Assetto Corsa Server Hosting

What is an Assetto Corsa server and why rent one?

An Assetto Corsa server is a separate program that hosts multiplayer sessions for Kunos Simulazioni’s driving simulator; the game has no built-in “host” button, so online play always goes through a server. That is why every community that races regularly sooner or later opens its own server.

Community servers are usually set up for three purposes:

• Leagues and championships: schedules of practice, qualifying and race sessions, a fixed car class and a reserved entry list.
• Drift servers: an always-open practice session on a specific drift track with community mod cars.
• Free roam and traffic: cruising long highway maps with AI traffic, usually done with the community server AssettoServer.

When choosing Assetto Corsa server hosting, keep in mind that these three scenarios have different resource needs: a classic race server is very light, while free-roam servers with traffic need noticeably more CPU. This page covers the original Assetto Corsa; Assetto Corsa Competizione and Assetto Corsa EVO use different server software and configurations, so their port and settings guides do not apply here.

What is the difference between acServer, Content Manager and AssettoServer?

acServer is Kunos’s official server program; Content Manager is a community client that makes configuring the server easier; AssettoServer is an open-source community server that replaces acServer and adds features. They are not rivals but usually parts of the same setup.

The common workflow is: prepare the session on your own PC with Content Manager or Kunos Server Manager, upload the resulting server_cfg.ini, entry_list.ini and content folders to the server, and run acServer or AssettoServer there. That combines the convenience of a GUI with the permanence of a 24/7 server.

Should an Assetto Corsa server run on Windows or Linux?

The official Assetto Corsa server runs on both Windows and Linux; Kunos’s server package includes acServer.exe for Windows and an acServer binary for Linux. Server files can be downloaded through Steam or via SteamCMD as the Assetto Corsa Dedicated Server app.

Comparing the two options:

• Linux (e.g. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS): lower memory use, easy service management with systemd and long-term stability. The most important thing to watch is that the Linux file system is case-sensitive: the car folder name must match the MODEL= value in entry_list.ini and the CARS= line in server_cfg.ini exactly.
• Windows Server: a more familiar environment if you want to run GUI tools such as Kunos Server Manager and Content Manager directly on the server and manage content by drag and drop.

AssettoServer is .NET-based, so it also runs on both operating systems. If you are new to server administration, preparing the configuration on your own PC and moving only the output files to the server makes the OS choice secondary. On Linux you transfer files via SFTP; on Windows, via remote desktop.

How many resources does an Assetto Corsa server need?

A classic acServer race server is very light; for around 20 drivers, 2–4 GB of RAM and two cores are estimated to be enough. Most physics calculations happen on the drivers’ own PCs, so the server mainly distributes position data, keeps timing and manages session flow.

What increases resource needs:

• AI traffic: AssettoServer’s traffic feature calculates cars on the server, which raises CPU usage noticeably; long highway maps need more cores.
• Multiple sessions: running league, drift and practice servers as separate processes on the same machine multiplies total memory and core needs.
• Update rate: settings such as CLIENT_SEND_INTERVAL_HZ determine how often the server sends position updates; a higher value means smoother visuals but more bandwidth and CPU.

On disk, the bulk of the space is taken by the track and car data uploaded to the server; large mod tracks can take anywhere from tens of megabytes to a few gigabytes. The table above gives estimates for these scenarios. Because latency matters more than lap times in a racing sim, the server’s geographic proximity to players is important; LIONFIN servers are located in Türkiye and suit drivers in Türkiye and the surrounding region.

Game server package or VDS for Assetto Corsa?

For Assetto Corsa the page lists VDS packages; you can install the server on a VDS yourself or request a ready-made installation through a support ticket. Community servers often include several sessions, many mod cars and tracks, and web-based management tools, so a virtual server with full access is a practical choice for this game.

With a VDS you can:

• Run league, drift and free-roam servers on the same machine on different ports.
• Host a small web server or community site with download links for mod content.
• Add community helper tools such as timing tables, results and live maps next to acServer.
• Start and stop servers with scheduled tasks according to the league calendar.

Dedicated cores mean you are not affected by busy neighbouring virtual servers on race night. For a detailed comparison of the two models see game server package or VDS?. For core, RAM and disk values, rely on the current figures in the package table on this page and match them against the estimate table above.

If your community is new, start with a single league server and watch usage data for a few weeks. When you decide to add a drift or traffic server, open a second instance on the same VDS in a new folder with a different port set; when resources run short, move to a larger plan. This gradual approach avoids paying for an oversized server from day one.

Which ports does an Assetto Corsa server use?

By default an Assetto Corsa server uses port 9600 over both TCP and UDP for game traffic and HTTP port 8081 for server browser registration and info queries. The values can be changed with the TCP_PORT, UDP_PORT and HTTP_PORT keys in server_cfg.ini.

For the server to appear in the in-game list, REGISTER_TO_LOBBY=1 must be set and the HTTP port must be reachable from outside; registration can take a minute or two after start. To run a second server on the same machine, move all three ports to different values (e.g. 9601 and 8082). Add the rules with ufw on Linux or Defender Firewall on Windows. If you use AssettoServer, check the port values in its own config file.

How do you configure server_cfg.ini and entry_list.ini?

server_cfg.ini defines the server’s name, passwords, track, car list, session schedule and rules; entry_list.ini defines which car and skin each slot uses. Both files live in the cfg folder and must be consistent with each other.

