The Italian development studio“Kunos Simulazioni” from Rome is launching Early Access on Steam on January 16, 2025 and promises to set new standards in the field of sim racing. A very early internal test version could already be played at the ADAC Simracing Expo in Dortmund last year 2024 and the first impressions spread within a few days on YouTube and other various social media. The feedback on the driving behavior with the wheelbases and gas pedal pedals of well-known manufacturers provided quite positive impressions for the visitors of the fair, so the title was already one of the biggest highlights of the ADAC Simracing Expo. The hype surrounding Assetto Corsa Evo was officially launched!
Assetto Corsa Evo aims to combine everything that the modern player base desires. Namely chic graphics as well as improved and realistic driving behavior of various vehicles, a dynamic weather simulation paired with a day and night change, which is implemented with the new in-house KUNOS engine and, in addition to well-known routes of the world, should also provide a large upcoming open world.
Here it quickly becomes clear that CEO Marco Massarutto and his team have big plans and want to set new standards for the game and driving fun of sim racing, because the title has the chance to do a lot better than, for example, the Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown published by Nacon, which had few functional features or long-term motivation to offer apart from a chic large playable map at release.
The open world
An area of well over 1600 km² of driving fun is to be revealed around the Nürburgring circuit in the Eifel. Kunos plans to release the first parts of some well-known locations and side roads around the circuit from mid-2025. These track sections have been accurately scanned using Lidar 3D scanning technology, as not only the real race tracks are to be realistically ported into the game, but also the area of our beautiful German Eifel.
Early Access tracks on January 16th on Steam
At the start on January 16, the new simulation will initially only deliver 5 of 15 tracks, which are initially playable in single player mode and will also be added over time. The 5 tracks in Early Access include
- Suzuka(Japan)
- Panorama(Australia)
- Laguna Seca(USA)
- Imola(Italy)
- Brands Hatch(UK)
Cars available in Early Access
Of the approximately 100 cars planned for the final version of the game, only 20 vehicles from different eras are available at the start, which look as follows:
- Abarth 695 Biposto
- Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm
- Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce
- Alpine A110 S
- Alpine A290B Concept
- Audi RS3 Sportback
- BMW M2 CS Racing
- BMW M4 CSL
- Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Ferrari 296 GTB
- Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo
- Ford Escort RS Cosworth
- Honda S2000
- Hyundai i30 N
- Lotus Emira V6
- Mazda MX-5 Cup
- Mercedes-AMG GT2
- Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
- Toyota GR86
- Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk8 Clubsport
Initially only the single-player mode
When exactly the part with the expansion for a multiplayer mode will be added is not yet one hundred percent clear at this stage. However, the transition from single-player to multiplayer for the racetracks is expected to happen fairly quickly after the start of Early Access. First-time visitors on Steam will then race against the AI this week and familiarize themselves with the events. Kunos are also planning to revise their own site and want to provide the right settings for your wheelbases and setups so that you can get the best out of your simracing experience at home.
A visit to the official site definitely seems to be worthwhile in the future: https://assettocorsa.gg/assetto-corsa-evo-webpage-updated/
Many thanks to our community member olligo for this news! The pictures are from Steam.
