Below are all the tracks currently on offer in Assetto Corsa Competizione ranked into Mediocre, Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent or Elite tier.
Assetto Corsa Competizione now has close to 20 tracks, each of them high quality and enjoyable in their own right. But based on experience hotlapping, league racing, and popularity in online lobbies, I’ve divided the tracks into six tiers.
And of course, everyone’s experience is different, so let us know in the comments below which tracks you believe are ranked correctly and which rankings you disagree with.
Mediocre
Paul Ricard – Our own Yannik Haustein wrote an excellent article for RD recently discussing the merits of Paul Ricard, noting that the infamy of PR is likely overshadowing some redeeming qualities of the French circuit. And while his points were very well stated and valid, PR still lacks many of the attributes we associate with greatness in track design. Although endurance racing can be fun here, Paul Ricard’s staccato nature (short tight turns in sector 1 followed by an extraordinarily long straightaway, followed by another series of short turns in sector 3) lacks the flow we seek in a racing circuit.
Snetterton – Among the five British circuits to be found in Assetto Corsa Competizione, Snetterton is an anomaly and lacks much of the character we find at tracks like Donington and Oulton Park. Like Paul Ricard, Snetterton seems to lack flow. The sequence of flat-out>brake>corner>flat-out is repeated throughout most of the lap, with very few corners directly setting up for another.
Fair
Hungaroring – Hungary's best-known circuit has well documented similarities to the Monaco track in Formula 1 circles thanks to the difficulty of overtaking. The difficulty is far less with GT cars, but there are still comparatively few opportunities to gain the speed and spacing required for clean overtaking through most of the lap here at Hungaroring. As a hotlapping track, however, there’s a lot of fun to be had in pushing the limits of grip between corners 1 and 5, and again from corner 8 through 11.
Misano – Misano is very wide and has some excellent high-speed corners which should make lapping it a pure treat. Unfortunately, between the fast and fun corners are some clusters of corners that not only detract from the fun of the rest of the lap, but also frequently lead to chaos in races. Corners 4, 5 and 6 come in rapid succession and close racing is made difficult as you try to forecast the braking points and exit speeds of the car ahead. Misano also has one of the worst pit exit spots in racing.
Zolder – To the credit of Zolder, much of the track has a nice flow. There seems to two personalities to Zolder, however. The first half of your lap here is very fast, and clean lines combined with more aggressive throttle application on trackout can lead to overtaking opportunities. But the second half of the lap has similarities with Hungaroring as far as the difficulties of finding the necessary speed and space to overtake.
Good
Brands Hatch – This British circuit is close to ubiquitous in the world of sim racing, and ACC’s version is as good as any that can be found. There are some excellent corners here, including turns 6 and 7 which dare you to attack aggressively without allowing you proper vision of the corners on entry. It’s comparatively short which can make multi-class racing difficult, but it excels for both racing and hotlapping in single class.
Laguna Seca – Most racing fans know Laguna Seca’s famous corkscrew complex, but the challenging and thrilling turns 5 and 6 really make lapping Laguna Seca a treat. Like Brands Hatch, the distance between corners through much of the lap tends to wreak havoc on multi-class races but racing either GT3 or GT4 cars here can be a lot of fun.
Very Good
Monza – Like Brands Hatch, Monza can be found in nearly every racing sim on the market. The circuit can be simplified into four corners and three chicanes. The straight and relatively flat sections in between those corners is what makes Monza deserving of its nickname as the Temple of Speed. Corner exit speeds and slipstreams are the key to success here. Monza is so popular that many sim racers get tired of it, but as an endurance tracks it’s fantastic.
Oulton Park – Whereas Monza offers plenty of time to gather and recompose yourself during a lap, Oulton Park is a nonstop onslaught of elevation changes and intricate corner complexes. There isn’t much in the way of overtaking opportunities, but the track is long enough to spread out a field of cars for good racing, and as a hotlapping venue it’s hard to beat.
Zandvoort – Another great hotlapping site, Zandvoort’s banked corners are a blast in any car. Much of the track is too tight for overtaking, with trains of cars tending to form in races between corners 1 and 7 when there is a lot of variation between competitors’ laptimes. But there are opportunities in the back half of the lap and especially into turn 1, so overall this is a very strong and exciting track.
