Assetto Corsa EVO Free Roam, the game’s open world, arrives on December 9, 2026 with the 0.10 update. This first phase is part of Germany’s Eifel region, with the Nürburgring Nordschleife, villages and roads recreated at 1:1 scale, plus traffic, dynamic weather and a day-night cycle. It’s PC only (Steam, Early Access) and the map will grow with future updates. Here’s what Kunos and 505 Games have confirmed, what was shown in the trade show demo and what we still don’t know.
For the context of every version, check the Assetto Corsa EVO roadmap. And if you play on console, the AC EVO on PS5 and Xbox guide explains why there’s no version for now.
What Assetto Corsa EVO Free Roam is
Free Roam is EVO’s open-world mode. Instead of loading a closed track, you spawn in a real area of the Eifel and drive wherever you want: main roads, country routes, dirt tracks and even off-road. The Nordschleife is part of that map, so you can reach it by road from the surrounding villages.
Kunos announced it from day one as one of the game’s pillars. The Steam page still describes it as a full-release feature: a large map built from real-world scanned data where you explore, rent and buy cars, buy parts and customize vehicles. 0.10 doesn’t bring all of that at once: it’s the first iteration of the mode, and the studio itself stresses that it will be expanded in phases.
Release date: December 9, 2026
KUNOS Simulazioni and 505 Games gave the date on October 16, 2026, at the Sim Racing Expo in Frankfurt. The press release calls 0.10 the most ambitious content update since Early Access began. It’s been a long road:
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1-16-2025 | Early Access begins. 505 Games announces the Eifel open world for summer 2025. |
| 9-25-2025 | Summer goes by with no Free Roam. 0.3 debuts multiplayer. |
| 9-23-2026 | Kunos confirms on social media that the first iteration of the Eifel Free Roam will come with 0.10. |
| 10-7-2026 | Free Roam reveal video. |
| 10-16-2026 | Press release with the date: December 9. Playable demo at the Sim Racing Expo (October 16 to 18). |
| 12-9-2026 | Release of 0.10 with the first phase of Free Roam. |
It’s not version 1.0. Digital Bros, the group that owns 505 Games, places 1.0 between January and June 2027, with no specific day. Free Roam will keep growing during Early Access.
The map: the Eifel and the Nordschleife at 1:1 scale
According to the press release, the first playable area recreates some Eifel districts at 1:1 scale using real terrain data. It includes the Nürburgring Nordschleife, nearby villages, local roads and well-known spots in the region.
Outlets that tried the demo add a bit more detail. According to Superchicane, the first area runs from Ahrbrück in the north to Uersfeld in the south, passing through Adenau, Nürburg and Kelberg. Kunos compares its size to Manhattan, and the terrain comes from LIDAR measurements provided by the German government. No official figure for road kilometers in this first phase has been published.
The long-term goal is much bigger. In January 2025, 505 Games explained that the open world would expand over time to cover about 1.600 km² around the Nürburgring, with a drivable area matched to the real roads of the landscape. That’s the end goal, not what arrives on December 9.
What you’ll be able to do in 0.10
Confirmed by Kunos and 505 Games
- Free driving on roads, country routes and off-road tracks.
- Dynamic weather and a day-night cycle.
- AI-controlled traffic on the roads.
- Optional activities spread across the map, including Time Attack events.
- The Nordschleife built into the open world.
Seen in the reveal and the demo
This isn’t in the press release, but it was shown in the October 7 reveal video or the show demo, according to the press who saw it:
- An on-foot mode and tire shops, shown for the first time in the reveal, according to Traxion.
- Pedestrians who cross the street and jump out of the way if you come in too fast.
- You can pick any car, its version and the starting point.
- Fast travel to a garage to swap cars without leaving the session, and to other players’ positions.
- Single-player and multiplayer from launch, according to information gathered by Traxion. Kunos hasn’t detailed how many players it supports or how servers will work.
Since it’s a preview demo, some of these details could change before December 9.
What Kunos promised for later
Since the game was announced, Kunos and 505 Games have talked about an open world with an economy: renting cars, buying tuning parts, upgrading your vehicle and interacting with local businesses. They even invited real businesses in the area, like car rentals or parts shops, to apply to appear in the game.
None of this has been confirmed for 0.10. The October press release only talks about exploration, traffic, weather and optional activities, and the Steam page still presents renting and buying cars and parts as part of the full release. It’s reasonable to expect them in later phases.
