An Assetto Corsa server for your league

For a league server in Assetto Corsa you need three things: a server that’s always on, a configuration with your track, cars and sessions, and an entry list that fixes who drives which car. The server itself is light: 2 GB of RAM is usually plenty. Below you’ll learn how to set it up, from the first settings to the results after the race.

What do you need for a league server?

This is about the original Assetto Corsa from Kunos Simulazioni, released in 2014. Its last big update, version 1.16, came out in December 2017, but thanks to community cars and tracks the game is still a favourite with leagues. The official server software is called acServer and runs on Windows and Linux. You also need:

• A Steam account that owns Assetto Corsa. Steam only hands out the server files to such an account.
• Two configuration files in the cfg folder: server_cfg.ini for the track, cars, sessions and rules, and entry_list.ini for the grid.
• Reachable ports: a TCP and UDP port for the game (9600 by default) and an HTTP port (8081 by default) the server uses to register in the lobby. On our servers those are already set up.
• The same content for everyone. Drivers who miss a car or track, or run a different version, can’t join.

How do you pick the track, cars and sessions?

Everything about the race itself lives in server_cfg.ini. The key lines:

• TRACK is the track’s folder name and CONFIG_TRACK the layout. If the track has only one layout, leave it empty.
• CARS lists the allowed cars, separated by semicolons, for example CARS=abarth500_s1;ferrari_458.
• MAX_CLIENTS is the maximum number of drivers. It can’t be higher than the number of pit boxes on the track.
• The [PRACTICE], [QUALIFY] and [RACE] blocks are your sessions. For each session you set the length in minutes, and for the race you can use laps instead. Remove any session you don’t want.
• [DYNAMIC_TRACK] sets how much grip the track has at the start and how quickly it builds up, and the [WEATHER_0] blocks set the weather.

Your league’s rules go here too, such as which driving aids are allowed (ABS_ALLOWED, TC_ALLOWED), how much damage cars take (DAMAGE_MULTIPLIER) and how fast tyres and fuel wear (TYRE_WEAR_RATE, FUEL_RATE). Restart the server after every change.

How do you lock the grid with the entry list?

entry_list.ini has one block per grid slot, starting at [CAR_0]. For each slot you set the car (MODEL), the livery (SKIN), the driver’s name and team, and their GUID: that driver’s Steam ID. According to the Kunos manual, the list needs at least as many cars as MAX_CLIENTS.

For a league, this is the combination that matters: PICKUP_MODE_ENABLED=1 and LOCKED_ENTRY_LIST=1. Only drivers in the entry list can then join, and each driver gets the car that belongs to their Steam ID. Kunos advises against booking mode, so leave that off. Add a password too, just to be safe.

Does your league use success ballast? Set it per driver with BALLAST (in kilos) or RESTRICTOR in the entry list, or during race night with an admin command.

How do you add custom cars and tracks?

Community cars and tracks are why many leagues still race Assetto Corsa. Put a car in content/cars and a track in content/tracks on the server, with exactly the same folder name your drivers have. The server mainly uses the data files, such as a car’s data.acd and a track’s surfaces.ini, to check that everyone runs the same version. Uploading the whole folder is fine too.

Move big folders over SFTP, for example with FileZilla or WinSCP; Manage files over SFTP shows you how. The login details are in the game panel under Settings. Then share the download link for the content with your drivers, and agree that nobody updates anything mid-season. One driver with a different version of a car, and they’re stuck in the pit lane.

How do the Steam login and updates work?

Anonymous downloads don’t work for Assetto Corsa. In our game panel you enter the username and password of a Steam account that owns the game in the Startup tab. If that account uses Steam Guard, also fill in the code under Steam Auth Code. Then choose Reinstall Server in the Settings tab. Ideally use a separate Steam account, not the one you play on.

Updates are rare for Assetto Corsa: the game hasn’t had a big update since version 1.16 in 2017. In practice you install the server files once.

How do you plan a race night?

A fixed routine saves you stress on the night itself:

1. A few days ahead, set up the track, cars and entry list, and start the server once as a test.
2. Ask everyone to check before race night that they have the right version of the content.
3. During the night, log in as admin in the chat with /admin and your admin password. You can then move on with /next_session, redo a session with /restart_session and remove someone with /kick or /ban_id.
4. Collect the results afterwards. The server writes a JSON file to the results folder after every session, but only if at least one lap was completed.

A free tool such as Simresults turns those files into a tidy results page. Standings and the calendar go on your own league site, for example on web hosting. What else you can do in the panel is on our game panel page. Does your group play other games too? Have a look at our game server hosting.