Excellent
Barcelona – Barcelona is a track that has it all. The long front straightaway gives plenty of opportunity for overtaking. Past the first two corners, there’s great racing to be had on turn 3 all the way through turn 10. The track is wide enough and long enough to space out even a multi-class race field. The slow and abrupt turns 13, 14 and 15 complex is definitely the worst part of the lap, but it doesn’t ruin the overall experience. There are enough redeeming qualities to Barcelona to allow it to satisfy a variety of racing needs.
Donington – Donington is a fast and challenging circuit. Its iconic sweeping downhill turns 2 and 3 reward aggressive placement of the car, and set you up for a very difficult turn 4. Wheel-to-wheel racing is commonplace between turns 7 and 10, which is a very fast and long sequence with plenty of openings for overtakes under braking. The only slight on Donington is that trains of cars can form between turns 1 and 7.
Elite
Imola – Imola is the latest circuit to be added to this title, and one fans of the original Assetto Corsa hoped would be added. Imola’s first sector contains multiple fast corners, each with curbs that challenge you to cut hard at the risk of launching your car. The middle and final sectors are no less impressive, with their own difficult corners, both fast and slow. The track is wide enough and long enough to be conducive to racing with either GT class and in any weather conditions.
Kyalami – Racing at Kyalami reminds you how great this racing sim really is. Given the history of the circuit and all the elements that make it great, Kunos’ choice to add it was one of the best things to happen to ACC post release. The race to turn 1 can often lead to 3 or more cars side by side battling to emerge ahead entering the upcoming tight corner complex. Circuits don’t get much better than Kyalami between turns 6 and 10, with its succession of fast corners. Turn 10 itself is uphill, tight and blind, but the payoff is an epic view at sunset before tackling the final few corners.
Mount Panorama – You could make the argument that Bathurst’s multiple long straightaways are boring, but the magic here is what falls between those straights. There are only 23 corners here, and passing between corners 3 and 19 is a risky endeavor. The middle sector is a sequence of fast corners, uphill for the first half and abruptly downhill for the second half, flanked by concrete walls the whole way. Races are won and lost through this section, as drivers will need to push hard to build up a sufficient gap to not be overtaken down the Conrod Straight. Pushing too hard, however, typically has disastrous consequences as your car bounces off the concrete walls and into the racing line of a competitor as he rounds a blind corner. Races here are almost always eventful and exhausting.
Nurburging – This is another track that can be found throughout the racing game and sim racing genres, which is one of its strengths as most sim racing are experienced and comfortable with the layout. Although the absence of its north loop in ACC is a contentious issue for some, there’s no question that the GP layout of the Nurburgring is perfect for GT racing. After a tricky infield section to begin the lap, the track straightens and simplifies, and overtaking abounds through the many abrupt braking sections. The final chicane is outstanding and requires aggression and experience to get right.
Silverstone – From the complexity and fun of the Maggotts and Becketts to the terrifyingly fast Abbey and Farm, and through the slow and demanding Village and The Loop complexes, Silverstone is rife with exciting cornering sequences. There are plenty of straight sections to open up passing opportunities, and both GT3 and GT4 cars are perfectly at home here. It might lack the excitement and novelty of some other tracks on this list, but without question Silverstone’s simple but diverse corners make for exciting racing.
Spa Francorchamps – Putting Spa on a list of the best tracks is a bit like putting Bob Marley on a list of your favourite Reggae artists; it’s obvious but deserving. Kunos has allowed huge grids to race here in multiplayer, and few things in sim racing are as exciting as 80 or more cars on track simultaneously. Spa’s legendary Eau Rouge and Radillion complex is the first thing to tackle on your lap. Get in right and you’ve opened up the chance to overtake on the long uphill Kemmel Straight. A few more corners follow before you begin a long descent with plenty of fast corners. In fact, the nearly the entire corner is fast, with GT3 cars covering the 7 kilometers in under 2 minutes and 20 seconds. Spa has every element a great track needs, and it produces both incredible racing and challenging hotlapping.
Suzuka – Suzuka’s is rare in that it has two iconic sections. The S-curves early in the lap are a fight for traction in the best way possible and showcase ACC’s excellent force feedback when you push slightly too hard and start to feel the tires slip under you. Much later in the lap, 130R is among the fastest corners in this title. It comes at the end of a long flat-out section and is taken somewhere in between a full lift and full throttle depending on your line and level of bravery. Suzuka is a great venue for any type of racing or hotlapping in ACC.
