Assetto Corsa Competizione is the next installment in the series made by the renowned KUNOS Simulazioni. For those uninitiated, KUNOS Simulazioni is known for making ultra-realistic and highly customizable race games loved by race fans who want more than just an arcade rendition of their sport.
Get behind the wheel
Assetto Corsa Competizione puts you behind the wheel of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens, and many more to compete in the Blancpain GT series. Both variations of the GT series are playable namely the sprint series and the endurance series. The cars used all have to comply to the GT3 rules making this a prestigious set of races among race fans. These races are all performed on European closed circuits which are all present in Assetto Corsa Competizione. Racing with supercars on tricky closed circuits means this game is not for the faint of heart. I’m no race game expert at all and I can confirm my first few races were an absolute disaster.
Get the full experience
Since this Assetto Corsa Competizione prides itself on realism and doing a great job at it, you might as well invest in a steering wheel to control this game. The game feels hyper-realistic and goes for a truly immersive experience. Playing this game with a controller kind of prevents you of getting into full immersion mode. Although the game is absolutely playable with a controller, a steering wheel peripheral is kinda mandatory in my opinion. You’ll be glad to find out you can map out buttons to perform every menial task possible in a supercar. If you don’t want to bother with pushing buttons to start your windshield wipers you can always toggle the “wipe automatic” switch.
Sprint vs. Endurance
Assetto Corsa Competizione lets you race every track available in the Blancnoir GT series. The tracks all look extremely detailed and seemed to be designed meticulously. Each track offers options for time of day and weather conditions which changes not only the look but also the way of driving. Taking on a track the same way when it’s raining is a recipe for disaster. With both sprint and endurance race types available you get the full GT series experience. Sprint races are shorter and require you to take more risks in order to set the best time. Endurance races are all about consistency and absolutely avoiding mistakes. Speaking about mistakes… Assetto Corsa Competizione is definitely the type of race game where one mistake could make or break your entire race so be prepared to get good or get out.
Hyper-realistic
Assetto Corsa Competizione uses the experience of KUNOS Simulazione to achieve hyper-realistic race experience. This game will surely raise the heartbeat of any realistic race fan out there. This obviously makes for a hard game but it never felt unfair. I did manage to wipeout constantly on my first runs but I never felt it was the games’ fault. I was to blame for each and every one of those wipeouts and I learned from my mistakes for future attempts. That being said, I have to warn casual race fans of the big learning curve. There are options to toggle drive assist which seems mandatory for players like me but besides that, there’s not much more to ease you in the experience.
Looks stunning
The Unreal Engine 4 used really shines in the way the game looks. The different weather effects, in particular, made me gasp stunningly at my screen. Although I liked the racing view from the driver seat I switched a few times to a behind-the-car camera just to view the reflections on the cars. With the use of motion capture, they even went the extra mile to make the pitstops feel and look as realistic as the actual driving. The rearview mirror image even looked crisp to further emphasize the level of detail put in this game. The result looks stunning.
Career mode
If you are familiar with the Assetto Corsa games you might just jump right into a single or multiplayer game with ease. Those less familiar with the series might first try the career mode. In this mode, you’ll start out as a junior driver trying to make the cut to participate in the real GT series. Each event lets you focus on a particular skill which makes this the closest to a tutorial mode. With all the meters on your screen, you can monitor how well you’re performing and adjust your risk-taking accordingly. Once getting through career mode you’ll be fit to try the special events which might earn you a high score on the online leaderboard to boast your newly acquired skills.
Conclusion
Assetto Corsa Competizione is not, and I repeat, is not an arcade racer. Expect a hyper-realistic racing experience with many customizable options to potentially max out your result. Assetto Corsa Competizione can be played with a controller but would benefit greatly from using a steering wheel. Fans of the genre will surely enjoy this experience. Casual race fans might feel demoralized if they are not willing to put in the hours it’ll take to get good at this type of game.
