Assetto Corsa Competizione Multiplayer: Still active in 2021?
Assetto Corsa Competizione has been released on PC for nearly three years and although the game continues to be one of the best overall sims, how’s its multiplayer holding up, and is it worth it for those only interested in online racing in 2021? Let's find out
Just two things before we get started:
1- I’m only referring to the PC version of the game, I’d imagine the console versions are very active since the game is a lot newer on those, but don’t quote me on that.
2- I’m only commenting on my experience as an active sim racer in the United States on primarily North American servers, so keep that in mind as some of the things I say might vary depending on where you are in the world.
Alright, let's get started.
Based on my experience, I've noticed a few things with ACC’s multiplayer setting. A very short answer to the question, yes, the multiplayer scene is still active and you will, for the most part, not have difficulty joining a random lobby and getting racing. With that being said, however, there are a few caveats with this. Monza and Spa-Francorchamps without a doubt make up a significant amount of the races, so if you’re not a fan of those… perhaps look elsewhere. This doesn’t mean you won’t find lobbies on other tracks don't get me wrong, it's just not nearly as common. For me, it's gotten to the point where I’ll join a lobby of six in Brands Hatch or Zandvoort in the blink of an eye as opposed to a 20 man race in Monza, just for a refreshing change in atmosphere.
Assetto Corsa Competizione's release of the GT4 DLC was a pretty big deal at launch, although strictly GT4 multiplayer lobbies are nearly impossible to come across nowadays. Whether it be because it's a DLC many people not might have or just a larger preference for GT3 cars, I honestly can’t remember the last time I came across a strictly GT4 lobby. Since the GT4 cars are not as powerful as the more popular GT3’s, they're also fairly rare to come across in your average race, if that's something you care about.
Good news though, from my experience, ACC’s competitive lobbies are generally full, or close to it, and feature a variety of tracks and weather conditions. The downside, you will have to be willing to put up with 45 to 60-minute races which can be overwhelming to many.
Thankfully, as we have seen time and time again, the sim racing community has stepped up and saved the day. With many active league races, dedicated websites like the heroes at Sim Racing System, and dozens of dedicated discord servers, finding a community of sim racers to spend a few hours on ACC with is no big deal, and will not only offer you solid online races but also welcome you to a community of other dedicated Assetto Corsa Competizione fans.
So in essence, NO, the multiplayer scene is not dead for ACC and probably won’t be for at least a while longer. However, sticking to the generic online lobbies ACC offers will not offer much variety, so venturing out to leagues and private lobbies is a popular option that you might be interested in. As always, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Cheers!
