MudRunner: Complete Guide

A practical guide to MudRunner: how the sandbox maps work, how to drive through Siberian mud without burying your truck, how to plan log deliveries, and what to do with the DLC, co-op and mods.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the final PC build (last content patch 2019, mod/crossplay multiplayer update April 2021). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status note: MudRunner is finished and no longer receives updates. Saber Interactive moved on to SnowRunner (Steam release May 2021) and Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (2024). MudRunner is still fully playable on Steam, including co-op, crossplay with the Epic Games Store version, and Steam Workshop mods.

Quick Start

• The job on every sandbox map is the same: pick up logs and deliver them to the lumber mills until each mill's quota is filled. Everything else (garages, fuel, repair) exists to make that possible.
• Unlock garages first. Driving to a locked garage unlocks it and gives you access to more vehicles. More garages means more trucks and safer places to repair, refuel and change addons.
• Reach watchpoints to reveal the map. Much of the map is hidden until you visit watchpoints. A revealed map makes route planning dramatically easier.
• Scout before you haul. Take a light scout vehicle along the route first. If the scout struggles, a loaded log truck will get stuck for sure.
• All-wheel drive and differential lock cost fuel. Turn them on for the bad stretches, turn them off on firm ground.
• Low gear is your friend. Crawling in a low gear through deep mud keeps the wheels biting instead of spinning and digging trenches.
• Use the winch early, not late. Winch to a tree before you are fully stuck. Once the chassis is sitting on mud, pulling out is much harder.
• Terrain gets worse every time you drive over it. Wheel ruts deepen with repeated passes, so a route that worked on the first trip may be impassable on the fifth.
• Start on Casual. Hardcore raises fuel consumption, makes navigation markers vaguer, blocks the differential lock while in automatic gearbox, and makes you load logs manually with a crane.
• Play the challenges. The challenge maps teach specific skills (crane use, river crossings, hill climbs) far faster than trial and error in the sandbox.

What Kind of Game Is This?

MudRunner is a slow, deliberate off-road simulation. There is no race timer, no opponent and no combat. The "enemy" is the terrain: deep mud that deforms under your tyres, rivers that stall your engine, steep slopes that flip overloaded trucks, and a fuel gauge that never stops dropping. You navigate by map and compass only, and the camera sits outside the vehicle.

The advanced physics are the whole point. Mud, water depth, vehicle weight and wheel articulation all interact, so the same stretch of road behaves differently for a light scout, an empty truck and a fully loaded log hauler.

Game Modes

Mode | What it is | Best for

Sandbox maps (Casual) | Deliver logs to lumber mills, with automatic log loading and friendlier fuel use | Learning, relaxed play

Sandbox maps (Hardcore) | Higher fuel consumption, vaguer navigation markers, no diff lock in automatic gearbox, manual crane loading | Veterans, Hardcore achievements

Challenges | Eleven short scenario maps with bonus objectives | Learning specific skills

Co-op multiplayer | Up to 4 players share a sandbox map | Convoys, rescue work

Proving grounds | Test area used by modders to try vehicles | Mod creators

Base game sandbox maps

The six base maps are The Bog, Island, Seashore, Downhill, Crossing and Deluge. Each has its own "Explore" (all watchpoints), "Settler" (all garages) and Hardcore completion achievement.

Challenge maps

The challenges are The Rig, Crane Operator, Crane Operator II, Climb a hill, Repair & Refuel, Visit Grandma, Delivery Mission, Cross a River, Night Safari, The Expedition and Freight-Ex. Each has bonus objectives tied to an achievement.

A good learning order: Climb a hill, Cross a River and Repair & Refuel first for driving basics, then Crane Operator and Crane Operator II before you try Hardcore, then the rest.

Core Systems

Map, watchpoints and route planning

• The map starts mostly obscured. Watchpoints reveal the surrounding area when you reach them.
• Use the map to plan a route line. On Casual the checkpoint markers are clear, which helps a lot at night and in fog. On Hardcore the markers become vaguer, so you have to remember more of the route yourself.
• Look at the terrain before committing: dark, wet-looking areas and river crossings are where trucks die. Firm dirt roads, even long ones, usually beat short cuts through bog.

