For years, sim racing fans have asked: What if you could drive the legendary Nordschleife — and then keep going?
Today, KUNOS Simulazioni and publisher 505 Games have answered that question with a landmark new video keynote, pulling back the curtain on Free Roam — the ambitious open-world evolution coming to Assetto Corsa EVO.
What Is Free Roam?
Free Roam isn’t just a side mode — it’s a whole new way to experience Assetto Corsa. The feature delivers a 1:1 scale recreation of the Eifel region in Germany, the sprawling landscape that cradles the Nürburgring and its world-famous 20.8 km Nordschleife circuit.
Every road, junction, hairpin, bridge, and elevation change has been mapped to match its real-world counterpart exactly — same length, same width, same challenging curves. It’s not a simplified version; it’s the region, recreated.
What You’ll Be Able To Do
The initial playable zone centres on the Nordschleife itself, expanding outward to include surrounding villages, connecting roads, and carefully recreated landmarks and points of interest. Over time, the Free Roam map will grow to encompass more of the Eifel region, adding new areas to explore.
You can expect:
- Day/night cycle — experience the Eifel at sunrise, under midday sun, or after dark
- Dynamic weather — changing conditions that alter grip, visibility, and atmosphere
- Variable AI traffic — share the roads with other vehicles, with density and behaviour adapting to location and time
- Seamless transitions — cruise from public roads straight onto the circuit, or drift off-track into the countryside
- Multiplayer support — explore and drive together
The reveal came via a nearly 14-minute keynote video featuring Marco Massarutto, co-founder and Executive Manager at KUNOS Simulazioni, who walked viewers through the philosophy, development process, and future roadmap for the mode.
Hands-On Coming Soon
You won’t have to wait long to see it in motion. Free Roam will make its first public playable appearance at the Sim Racing Expo in Frankfurt, running 16–18 October 2026, giving attendees the chance to get behind the wheel before anyone else.
The feature is currently targeted to arrive as part of the 0.10 update for Assetto Corsa EVO, with a full 1.0 release window for the game itself now set for the first half of 2027.
Why It Matters
For decades, Assetto Corsa has set the gold standard for driving realism — but that experience has always been circuit-focused. Free Roam represents the boldest shift in the franchise’s history: taking the studio’s legendary attention to detail and applying it not just to a track, but to an entire living, breathing region. It’s racing evolved — and you’re not confined to the grid.
“Where simulation meets freedom.”
The full keynote video is available now on the official Assetto Corsa YouTube channel. Assetto Corsa EVO is available in Early Access on Steam — wishlist and stay tuned for the 0.10 update release date.
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