Which Upcoming Hardcore Sim Are You Most Looking Forward to?

AssettoCorsa_Pau_gt2rs.jpg

Which Upcoming Hardcore Sim Are You Most Looking Forward to?

  • Assetto Corsa 2

    Votes: 1,003 68.4%

  • Le Mans Ultimate

    Votes: 182 12.4%

  • Rennsport

    Votes: 76 5.2%

  • GTR Revival (Working Title)

    Votes: 82 5.6%

  • PISTA Motorsport

    Votes: 21 1.4%

  • WRC 23

    Votes: 84 5.7%

  • Other (specify in comments)

    Votes: 19 1.3%
  • Total voters
    1,467
Many sim racing titles we are playing with such glee have been out for years, even a decade for some games. At this point, however, a shift might be about to occur. Many new titles are currently under development and have tried generating hype. Which one are you looking forward to most? Have your say!

Cover Image: Porsche GT2RS around Circuit de Pau-Ville on Assetto Corsa. Image credit: CrimsonSaltire

Assetto Corsa 2​

Kunos Simulazioni has been stingy with details about their upcoming sim racing title so far. Planned to first release some time in spring 2024, it is set to replace the active development of Assetto Corsa Competizione.

AssettoCorsa_Pau_gt2rs.jpg

Porsche 911 GT3R (992) at night. Image credit: Kunos Simulazioni

All we definitely know is that Assetto Corsa 2 is currently in development. Since the production of Assetto Corsa, the team has grown significantly, allowing for more programmers to divide responsibilities amongst.

Here's hoping that more information on the Italian simulator is coming soon.

Le Mans Ultimate​

More is known about the upcoming World Endurance Championship (WEC) simulator developed by American Studio 397 together with Motorsport Games. This will be the first time the current developers of rFactor 2 produce a title from start to finish.

LMU_Porsche_Monza.jpg

Proton Competition Porsche 963 action. Image credit: Le Mans Ultimate

Featuring vehicles found in the WEC series and all circuits raced in the series (not only Le Mans' Circuit de la Sarthe), this upcoming simulator will be the first dedicated software for endurance racing in a while.

Le Mans Ultimate is based on the rFactor 2 engine and is set to release towards the end of the year. If you want to talk about what it needs to be successful, check out this discussion article about what Le Mans Ultimate needs to get absolutely right.

Le Mans Ultimate is currently set to release in Q4 of 2023 according to its Steam page.

RENNSPORT​

With a focus on esports and high-level competition, the new simulator RENNSPORT is currently in closed beta. Developed by new German studio Competition Company, this sim recently completed its first ever esports competition hosted in conjunction with well-known esports organiser ESL.

rennsport_spa.jpg

Esports racers going around Spa-Francorchamps. Image credit: RENNSPORT

With a few high-class circuits already ready to race as well as options of grand touring cars to select from, RENNSPORT recently announced how its competition and rating system will work.

The release date, on which the public beta will launch, is yet to be announced.

GTR Revival (Working Title)​

Ian Bell's Straight4Studios are working on an upcoming sim racing title as well. The studio, which combines expertise in game development from titles such as GTR or Project CARS is working together with Brazilian studio Reiza on this upcoming title.

ProjectCars2_LeMans1971.jpg

Circuit de la Sarthe, 1971, as seen in Project Cars 2. Image credit: Straight4Studios

The two companies have been working together in the past, somewhat. Reiza's Automobilista 2 is using the MADNESS engine, developed by Slightly Mad Studios, which was Ian Bell's previous studio and where many key staff worked before Straight4.

The title was provisionally named "GTR Revival" in early messages by studio founder Ian Bell. It has been announced to be "the most moddable Auto platform ever".

The release date, as well as the final game title, are as yet unknown.

PISTA Motorsport​

PISTA Motorsport is the title of a new automobile simulator developed by REG Simulations together with 'Studio 56'. REG Simulations has previously developed and released karting mods for Assetto Corsa.

PISTAmotorsport_screenshot.jpg

Formula 3 Metropolitana single-seater. Image credit: REG Simulations

The game is looking to focus on the Argentinian racing scene, a region of the world which has not seen widespread digital racing releases apart from a few internationally recognised racing circuits.

The scope of the project, which seems large for a relative newcomer to the scene, can be seen in this announcement.

PISTA Motorsports' release date is yet to be announced.

WRC 23​

So far, we have only looked at circuit racing simulators. However, we shall not forget that a rally simulator is also in development.