Let us know in the comments below how you would rank the circuits differently. Which tracks are too high or too low here?
Assetto Corsa Competizione now has close to 20 tracks, each of them high quality and enjoyable in their own right. But based on experience hotlapping, league racing, and popularity in online lobbies, I’ve divided the tracks into six tiers.
And of course, everyone’s experience is different, so let us know in the comments below which tracks you believe are ranked correctly and which rankings you disagree with.
Mediocre
Paul Ricard – Our own Yannik Haustein wrote an excellent article for RD recently discussing the merits of Paul Ricard, noting that the infamy of PR is likely overshadowing some redeeming qualities of the French circuit. And while his points were very well stated and valid, PR still lacks many of the attributes we associate with greatness in track design. Although endurance racing can be fun here, Paul Ricard’s staccato nature (short tight turns in sector 1 followed by an extraordinarily long straightaway, followed by another series of short turns in sector 3) lacks the flow we seek in a racing circuit.
Snetterton – Among the five British circuits to be found in Assetto Corsa Competizione, Snetterton is an anomaly and lacks much of the character we find at tracks like Donington and Oulton Park. Like Paul Ricard, Snetterton seems to lack flow. The sequence of flat-out>brake>corner>flat-out is repeated throughout most of the lap, with very few corners directly setting up for another.
Fair
Hungaroring – Hungary's best-known circuit has well documented similarities to the Monaco track in Formula 1 circles thanks to the difficulty of overtaking. The difficulty is far less with GT cars, but there are still comparatively few opportunities to gain the speed and spacing required for clean overtaking through most of the lap here at Hungaroring. As a hotlapping track, however, there’s a lot of fun to be had in pushing the limits of grip between corners 1 and 5, and again from corner 8 through 11.
Misano – Misano is very wide and has some excellent high-speed corners which should make lapping it a pure treat. Unfortunately, between the fast and fun corners are some clusters of corners that not only detract from the fun of the rest of the lap, but also frequently lead to chaos in races. Corners 4, 5 and 6 come in rapid succession and close racing is made difficult as you try to forecast the braking points and exit speeds of the car ahead. Misano also has one of the worst pit exit spots in racing.
Zolder – To the credit of Zolder, much of the track has a nice flow. There seems to two personalities to Zolder, however. The first half of your lap here is very fast, and clean lines combined with more aggressive throttle application on trackout can lead to overtaking opportunities. But the second half of the lap has similarities with Hungaroring as far as the difficulties of finding the necessary speed and space to overtake.
Good
Brands Hatch – This British circuit is close to ubiquitous in the world of sim racing, and ACC’s version is as good as any that can be found. There are some excellent corners here, including turns 6 and 7 which dare you to attack aggressively without allowing you proper vision of the corners on entry. It’s comparatively short which can make multi-class racing difficult, but it excels for both racing and hotlapping in single class.
Laguna Seca – Most racing fans know Laguna Seca’s famous corkscrew complex, but the challenging and thrilling turns 5 and 6 really make lapping Laguna Seca a treat. Like Brands Hatch, the distance between corners through much of the lap tends to wreak havoc on multi-class races but racing either GT3 or GT4 cars here can be a lot of fun.
Very Good
Monza – Like Brands Hatch, Monza can be found in nearly every racing sim on the market. The circuit can be simplified into four corners and three chicanes. The straight and relatively flat sections in between those corners is what makes Monza deserving of its nickname as the Temple of Speed. Corner exit speeds and slipstreams are the key to success here. Monza is so popular that many sim racers get tired of it, but as an endurance tracks it’s fantastic.
Oulton Park – Whereas Monza offers plenty of time to gather and recompose yourself during a lap, Oulton Park is a nonstop onslaught of elevation changes and intricate corner complexes. There isn’t much in the way of overtaking opportunities, but the track is long enough to spread out a field of cars for good racing, and as a hotlapping venue it’s hard to beat.
Zandvoort – Another great hotlapping site, Zandvoort’s banked corners are a blast in any car. Much of the track is too tight for overtaking, with trains of cars tending to form in races between corners 1 and 7 when there is a lot of variation between competitors’ laptimes. But there are opportunities in the back half of the lap and especially into turn 1, so overall this is a very strong and exciting track.
