Assetto Corsa Evo: Everything You Need To Know

It’s not long until we’ll get our first taste of the much-anticipated Assetto Corsa Evo, with the game’s early access version set for launch on 16 January. Developer Kunos Simulazioni has just unveiled some of what we can expect this initial version of the game to feature.

Evo's set to bring a proper career mode, the most diverse car list seen in the AC franchise yet, some utterly gorgeous graphics, the excellent physics we've come to expect from the franchise, and even a free-roam mode with over 600 square miles of Lidar-scanned countryside to explore.

Read on for everything we know about the game so far, and you'll see why we're so excited.

Assetto Corsa Evo trailers

Several trailers have given us a taste of what to expect in AC Evo. An initial announcement trailer debuted on 30 September 2024.

Then, on 8 October, a ‘behind-the-scenes’ trailer showed the Kunos team hard at work (i.e. thrashing cars around tracks) to hone the game’s physics. This gave us glimpses at some fairly diverse cars that haven’t officially been confirmed for the game, including a Lamborghini Huracan GT3, a drift-prepped Nissan 350Z, and even a Legends race car, hinting at their possible inclusion.

Then, as a nice gift on Christmas Day 2024, Kunos gave us an info-dump in the form of an ‘Everything you need to know’ trailer (we got there with our title first, we swear), which unveiled a whole host of new details on the game.

Assetto Corsa Evo release date

When the development of an Assetto Corsa sequel was first confirmed in 2021, a 2024 release window was given, and that was stuck to right up until September 2024.

That was soon pushed back, though, with Kunos taking time to ensure the game wasn’t rushed at the cost of quality. We now know that an early access version, set to initially include a small handful of cars and tracks, will be released on 16 January 2025.

As for the finished game, Kunos has earmarked autumn 2025 for v1.0. That’s gaming speak for the first full, non-early access version, leaving plenty of scope for future updates.

What platforms will Assetto Corsa Evo be on?

So far, AC Evo has only been confirmed for PC, which is by far the biggest platform for the two previous games in the franchise. That said, both Assetto Corsa and AC Competizione did get console releases further down the line, so we wouldn’t be surprised to eventually see it land on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X.

Assetto Corsa Evo early access

With the first early access build of AC Evo going live on 16 January, we've run through everything we know will be featured in it here.

Assetto Corsa Evo car list

When v1.0 of AC Evo launches in the autumn, it'll feature around 100 cars, with more to come in free updates in the future. So far, just over 40 cars have been confirmed, and we've compiled them here.

Assetto Corsa Evo track list

V1.0 will feature 15 tracks, and once again, more will be added for free in updates. The ones we've seen so far, listed below, are all rendered in an incredible level of detail, and also feature some pretty impressive-looking weather and time effects. And don’t panic, the one everyone wants to know about is there. You know the one.

• Brands Hatch
• Fuji Speedway
• Imola
• Laguna Seca
• Mount Panorama
• Nürburgring Nordschleife
• Suzuka Circuit

Additionally, the game will feature a free-roam mode, with a 1:1 recreation of the roads in Germany’s Eifel Mountain region, surrounding the Nürburgring. More details on that below.

Assetto Corsa Evo car and driver customisation

In an interview with Italian outlet Multiplayer.it, Kunos game director Davide Brivio revealed an interesting tidbit about how car purchasing is set to work in AC Evo: "There will not only be a lot of car models in the game. For each car, all the configurations and engines that you would find in any dealership will be available. If your favourite car is sold both in petrol and diesel, for example, or in a version that mounts 17-inch wheels with a sunroof, then it will also be the case in our game."

This is an interesting concept and one that’s not really been seen in games before. The Test Drive Unlimited series has famously allowed players to spec interior colour and some options as well as the usual exterior colour, but we’ve not really seen anything before in gaming that acts so much like the online configurators we like to waste so much time on.

Brivio also noted that aftermarket modification will be possible, albeit with a strong emphasis on performance-enhancing aero upgrades.

Something unconfirmed, but highly likely based on what we’ve seen from trailers and screenshots, is some form of character customisation, too. We’ve seen clips of drivers wearing different outfits, and with and without things like racing gloves.

