Assetto Corsa vs Assetto Corsa EVO, in short: the original Assetto Corsa (2014) is a finished game, it’s cheap (19,99 € on Steam, with sales of up to 90 % off), it runs on almost any PC and it has thousands of free mods. Assetto Corsa EVO is its successor: it’s in Early Access (version 0.9), costs 39,99 €, needs a much more powerful PC and its modding community is just getting started, but it has new graphics and physics, and in December it gets the Eifel open world. If you want mods and free roam today, buy Assetto Corsa. If you’d like to watch a new sim grow and your PC can handle it, go with EVO.
Below is the point-by-point comparison, with data from Steam and Kunos’ release notes as of October 22, 2026.
Comparison table
| Assetto Corsa | Assetto Corsa EVO | |
|---|---|---|
| Release | 12-19-2014 (full release) | 1-16-2025, Early Access (currently 0.9) |
| Steam price | 19,99 € / Mex$ 227,99 / 10,49 USD (Latin America) | 39,99 € / Mex$ 511,99 / 24,99 USD (Latin America) |
| Official content | About 70 cars and 20+ tracks in the base game; 178 cars in the Ultimate Edition | About 69 car models and 18 tracks (Holymod count) |
| Mods | Open for years: cars, tracks, graphics, apps | Cars with the official SDK (0.7), external liveries (0.8), unofficial UI apps |
| Open world | Mods only | Official Eifel Free Roam on 12-9-2026 (0.10) |
| Consoles | PS4 and Xbox One (playable on PS5 and Series via backward compatibility), no mods | PC only; no console date |
| DirectX | 11 | 12 |
| Minimum memory | 2 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 15 GB (30 GB recommended) | 100 GB on SSD |
Price: how much each one costs
Assetto Corsa costs 19,99 € on Steam Spain, but you almost never need to pay full price: its lowest recorded price is 1,99 € (-90 %), and the Ultimate Edition with all the DLC also drops a lot during sales. In Mexico the list price is Mex$ 227,99, and in the rest of Latin America it’s 10,49 USD. If you can’t decide between editions, the Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition guide explains what each pack includes.
Assetto Corsa EVO costs 39,99 € on Steam Spain (Mex$ 511,99 in Mexico and 24,99 USD in Latin America). Kunos warns on Steam that the price may go up during Early Access as content is added. There’s also a bundle of EVO with Assetto Corsa Rally.
Official content: cars and tracks
The original Assetto Corsa has about 70 cars and 20+ tracks (counting layouts) in the base game. With the PC Ultimate Edition you get 178 cars and 19 tracks, including packs like Dream Pack 1, which brings the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, or Dream Pack 2 with Barcelona-Catalunya.
EVO launched with 20 cars and 5 tracks and has added more with every version. In the Assetto Corsa EVO roadmap we count about 69 car models and 18 tracks after 0.9 (Kunos doesn’t publish an official count). Its official cars range from classics to GT3s and open-wheelers, and 0.9 added the Audi R8 LMS GT2, the Audi R8 V10 performance quattro and the Mazda RX-7 FD Spirit R.
Mods: the biggest difference
Assetto Corsa: the huge mod ecosystem
The original AC has stayed alive for over ten years thanks to its community. Content Manager replaces the original launcher, Custom Shaders Patch adds dynamic lights, rain and effects, and on top of that there are thousands of cars, tracks, graphics filters and apps. On Holymod alone we have over 200 AC mod pages. A few examples:
- Shutoko Revival Project, the Tokyo expressway used by most free-roam servers.
- Union Island, an open map with over 30 km of roads.
- Circuito del Jarama and Arrabassada, two examples of community-made Spanish content.
- WDT Street Car Pack, 11 classic drift cars in street spec.
To get started, follow the guide to installing mods in Assetto Corsa and our pick of the best Assetto Corsa mods.
Assetto Corsa EVO: official modding, but young
EVO can’t be opened up with the first game’s tools. Kunos went with an official system that opens in stages:
- Cars: the Car Editor (official SDK) arrived with 0.7. There are already community cars like the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Competizione, the Abarth 1000 TCR or the Austin Mini Cooper S Group 2.
- Liveries: since 0.8 there’s an official external livery system, which tools like LiveryLab Evo or FORC3 Designer take advantage of.
- UI: there’s no official system, but ACE UI App Loader lets you run several HUD apps at once and works online.
- Tracks: the official tools will come later. Even so, there’s already the odd original layout like HDC The Yard Drift Park, built with the game’s own assets.
Today we have 30 EVO mod pages versus over 200 for AC. The number is growing, but if mod variety is what you’re after, the original Assetto Corsa wins by a mile. Check out everything available in the Assetto Corsa EVO mods section and compare it with the Assetto Corsa mods one.