Excellent
Barcelona – Barcelona is a track that has it all. The long front straightaway gives plenty of opportunity for overtaking. Past the first two corners, there’s great racing to be had on turn 3 all the way through turn 10. The track is wide enough and long enough to space out even a multi-class race field. The slow and abrupt turns 13, 14 and 15 complex is definitely the worst part of the lap, but it doesn’t ruin the overall experience. There are enough redeeming qualities to Barcelona to allow it to satisfy a variety of racing needs.
Donington – Donington is a fast and challenging circuit. Its iconic sweeping downhill turns 2 and 3 reward aggressive placement of the car, and set you up for a very difficult turn 4. Wheel-to-wheel racing is commonplace between turns 7 and 10, which is a very fast and long sequence with plenty of openings for overtakes under braking. The only slight on Donington is that trains of cars can form between turns 1 and 7.
Elite
Imola – Imola is the latest circuit to be added to this title, and one fans of the original Assetto Corsa hoped would be added. Imola’s first sector contains multiple fast corners, each with curbs that challenge you to cut hard at the risk of launching your car. The middle and final sectors are no less impressive, with their own difficult corners, both fast and slow. The track is wide enough and long enough to be conducive to racing with either GT class and in any weather conditions.
Kyalami – Racing at Kyalami reminds you how great this racing sim really is. Given the history of the circuit and all the elements that make it great, Kunos’ choice to add it was one of the best things to happen to ACC post release. The race to turn 1 can often lead to 3 or more cars side by side battling to emerge ahead entering the upcoming tight corner complex. Circuits don’t get much better than Kyalami between turns 6 and 10, with its succession of fast corners. Turn 10 itself is uphill, tight and blind, but the payoff is an epic view at sunset before tackling the final few corners.
Mount Panorama – You could make the argument that Bathurst’s multiple long straightaways are boring, but the magic here is what falls between those straights. There are only 23 corners here, and passing between corners 3 and 19 is a risky endeavor. The middle sector is a sequence of fast corners, uphill for the first half and abruptly downhill for the second half, flanked by concrete walls the whole way. Races are won and lost through this section, as drivers will need to push hard to build up a sufficient gap to not be overtaken down the Conrod Straight. Pushing too hard, however, typically has disastrous consequences as your car bounces off the concrete walls and into the racing line of a competitor as he rounds a blind corner. Races here are almost always eventful and exhausting.
Nurburging – This is another track that can be found throughout the racing game and sim racing genres, which is one of its strengths as most sim racing are experienced and comfortable with the layout. Although the absence of its north loop in ACC is a contentious issue for some, there’s no question that the GP layout of the Nurburgring is perfect for GT racing. After a tricky infield section to begin the lap, the track straightens and simplifies, and overtaking abounds through the many abrupt braking sections. The final chicane is outstanding and requires aggression and experience to get right.
Silverstone – From the complexity and fun of the Maggotts and Becketts to the terrifyingly fast Abbey and Farm, and through the slow and demanding Village and The Loop complexes, Silverstone is rife with exciting cornering sequences. There are plenty of straight sections to open up passing opportunities, and both GT3 and GT4 cars are perfectly at home here. It might lack the excitement and novelty of some other tracks on this list, but without question Silverstone’s simple but diverse corners make for exciting racing.
Spa Francorchamps – Putting Spa on a list of the best tracks is a bit like putting Bob Marley on a list of your favourite Reggae artists; it’s obvious but deserving. Kunos has allowed huge grids to race here in multiplayer, and few things in sim racing are as exciting as 80 or more cars on track simultaneously. Spa’s legendary Eau Rouge and Radillion complex is the first thing to tackle on your lap. Get in right and you’ve opened up the chance to overtake on the long uphill Kemmel Straight. A few more corners follow before you begin a long descent with plenty of fast corners. In fact, the nearly the entire corner is fast, with GT3 cars covering the 7 kilometers in under 2 minutes and 20 seconds. Spa has every element a great track needs, and it produces both incredible racing and challenging hotlapping.
Suzuka – Suzuka’s is rare in that it has two iconic sections. The S-curves early in the lap are a fight for traction in the best way possible and showcase ACC’s excellent force feedback when you push slightly too hard and start to feel the tires slip under you. Much later in the lap, 130R is among the fastest corners in this title. It comes at the end of a long flat-out section and is taken somewhere in between a full lift and full throttle depending on your line and level of bravery. Suzuka is a great venue for any type of racing or hotlapping in ACC.
Let us know in the comments below how you would rank the circuits differently. Which tracks are too high or too low here?
