Assetto Corsa just went full rally on Steam, and I’m excited—there’s one catch

Why this rally announcement actually matters

Assetto Corsa finally going full rally caught my attention for one simple reason: physics. Rally fans have been bouncing between the uncompromising feel of Richard Burns Rally, the approachable chaos of DiRT Rally 2.0, and EA Sports WRC’s ambitious-but-inconsistent UE engine. A project built with KUNOS Simulazioni’s physics under the hood is a big swing at the one thing rally needs most-car behavior that feels truthful when you’re dancing on the edge of grip. That’s the promise of Assetto Corsa Rally, which has just launched in Early Access on Steam with a 20% discount and a limited-time bundle with Assetto Corsa EVO.

Key takeaways

• KUNOS-backed physics adapted for jumps, loose surfaces, and rough terrain-this is the headline.
• Early Access is thin on content (33 km, 4 stages, 18 variants, 10 cars) but priced reasonably.
• Laser-scanned stages are the bold claim; if accurate, expect unmatched surface fidelity.
• Built on Unreal Engine 5 with triple-screen support now; full VR support is planned, not at launch.

Breaking down what you get today

Developed by Supernova Games Studios with technical support from KUNOS, Assetto Corsa Rally enters Early Access with 33 km of laser-scanned roads split across Wales (gravel) and Alsace (tarmac). There are four Special Stages with 18 total variants-expect forwards/reverse/time-of-day/weather mixes—plus five gameplay modes and triple-screen support. You can drive 10 cars across Group B, WRC, and Rally2-style categories (licenses aren’t called out explicitly, so don’t expect the full official WRC slate yet). Co-driver pace notes are recorded by real co-drivers, and there’s an advanced damage model that doesn’t just dent panels; it affects handling.

Planned for 1.0 are over 120 km of stages, 10 Special Stages with 35+ variants across five international rallies, 30+ cars spanning multiple eras, a Rally School, Career Mode, and full VR support. That roadmap sounds sensible for Early Access—if the physics land and performance holds up, content can follow.

Price-wise, it’s $29.99/€29.99/£24.99 after the launch window, with 20% off for the first two weeks. There’s also a limited-time Steam bundle that stacks an extra 10% off the already-discounted Rally price if you grab it alongside Assetto Corsa EVO. For a sim-first Early Access launch, that’s fair value—as long as you’re okay with a relatively small slice of stages to start.

The physics and the “laser-scanned stages” claim

This is where Assetto Corsa Rally could differentiate. KUNOS’s tire and suspension modeling are known for translating subtle grip changes and weight transfer on tarmac. Rally demands that feel on constantly shifting surfaces—mud, gravel, wet tarmac—plus believable landings after crests and jumps. Supernova says they’ve enhanced the KUNOS physics for variable surfaces, jump behavior, and rough terrain. If those tweaks convey that moment where the rear goes light on a damp apex and you catch it with a brush of throttle, they’ll win over the hardcore crowd fast.

The other headline is “for the first time in rally sim, laser-scanned stages.” Traditional circuit sims have used lasers for years, but rally stages are long, remote, and messy—making full LIDAR capture expensive and difficult. EA Sports WRC leaned on photogrammetry and procedural tech rather than full-stage laser scans. The modding community has used public LIDAR in places for Richard Burns Rally, but an official rally sim promising end-to-end laser-scanned stages is a big deal. If the claim holds, you should feel every crown, rut, and subtle camber change—exactly what separates “gamey” rally from the terrifying, real-world kind.

UE5 visuals, performance worries, and sim essentials

Unreal Engine 5 brings modern lighting and foliage, which helps sell the sense of speed through trees, but we’ve all seen how rally plus UE can buckle under CPU spikes and shader stutter. EA Sports WRC improved over time, yet it still tests rigs. Supernova says they’ve heavily customized and optimized UE5 for sim performance. I’m hopeful, but skeptical until I see frametimes hold steady on triple screens with rain and heavy foliage. The inclusion of triple-screen support at launch is a great sign, though—sim racers aren’t an afterthought here.

Force feedback detail, input latency, and co-driver timing will make or break the experience. The studio highlights authentic car audio (inside/outside recordings) and an integrated damage model that affects handling in real time—that’s the right direction. But the biggest missing piece at launch is VR. Rally is transformative in VR; depth perception through crests and into blind corners changes everything. Full VR is on the roadmap for 1.0, which is good—but it’s a notable absence today.

The gamer’s perspective: promise over polish (for now)

If you’ve been craving a physics-first rally sim that doesn’t feel compromised by licensing or console-first design, Assetto Corsa Rally might be the best hope we’ve had since the RBR mods hit their stride. The Early Access slice is tiny, yes—but if the handling model is genuinely special, I’ll happily grind the same Welsh gravel loop for hours. On the flip side, if “18 variants” amounts to a lot of reverse/weather padding and the performance isn’t rock solid, the honeymoon ends fast.

One lingering question: mod support. Assetto Corsa’s enduring life on PC is its mod scene. Today’s announcement doesn’t mention tools, APIs, or a content pipeline. If Supernova opens the door to community stages and cars, this could become the platform rally fans rally around. If not, it lives or dies on the studio’s content cadence.

What I’m watching next

• Consistency of the physics on gravel vs. wet tarmac—and believable jump landings.
• Performance on mid-range GPUs in dense forests with rain and night lighting.
• Pace note accuracy and editing tools—can we tweak timing and verbosity?
• Licensing clarity and whether Rally School/Career Mode bring staying power.
• Any word on modding support and telemetry/motion hooks for sim rigs.

TL;DR

Assetto Corsa Rally arrives in Early Access with the right priorities: KUNOS-grade physics, a bold laser-scan promise, and sim-first features. Content is light, VR isn’t in yet, and UE5 performance needs proving—but if the handling sings, rally diehards might have found their new home.