Developer Kunos Simulazioni and publisher 505 Games have announced the Assetto Corsa Evo Early Access release date, and the hyper-realistic racing sim is landing on Steam Early Access in just a couple of months.
Per an official announcement on Steam, Assetto Corsa Evo launches on January 16th, and in a press release, the two studios say that the game "represents a major leap forward" for the Assetto Corsa franchise.
The game was first mooted back in 2021, when it was revealed to be in development alongside a sequel to Koji Igarashi's Metroidvania Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Sadly, there's still no news on the latter front.
According to the aforementioned press release, Kunos Simulazioni has created a "new proprietary engine" for Assetto Corsa Evo, one that can reproduce real-world vehicles and simulate their "mechanical, electronic, and aerodynamic performance".
This, the developer says, will raise the bar of realism "even higher than Assetto Corsa", which it says is "arguably one of the most popular driving simulations of the last decade".
The new game will introduce several new features and gameplay modes, all of which are made possible by the new engine. It sounds like you'll be hearing from this engine again after the release of Assetto Corsa Evo.
Additionally, Evo will support "a full 24-hour race cycle", as well as "cutting-edge lighting" and "dynamic weather and track conditions". Of course, you can also expect pin-sharp visuals to complement all of these features.
Kunos Simulazioni and 505 Games don't give any kind of indication regarding exactly how long they expect Assetto Corsa Evo to remain in Early Access, but Kunos co-founder Marco Massarutto says his studio believes in "taking the time to get things just right".
Assetto Corsa Evo launches on PC via Steam Early Access on January 16th. You can wishlist the game here ahead of its launch if you'd like.
