What’s Coming in Update 0.6 of Assetto Corsa Rally

This major update introduces a wealth of exciting features designed to significantly expand the depth and gameplay experience of ACR.

First and foremost, we are expanding our vehicle roster with three iconic machines spanning nearly four decades of rallying heritage: the legendary 1980 Audi Quattro Gr.4, presented in its debut specification from the Rally Algarve; the fierce 1999 Peugeot 206 WRC; and the remarkably capable 2018 Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.

You can now also create private lobbies, granting you absolute command over your online multiplayer sessions and letting you race exclusively with your chosen crew.

Additionally, we’ve rolled out comprehensive support for custom liveries, enabling you to save your favorite paint schemes and effortlessly apply them directly from the in-game menu.

This represents an important foundational step toward full modding support, which we intend to broaden significantly in future updates.

A fully featured Photo Mode is now live as well, and we are eager to see the stunning shots you capture out on the stages.
As always, our team has dedicated substantial effort to numerous quality-of-life enhancements and refined the driving physics across all terrain types. Consequently, global leaderboards will be wiped with this release.

Enjoy the drive!
The Supernova Team

When Audi pulled the wraps off the Quattro at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show, the rallying world was firmly anchored in lightweight, rear-wheel-drive philosophy. Audi, however, had a groundbreaking vision: permanent four-wheel drive, a roaring turbocharged inline-five, and unprecedented traction that would completely rewrite the rulebook.

Four-wheel drive had only recently gained clearance in international competition following persistent lobbying by Audi. Legend has it that when governing bodies consulted rival manufacturers regarding the rule change, competitors assumed Audi was referring to the modest 75-horsepower Volkswagen Iltis military utility vehicle. They had no idea what was actually approaching.

Before securing official homologation, Hannu Mikkola piloted a prototype Quattro through the 1980 Rally Algarve as an official course car. While his stage times were recorded, they were excluded from the official classification. Had they counted, Mikkola would have crushed the competition by roughly 26 minutes, claiming fastest times on 24 out of 30 stages—a breathtaking preview of the motorsport revolution ahead.

This digital recreation mirrors that early Group 4 specification precisely: a 2.1-litre turbocharged five-cylinder churning out roughly 320 hp, permanent all-wheel drive, and a manually locked center differential.

One fascinating mechanical quirk perfectly highlights how wildly different these early Quattros were: pulling the handbrake locks all four wheels simultaneously. Because the center differential is locked, the rear wheels cannot rotate freely while the front axle drives, rendering traditional Scandinavian flick techniques virtually ineffective.

When Peugeot staged its triumphant return to the World Rally Championship in 1999, the classic Group A era was fading to make way for a dynamic new breed of World Rally Cars. Utilizing the compact hatchback body of the 206, Peugeot engineered a machine that was diminutive, aggressively wide, and entirely unique in its approach to the modern WRC formula.

The 206 WRC made its competitive debut at the demanding 1999 Tour de Corse, handled by French tarmac experts François Delecour and Gilles Panizzi. Though mechanical gremlins forced both cars to retire early, the sheer pace was undeniable. The car matured at a blistering pace during subsequent outings, culminating in its maiden WRC victory in Sweden the following year under the guidance of Marcus Grönholm.

Tucked beneath its taut sheet metal was a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine generating approximately 300 horsepower, channeled to all four corners via an advanced transmission system. A short wheelbase, wide track, and meticulously tuned suspension granted the 206 WRC extraordinary agility, making it devastatingly fast on tight and twisting technical roads.

This release features the authentic 1999 specification: a raw, unfiltered iteration of a car destined to define the dawn of the new millennium, securing three consecutive manufacturers’ championships and cementing its status as an icon of its generation.

Crafted over a two-year development cycle involving over 10,000 kilometers of rigorous testing, the Polo GTI R5 was engineered from scratch to be exceptionally fast, dependable, and approachable. Volkswagen subjected the car to punishing trials across both asphalt and loose gravel, prioritizing not only absolute speed but also extreme durability, predictability, and ease of maintenance—vital attributes for machinery destined for customer racing teams.

The final product is a brilliantly balanced machine. Its tight proportions, broad stance, and sophisticated suspension architecture deliver precise, immediate handling, while permanent four-wheel drive paired with front and rear limited-slip differentials generates immense grip across shifting surfaces. It was built to dominate without punishing the driver, effortlessly exploiting the strict parameters of the R5 regulations.

Resting under the hood is a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder pushing out 272 hp and 400 Nm of torque, mated to a responsive five-speed sequential gearbox. Tipping the scales at a mere 1,230 kg, the Polo rockets from 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 3.9 seconds.

Its competitive baptism of fire occurred at the 2018 Rally Catalunya, a notoriously challenging mixed-surface event featuring both tarmac and gravel stages. The Polo immediately showcased its immense capabilities, with Petter Solberg driving it straight to a WRC-2 podium finish on its debut weekend.

