Early Access Release of ‘Assetto Corsa EVO’ on PC VR: Why Patience Might Pay Off

Yesterday marked the Early Access debut of Assetto Corsa EVO on Steam, ushering in the latest expansion of the racing series for both traditional screens and PC VR headsets. Despite the initial excitement, the reception has been somewhat mixed. A significant concern among VR users is the game’s current optimization, leading many to advise holding off until forthcoming updates address these issues.

KUNOS Simulazioni, the team that previously brought us Assetto Corsa in 2014 and Assetto Corsa Competizione in 2018, is behind this long-anticipated sequel. With the Early Access version, gamers get a taste of five tracks and twenty vehicles, enhanced by single-player mode, support for SteamVR headsets, and compatibility with triple screens.

The developers have assured players that more content is on the way. Future updates are expected to expand the game to a roster of 100 cars, 25 tracks, an open world map, plus career and multiplayer modes. However, this assurance hasn’t entirely soothed VR enthusiasts, who are currently frustrated with the game’s performance.

As the game racks up over 2,700 reviews, it sits with a ‘Mixed’ rating on Steam. While some of the feedback points to missing features that KUNOS Simulazioni has committed to implementing, a significant number of critiques center on VR support—citing inadequacies in optimization that render the game virtually unplayable in VR.

One Steam user, Poloman, shares, “I won’t comment on the performance issues as this is early access, only remark is that VR is currently unplayable. I get 150 fps on 3440×1440, but can’t achieve more than 30 [FPS] in VR.”

Mattios echoes these woes, stating, “Unplayable in VR with a RTX 4090 and i9 13900k at lowest settings (targeting just 80hz). Constant latency spikes make it difficult to play at any configuration. However, flatscreen performs well, maxing out at merely 80% GPU and 10% CPU without needing upscaling.”

Another user, Dan, puts it bluntly: “Can’t recommend in its current form; performance optimization isn’t there, at least for VR. [I have a Radeon] 7600X + 7900 XT and getting 50 fps on a Quest 3 with Link and OpenXR, and that’s with one car during practice on the lowest graphics settings.” Dan also points out visual glitches, mainly in the menu, and subpar default force feedback settings, recommending patience until further patches arrive.

Historically, Early Access rollouts like this are typical for KUNOS Simulazioni’s Assetto Corsa series, so the gradual unveiling of features doesn’t entirely catch fans off guard. Although VR support hasn’t always been on the launch roster, it remains a core aspect of the franchise.

The original Assetto Corsa was an early VR pioneer, offering experimental Rift headset support back in 2013, eventually extending to more headsets with OpenVR in 2017. Full VR functionality for Assetto Corsa Competizione became available a month after its traditional monitor release.

KUNOS Simulazioni is committed to releasing version 1.0 within a year from the Early Access start. We remain hopeful that the journey will include key optimizations to make VR a worthy investment at its current $32 price.