Assetto Corsa Evo has had a rough few months. The original AC is still one of the most respected sims ever made. And now there's AC2 on the horizon. So if you're sitting there with money to spend and no idea which way to go, here's the honest breakdown.

No fluff. No fanboyism. Just what you actually need to know.

What Happened to Assetto Corsa Evo?

When AC Evo launched in early access, the big selling point was a proper career mode — XP, virtual currency, car progression, an open world around the Nürburgring. Something closer to Gran Turismo than the original AC. People paid early access money for that promise.

Then in February 2026, with the 0.5 update, Kunos quietly announced they were scrapping it. Career mode has been disabled. XP is gone. Virtual currency is gone. The economy-based progression that was sold as a core feature simply no longer exists. You now boot straight into Open Mode with access to all cars from the start.

To be fair to Kunos, 0.5 did bring seven new cars including the Audi Sport quattro and Mk1 VW Golf GTI, two new tracks in Watkins Glen and Circuit Paul Ricard, DLSS 4.5, free camera mode, and a bunch of physics improvements to the differential model and ESC behaviour. The sim side of things is genuinely getting better. But the game side? That's where people feel burned.

Is AC Evo Still Worth Buying?

Yes — but not for what it was originally sold as. If you want a serious sim with a growing car and track list, daily races, and excellent physics, AC Evo is genuinely good. Kunos know how to make cars feel right. The tyre model is excellent, the force feedback translation to a direct drive wheel is among the best available right now, and the car roster is expanding consistently.

What you're not getting is any kind of structured progression. You're not building towards anything. You boot up, pick a car, pick a track, and go. For sim racers who just want to lap — that's fine. For anyone who wanted a Gran Turismo alternative on PC — you've been let down.

So Where Does That Leave AC2?

Assetto Corsa 2 doesn't have a confirmed release date yet but Kunos have confirmed it's in development separately from Evo. The important thing to understand is that AC2 is a different product — it's the successor to the original Assetto Corsa, not to Evo. Think of Evo as Kunos experimenting with a more accessible game format, and AC2 as the next evolution of the pure sim.

Given that the original AC is still running strong in 2026 thanks to its mod community, AC2 has enormous boots to fill. The expectation is that it carries forward everything the original did well — laser scanned tracks, incredible car feel, mod support — and builds on it with modern graphics and online infrastructure.

But there's no release date. There's no gameplay footage. Right now AC2 is a promise, not a product.

Head to Head

The Verdict

One More Thing — Your Hardware Matters

Whichever you choose, AC Evo's physics reward good hardware significantly more than a controller or a budget wheel. The differential model improvements in 0.5 in particular are things you simply feel better through a direct drive base. The nuance in how the rear steps out under power, the way load transfers through a kerb — a quality wheel communicates all of that in a way that makes you a better driver, not just a happier one.

If you're playing AC Evo on anything less than a direct drive setup you're leaving a significant part of the experience on the table. If you're thinking about upgrading, now is a good time — the MOZA Mid-Year Sale is running until July 15 with meaningful discounts on the R5, R9 and R12 bundles.