Assetto Corsa EVO was supplied by 505 Video games for evaluation. Thanks!
Assetto Corsa EVO is in Early Entry and the content material and efficiency of the sport is topic to vary, this evaluation is predicated on Model 0.1.4 on the time of writing.
I used to be very excited to listen to about Assetto Corsa EVO when it was first introduced and much more excited once I obtained to evaluation it. The sport takes a barely totally different method to its predecessor, Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC). It is extra akin to the unique Assetto Corsa, with a deal with the single-player expertise, whereas ACC was largely centered on internet hosting on-line leagues and tournaments.
The truth is, Assetto Corsa EVO doesn’t at present have multiplayer parts, though multiplayer is deliberate for later in 2025. As a substitute, we’re introduced with extra of a basis for what’s to come back reasonably than a whole recreation.
The very best phrase to explain the content material accessible in Assetto Corsa EVO proper now’s ‘barebones.’ Relating to methods to play, there are solely single-player observe classes round a alternative of 8 tracks, primarily based on 5 areas, and fast races, additionally on these tracks. You may even have 20 automobiles to drive, from an Abarth 695 to a Porsche 911 GT3 or Ferrari 488.
So, by way of content material, the sport is kind of missing, particularly contemplating the worth tag of $39.99; you might be positively buying Assetto Corsa EVO to spend money on its growth to develop into the sport that builders are saying will probably be.
The primary side of a driving simulation recreation like that is the physics. And I’ll say, the physics of Assetto Corsa EVO really feel nice. I used to be taking part in on an Xbox gamepad, and whereas video games like ACC might be troublesome to play on a gamepad, Assetto Corsa EVO would not really feel that method. With some fundamental assists in place, so long as you drive properly, it is completely potential to have a clear (and quick) race utilizing only a gamepad. I believe this can be a good thing for EVO, particularly because it caters to these serious about a single-player expertise and never simply on-line leagues.
That does not imply a wheel will not be quicker or safer, although. When you begin getting right into a skid, the pressure suggestions makes it a lot simpler to right. Likewise, when my Ferrari 296 started fishtailing on Laguna Seca, it was troublesome to regain management on a gamepad because of the lack of pressure suggestions. After just a few poor reactions, the automobile spun fully.
Likewise, how your automobile drives modifications drastically relying on the floor you are on. Whereas it is simple to keep up management on the observe, put a wheel onto the grass or filth, and you may count on a sudden lack of traction, as you’d in actual life. Even worse, the terrain is not clean anymore, and your automobile can simply stumble upon the air from the tough terrain, making braking or steering troublesome. Wet climate additionally makes controlling the automobile a problem; you will want to keep up good throttle management always or danger spinning your wheels, and you will must compensate for the moist observe by braking far sooner than you’d count on.
So the physics appears fairly strong, however how concerning the AI, seeing as they’re your predominant (and at present solely) opponents in Assetto Corsa EVO? They seem to be a little bit of a combined bag, however they do the job fairly properly when left to their very own units. There are a few oddities, comparable to their habitually scraping towards the pit wall on Laguna Seca, which might trigger them to spin out or veer throughout the observe in response to the collision. They will even make pure errors, comparable to going barely offline/off observe or unintentionally reducing a nook, making them appear extra human-like.
The issue with the AI comes once they must work together with the automobiles round them. Whereas the AI appears to manage pretty properly with side-by-side racing, they appear much less competent while you’re in corners. When you brake barely an excessive amount of, the AI would not appear to reply and can merely hit into the again of you, and when you’re spinning and so they’re pushing you, they may proceed to speed up, a transfer that may get you banned in an internet league.
The AI appears to place itself fairly properly in response to the automobiles round it, however it would not appear to need to compromise its personal race by slowing down with a purpose to keep away from a collision, one thing that’s a part of (severe) racing. I am unable to be too harsh on the AI, it does do an honest job of simulating maybe a rookie human driver, however it’s no alternative for racing towards expert fellow people.
Now comes the presentation, which Assetto Corsa EVO crushes. The sport seems fairly nice, and even within the lowest settings, the automobiles can rival the looks of different video games like Gran Turismo and Forza. On the upper settings, the element is past these video games. Observe environments are detailed, loads of timber and foliage (relying on graphics settings), and the rain seems nice on the windshield. The sounds likewise have a whole lot of element; they aren’t simply one-note sound results, and the engines really feel like they’ve depth.
Sadly, this comes at a price. The sport is troublesome to run, even on a mid-range gaming PC. With my Ryzen 5 5600 and AMD RX 6600 XT (8GB), a full-grid (30 automobiles) race within the rain is unplayable even on the bottom settings at 1080p. If I decrease the grid to eight automobiles, I can play at round 30 FPS at 1080p Very Low settings. This looks like a VRAM problem, as even on the principle menu the sport is utilizing 7GB of VRAM. So, I would not suggest you buy Assetto Corsa EVO until you may have a graphics card with not less than 12GB of VRAM.
Assetto Corsa EVO – Steam Deck Efficiency
Sadly, Assetto Corsa EVO struggles to run on the Steam Deck. Whereas I might get right into a observe session on Mount Panorama, this was solely by decreasing the settings to absolutely the lowest they might go, together with FSR 3 on Extremely Efficiency high quality. The sport nonetheless used over 7GB of VRAM to perform this.
The body charge was really respectable, typically above 50 FPS, however the excessive VRAM utilization makes the sport unstable. As quickly as I tried to start out an precise race, my Steam Deck crashed completely to a black display screen, forcing me to arduous reset the machine—even with a 4G UMA Buffer set within the BIOS.
Whereas we might even see optimizations sooner or later, the sport is utilizing 7GB of VRAM on a observe with a single automobile and no climate circumstances to handle, which signifies that it is unlikely we’ll see the sport run properly on Steam Deck.
Accessibility:
Assetto Corsa EVO has rebindable controls and a few driving assists, comparable to ABS and Traction Management, however no basic accessibility choices.
Conclusion:
Assetto Corsa EVO, in its present state, has some promise. Assetto Corsa EVO’s The driving physics is spectacular and among the greatest I’ve skilled. The graphics and sounds are additionally improbable. However proper now, the content material is skinny on the bottom, the AI must be polished, and the sport’s optimization is poor. Is it well worth the $40 price ticket? For the time being, no. Solely those that want to help future growth can buy the sport proper now, as there is not a lot of a “recreation” to talk of as of writing.
And because of the poor optimization and excessive VRAM utilization, Assetto Corsa EVO, sadly, is not playable on the Steam Deck.
Our evaluation is predicated on the PC model of this recreation.
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