SnowRunner is Saber Interactive's off road hauling sim, published by Focus Entertainment, released in April 2020 and reaching Steam on 18 May 2021 once Epic exclusivity lapsed. You start in Michigan on Black River, the tutorial map, and work outward through Alaska, Taymyr, Kola Peninsula, Wisconsin and a long run of seasonal regions. There is no combat and no enemy: the opposition is mud, water, load weight, fuel and your own route choice, and it supports four player co-op throughout.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Michigan | Deformable mud, snow and water basics | Highway | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Alaska | Winching and recovery mastery | Highway | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Taymyr | AWD, differential lock and gear selection + gear | Scout or Highway | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Kola Peninsula | Build optimization | Scout | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Wisconsin | Min-max | Scout or Heavy | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Michigan)
The opening region across Black River, Smithville Dam, Island Lake and Drummond Island, with around 82 missions, the most of any region. Black River is the tutorial map and Smithville Dam acts as the hub connecting to everything else.
Level/Difficulty: Starting region Key Rewards: Early trucks, the first upgrade set, and the mud lessons the rest of the game assumes you learned
What to Do in Michigan
- Learn Deformable mud, snow and water. Ruts persist, so a road that carried a light truck is a trap by the fifth heavy run over it. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Highway as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Send a scout through a map before committing a loaded truck. Watchtowers reveal the fog, upgrades sit physically in the world waiting to be found, and a five minute scout run regularly saves an hour of dragging a full trailer down a road that ends in a river.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Chevrolet CK1500 or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Deformable mud, snow and water fundamentals
- Highway selected and functional
- Michigan main content cleared
- Ready for Alaska
Phase 2: Early Game (Alaska)
North Port, Mountain River, White Valley and Pedro Bay, roughly 74 missions and the first region where snow and ice matter more than mud. Grip changes without the ground looking any different, which catches out Michigan drivers.
Level/Difficulty: Second region Key Rewards: Snow and ice handling, chained tyre options, longer haul routes between separated maps
What to Do in Alaska
- Work on Winching and recovery. Every truck carries a winch that anchors to trees, rocks and other vehicles, and it is the difference between a stuck truck and a lost hour. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Chevrolet CK1500 if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Change tyres before you change engines. Mud tyres on a modest truck outperform highway tyres on a powerful one everywhere that matters, and the tyre slot is the single largest handling difference in the game.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Taymyr.
- Consider whether Scout might suit your playstyle better than Highway.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Winching and recovery integrated into gameplay
- Chevrolet CK1500 acquired
- Alaska fully cleared
- Ready for Taymyr
Phase 3: Mid Game (Taymyr)
Drowned Lands, Quarry, Zimnegorsk and Rift in the Russian Federation, around 59 missions and the base game's hardest region. Drowned Lands in particular is where most players first accept that a route is genuinely impossible in the truck they brought.
Level/Difficulty: Third region Key Rewards: Serious Russian offroad trucks, the deepest bogs in the base game, the best test of a recovery plan
What to Do in Taymyr
- Master AWD, differential lock and gear selection. All wheel drive and diff lock both raise traction and both raise fuel burn, so they are tools rather than defaults. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Chevrolet Kodiak C70. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Use all wheel drive and differential lock as tools rather than leaving both on. Each raises traction and each raises fuel consumption noticeably, and running both across a paved section of Michigan simply wastes a tank you will want later.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Tyres and upgrades found on the map for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- AWD, differential lock and gear selection mastered
- Chevrolet Kodiak C70 acquired or in progress
- Taymyr fully cleared
- Ready for Kola Peninsula
Phase 4: Late Game (Kola Peninsula)
Lake Kovd and Imandra, added with Season 2: Explore and Expand. Two large maps in the far north with heavy snow cover and long distances between objectives.
Level/Difficulty: Season 2 DLC region Key Rewards: Northern route planning, new trucks and addons from the season, extended fuel management
What to Do in Kola Peninsula
- Finalize your build. You should be running Scout or Highway with optimized gear.
- Chevrolet Kodiak C70 should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Winch to trees and rocks rather than to another loaded vehicle when you can. Anchoring to a truck that is also stuck usually drags both of you sideways, and in co-op the second truck should reposition to solid ground first.
- Contracts, tasks and cargo loading optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Wisconsin.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Chevrolet Kodiak C70 upgraded to max
- Kola Peninsula fully cleared
- Ready for Wisconsin
Phase 5: Endgame (Wisconsin)
Black Badger Lake and Grainwoods River, added with Season 3: Locate and Deliver, and the region that introduced logging to the game. Log hauling changes both the trailers you use and the physics of your load.
Level/Difficulty: Season 3 DLC region Key Rewards: Logging contracts, log carriages and trailers, forestry routes through soft ground
What to Do in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Carry consumables on long runs: repair points, spare wheels and fuel. Damage accumulates from impacts and from driving on flat tyres, and a truck that runs dry ten kilometres from a fuel station is a full recovery mission rather than an inconvenience.
- The endgame loop: run Wisconsin, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Heavy for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Contracts, tasks and cargo loading mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Wisconsin fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Driving a loaded truck into an unexplored map instead of scouting it first with a Scout class vehicle
- Leaving differential lock and all wheel drive engaged on paved roads and running out of fuel mid contract
- Buying engine upgrades before tyre upgrades, when tyres are the larger handling change by a wide margin
- Winching to another stuck vehicle and pulling both trucks further into the same bog
- Jumping into a season region straight after Michigan without the trucks and upgrades the later maps assume
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Send a scout through a map before committing a loaded truck. Watchtowers reveal the fog, upgrades sit physically in the world waiting to be found, and a five minute scout run regularly saves an hour of dragging a full trailer down a road that ends in a river.
- Change tyres before you change engines. Mud tyres on a modest truck outperform highway tyres on a powerful one everywhere that matters, and the tyre slot is the single largest handling difference in the game.
- Use all wheel drive and differential lock as tools rather than leaving both on. Each raises traction and each raises fuel consumption noticeably, and running both across a paved section of Michigan simply wastes a tank you will want later.
- Winch to trees and rocks rather than to another loaded vehicle when you can. Anchoring to a truck that is also stuck usually drags both of you sideways, and in co-op the second truck should reposition to solid ground first.
- Carry consumables on long runs: repair points, spare wheels and fuel. Damage accumulates from impacts and from driving on flat tyres, and a truck that runs dry ten kilometres from a fuel station is a full recovery mission rather than an inconvenience.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More SnowRunner Guides
- SnowRunner SnowRunner Overview
- SnowRunner Best Builds
- SnowRunner Tier List
- SnowRunner Beginner's Guide
- SnowRunner Tips & Tricks
- SnowRunner Weapons Guide
- SnowRunner Combat Guide
- SnowRunner Boss Guide
- SnowRunner Maps & Locations
- SnowRunner Crafting Guide
- SnowRunner Classes & Characters
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