At the SimRacing Expo, 505 Games and Supernova Game Studios unveiled Assetto Corsa Rally. This expansion of the franchise into a new racing domain once again sees it embracing simulation.
505 Games and Supernova Games Studios, in technical partnership with Kunos Simulazioni, have announced Assetto Corsa Rally, the latest addition to the Assetto Corsa series dedicated to rally racing. The game will be available on Steam via Early Access from 13 November, priced at €29.99/$29.99/£24.99.
Developer Supernova Games Studios, part of the Italian Digital Bros Group (which also includes 505 Games), is an international team of industry veterans with a passion for sim-racing and motorsport. Thanks to its partnership with Kunos Simulazioni, the team has access to the Assetto Corsa physics engine, which has been refined to address the challenges of rally driving. "Kunos supervised and supported the accuracy of the driving model, ensuring the new entry lives up to the high standards of realism and simulation that define the Assetto Corsa brand," the publisher said.
This marks 505 Games' entry into the rally simulation racing sector, which is currently dominated by iRacing with Rallycross. Other notable titles in this sector include Dirt Rally 2.0 (2019) and EA Sports WRC (2023), as well as the long-standing and still popular Richard Burns Rally with the RallySimFans mod. The WRC (FIA World Rally Championship) licence is currently held by Nacon. The French publisher has signed an agreement granting it exclusive rights for PC and consoles for six seasons, from 2027 to 2032.
"Feeling the lack of a modern rally simulator, we've built a team and developed a technology to create one ourselves, with the support of drivers, engineers, collectors, mechanics, and industry experts," commented Mauro Notarberardino, Supernova Studio Director. "A special thanks goes to Kunos Simulazioni, whose partnership was crucial in maintaining the signature feel of the series - especially in terms of the driving model - in this new chapter. Today marks an exciting new beginning for Supernova and Assetto Corsa Rally, and we can’t wait to share the journey with you."
Assetto Corsa Rally will feature both offline gameplay modes and, gradually throughout Early Access, online multiplayer - always with a focus on simulation fidelity. Each race takes place in a dynamic environment where day-night cycles and changing weather conditions directly impact driving performance. Temperature, humidity, surface type and water all affect grip and vehicle response progressively. 505 Games: "In parallel, the team at Supernova, leveraging its consolidated experience with Unreal Engine 5, has customized and optimized it to the specific needs of racing games, ensuring high visual fidelity and performance."
"A rally version of Assetto Corsa, when?! It has been one of the most frequent questions I've received over these years," says Marco Massarutto, Co-Founder of Kunos Simulazioni and the Assetto Corsa franchise and Executive Manager for Kunos Simulazioni. "And I can finally provide an answer. A proper rally simulation requires a dedicated approach that can leverage the unique aspects of this motorsports discipline. Racing primarily against the chronometer, rather than against dozens of real-time processed AI opponents, frees up noticeable CPU resources, and this allows developers to push the boundaries of physics, as well as mechanical behaviour and tire models, across different surfaces that Assetto Corsa Rally will feature and simulate. The result is a dedicated and genuine rally simulation, powered by the Assetto Corsa physics engine, that can fully exploit its potential without compromise. Combining this advanced engine with some of the best real rally stages reproduced using laser-scan technology, the most iconic rally cars, adding up on the passion and competence of the Supernova dev-team, will allow to deliver an ultimate experience that fans have been anticipating for decades."
At the start of Early Access, Assetto Corsa Rally will feature 33 km of laser-scanned real-life roads, four special stages with 18 variants set across gravel roads in Wales and tarmac roads in Alsace, ten rally cars including Group B, WRC and Rally2 vehicles, five game modes, triple-screen support and more. The full version of the game will include over 120 km of recreated rally stages, ten special stages with over 35 variants set across five international rallies and a complete car roster featuring over 30 vehicles. Planned additions include new game modes, a rally school, a career mode and complete VR support.
