There are moments when a single announcement changes the course of a franchise. And the reveal of Assetto Corsa Rally at the latest Sim Racing Expo was exactly that: a surprise no one expected, but one that might mark the beginning of a new era for rally simulators.
I’ll say it outright: Assetto Corsa Rally could very well be the true successor to Richard Burns Rally. And I’m not saying that out of hype, but based on what has been shown not on empty promises.
With the current state of Assetto Corsa Evo full of delays and an early access model that’s worn out much of the community’s trust launching another project under the same brand is, to say the least, a gamble with their credibility. But there’s an important distinction to make: this is not the same game, nor the same team.
Kunos Simulazioni is providing technical support, yes, but development lies in the hands of Supernova Games, a young studio founded in 2021 and backed by Digital Bros the same parent company that owns Kunos. Supernova specializes in simulation titles and reportedly includes developers who previously worked on Colin McRae Rally. That’s quite a résumé.
Combine that with 505 Games acting as the publisher, and suddenly the structure starts to make sense. These are two independent paths within the same driving universe.
The early access release of Assetto Corsa Rally is set for November 13, priced at around €30. It will include 10 vehicles, 4 stages with 18 variants, and over 30 kilometers of track. But the real excitement doesn’t come from the numbers it’s in the approach:
- Dynamic lighting, temperature, and weather conditions.
- Advanced terrain and tire physics that truly fight for grip.
- Suspension systems behaving with remarkable realism.
From the gameplay footage shown at the expo, the sense of weight, fluidity, and authenticity is impressive. This isn’t about punishing you with impossible handling it’s about making you feel the car.
And let’s not forget: Marco Massarutto, head of Kunos, once admitted that creating a rally simulator was a long-standing unfinished goal. It seems that time has finally come.
If there’s one thing that turned Richard Burns Rally into a legend, it wasn’t just its physics it was the modding community. Two decades later, the game is still alive thanks to players who have enhanced its physics, visuals, sounds, and even added VR support.
That’s the same path Assetto Corsa Rally should follow: open itself to modding. Because the heart of simulation isn’t only in technical accuracy it’s in giving players the freedom to shape their own experience.
Assetto Corsa 1 proved that brilliantly. It even had rally mods with gravel and snow physics, custom copilots, and community-built stages that could rival full releases. That was an experiment but it worked. And this new title could be the natural evolution of that idea.
This isn’t about burying Richard Burns Rally. No one can or should take its throne. But if Assetto Corsa Rally manages to win over even the most hardcore fans, allowing them to enjoy both without guilt, then we all win.
It doesn’t need FIA licenses, VRC seals, or marketing gimmicks. It just needs to stay true to its core: a pure rally simulator demanding, technical, and full of soul.
See you on the track
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