For the first five months of Assetto Corsa EVO's early access, multiplayer felt like renting someone else's apartment. Kunos Simulazioni farmed out all online infrastructure to a third-party provider – acevo-servers.com – and if you wanted a private server for your league or friend group, you were paying 5 EUR per day or 15 EUR per month (plus VAT). No self-hosting. No alternatives. The sim racing community, predictably, was not thrilled.
That changes this week. The v0.6 update introduces a free, self-hostable dedicated server tool distributed through Steam's Tools section. It's the single biggest structural shift ACE has made since multiplayer first landed in v0.3, and it finally puts server infrastructure back in the hands of the community.
I've been tracking this one closely, so let's break down what v0.6 actually delivers, what you need to run your own server, and why this matters more than most people realise.
What v0.6 Changes About Multiplayer
Before v0.6, every ACE multiplayer session ran through Kunos's centralised infrastructure. Public lobbies were free but limited. Private servers required a paid rental through the official portal. You couldn't download server binaries, you couldn't run anything locally, and you definitely couldn't spin up a dedicated box in a datacentre somewhere.
The v0.6 dedicated server tool flips that model. The server app is listed on SteamDB as App ID 4564210 – "Assetto Corsa EVO Dedicated Server." You'll find it in your Steam library under Tools once v0.6 drops, the same way ACC's dedicated server has worked since 2020.
This is significant for a few reasons. Leagues can host their own infrastructure without monthly rental fees. Communities can run persistent servers 24/7. Hosting providers like us can offer managed ACE servers with proper hardware behind them. And critically, the game's long-term multiplayer viability no longer depends on a single third-party provider staying in business.
What You Need to Run a Server
The dedicated server tool runs on Windows and is distributed via Steam (or SteamCMD for headless installs). If you've set up an ACC server before, the workflow should feel familiar – Kunos has followed a similar architecture for ACE.
Hardware Requirements
Assetto Corsa EVO is a more demanding sim than its predecessors, and the dedicated server reflects that. While Kunos hasn't published official minimum specs for the server binary yet, here's what I'd recommend based on ACC's requirements scaled up for EVO's more complex physics and netcode:
- CPU: 2+ cores at 3.0 GHz or higher. The simulation tick rate scales with player count, so more cores help as slots increase.
- RAM: 4-6 GB minimum for a small server (10-16 players). Budget 8+ GB for larger grids.
- Storage: NVMe SSD strongly recommended. The game client requires SSD (HDD is explicitly unsupported), and the server benefits similarly from fast I/O for track and car data loading.
- Network: Low-latency connection with at least 10 Mbps upload. Stable ping matters far more than raw bandwidth for sim racing.
Network Ports
Based on the Assetto Corsa franchise's server architecture (both AC1 and ACC), you'll need to forward:
- TCP 9600 – Primary game connection
- UDP 9600 – Game traffic and positional data
Whether ACE uses additional ports beyond 9600 will become clear once the tool officially releases.
Installation via SteamCMD
For headless/remote installs – which is what you'd use on a dedicated machine or VPS – SteamCMD is the way to go:
steamcmd +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +force_install_dir C:\ace-server +login anonymous +app_update 4564210 validate +quit
Whether anonymous login works or requires a Steam account with ACE ownership will depend on Kunos's distribution choice. The original AC's dedicated server allows anonymous downloads via SteamCMD, though ACC requires named credentials. Whether ACE follows the AC or ACC model remains to be seen.
Server Configuration
Assetto Corsa Competizione uses JSON configuration files for everything – settings.json, event.json, eventRules.json, configuration.json, and entrylist.json. ACE is expected to follow a similar pattern.
Key settings you'll be configuring:
Server Identity – Server name, password, admin password, max player slots.
Session Structure – Practice, qualifying, and race sessions with individual duration/lap settings.
Track and Car Selection – With 18 tracks now available (including the new Sebring International Raceway) and 80+ cars across GT3, GT4, road, and historic classes, there's a lot to choose from.
Weather – ACE features dynamic weather with volumetric clouds, fog, and rain. Server-side weather presets let you lock conditions or allow dynamic transitions.
AI Opponents – The v0.6 update brings a completely reworked AI system with more aggressive racecraft. You can fill empty grid slots with AI drivers.
Race Rules – Pit stop requirements, tyre compounds, fuel consumption rates, damage settings, and penalty logic.
For the full configuration breakdown, check out our Assetto Corsa EVO Server Configuration Guide.
What Else Comes in v0.6
The dedicated server isn't the only headline. v0.6 is a substantial update across the board:
Six new cars: Ferrari 296 GT3, Ford Mustang GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport, Audi R8 LMS GT4 Evo, Ferrari 288 GTO, and Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV.
Sebring International Raceway: The bumpy, brutally technical Florida circuit joins ACE's 18-track roster.
Overhauled AI: New track modelling system replaces the old one entirely. AI cars now attack with less predicted overlap required. Fair warning – existing community AI adjustments won't be compatible with the new system.
Physics improvements: Reworked suspension modelling including coilover direction, multilink strut support, and revised roll/pitch centre calculations. Tyres get a new triangular contact patch model.
Netcode refinements: Improved synchronisation, better prediction, and more stable collision handling.
MoTeC telemetry: Official support for MoTeC data logging. If you're serious about setups, this is huge.
Why Self-Hosted Servers Matter
I think a lot of people underestimate how important this feature is. The original Assetto Corsa is still thriving 12 years after launch, largely because of community-run servers and modding. ACC built a competitive sim racing ecosystem partly because leagues could host their own infrastructure with full control.
When ACE launched with paid-only rentals and no self-hosting option, the community reaction was swift and negative. The concern wasn't just about cost – it was about longevity. A game whose multiplayer depends entirely on one provider's infrastructure has an expiry date.
v0.6 fixes that fundamental problem. Communities can now build around ACE the way they built around AC1 and ACC.
Hosting with LOW.MS
If running your own hardware isn't your thing, we offer Assetto Corsa EVO server hosting with instant deployment, NVMe storage, and servers in multiple regions worldwide.
You get full access to configuration through the LOW.MS Control Panel, automatic cloud backups, DDoS protection, and 24/7 support. No messing with port forwarding or SteamCMD updates.
For first-time setup help, start with our Getting Started guide. If something breaks, we've got a Troubleshooting guide too.
The sim racing community has been waiting for this since January. v0.6 delivers, and honestly, it changes everything about ACE's multiplayer future. Time to build some servers.