‘Assetto Corsa EVO’ Debuts in Early Access for PC VR Headsets—Why You Might Consider Holding Off

Assetto Corsa EVO recently hit the scene on Steam, entering Early Access with much anticipation among racing enthusiasts on both flat screens and PC VR headsets. However, the response has been mixed, especially from VR players who are urging others to hold off until necessary patches improve the game’s current performance issues.

Developed by KUNOS Simulazioni, the team behind the original 2014 Assetto Corsa and the 2018 sequel Assetto Corsa Competizione, the new Assetto Corsa EVO has been eagerly awaited. The early version features five tracks, 20 vehicles, single-player mode, and both SteamVR and triple-screen support.

While KUNOS Simulazioni assures that more content will roll out with future updates—including 100 cars, 25 tracks, an open-world map, career mode, and multiplayer—many VR users are not thrilled with how things stand right now.

As of now, in the review section, there are over 2,700 reviews giving the game a ‘Mixed’ rating. Several reviews bring up the absence of promised features, which the developers say are yet to arrive. However, there’s a common thread in the feedback from the VR crowd: the game’s optimization is lacking, often rendering it nearly unplayable in VR.

Steam user Poloman gives a straightforward account: “I won’t comment on the performance issues, as this is early access, only remark is that VR is currently unplayable,” sharing that while they achieve 150 fps on a 3440×1440 setup, VR performance drops to a staggering 30 FPS.

Another user, Mattios, shares a similar sentiment about the performance woes: “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,” while noting that flatscreen gameplay runs smoothly with the hardware barely breaking a sweat.

Dan adds their voice to the chorus of reviews, saying, “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.” They also mention visual glitches and unexpected default feedback settings, recommending patience until patches are released.

KUNOS Simulazioni is known for this gradual rollout during Early Access phases, so the slow addition of features is hardly unexpected. VR elements, while not always available on day one, have played a significant role throughout this series’ history.

Assetto Corsa initially led the charge in VR support, experimenting with Rift headset compatibility as far back as 2013 and later expanding to more headsets in 2017 with OpenVR support. The full VR experience for Assetto Corsa Competizione followed a month after its traditional release. The developers aim for the full version of Assetto Corsa EVO to launch within a year from Early Access, and many enthusiasts are hoping for substantial optimizations to justify the current $32 price tag.