Automobilista 2’s career mode gets a 2026 roadmap — phased, era-rich, AI-first

Automobilista 2 is finally telling us when the career mode arrives – but it won’t be a single “launch” moment

Renato Simeonyi’s February preview gave the clearest timeline we’ve had for Automobilista 2: update 1.7 this year, a steady monthly/bimonthly DLC cadence, and a phased, immersion-first career mode that begins in the second half of 2026. That’s the headline. The subtext is more interesting: Razer Studios is prioritising AI racecraft, era-authentic cars and tracks, and practical systems like save/resume for long races – all the plumbing a believable single-player career needs – and they’re doing it in stages rather than promising “the whole thing” at once.

• Phased career mode: initial stage targeted H2 2026, with further expansion likely into 2027.
• Update 1.7 focus: technical & sporting regulations, AI racecraft refinement, save/resume for single-player endurance.
• Content cadence: monthly or bimonthly DLC packs spanning 1960s-2000s historic cars and era-accurate track variants.
• Big unknowns: DLC pricing, whether career will be bundled or sold separately, and how “phased” features will be gated.

Why this roadmap matters — and why Releasing in phases makes sense

Career modes aren’t just a menu option; they’re an ecosystem. You need believable AI, consistent race formats, pit and component rules, championship scoring, and an assortment of cars and tracks that make progression feel earned. Simeonyi’s roadmap shows Razer Studios understands that. Update 1.7 isn’t fluff — it’s the infrastructure: varied qualifying formats, virtual safety car rules, ballast/spare-part restrictions, inter-class scoring, and the all-important save-and-resume for endurance runs. Those are the nuts and bolts that determine whether career races feel like simulated championships or canned playlists.

Putting the career in stages is pragmatic. Delivering a fully fledged single-player campaign — with era-authentic visuals, dynamic crowd and marshal animations, driver interactions and polished AI — is time-consuming. The uncomfortable observation the PR spin won’t highlight: a phased rollout also protects the studio from having to sell an unfinished “complete” mode and then backtrack. It’s honest, but it also means fans should expect a living product rather than a one-time release.

Historic packs and AI work: the parts that will actually shape replay value

The content roadmap is the part that will keep players coming back. Simeonyi previewed packs spanning the 2000s F1-ish cars (FV10 Gen 3 / FV8 variants that nod to 2005-2008), the second half of the 2005 endurance pack, and a stretch back into the 60s/70s — Group 5, Can-Am and Le Mans prototypes — plus ’90s BTCC and 2005-style DTM later in the year. Recreating period-accurate track variants matters here: a 1970s Grand Prix should look and feel like a 1970s event, not a modern track with different runoff and curbing.

But content without credible opponents is a hollow exercise. Simeonyi emphasised AI racecraft refinements and configurable aggression/mistake settings — the very things that make historic grids feel alive rather than scripted. If the AI behaves consistently across era-specific cars and rule sets, that’s the single biggest lever for long-term replay value.

The question Razer needs to answer — and what I’d ask in an interview

Will the career be available as part of the base game, sold as a paid expansion, or split into purchasable stages? Simeonyi mentioned free base-game content and paid DLC cadence, but not how the career’s phased rollout will be sold. That matters for expectations: a monthly DLC rhythm is fine for enthusiasts, but it quickly becomes grindy or expensive without bundle options or a one-time pass. Also key: how robust will save/resume be for multi-hour endurance events, and will AI telemetry be exposed so community leagues can tune settings consistently?

What to watch next

• Q2 2026 — the timing Simeonyi gave for update 1.7. Patch notes and AI-change logs here will be the first hard proof this roadmap is on track.
• H2 2026 — first phase of the career mode. Look for scope: number of series, offline systems (save/resume), and whether it’s complete or intentionally gated.
• DLC pricing model — single-pack prices, bundle discounts, or a season pass reveal will tell you if this is community-first or revenue-first.
• AI behaviour metrics — community feedback and streamed endurance races will reveal whether the promised AI polish actually improves long-run pacing and incidents.

Razer Studios is doing the right engineering work for a meaningful career mode. The risk is less technical than commercial: a phased rollout plus a heavy DLC cadence can fracture the player base if the pricing or gating feels exploitative. But if they ship solid AI, believable era content, and a reasonable purchase path, AMS2 could become the best place to do motorsport “time travel” on PC and VR.

TL;DR

Renato Simeonyi laid out a 2026 roadmap that prioritises AI, era-authentic cars/tracks, and infrastructure work (save/resume, rule systems) ahead of a phased career mode starting H2 2026. That engineering-first approach increases the odds the career will feel immersive — but the phased release and DLC cadence raise real questions about pricing and how complete the mode will be at first. Watch the 1.7 patch notes in Q2 and the H2 career rollout for the clearest signal of whether this is a careful build or a drawn-out monetisation plan.