‘Assetto Corsa EVO’ Debuts in Early Access for PC VR Headsets, But Consider Holding Off

Assetto Corsa EVO made its much-anticipated Early Access debut on Steam just yesterday, marking another evolution in this beloved racing franchise, now available for both flatscreen and PC VR headsets. However, the reception has been a mixed bag, especially among VR users who suggest holding off until future patches potentially address the game’s current optimization woes.

The game, crafted by the team at KUNOS Simulazioni—known for the original Assetto Corsa (2014) and Assetto Corsa Competizione (2018)—is finally here. Their latest addition, Assetto Corsa EVO, in its Early Access form, offers five tracks, 20 vehicles, and single-player mode. It also features support for SteamVR headsets and triple screen functionality. The developers assure fans that future updates will expand this offering to include 100 cars, 25 tracks, an open-world map, and both career and multiplayer modes. Yet, at this stage, VR enthusiasts seem underwhelmed by the game’s initial performance.

In terms of user feedback, the game has amassed over 2,700 reviews, which collectively yield a ‘Mixed’ rating. While some of the criticism hinges on the absence of promised features, many VR-related reviews paint a clearer picture: the game suffers from inadequate optimization for virtual reality, making it nearly unplayable.

Steam user Poloman succinctly states, “I won’t comment on the performance issues, as this is early access, only remark is that VR is currently unplayable. I have 150 fps on 3440×1440, but can’t get more than 30 FPS in VR.” Similarly, Mattios mentions, “Unplayable in VR with a RTX 4090 and i9 13900k at lowest settings (only targeting 80hz too). It has constant latency spikes making the game unplayable at any setting. Flatscreen works fine, maxed out it barely hits 80% GPU and 10% CPU usage without upscaling.”

Another user, Dan, adds, “Can’t recommend it in its current state, performance optimization is just not there, at least for VR. [I have a Radeon] 7600X + 7900 XT getting 50 fps running on a Quest 3 with Link and OpenXR, and that’s with a single car on track in practice, on the minimum graphics settings.” Dan also notes visual glitches primarily affecting the menu experience and expresses disappointment with the default force feedback settings, urging others to “wait for the coming patches to even consider it.”

Historically, KUNOS Simulazioni’s Assetto Corsa games have rolled out in Early Access with a gradual addition of features, so this isn’t breaking news. Although VR has not always featured from day one, it’s undeniably a core element of the series. The original Assetto Corsa was a pioneer in VR support, first including experimental features for Rift headsets as far back as 2013, eventually broadening support with OpenVR in 2017. Full VR compatibility was introduced a month after the launch of Assetto Corsa Competizione for standard monitors.

Looking ahead, the studio aims for a full 1.0 release within less than a year from the start of Early Access, and we’re all hoping interim updates will enhance VR performance enough to justify the $32 cost.