Assetto Corsa Evo is a little bare bones, but shows promise | Early access impressions
It would be all too easy to focus on what this early access version of the latest racing simulator from Kunos Simulazioni lacks. Assetto Corsa Evo opened the door on early access last week and is now up to version 0.1.2 of their highly anticipated racing series. What was inside was more of a stripped out, track ready Porsche GT3 than the plush luxury of a Bentley CGT.
With twenty cars available to blast around in at launch, five real world tracks, and only two single player game modes available (practice and quick race), there’s not an awful lot of bang for your buck.
Handling is a touch more forgiving than previous titles, with cars seemingly steadying themselves and regaining traction much more readily than I’m used to in a more sim based racer, whether it’s in a Fiat Abarth or Mercedes AMG GT2 . It has a feeling more akin to something like Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo 7 on the beginner and rookie assist settings, only showing more of its hardcore heritage as you turn off the hand-holding features. The array of customisation available makes it easy to create the perfect challenge to your own driving ability and has indeed encouraged my own playstyle to be pushed, taking away more of the assistance safety net.
Opponent AI feels somewhat simple, with little movement away from the optimal racing line but will still provide entertainment for those looking to move away from just time trialling the tracks available. I’ve found that whilst PC performance is stable on the whole whilst racing solo, but frame rates took quite a hit when other drivers were on the track, Laguna Seca being a notable locale for this issue, with one particular corner consistently becoming choppy, no matter the situation on track. I’m sure that this is just an area to be optimised as the early access period rolls ever forward, but it was certainly noticeable nonetheless.
EVO is certainly easy on the eyes, with weather effects looking particularly lovely at sunrise, the sun’s rays bouncing off the glossier track markings, adding a warm glow to the surroundings as you fly by. Car interiors are also of particular note, as whilst I’m not an encyclopedia of knowledge on exact specifications of the air vent placement in a Ferrari 488, the level of detail on show is remarkable and certainly adds to the immersion level, should you be able to take your eyes off of the asphalt for more than a millisecond. A neat little touch to show this off is in the main menu screen, your vehicular weapon of choice being available to take a closer look at. With options to change the showroom, time of day and weather, it’s great to take a moment or two to appreciate the attention to detail on the frankly beautiful car models.
Should you be buying this now? It’s a little tricky to recommend in its current iteration. This release is very bare bones for the average user, although true racing enthusiasts should still have hours of fun pushing the cars on offer to their limits on the tracks currently available. There’s a distinct lack of beginner friendly tutorials at present without the Driving Academy or licenses available in this build, leaving those without much prior experience to feel their way through the intricacies of track racing and race car handling.
The AI drivers are offering only a basic challenge to anyone with any previous simulation racing game experience. With only 5 circuits on offer, although admittedly with some variation in weather, time of day and track layout available to tinker with, content is a little thin on the ground. Truth be told, it might be better to wait a little longer for further content drops scheduled throughout the year, unless you’d like to show your support to a great developer throughout the production of this title.
That all said, I’d sooner focus on what’s to come before the end of 2025. With promises of open world racing in a free roam setting in the Eifel region of Germany (which just so happens to be the home of the legendary Nürburgring), over 100 vehicles from world renowned manufacturers, 15 track circuits, a dynamic weather system, extensive photo mode and more, there’s a lot to look forward to on the horizon.
Assetto Corsa Evo is available now in Steam early access on PC.