Commonly changed fields in server_cfg.ini:

• NAME, PASSWORD, ADMIN_PASSWORD: display name, join password and admin password.
• TRACK and CONFIG_TRACK: the track folder and, if any, the track layout.
• CARS: car folder names separated by semicolons.
• MAX_CLIENTS: number of drivers who can connect at once.
• [PRACTICE], [QUALIFY], [RACE]: session lengths and lap counts; [BOOK] for a booking session.
• Assist settings: ABS, traction control, stability control, fuel and tyre wear multipliers, damage rate.

Each [CAR_N] section in entry_list.ini is a slot containing MODEL, SKIN and optionally the driver name and Steam ID (GUID). In league races, reserving slots for specific drivers by GUID prevents unauthorised entries. The player limit is also effectively capped by the track’s pit or garage count; defining more slots than the track supports causes a startup error.

How do you upload mod cars and tracks to the server?

Mod cars and tracks are used by copying them into the server’s content/cars and content/tracks folders; the server does not need the full content, only the data files required for checksum and physics validation. Kunos Server Manager’s packing function and Content Manager extract these files automatically.

A trouble-free content process:

1. Install the cars and tracks in your own game and test them in single-player.
2. Prepare the server configuration with Content Manager or Server Manager and pack the content.
3. Upload the packed content and cfg folders to the server; on Linux, watch the letter case of folder names.
4. Share download links for the same mod versions with your players.

Drivers must have the same content as the server; a player using a different version of a car gets a checksum error and is kicked from the session. Content Manager offers features that show missing content to players via download links in the server description, which helps large communities get newcomers onto the right version. Avoid publishing unauthorised converted mods that infringe copyright; many mod authors state their redistribution rules explicitly.

Which settings matter for drift and traffic servers?

On drift and free-roam traffic servers, an always-open practice session, a flexible slot list and collision and damage settings take priority over race-focused settings. These servers fill up and empty out at all hours, so stability and continuity matter more than a session schedule.

Recommendations for drift servers:

• Define a single long [PRACTICE] session and let it loop when it ends.
• Keep the damage multiplier low so collisions do not ruin the session.
• Define a few drift-tuned car models in the entry list with enough slots, and set MAX_CLIENTS so it does not exceed the slot count.

For free roam with traffic, the community usually chooses AssettoServer; because AI traffic is calculated on the server, CPU load rises and the traffic density setting directly determines resource use. If you are opening such a server for the first time, start with low traffic density and increase it gradually while watching CPU usage. On league servers it is the opposite: keeping settings fixed so every race runs under the same conditions is the priority, and storing config files with version notes is important for fair racing.

How do you use admin commands on an Assetto Corsa server?

Admin rights on an Assetto Corsa server are obtained by typing /admin followed by the ADMIN_PASSWORD value into in-game chat; with these rights the session flow and players are managed through chat commands. Most race-night interventions can be done this way without a separate admin panel.

Commonly used commands:

• /next_session: ends the current session and moves to the next one in the schedule (e.g. from qualifying to the race).
• /restart_session: restarts the current session; useful after a botched start.
• /kick and /ban_id: remove a driver who breaks the rules or block them by Steam ID.
• /ballast and /restrictor: apply extra weight or a power restriction to a specific car; used for success balancing in series.
• /help: lists the commands the server supports.

Permanent bans are stored by Steam ID in blacklist.txt in the server folder; include this file in your backups. In league management, leaving commands to a single race director and sharing the admin password only with that person prevents conflicting interventions mid-race. If you use AssettoServer, the command set may be extended; check the list in its own documentation.

How do you protect and back up an Assetto Corsa server?

Assetto Corsa server security comes from a strong admin password, a join password where needed and a minimal set of open ports; backups rely on regularly archiving the cfg folder and the content data. A race server has no persistent world save, so what is really valuable is the configuration and content set you put work into.

• Keep ADMIN_PASSWORD unguessable; anyone connecting with it can skip sessions and kick players.
• Use PASSWORD and a GUID-based entry list for closed league sessions.
• Open only the game and HTTP ports; protect SSH or remote desktop access with an IP restriction.
• Archive the cfg and content folders with a date stamp at the start of each season and before big changes; include result files if you keep them.

On the network side, the RouteFence firewall on LIONFIN infrastructure filters DDoS traffic at the network level and the infrastructure is monitored 24/7 by NOC and SOC teams (see our data center). This layer matters for attacks that may hit competitive leagues on race night, but do not neglect hardening inside the server.

What are the most common Assetto Corsa server errors?

The most frequent Assetto Corsa server problems are the server not appearing in the list, slot count mismatches and content checksum errors; most can be diagnosed from the first lines of the server console.

• Server not in the list: REGISTER_TO_LOBBY is off or the HTTP port (default 8081) is not reachable from outside. Registration can also take a few minutes.
• “No available slots”: MAX_CLIENTS is higher than the number of [CAR_N] entries in entry_list.ini, or no slots are assigned to the car the player chose.
• Checksum error: the player’s car or track version differs from the server’s; ask them to install the same mod version.
• Server starts and stops: a folder name in the CARS line is misspelled, letter case does not match on Linux, or the track layout (CONFIG_TRACK) is wrong.
• Pit/garage error: more slots are defined than the track supports.

If the problem persists, save the server output and open a ticket from the Support section of the LIONFIN customer panel.