a cleaner, heavier wheel rather than exaggerated effect layering.

Troubleshooting

The wheel steers, but there is no force feedback

Make sure Torqer is running before launching ATS, your wheel shows as connected in Torqer, and the FFB wrapper is installed in the same bottle where ATS is installed. If needed, reinstall it from Torqer’s Install FFB page.

ATS launches, but the wheel is not detected properly

Reopen the controls menu and rebind the wheel axes. If a different controller profile was selected first, ATS can stay attached to the wrong input device until you switch it manually.

FFB feels weak

Raise the in-game force feedback sliders first, then raise Native FFB Intensity in Torqer for American Truck Simulator.

The game runs, but performance feels uneven

Confirm D3DMetal and MSync are enabled in the bottle settings. Also enable macOS Game Mode: How to enable Game Mode on Mac for CrossOver and Wine games

The wheel does nothing at all

Double-check that Logitech G Hub is not installed and that Torqer shows the wheel as connected. If Torqer does not see the wheel, the game will not get FFB either.

Tested configuration

Steam bottle on CrossOver 25.1.1 · Windows 10 64-bit bottle · D3DMetal + MSync · Apple Silicon MacBook Pro M4 Pro · Logitech wheel via Torqer

If you run into something not covered here, you can contact us.

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