What we still don’t know
- Exact size of the first area in kilometers or km².
- Specific requirements for Free Roam. Kunos hasn’t published specific requirements for the open world; the show demo ran on an NVIDIA RTX 50 series card.
- Community cars: there’s no word on whether mod cars built with the official car editor will be usable in Free Roam.
- VR: EVO supports VR, but there are no details on how the open world performs in a headset.
- Economy and progression: money, experience or buying cars on the map.
- Consoles: Free Roam is PC only, like the rest of the game. There’s no date for PS5 or Xbox.
- Price: Kunos hasn’t announced a separate payment. Early Access updates have so far shipped as game updates, but the studio warns that the base price may go up during Early Access.
How to get ready for December 9
Check your PC
These are Assetto Corsa EVO’s general requirements on Steam. Keep in mind that an open map usually demands more than a track, so treat them as a starting point.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 or 11 64-bit |
| CPU | Intel i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | Intel i5-10500 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X |
| Memory | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | GTX 1070, RX 580 or Arc A580 (8 GB) | RTX 2070, RX 6650 XT or Arc A750 |
| Storage | 100 GB on SSD | 100 GB on SSD |
If your rig is borderline, ACEvoPerf is EVO’s top-rated performance mod: it fixes crashes when switching cars or tracks, blurry textures and a memory leak, and it enables NVIDIA Reflex. It’s built for 0.9, so check its page after 0.10. If you switch between monitor and headset, AC EVO Video Settings Switcher saves a graphics profile for each mode.
Watch out for mods when you update
Every EVO update can break mods. A few examples from our mod pages:
- ACE UI App Loader is released for a specific game build (0.27.0 is for 0.9.1). After 0.10 you’ll need to download the new version or you’ll see a red warning.
- Car Setup Unifier is updated for each version to include new cars and tracks.
- Ferrari 296 GTB eDrive disables itself when the game updates, and EVO goes back to stock.
Give your car Nürburgring colors
If you’re going to tour the Eifel, these liveries fit right in: the Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2 (2026 24 Hours, the most downloaded EVO livery on OverTake), the Rowe Racing #99 BMW M4 GT3 Evo and the Emil Frey #31 Ferrari 296 GT3, winner of 2025 NLS 9. They’re installed with LiveryLab Evo, which uses the official external livery system.
In the meantime: open world in the original Assetto Corsa
If you don’t want to wait, the original Assetto Corsa has offered free roam for years thanks to mods:
- Nordschleife Tourist Enhanced: seven Touristenfahrten-style layouts on the official Nordschleife, with a parking lot and AI at open-lapping pace. Requires the Dream Pack 1 DLC and Custom Shaders Patch.
- Union Island: a Caribbean island with over 30 km of roads to drive freely.
- LA Canyons: over 40 km of mountain roads in the Los Angeles canyons.
- Shutoko Revival Project: the Tokyo urban expressway used by most free-roam servers.
- Arrabassada: the road from Barcelona up to Tibidabo, with a 5,25 km free mode in its free version.
If that’s your route, the Assetto Corsa servers guide explains how to join online free-roam sessions.
More Assetto Corsa EVO guides: how to install mods, system requirements and graphics settings, Assetto Corsa vs EVO, multiplayer and servers.
Frequently asked questions
When does Assetto Corsa EVO Free Roam come out?
On December 9, 2026, with the 0.10 update. It’s the first phase of the mode, and the map will be expanded in later updates.
Does the map include the Nordschleife?
Yes. The first area recreates part of Germany’s Eifel at 1:1 scale, with the Nürburgring Nordschleife, nearby villages and local roads.
Can you play Free Roam online?
According to information gathered by the specialist press, there will be single-player and multiplayer from launch, and in the demo you could travel to other players’ positions. Kunos hasn’t detailed player slots or servers.
Will there be car rentals, shops and money?
They’re promised for the full open world, but not confirmed for 0.10. Tire shops were shown in the reveal; the rest will most likely come in later phases.
Will Free Roam come to PS5 or Xbox?
Not for now. Assetto Corsa EVO is PC only and there’s no date for consoles.
Will I have to pay extra for Free Roam?
Kunos hasn’t announced any extra charge for 0.10. If you already own the game on Steam, the update should download like the previous ones.