Assetto Corsa is still one of the most popular sim racing games for online play, a decade after release. Private leagues, public race servers, drift lobbies and freeroam “cruise” servers with traffic all run on it, and most of them use modded cars and tracks. Running a good server comes down to getting the configuration right, keeping content in sync with your players, and choosing the right server software for the kind of driving you want. This guide covers each one, then explains how we set a server up for you on GGHOST Cloud.
How an Assetto Corsa server works
Kunos ships a dedicated server, acServer, with the game. It is a light program that runs sessions (practice, qualifying, race), keeps track of laps and positions and relays car positions between players. The physics run on each player’s PC; the server coordinates them.
The server reads two files from its cfg folder:
server_cfg.ini: the server name (NAME), the allowed cars (CARS), the track and layout (TRACKandCONFIG_TRACK), the player cap (MAX_CLIENTS), passwords (PASSWORDandADMIN_PASSWORD), session lengths, weather and assists.entry_list.ini: one entry per car slot, with the car model, skin and optional fixed driver. This decides which cars appear on the grid.
The player count has a hard ceiling: every player needs a slot in the entry list and a pit box on the track. However many pits a track layout has, that is the most players it can hold.
Content Manager makes this easier
Most players and server owners use Content Manager, a popular community launcher for Assetto Corsa. Its server section lets you build a preset with cars, track, sessions and entry list in a graphical editor, then use Pack to produce an archive with the configuration files and the car and track data the server needs. Upload that archive’s contents and the server is ready to run.
Content: cars, tracks and checksums
The server needs data for every car and track you run, and players need the same versions installed on their own PCs. The server checks players’ files against its own, and anyone with a mismatched mod is rejected with a checksum error. This is the single most common reason players cannot join.
- Use one version of each mod and share the exact download link with your players.
- Update the server and the players together. When you update a car or track, tell people before the server switches over.
- Prefer well-maintained mods. Badly made tracks can cause problems for everyone on the server, not just the player who installed them.
AssettoServer: traffic, cruising and more
For freeroam servers, many communities replace acServer with AssettoServer, an open-source custom server built with freeroam in mind. It reads the same server_cfg.ini and entry_list.ini, and adds:
- AI traffic, so highways and city maps feel busy.
- Dynamic weather.
- Fixes for security issues in the default server.
- A plugin system for extra features.
Most of its extra features are controlled by an extra_cfg.yml file, which is created the first time the server starts. Its race and qualifying sessions are described by the project as experimental, so for competitive racing the default server is still the usual choice. Many AssettoServer features also rely on players running Custom Shaders Patch (CSP).
If you want AssettoServer rather than the default server, tell us when you ask for setup.
How much RAM and CPU does it need?
A plain Assetto Corsa race server is light. What drives its needs is the number of connected players and how often the server sends updates to them. AssettoServer with AI traffic is heavier, because the server simulates the traffic cars itself, and busy cruise servers with lots of traffic need noticeably more CPU.
We do not publish a fixed table for Assetto Corsa. Tell us whether you want racing or freeroam, which server software, which track and how many players, and we size it with you.
On GGHOST Cloud you pay for memory, not player slots.
MAX_CLIENTSis a value you set inserver_cfg.ini, within the limits of your track and entry list.
Tips for a smooth server
- Match the track to your grid. Check the pit count of a track layout before planning a full-grid event on it.
- Set an admin password. With
ADMIN_PASSWORDset, you can type/admin <password>in the in-game chat to get admin commands such as kicking and changing sessions. - Keep sessions sensible for public servers. Short practice and qualifying sessions keep a public race server moving; leagues can run longer formats.
- Pick the region closest to your drivers. Sim racing is sensitive to latency. Collisions and close racing feel much better when everyone has a low ping.
- Restart between events. Schedule restarts in our panel at quiet times, especially on long-running freeroam servers.
Changing content safely
Upload cars, tracks and configs through the panel’s file manager or over SFTP, or replace them with a fresh Content Manager pack. Restart, and check the console for missing content.
- Change one thing at a time. If you add three cars and a track at once and something fails, it takes longer to find out which.
- Keep a copy of the working configuration. Take a backup from the panel before switching tracks, car lists or server software.
Backups
The parts of an Assetto Corsa server worth protecting are your configuration files, your content and, for AssettoServer, its extra_cfg.yml and any plugin settings. On GGHOST Cloud, backups run on a schedule you set and restore from the panel without opening a ticket, so you can try a new car list or track and go back if it does not work out.
Getting your Assetto Corsa server on GGHOST Cloud
Assetto Corsa is set up on request at the moment, rather than ordered through checkout.
- Ask us on Discord (or open a ticket) with the cars and track you want, whether you want the default server or AssettoServer, and how many players you expect.
- We size it and quote a monthly price based on what you plan to run.
- We set it up on our Pterodactyl panel, usually within a few days. Singapore and Europe (France–Germany border) are live today; the United States (East, Central and West), the United Kingdom, India, Japan and Australia are available on demand.
- Connect. Your server address and port are shown in the panel; players can find the server in the online list or join directly from Content Manager.
You get the full panel: live console, file manager, SFTP, scheduled tasks, sub-users for your league admins and database access. Every node is behind DDoS protection from our network providers, on every plan, and you can change the server build or startup flags from the panel and restart. No setup fee, no contract; billing is at app.gghost.cloud, and support comes from the people who run the servers, on Discord and at hello@gghost.cloud.
The short version
Build your preset in Content Manager and Pack it for the server, check the track’s pit count before planning a big grid, and make sure every player has the same version of each mod. Use the default server for racing and AssettoServer for traffic and cruising, set an admin password, and back up before every content change.
