Assetto Corsa EVO Update 0.9 is available now, adding the Audi R8 LMS GT2, Audi R8 V10 and Mazda RX-7 Spirit R alongside a revised slick tyre model, online Special Events, mandatory pit stops and major force feedback improvements.
KUNOS Simulazioni has released Assetto Corsa EVO Update 0.9, shifting the Early Access simulator further towards structured competition while continuing work on its physics, force feedback, performance and rendering systems.
The three new cars had already been previewed ahead of release, but the full update contains considerably more than additional content. Version 0.9 introduces worldwide Hotlap and Hotstint leaderboards, mandatory pit stops for longer multiplayer races, a revised racing slick tyre model and a substantial pass over wheel connectivity and force feedback.
Three New Cars Join Assetto Corsa EVO
Update 0.9 adds the Audi R8 LMS GT2, Audi R8 V10 performance quattro and Mazda RX-7 FD Spirit R (Type A) to the Assetto Corsa EVO roster. Unlike some previous Early Access releases, there is no new circuit included in this update, with KUNOS placing a greater emphasis on underlying systems and competitive gameplay features.
The Audi R8 LMS GT2 adds another dedicated racing car to the simulator and becomes particularly relevant alongside the revised slick tyre model introduced in the same build. It is joined by the road-going R8 V10 performance quattro, while the RX-7 Spirit R brings one of the most desirable final versions of Mazda’s FD-generation rotary sports car to EVO.
New Slick Tyre Model and Physics Changes
One of the most significant technical changes is an updated racing slick tyre model, now deployed across Assetto Corsa EVO’s GT racing machinery. KUNOS says the revised model is intended to improve consistency and fidelity across cars ranging from the Mazda MX-5 Cup to the Ferrari F40.
The tyre work is accompanied by changes elsewhere in the physics model. Limited-slip differential simulation has been improved, with LSD friction faces now exposed through car setup options. KUNOS has also addressed issues affecting AWD clutch behaviour and controllers responsible for differential locking, while throttle modelling has been revised on the newly released cars and is expected to expand to more vehicles later.
Specific vehicle corrections include a revised launch-control RPM for the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and a wet setup fix for the Ferrari SF-25, which now defaults to wet tyres rather than intermediates when appropriate.
These changes make Update 0.9 particularly significant from a simulation perspective. Rather than introducing an entirely new physics platform, KUNOS is continuing to refine individual layers of EVO’s existing model as development progresses through Early Access.
Special Events Bring Worldwide Hotlap and Hotstint Leaderboards
Update 0.9 introduces Special Events with worldwide online leaderboards, providing a more structured competitive element outside conventional multiplayer races.
Special Events use predefined combinations of car, circuit, conditions and time of day, allowing every participant to compete under comparable circumstances. Two formats are available initially: Hotlap, focused on outright single-lap performance, and Hotstint, where drivers must sustain their pace across a longer run.
The MFD can be used to select drivers around the player’s current leaderboard position. During Hotlap events, selecting another competitor replaces the driver’s normal reference in the Delta display, making it possible to directly compare pace against a nearby leaderboard target.
Hotstint uses a similar system but displays the total gap to surrounding competitors as the player crosses each sector line. This provides ongoing feedback throughout the stint instead of requiring drivers to wait until the end of the session to understand how their overall performance compares.
KUNOS has also added an optional Limited Attempts system. Players can practice an event without restriction, but event organisers can limit the number of attempts that actually count towards the leaderboard. The idea is to add pressure to competitive runs without preventing players from learning the car and circuit beforehand.
Mandatory Pit Stops Add Strategy to Multiplayer
Version 0.9 also introduces mandatory pit-stop requirements for multiplayer, initially applying to timed races longer than 20 minutes.
Server administrators can define a pit window through the launcher, while drivers can prepare their stop through the MFD by managing elements such as tyre selection, tyre pressures, fuel load and when they intend to enter the pits. Single-player mandatory pit-stop functionality is not part of the system at this stage.
KUNOS has also closed an exploit involving returning to the pits from close to the pit box. Returning to the pits while already inside the pitlane can now result in a penalty, preventing players from using the teleport function to avoid spending the expected amount of time in the pits.
Other gameplay changes include a selectable damage rate for single-player assists, fixes for external custom liveries and corrections for suspension repairs incorrectly repairing body damage at the same time.
Force Feedback Gets a Major Reliability Pass
For sim racers using dedicated hardware, the force feedback and input changes are among the most important parts of Update 0.9.
Assetto Corsa EVO can now automatically recover force feedback following an alt-tab, USB disconnection and reconnection, or wheelbase power cycle. KUNOS lists support for DirectInput devices alongside Fanatec, Logitech and Thrustmaster hardware, with FFB expected to return automatically instead of requiring the game to be restarted.
Fanatec users receive an additional fix for device recognition after reconnection, while Logitech TrueForce and Fanatec FullForce-related processing have also been revised. FullForce DSP now operates using a filtered signal with clamping, while TrueForce receives a 350 Hz low-pass filter, configurable gain and DSP reinitialisation when the steering wheel handle changes. TrueForce should also continue functioning correctly following reconnection.
KUNOS has additionally introduced FFB output shaping through a linearisation LUT. Advanced users can create an ffb.lut file inside the game’s SavedGame folder, defining input and output values to modify the response curve of their hardware.
Input processing has received further optimisation and updated default definitions, while an issue that could prevent an automatic gearbox from working when H-pattern shifter controls were mapped has also been corrected.
Rendering, CPU Performance and Visual Improvements
Update 0.9 continues KUNOS’ optimisation work on both the CPU and rendering sides. The changelog lists global CPU-side optimisation, additional gameplay code refactoring and multiple changes intended to reduce graphics workload.
Shadow receiver culling has been introduced in mono rendering, with KUNOS expecting shadows to become less expensive to render in supported scenarios. Vehicle and cockpit cubemaps, mirrors and windshield materials have also received optimisation work, while temporal dithering has been revised to work more effectively alongside DLSS and FSR.
A new Exposure Fusion system attempts to reproduce a wider visual range closer to how human vision perceives a scene rather than how a conventional camera exposes an image. Exposure bias, Exposure Fusion and post-processing presets can now be changed directly from the View Settings menu while on track, with the game providing a live preview.
Wind now has a graphical representation, windshield shadow effects have been corrected and TV camera jitter during replay and broadcast sequences has also been addressed.
Multiplayer receives several smaller stability fixes, including a crash associated with server disconnections, duplicated administrator commands and an issue that could assign a duplicated race number when a driver rejoined a server using a custom number.
Free Roam Is Still Coming
Alongside the update, KUNOS has clarified an important point about Assetto Corsa EVO’s development roadmap: Update 0.9 will not be the final Early Access release.
The developer has also reaffirmed that Free Roam remains planned for the Early Access period. KUNOS says development has reached a point where the team is getting “very close” to bringing Free Roam to Assetto Corsa EVO, although no release date or specific update number has been announced.
That distinction is important. The arrival of version 0.9 does not mean Assetto Corsa EVO is immediately moving to 1.0, and KUNOS has not confirmed that Free Roam will arrive with 0.10 or any other specific build.
Assetto Corsa EVO Update 0.9 is available now on PC through Steam, with the release concentrating on competition, physics, force feedback and performance while development continues towards the eventual end of the Early Access programme.
If you do not own the game yet, Assetto Corsa EVO is available on PC, and the original Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition remains the reference point for what a mature modding scene looks like.
See you on the track!
This website uses affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