Compact, nimble, potent, and exceptionally composed, the Polo GTI R5 stands as the ultimate embodiment of the R5 philosophy: a thoroughbred rally warrior that delivers elite performance without compromising usability or reliability.

Personal expression is paramount in racing, which is why we have integrated the ability to import personalized custom liveries directly into the game to deck out your favorite rides.

The Assetto Corsa Rally community has continually proven its artistic flair, and we wanted to equip you with the best tools possible to showcase it. We’ve introduced a feature-rich, intuitive photo tool that empowers you to produce breathtaking, high-quality imagery.

Update 0.6 also introduces secure, password-protected lobbies, putting you in total control of your online environment so you can race exclusively alongside the people of your choosing.

Introducing legendary new machinery to Assetto Corsa Rally naturally means giving you brand-new events to test them on.

NEW CONTENT:
– Audi Quattro Gr. 4 MY1980
– Peugeot 206 WRC MY1999
– Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 MY2018
– Support for custom and multiple liveries
– Photo Mode
– Private lobbies
– Assetto Corsa Rally Events: added 3 new event groups featuring 18 fresh events to master the new cars.

CARS:
– Added Audi Quattro Gr. 4, Peugeot 206 WRC, and Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
– Added support for livery customization with comprehensive documentation available at “/steamapps/common/Assetto Corsa Rally/acr/Content/LiveryTemplates/Readme.pdf”
– Added realistic vibrations to the windshield wipers
– Neutral and Reverse indicators now display ‘N’ and ‘R’ on the Peugeot 306 cockpit dashboard
– Enhanced clear coat depth and metallic flake reflections on vehicle paint shaders
– Adjusted surface dust type to authentic Gravel for Loutraki and Elatia stages
– Added the missing studded Tarmac Monte Carlo tire option for the Alpine A110
– General bug fixes and polish improvements

PHYSICS
– Added physics profiles for Audi Quattro Gr. 4, Peugeot 206 WRC, and Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
– Replaced select Alpine A110 tires with dimensions closer to authentic tarmac specifications
– Separately tuned surface parameters for Greek and Welsh gravel (off-track surfaces remain uniform across roads for now, with further updates planned)
– Activated the advanced tire thermal model and recalibrated related vehicle setups accordingly
– Ideal tire pressures are now standardized to 28 psi for tarmac compounds and 32 psi for gravel and ice variants
– Recalibrated digging vibrations for loose surfaces
– Fine-tuned overslip vibrational feedback
– Additional adjustments to the tire model aimed at delivering more realistic stage times on gravel
– Further optimization of self-aligning torque curves for the majority of tire profiles
– Differentiated gravel surface characteristics for Greece and Wales (off-track materials are still shared globally, pending future updates)
– Refined suspension bump stop behaviors

ONLINE:
– Revised online lobby launch logic: 70% of players must now click ready before the countdown timer expires
– The starting grid sequence will no longer stall waiting for competitors who have disconnected from the session
– Private Lobbies are now fully operational

AUDIO:
– Added comprehensive new vehicle audio profiles.
– Initiated RPM-dependent interior cabin vibrations reacting dynamically to vehicle damage.
– Upgraded FMOD audio middleware to version 2.03.14
– Resolved a co-driver speech-ducking bug introduced during previous interior camera updates.
– Fixed an issue where the hood camera perspective suffered from dampened high-frequency engine notes.
– Resolved a bug causing left and right door aerodynamic sounds to pass through the cabin filter incorrectly.

GAMEPLAY AND UI:
– Introduced Photo Mode, accessible directly from active races, replays, service parks, and the main menu (via in-car views)
– Locked weather, time of day, and temperature parameters in Time Attack and Challenge modes. Ambient temperatures will still fluctuate with altitude, but base conditions remain stable
– Camera Customization: added a dedicated button to discard unsaved adjustments
– Disabled distracting background blurs when Triple Monitor configurations are active, streamlining display tuning
– Added AI benchmark times for the Audi Quattro Gr. 4, Peugeot 206 WRC, and Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 across all stages
– Updated Rally Event objective balancing. Rain and snow conditions are now more consistently distributed
– All previously earned championship medals have been safely preserved and remain untouched
– Added a default input binding preset for the Logitech RS5 wheel
– Lifted the 60 FPS recording cap on replay playback

VFX, LIGHTING, AND ART DIRECTION:
– Polished global illumination and ambient occlusion within the main menu environment

ENVIRONMENTS:
– Updated Ideal Trajectories for all remaining tracks (Wales Hafren North, Hafren South, Alsace Munster & Saverne, Monte Carlo Bollene & Sisteron, and Livigno) utilizing advanced racing line technology for enhanced precision, varied corner widths, and realistic skid marks.
– Fixed misaligned signage along Monte Carlo Bollene
– Corrected an erroneous static sign object at Greece Loutraki

BUG FIXES:
– Resolved an issue where the online live-results screen failed to properly list players who finished as DNF (Did Not Finish)

Source