Since Codemasters and EA have acquired the WRC licence previously owned by Kylotonn, fans of racing have eagerly awaited the new title.

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Ford Focus as seen in Dirt Rally 2.0. Image credit: Codemasters

The game is expected to be a spiritual successor to Dirt Rally 2.0 in combination with the World Rally Championship license, potentially providing the ultimate digital rally experience.

Fans eagerly await the announcement of WRC 23's release date.

What are you looking forward to the most?​

The simulations listed above are expected to be considerable as "hardcore" sims known to be in development. Other titles such as Forza Motorsport are on the horizon too, while some titles might've been announced with little to no information given other than license ownage.

So, out of the titles listed above, where does your mind wonder in those day-dreaming scenarios? What sim is the one you are most excited to hear news about?

Let us know in the poll and in the comments down below!
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About author
Julian Strasser
Julian Strasser
Motorsports and Maker-stuff enthusiast. Part time jack-of-all-trades. Owner of tracc.eu, a sim racing-related service provider and its racing community.

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Comments

Richard Wilks
weikangcai said:
What nonsense! a badly done mod can be realistic or a good mod can be unrealistic?
why race with that mod? have you seen how herman lang drove a W125 on nordschleife? there's an onboard video. you can't drive that 37 mod stably even at low speed.
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I see you play that mod in AC, and even did a physics mod for it. So why are you complaining about a mod for rfactor1?... Don't like it, dont play it, simple.But i can say most vintage cars that i see in mods drive way too much like modern cars, and are just pure understeer. And yes, i also did physics for old cars, not those 1937 ones, but others.

What i disagreed was with your assessment that old cars were not difficult to drive because drivers were not fit. Thats absolute nonsense, look at Fangio onboard, he is countersteering the car in almost every corner, it doesn't look like a a drive in the park to me. Sure the cars were not deathtraps, but you had to be very active behind the wheel to go fast.
 
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W
Richard Wilks said:
I see you play that mod in AC, and even did a physics mod for it. So why are you complaining about a mod for rfactor1?... Don't like it, dont play it, simple.But i can say most vintage cars that i see in mods drive way too much like modern cars, and are just pure understeer. And yes, i also did physics for old cars, not those 1937 ones, but others.

What i disagreed was with your assessment that old cars were not difficult to drive because drivers were not fit. Thats absolute nonsense, look at Fangio onboard, he is countersteering the car in almost every corner, it doesn't look like a a drive in the park to me. Sure the cars were not deathtraps, but you had to be very active behind the wheel to go fast.
Click to expand...
SimDream's AC version is a just a conversion of the RF1 mod, then sell it for money. I love those 37 cars so much, that I decide to fix it myself, you can say I'm trying to create a better "Spirit of Speed 1937" mod
I can't encourage you to buy the SD version. because SD's behavior is shameful. but I certainly like you to try my modifications. It's a dilemma.
I know the RF1 version, and have played it, so I know how that handles in RF1.

Some people just like to countersteer. Patrick Depailler's driving on the wet Montreal 78 immediately comes to mind, but he also countersteered a lot on the dry Long Beach. Check Niki Lauda's onboard lap on wet Zolder, no countersteering
 
H
I don't expect much from these new simulations. Regardless of the simulation, I believe we have reached the pinnacle of what can be done in front of a screen today. One simulation is as good as another, although Assetto Corsa stands out as an excellent simulation that can perfectly adapt to each player thanks to its numerous modifiers, which is undoubtedly its biggest strength.

So, I'm voting for the game that will bring back the pleasure of racing with interesting challenges or, why not, a persistent system that will calm down daring drivers who take risks where a sensible person would think twice in real life.

I'm looking for a game with advanced dialogue mechanisms between the pit crew and other players. Having all the necessary instructions from the staff at the right time (similar to Crewchief) to focus solely on driving, without having a dashboard that looks like an Excel spreadsheet.

I'm hoping for a game where you can hire professionals to assist you with setups, or even a special mode where every aspect of car configuration is explained step by step, with practical tests to demonstrate the relevance of the adjustments.

And as the icing on the cake, I'll buy the one where girls in shorts replace the boys in the pit crew.
 