Physics, graphics and VR
Both are Kunos sims, but EVO uses a new engine with DirectX 12. Kunos has been revising its physics in every version: 0.9, for example, introduced a new slick tire model for the race cars, from the Mazda MX-5 Cup to the Ferrari F40, plus a force feedback overhaul. The original AC uses DirectX 11 and, without mods, it shows its age; with Custom Shaders Patch and a graphics filter it looks much better, at the cost of performance.
Both support VR. EVO revamped its VR in 0.8 with foveated rendering (including eye tracking on headsets that support it), a pixel density control from 50 to 150 % and its own video profile for VR.
Keep in mind that EVO is still in development. As of October 22, 2026, its English Steam reviews were listed as «Mixed», with 54 % positive ratings. If you’d rather have a finished game, you might want to wait for 1.0.
System requirements: this is where they really differ
| Minimum | Assetto Corsa | Assetto Corsa EVO |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Duo 2,4 GHz or Athlon X2 2,8 GHz | Intel i7-8700K or Ryzen 5 1500X |
| Memory | 2 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | DirectX 10.1 (GeForce GT 460 or Radeon HD 6450) | GTX 1070, RX 580 or Arc A580 (8 GB) |
| Storage | 15 GB | 100 GB on SSD |
For recommended specs, Assetto Corsa asks for a GTX 970 or R9 290X and 6 GB of RAM, while EVO asks for an RTX 2070, RX 6650 XT or Arc A750, 16 GB of RAM and an i5-10500 or Ryzen 5 2600X. Heads up: the original AC with Content Manager, Custom Shaders Patch and filters needs a lot more than its official requirements. You’ll find the details in the Assetto Corsa system requirements guide.
If your graphics card has less than 8 GB or your PC has no SSD, EVO isn’t a good idea today. If you’re just scraping by, ACEvoPerf fixes stutters, blurry textures and crashes in EVO.
Online and multiplayer
In Assetto Corsa, online is free: there are public servers, the official dedicated server and community alternatives, and with Content Manager you can download the content each server requires. We explain it in Assetto Corsa servers.
EVO has had free public servers since 0.3, its own dedicated servers since 0.6, community cars online since 0.8 and mandatory pit stops in multiplayer since 0.9. For running championships there are already tools like ACE Manager or EVO Web Server Manager.
Consoles: Assetto Corsa yes, EVO not yet
The original Assetto Corsa came out on PS4 and Xbox One in 2016, and the console Ultimate Edition in 2018. It plays on PS5 and Xbox Series via backward compatibility, but there are no mods on console. It’s all in the Assetto Corsa on PS4 and PS5 guide.
Assetto Corsa EVO only exists on PC. There’s no date or price for PS5 or Xbox Series; we’re tracking it in Assetto Corsa EVO on PS5 and Xbox.
Which one should you buy?
- You have a modest PC or a laptop: Assetto Corsa. EVO needs at least 16 GB of RAM, an 8 GB graphics card and 100 GB on an SSD.
- You want drift, touge and free roam right now: Assetto Corsa, thanks to the sheer number of community maps, cars and servers.
- You play on console: Assetto Corsa, because EVO hasn’t come out on consoles.
- You want the latest from Kunos and don’t mind Early Access: EVO. You’ll get the Eifel Free Roam on December 9, 2026, and 1.0 is expected between January and June 2027.
- You like creating content with official tools: EVO, thanks to its SDK and external livery system.
- Tightest budget: wait for an Assetto Corsa sale; it’s been as low as 1,99 €.
Nothing stops you from owning both: AC for mods and servers, and EVO to follow its progress. Just note that they don’t share mods.
More Assetto Corsa EVO guides: how to install mods, system requirements and graphics settings, Free Roam and Nordschleife, multiplayer and servers.
Frequently asked questions
Does Assetto Corsa EVO replace the original Assetto Corsa?
It’s the successor, but it doesn’t replace it: the original AC is still on sale and has a huge modding community. EVO is in Early Access and its 1.0 is expected between January and June 2027.
Do Assetto Corsa mods work in EVO?
No. EVO has its own format. Cars are built with the official editor and liveries with the external livery system; mods from the original AC can’t simply be copied over.
Which one is more realistic?
EVO uses a more modern engine and tire model, but it’s still in development and changes with every version. The original AC, with physics mods and CSP, is still highly regarded. It depends more on the car and the mod than on the game.
Can I play Assetto Corsa EVO on a low-end PC?
Hardly. The official minimum is 16 GB of RAM, an 8 GB GTX 1070 or RX 580 and 100 GB on an SSD. With less than that, the original Assetto Corsa is the better option.
Which one has an open world?
EVO will have an official Eifel Free Roam starting December 9, 2026. In the original AC it only exists through mods like Shutoko Revival Project or Union Island.