First Assetto Corsa EVO Mod Manager Surfaces, Bringing Hope For Sim Drifters

If you’re looking for the ultimate PC drifting simulator, there’s no question that Assetto Corsa remains the best choice.

Given that AC has now been around for more than a decade, drift fans hoped that the latest addition to the series, Assetto Corsa EVO, would become the natural predecessor, offering a modern-day equivalent to the OG game. So far, that hasn’t been the case.

For anyone who’s played Assetto Corsa, you’ll know that the game’s main appeal is the ability to add just about any pre-tuned drift car you can think of with third-party mods, before drifting at tracks that go beyond your wildest imagination.

Whether you want to take on the likes of “the jump” at Ebisu Minami or fictional Japanese touge roads, there’s almost no limit as to what’s on offer.

Assetto Corsa EVO, on the other hand, currently offers no support for mods, which has made the game mostly unappealing to drifting fans.

Unless you want to choose from the (extremely) limited roster of near-stock RWD cars before making your way to one of a small handful of tracks, it doesn’t take long to see why drifting fans are sticking with the original AC for the time being.

But, there’s good news, at last. And it seems things might be about to change…

A developer has given a preview of their work-in-progress modder months before Kunos releases their official SDK, which is expected to be limited, even when it does arrive.

@GeeOhGe3 said in a YouTube comment, “i’m gonna shed a tear this is beautiful, ac evo is saved”. But can it live up to expectations?

What To Expect From The First Assetto Corsa EVO Mod Manager

Developer u/utopiadeferred- on Reddit unveiled a new toolkit titled ‘acedit’, modding AC EVO’s currently closed-off system for the first time.

acedit lets you add new cars, wheels, and all the custom parts you’re missing from the original AC, in an even more convenient package than the popular Content Manager.

One of acedit’s best features is that it lets you install mods while EVO is still running. This means you won’t need to go back and forth, repeatedly rebooting the game to see if they’ve loaded correctly.

After a first-time setup that unpacks the game’s content, you’ll just download the zipped mods you want, from cars, wheel packs, body kits, paint jobs, etc, then install them in a couple of clicks.

What Mods Will Be Available?

Right now, acedit supports the basics, including new cars, wheels, body kits, liveries, and other body parts. Visual tweaks, material changes, and even physics adjustments (like handling and power) are also in the mix.

Utopiadeferred has also confirmed that some additional features (like custom tire smoke) are coming soon but aren’t quite ready yet. There are also plans for custom telemetry displays and other useful UI overlays (as seen in AC) in the future.

Currently, the content is extremely limited before others get their hands on it. However, we’ve already seen some epic JDM wheels that’ll be familiar to drifters, such as Volk TE37SLs and RAYS Gram Lights.

Once it’s fully rolled out and the community gets involved, we hope to see new mods emerge at a rapid rate, without the limitations of Kunos’ planned ‘mods’.

Importing AC Mods Into EVO

Unsurprisingly, one of the biggest questions is whether you’ll be able to bring your favorite AC mods over to AC EVO.

EVO uses completely different file formats from the original, especially for car models and physics. Therefore, it’s not as simple as just dropping your AC car folder into EVO for now (unfortunately!)

Thankfully, the developer is building tools to help automate as much of the conversion process as possible. These experimental converters are designed to handle the majority of the tasks, but they won’t be a magic “one-click” import (for now, at least).

You’ll still need to tweak settings, redo some surfaces, and check if the physics feel right. As things evolve, the process should hopefully get smoother and faster.

It’s Not Ready To Download Just Yet

Currently, it’s still in development, with demos showcasing new cars, custom wheels, and various other elements that work live in-game. A public release is planned, and full documentation and tutorials are on the way.

As for a release date, the best we know so far is that the developer has stated, “Big things coming this month 👍”, so we’ll have to see what that entails.

While it’s still early, we’re super excited about what the project has in store, and it’s the first glimmer of hope that AC EVO may one day be able to surpass the OG Assetto Corsa game as the ultimate drifting simulator.

The best way to follow updates on the project is via the utopiadeferred YouTube channel, which is currently being updated most days.

This ‘Introduction’ video showcases various cars and wheels you’ll be able to add:

How to install and test the mods:

And here’s a “full car mod” showing some of the additional features:

For those of you who are more curious about the in-depth details, there’s plenty more on the YouTube channel.