Garages

• Garages start locked. Drive a vehicle to a garage to unlock it.
• At a garage you can switch vehicles, repair, refuel and change addons (the equipment mounted on the chassis).
• Garage points can be carried in some addons and trailers, letting you change addons away from the garage. For example, the Old-timers Chevrolet NAPCO 3100 can carry garage parts, repair supplies and a scout trailer.

Fuel

• Every vehicle has a fuel tank, and consumption rises with load, engine revs, all-wheel drive and differential lock.
• Refuel at fuel stations or from vehicles carrying fuel addons or fuel trailers. In co-op you can refuel other players' trucks (the "Fuel Tanker" achievement tracks 1,000 litres of this).
• Plan round trips around fuel. Running dry deep in the bog is the most common way to lose a truck.

Damage and repair

• Hard impacts, rolls and scraping damage the vehicle. Damage is shown as points against the vehicle's damage capacity.
• Repair at garages or from repair supply addons and trailers carried by support vehicles.
• A fully damaged truck can still be towed to a garage by another vehicle.

Vehicle types

Role | What it does well | Typical use

Scout | Light, nimble, low fuel use | Revealing watchpoints, unlocking garages, testing routes, winch anchor

Medium truck | Balanced off-road ability | Short logs, support addons, mid-difficulty routes

Heavy truck | High capacity, big tank | Long logs, trailers, fuel and repair hauling

The base game uses fictionalised Soviet-era vehicles named by type (for example the Type A-968m, Type A-3151 and Type B-130). The American Wilds expansion adds licensed American trucks, and the free Old-timers DLC adds the Chevrolet NAPCO 3100 and the GMC DW950.

Logs and lumber mills

• Logs come in short, medium and long lengths. According to the game's scoring, short logs are worth 3 load points, medium 4 and long 6.
• Each lumber mill needs a set number of load points. Fill every mill to complete the map.
• Long logs are worth the most but make the truck long, heavy and top-heavy. They are far harder to get through tight turns and bogs.
• On Casual you can load automatically at log stations. On Hardcore you use the crane on log carriages or crane-equipped addons to place each log by hand.

Driving controls (functions)

Every function is rebindable in the options, and a controller works well. The functions you will use constantly:

Function | What it does | When to use

All-wheel drive | Powers all axles | Mud, slopes, water

Differential lock | Forces wheels on an axle to turn together | Wheel spinning on one side, deep ruts

Gear selection (Auto, Low, Reverse, Neutral) | Low gear trades speed for torque | Low for climbing and mud, Auto on roads

Winch | Attach to a tree, rock anchor or vehicle and pull | Getting unstuck, controlled descents, towing

Handbrake | Holds the truck | Parking on slopes, winch setup

Map and route | Plan the path | Before every trip

Camera | Free rotation around the truck | Checking wheel position in ruts

Driving Technique

• Momentum on firm ground, patience in mud. Enter a muddy section at a steady speed in a low gear. Flooring it just digs the wheels in.
• Watch the wheels, not the road. Rotate the camera to see whether you are climbing out of a rut or grinding deeper.
• Diff lock is situational. It helps enormously when one wheel spins freely, but it makes turning harder. Toggle it off for tight corners.
• Back up and try another line. If you are sinking, reversing a truck length and taking a slightly different path is often better than pushing forward.
• Winch in short pulls. Winch while gently driving forward. Re-anchor to a closer tree if the angle gets bad.
• River crossings: check depth on the map, cross slowly, and keep the engine running. The "Diver" achievement exists because trucks often stall when submerged.
• Descending slopes: use low gear and light braking. Loaded trucks with long logs roll easily if you take a slope diagonally.

Map Strategy: A Reliable Opening

• Start with the scout. Drive to the nearest watchpoints and unlock any nearby garages.
• Look at every lumber mill and every log station on the map. Pick the pair with the easiest route between them, not the shortest straight line.
• Drive the planned route empty with the scout or an empty truck first. Note problem spots.
• Make the first deliveries with short or medium logs so you learn the route with a forgiving load.
• Once the route is proven, switch to long logs for the big point value.
• Keep a support truck with fuel or repair near your main route so a stuck hauler can be rescued quickly.
• Repeat for the next mill. If a route is ruined by deep ruts, find an alternative rather than fighting it.

