Kunos Simulazioni has shared a detailed look at the future of Assetto Corsa EVO, outlining changes to the game’s development direction and revealing more information about its long-awaited Free Roam mode. The studio also confirmed that the feature will initially be available at the SimRacing Expo in Frankfurt from 16 to 18 October 2026, with a public release planned shortly afterwards.
The announcement comes after months of limited communication about the game’s broader direction. Alongside ongoing Early Access updates, Kunos has been reorganising its development team and revisiting some of the fundamental decisions behind EVO.
The studio’s goal is to create a more open simracing experience that combines traditional circuit driving with road exploration, while retaining the simulation-focused approach that defined the original Assetto Corsa.
Kunos has spent the past twelve months clarifying team responsibilities, bringing in additional staff and expanding several key departments. These include programming, car handling, project management, game design, 3D production and beta testing.
The studio has also improved its testing capabilities, allowing EVO to be evaluated across a wider range of hardware configurations. This should help identify performance and compatibility issues while improving the overall quality of future builds.
However, the changes go beyond staffing and testing. Kunos explained that some of its original design decisions took longer than expected to deliver the intended results, while others failed to provide the experience the developers and community had anticipated.
Rather than continuing along the same path, the team decided to reconsider parts of the game’s underlying structure.
According to Kunos, this process is intended to bring EVO closer to the principles that made the original Assetto Corsa successful: realistic driving, accessibility and freedom of choice.
One of the central points of the announcement is Kunos’ intention to move away from a more restrictive game structure. The studio wants EVO to function as a sandbox built around its driving simulation, rather than forcing players into a particular progression system or style of play.
This means giving players more freedom to choose their cars and activities. Kunos highlighted the ability to drive different vehicles, chase lap records, compete online, participate in leagues, develop setups and analyse telemetry.
Modding is another important part of this direction. The original Assetto Corsa has remained popular partly because its community can create and share cars, circuits, interfaces and entirely new driving environments. Kunos wants EVO to support that flexibility rather than limit what players can do.
The studio also sees road driving as a core part of the experience alongside traditional circuit racing. Both are intended to operate within the same simulation framework, allowing players to switch between structured competition and less restricted driving.
Free Roam has been one of the most anticipated additions to Assetto Corsa EVO, and Kunos has now explained why bringing the feature to the game required more work than initially expected.
The developers wanted to deliver more than a large map. They also needed to change parts of the game’s underlying technology and structure to support the freedom of movement and modding capabilities they intend to provide.
The chosen location is the Eifel region in Germany, an area closely associated with the Nürburgring and its surrounding roads, villages and car culture.
Kunos says the map recreates a representative part of the region at a 1:1 scale. Roads retain their real-world lengths and widths, while corners, elevation changes, hairpins and junctions are designed to follow their real-life counterparts.
Players will be able to move between wide, fast roads and narrower country routes, drive through villages and explore different types of terrain. Fuel stations, garages, hotels, restaurants and other points of interest will also form part of the environment.
The developers want players to experience the region through the same physics and driving model used elsewhere in EVO.
Free Roam will follow the franchise’s emphasis on allowing players to drive what they want without having to unlock vehicles or earn virtual currency first.
Players will be able to choose any car available in EVO, including officially developed vehicles and community-created content. There will be no in-game economy standing between players and their next drive.
Vehicle maintenance will also play a role in the experience. Players can repair damaged cars, change tyres, refuel and wash their vehicles as needed.
The mode will also allow players to leave the road and explore beyond the designated routes. Rather than automatically returning a car to the road, the game will let players decide where to go and when to return.
A walking mode will provide another way to explore the environment without remaining inside the car.
Activities such as time attacks will be available, but Kunos says these will be optional rather than objectives players must complete to progress. The focus is on giving players the freedom to drive, explore and use the world as they see fit.
The first release of Free Roam will include both single-player and multiplayer support. Players will be able to explore alone or meet others on the roads and at parking areas.
Traffic and different weather conditions are also planned for the initial release, alongside several dedicated features designed to support road driving.
These include navigation, teleportation, points of interest, fuel stations, vehicle repairs and time attack challenges. Players will also be able to explore the environment without following a specific activity or objective.
Damage remains relevant outside traditional racing, too. Guardrails, trees, walls and buildings form part of the driving environment, meaning careless driving can damage the car. Learning the roads, understanding braking points and adapting to elevation changes will therefore remain important even when there is no race to win.
Kunos also confirmed that Free Roam will continue to expand after its initial release. The map will grow through regular updates, with additional features, content and game modes planned over time.
Players will be able to try the new Free Roam build at the SimRacing Expo in Frankfurt, taking place from 16 to 18 October 2026.
The public release is scheduled to follow shortly after the event. Kunos has not yet announced an exact date, confirming that it will reveal the release timing during the expo.
The studio also plans to share more information about the different elements of Free Roam over the coming weeks.
For now, the announcement provides a clearer picture of the direction Kunos wants to take with EVO. The focus is on combining circuit racing, road driving and community-created content within a more flexible simulation platform.
The 1:1 recreation of the Eifel, optional activities and support for both single-player and multiplayer deliver what many players have been waiting for.
However, much will depend on the quality of the initial release and how consistently Kunos expands it. With the public launch approaching, the next important step will be seeing how these features work in practice and whether the driving experience lives up to the expectations surrounding the mode.
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