P
weikangcai said:
There're so many vintage car mods that are too difficult to drive.
To see whether a car is realistic, the first step is drive a full distance race to see if you can concentrate that long without crashing. vintage drivers, even if they were Borodino, Caraciolo, Fangio or Clark, were not superman. they were even less physically fit than today's drivers and in the past, races lasted much longer. so vintage cars shouldn't be difficult to drive.
Click to expand...
I just drove the 1936 Delage on AC, on the very beautiful 1975 Interlagos circuit, this car is not only easy to drive, but so interesting, it loves to slide, it's so much fun! Afterwards, getting the most out of this car takes time and learning, but that's part of the fun of driving.
I don't have alien gear, a Quest 2 headset, a dated CSL steering wheel and crankset and a 3080Ti, to say "hardcore" sims are unplayable is stupid (you didn't say it, another guy did it in this thread).
I think a lot of comments come from people who don't know the real simulation, since our site Racedepartment has merged with the other site whose name I ounlie there are more and more comments in favor of simarcade consoles especially playable on the gamepad. I was part of it a while ago, nothing wrong with that, but it's not the same world.
 
rennsportcirclejerk
pcraenme said:
Not sure what AC2 will bring. With CSP/Sol/Pure AC more or less has become AC2 and with the massive number of high quality mods for AC, what is AC2 going to add? LMU I am more excited for, but then it needs to be more than just rF2 with WEC content only. And what I have seen so far, I am worried. There must be a reason why we have not seen any gameplay yet on the official LMU YT channel, except so people talking about the game.
Click to expand...
Probably what current AC mods already offer, but higher quality. In particular, sound design leaves a lot to be desired in AC. Chase cam sounds suck and interior sounds are fine, but uninspiring. Flyby sounds are basically perfect.
 
jappygamer
If some forza horizon is developed with VR support i can tell you that i wouldnt be writing now.
Beamng, interested but no VR mod.

Yeah its hard to come back to triples when u have tested the vr honey. Its like going back to live with ur parents at 50 years old, :D
 
dussard
I'd like to see a simulation that takes simracing into a new era. Just as simracing hardware has evolved considerably in recent years. With Rennsport at the moment, many testers are unanimous in saying that the level of the game is on a par with ACC for the most positive. GTR Revival if it's another ams2/project cars simu-arcade I'll pass, WRC 23, we all know that the game will be mainstream with EA Sport, and the 1st of the name will be a first working base for the next editions, it is or the developer of RBR version 2023/2024. I really hope that LMU and Assetto Corsa 2 put the old games to bed. It's crazy that no one can develop a simulation that takes the best of iracing rf2 acc. Simulation, realism, immersion, driving pleasure, functional ...
 
I
weikangcai said:
I challenge you to take the Mercedes W125 of the 1937 mod for Rfactor 1 (It's freeware), and let's see how many laps of even Monza you can drive without crash. I confess I can't even made it to curva grande and sure enough you'll think it's very realistic. There's no excuse to release such undriveable monstrosity
Click to expand...
a 600bhp supercharged hunk of steel on bicycle tyres probably did drive like that, you seem to forget that the old greats probably didnt drive at 110 percent all the time since that was a death sentence
 
Sonny Mastrangioli
Premium
pcraenme said:
Not sure what AC2 will bring. With CSP/Sol/Pure AC more or less has become AC2 and with the massive number of high quality mods for AC, what is AC2 going to add? LMU I am more excited for, but then it needs to be more than just rF2 with WEC content only. And what I have seen so far, I am worried. There must be a reason why we have not seen any gameplay yet on the official LMU YT channel, except so people talking about the game.
Click to expand...
If Kunos do it right CSP, Sol, Pure, Sky and others like C13 Obscura etc should be stock standard in AC2 simply by hiring those mod developers. They LITERALLY did all the work already and it kept their game alive and brought new eyes which means more money for the devs.

Plus an official cross platform mod workshop (2K managed to do it with their WWE games as things you upload on PC can be downloaded on console) and KSEditor updated so its just a Blender Plugin as opposed to a dated program, you can use something like Route Eight Media's template (has the proper markers, and base meshes for each object that makes a track, tweak from there) or RTB (just got updated again) x Google Earth (Earth has that "time machine" slider for past layouts) to get started, then use the Open Street Map and ArcGIS blender plugins to get the elevation data and tweak things further, use the shrinkwrap modifier on the road mesh to make it match the elevation, place your desired trackside objects, apply collision, save through KSEditor plugin, upload it, boom!

Think Skyrim modding but with Assetto Corsa lol
 
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How are you going to watch 24 hours of Le Mans

  • On national tv

    Votes: 300 34.7%

  • Eurosport app/website

    Votes: 243 28.1%

  • WEC app/website

    Votes: 161 18.6%

  • Watch party

    Votes: 67 7.7%

  • At a friends house

    Votes: 23 2.7%

  • At Le Mans

    Votes: 71 8.2%
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