DLC and Expansions

DLC | Price | What it adds

American Wilds Expansion | Paid | American vehicles (nine new vehicles, seven of them licensed trucks) and American maps

Old-timers | Free | The Rocky Hills map (billed as harder than normal, aimed at veterans), the Chevrolet NAPCO 3100 and GMC DW950

The Valley | Free | New content including vehicles and new gameplay mechanics

The Ridge | Free | New content including vehicles and new gameplay mechanics

Old-timers does not require American Wilds. The GMC DW950 is strong on roads with a long list of trailers (fuel, garage, log carriages) but weak off-road. The NAPCO 3100 is a tough scout with high damage capacity, good for rocky terrain and for carrying garage and repair points.

Multiplayer and Crossplay

• Co-op supports up to 4 players on the same map.
• Crossplay with the Epic Games Store version was added in November 2020. You need to link an Epic account when prompted in the multiplayer menu. If you decline, you can only play with Steam players who also did not enable crossplay.
• As of the April 2021 update, modded multiplayer works on both PC versions and across platforms.
• Good co-op roles: one scout/route-finder, one or two haulers, one support truck with fuel and repair.
• Pass log ownership to teammates when useful; the game tracks this for the "Cooperation" achievement.

Mods

MudRunner supports community mods for vehicles and maps, available through the Steam Workshop. Mods keep the game fresh long after the official content ended. Tips:

• Subscribe in the Workshop, then enable mods in the game's mod menu.
• In multiplayer, everyone needs the same mods.
• If a mod breaks after an update or crashes the game, disable all mods and add them back one at a time.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Hauling long logs on an untested route. Always test with a scout or empty truck first.
• Leaving all-wheel drive and diff lock on permanently. You burn fuel for nothing on firm ground.
• Flooring the throttle in mud. It digs trenches and makes the route worse for every later trip.
• Ignoring fuel. Check the tank before every trip and keep a fuel source near your route.
• Skipping garages. Without them you have fewer trucks and nowhere to fix mistakes.
• Driving the same rut again and again. Terrain softens with each pass. Vary your line slightly.
• Jumping into Hardcore without learning the crane. Do Crane Operator and Crane Operator II first.

Advanced Tips

• Use a scout as a winch anchor. If there are no trees, a parked vehicle with the handbrake on can serve as an anchor point for a stuck truck (a light scout may be dragged, so use a heavier vehicle when possible).
• Convoy winching. Two trucks winched together can drag each other through a bog. The "Caravan" achievement asks you to deliver with two loaded trucks winched together.
• Pick-up trick for logs. If you tip over with a load, you can pick up and repack scattered logs with a crane ("Master Logger" achievement).
• Night driving. Headlights reveal little. On hard maps, do the scouting in daylight and haul on known routes at night.
• Achievement hunting: several achievements must be done in single player (for example "My Only Love", finishing a level with one vehicle, and "Forester", finishing without the navigation map). Plan these runs on a map you already know well.
• Hardcore completions: every base map has a Hardcore completion achievement. Learn the map on Casual first, then replay it on Hardcore.

FAQ

Is MudRunner still worth playing after SnowRunner? Yes if you want a tighter, harsher, log-hauling focused experience with lots of free mods. SnowRunner is bigger, has contracts, upgrades and more varied cargo. Expeditions focuses on exploration and scientific missions.

Does MudRunner still get updates? No. The last content patch was in 2019, followed by crossplay (November 2020) and modded multiplayer fixes (April 2021).

Can I play co-op with friends on the Epic Games Store? Yes. Accept the crossplay prompt in the multiplayer menu and link your Epic account.

How do I complete a map? Fill every lumber mill's log quota. Unlocking garages and revealing watchpoints are optional but make it much easier.

Which difficulty should I choose? Casual for your first run of every map. Hardcore adds more fuel consumption, makes navigation markers vaguer, locks out the diff lock in automatic gearbox (shift manually to use it), and forces manual crane loading.

Why do I keep getting stuck in the same spot? Terrain deforms with repeated passes. Choose a new line, use low gear and diff lock, and winch before you bottom out.

Do I need American Wilds for the free DLC? No. Old-timers, The Valley and The Ridge are free and do not require the paid expansion.

Sources

• MudRunner on Steam
• MudRunner Steam achievements
• MudRunner news: crossplay, mod multiplayer update, Old-timers DLC
• Spintires: MudRunner on Wikipedia
• Spintires on Wikipedia