The best Assetto Corsa mods start with three essentials: Content Manager, which replaces the original launcher; Custom Shaders Patch (CSP), which extends the graphics engine; and a weather and lighting mod, Sol (free) or Pure (paid). Many current cars and tracks don’t look or work right without them. After that come open roads like Shutoko Revival Project, LA Canyons or Union Island, and highly rated free cars like the Subaru Impreza WRX GD or the RSR Formula 3.
To pick these 12 we started from the mod pages published on Holymod and looked at three things: that they’re downloaded from the project’s official website or the author’s page on OverTake, that they work with the current version of the game and CSP, and that they’re well rated at the source when ratings exist. Many cars and tracks haven’t been updated in years; that’s not a problem in itself, because Assetto Corsa no longer changes, but we’ll let you know when it’s worth checking CSP.
Quick summary
| Mod | What it’s for | Price | Compatible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content Manager | Launcher and content manager | Free (full version with a donation) | AC (PC) |
| Custom Shaders Patch | New lights, weather and effects | Free | AC 1.16.3/1.16.4 (64-bit) |
| Sol | Weather and lighting | Free | AC (PC) + CSP |
| Pure | Weather and lighting | Paid (Patreon) | AC (PC) + CSP |
| Subaru Impreza WRX 2007 (GD) Tuned | Tuned street car | Free | AC (PC) + CSP |
| RSR Formula 3 | F3 open-wheeler | Free | AC (PC) |
| WDT Street Car Pack | 11 cars to learn drifting | Free | AC (PC) |
| Shutoko Revival Project | Tokyo expressways | Free | AC (PC) |
| LA Canyons | Mountain roads | Free with paid extras | AC (PC) |
| Union Island | Open island to explore | Free | AC (PC) |
| Arrabassada | Road from Barcelona to Tibidabo | Free with paid extras | AC (PC) |
| Helicorsa | Radar for nearby cars | Free | AC 1.5 or later (PC) |
The essentials
Content Manager
An alternative launcher that replaces the original and makes playing with mods much easier: quick race, online mode with a server browser, race history, showroom, and tools to manage and fix content. The Lite version is free and includes all the main features; a donation unlocks in-development features and preview builds. It’s the easiest way to install CSP and most mods, although some tracks require manual installation.
Custom Shaders Patch (CSP)
An extension that adds dynamic lights, weather effects, particles, and extensions for cars and tracks. It’s free and these days almost mandatory: the Subaru GD on this list requires it, the VRC Formula Alpha needs 0.1.77 or later, and Arrabassada needs it for rain, grass and night driving. It requires Assetto Corsa 1.16.3 or 1.16.4 in 64-bit; install it from Content Manager and use the version recommended on its official website.
Sol
A free weather and lighting mod that runs on top of CSP and completely transforms skies, clouds and the day-night cycle. It’s the pick if you don’t want to pay anything. Sol and Pure do the same job, so choose one or the other.
Pure
A graphics and weather mod that many players use instead of Sol, also running on CSP. Its strong points are the lighting and the overall look of the image. It’s paid: you get it through its author’s Patreon, so it’s only worth it if you play often.
Cars
Subaru Impreza WRX 2007 (GD) Tuned
A recreation of the author’s own tuned Impreza WRX, with a model built from a photo scan of the real car and physics based on measurements, not estimates. It has a near-perfect rating on OverTake (4.96 from over 250 votes). It needs CSP, has no swappable parts, and the gauges read in miles.
RSR Formula 3
A free Formula 3 open-wheeler with its own model and physics based on real telemetry; it includes two variants. It’s one of the top-rated cars on OverTake (4.93 from over 240 votes). Liveries are downloaded separately, and its last update was in 2018.
WDT Street Car Pack
Eleven classic drift cars in street spec, from World Drift Tour, designed for getting started. Since it’s a balanced class, it’s a good way to learn before moving on to competition cars. It hasn’t been updated since 2020, and the website doesn’t list the exact cars or where the models come from.
Tracks and roads
Shutoko Revival Project
A free recreation of Tokyo’s Shuto urban expressway, ideal for night driving and online play, and the version most servers use. It’s only downloaded from the project’s official website. It’s a big download, needs a decent PC with heavy traffic on servers, and older versions (0.9.1) are no longer accepted on many servers.
LA Canyons
Over 40 km of real mountain roads in the canyons around Los Angeles, perfect for touge, drifting and group drives, with a 4.95 average on OverTake and hundreds of reviews. It’s free, although there are paid VIP extras. You install it manually following its guide (it doesn’t support drag-and-drop into Content Manager) and, since its latest version dates from 2020, it may need some CSP tweaking.
Union Island
An open map of a Caribbean island with over 30 km of roads built from scratch using real-world data, plus two short layouts with AI. It’s free and among the top rated on OverTake (4.98 from over 280 votes). It takes up over 370 MB, free roam mode has no AI, and it’s still at version 0.95.
Arrabassada
The Arrabassada road, which climbs from Barcelona up to Tibidabo and down to Sant Cugat, with photographic textures and a very distinct shift from urban streets to mountain road. It has a 5 average on OverTake, though with few votes. The free version only includes the 5.25 km free roam mode, and you need CSP to get rain, grass and night driving.
Tools
Helicorsa
An on-screen radar that shows the cars around you from above, so you know when someone’s alongside you. It’s a lightweight, free app that works offline and online, and it’s very well rated on OverTake. It hasn’t been updated since 2017, you have to enable it in the app settings, and advanced configuration is done by editing a text file.
If you want more, the Assetto Corsa section also has The Tajo Hillclimb, a 16 km hill climb through the Alto Tajo made by a Spanish modder; the Circuito del Jarama; the VRC Formula Alpha 2022 open-wheeler; and the World Drift Tour Car Pack 2021 for competition drifting.
How to install them
The simplest order is: install Content Manager, use it to install CSP, and then add Sol or Pure. Once that’s set up, most cars and tracks install by dragging the downloaded file into the Content Manager window; the ones that don’t support it, like LA Canyons, are copied manually into the game’s content/cars or content/tracks folders. You’ll find it step by step in the guide to installing mods in Assetto Corsa.
If you’re looking for content from Spain, there’s a separate guide with all the Spanish circuits, rally stages and hill climbs for Assetto Corsa.
Frequently asked questions
Which Assetto Corsa mods are essential?
Content Manager, Custom Shaders Patch and a weather mod (Sol or Pure). They’re the foundation most modern cars and tracks run on.
Sol or Pure?
They do the same thing, so use one or the other. Sol is free and more than enough for most players; Pure is paid through Patreon and makes sense if you want to go a step further with lighting.
Do these mods work on PS4, PS5 or Xbox?
No. Assetto Corsa mods only work on the PC version.
Do they work with Assetto Corsa Competizione or Assetto Corsa EVO?
No. This list is for the original Assetto Corsa; Competizione and EVO are different games and don’t share mods with it.
Why does a car or track look wrong or not load?
The most common reason is that CSP is missing or you have an old version. Update it from Content Manager and check the mod page to see if it needs a minimum version, like the VRC Formula Alpha.