Assetto Corsa Evo free roam

It was hinted at in the trailer, and then confirmed by the developers, and now we have details on the much-anticipated free roam mode in AC Evo. As unveiled by Nürburgring-based YouTuber Misha Charoudin, the game will allow players to explore the roads in the Eifel Mountains, surrounding the famous German circuit.

The explorable area will eventually expand to encompass over 600 square miles, all LIDAR-scanned to make them as close to reality as possible, and with weather and day/night cycles. 

Not only that, but players will be able to interact with various real life businesses located near the circuit, including track car rental firms and tuning and customisation shops. There’ll even be the need to refuel – or, in the case of EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, recharge – cars, Massarruto has told Traxion, although thankfully for those looking for a more escapist open world, this may not be mandatory.

A smaller area of this map will become available in the game’s early access version in summer 2025, with it set to gradually expand in future updates.

As an aside, the reveal of this map also showed off several more cars confirmed to be in the game – we’ve updated our car list page to reflect this.

Assetto Corsa Evo career mode

The original Assetto Corsa didn't really have much in the way of a traditional 'career mode'. A hardcore driving sim above all else, it was largely a case of pick a car, pick a track and race.

Kunos, though, is keen for Evo to appeal to a much broader gaming audience. Its co-founder Marco Massarutto told Traxion that "we are working on those aspects that maybe were lacking [in] the first AC titles like a career mode." 

At a presentation at the Sim Racing Expo in Dortmund, Germany in October 2024, meanwhile, Massarutto and Brivio revealed a bit more of what we can expect. Massarutto said he wants the game to be "the RPG of the petrolheads," and Brivio expanded a little on this:

“You enter the game, you start from some point, you develop with total freedom but gaining momentum inside the game. So what we think to lay down is a game economy system that will be as simple as we can, but will help players to enter the game with a budget, choose the first car, then with total freedom they can play, accumulate experience, and virtual currency… and buy the cars you want.”

In the Multiplayer.it interview, meanwhile, Brivio hinted that the career will be fairly open-ended, saying: "Kunos doesn't have the experience or the size to create a campaign in the classic sense. But above all we didn't want to force the player to do something they don't want to do. If you want to buy fifty Alpines, in every available colour, you can do it. If instead you want to save, event after event won, to make a hypercar yours as soon as possible, you will be allowed to.”

One element of the career mode – at least in the early access version – will be the Driving Academy, which seems to be a bit of a mash-up of the licence tests and Circuit Experience modes found in the Gran Turismo series. It’ll teach players the quickest way around circuits, section-by-section, with a series of timed challenges, which will be integrated into a licence system granting access to higher tiers of car.

Will Assetto Corsa Evo have VR support?

Yep – the system requirements reveal that SteamVR, Meta Quest (formerly Oculus) and OpenXR virtual reality systems will be supported, with Kunos aiming to have the tech in the game from launch.

Assetto Corsa Evo system requirements

Unsurprisingly, you’ll need some fairly serious PC hardware to run AC Evo, especially if you want to enjoy it at its best.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel i7 8700k / AMD 1500X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: GTX 1070, RX 580
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: broadband internet connection
• Storage: 100 GB available space
• Sound Card: integrated
• VR Support: SteamVR, Oculus VR, OpenXR
• Additional Notes: SSD required

Recommended system requirements:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit / Windows 11 64-bit
• Processor: Intel i5 10500 / AMD 2600X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: RTX 2070, Radeon RX 5600
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: broadband internet connection
• Storage: 100 GB available space
• Sound Card: integrated
• VR Support: SteamVR, Oculus VR, OpenXR
• Additional Notes: SSD required

Will Assetto Corsa Evo support modding?

Part of what’s allowed the original AC to have such a huge player base a decade from its release is its mod support. As a result, you can now drive pretty much anything on any track your heart desires. Want to take a fully animated T-rex around Rainbow Road? Knock yourself out.

Luckily, modding will continue into Evo, although it's likely to look a little different. Massarutto confirmed to Traxion that a mod editor will arrive at the end of the game's early access period.

While modding has given the now decade-old original game a remarkable longevity, it's also a legal grey area, as it often involves ripping content from other titles or creating assets without the permission of their copyright holders. 

Massarutto wants the modding system in AC Evo to "create a platform where the modders can also work with cars and track licensors," hopefully allowing talented third-party modders to work officially with manufacturers and circuits to bring them to the game.