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Prepare an Assetto Corsa race server and verify the first join

This guide covers the original Assetto Corsa dedicated server. Assetto Corsa Competizione and EVO use different server software. Start with a small race using content your group already owns; add custom cars, tracks and extensions only after the baseline works.

1. Record the current service

  1. Open your own server in the game panel and record its assigned address and port allocations.
  2. Read the startup output to identify the implementation. The stock Kunos server and the optional AssettoServer free-roam implementation are different programs. Do not replace either executable to follow a settings guide.
  3. Download the current configuration and any custom content before editing. Plan a short maintenance window if other drivers are using the service.

Use the service's normal stop action and wait for the process to finish before changing files. A green panel status alone does not establish that a race session is ready for drivers.

2. Find the active race files

For the stock distribution, the two main files are cfg/server_cfg.ini and cfg/entry_list.ini, relative to the actual server directory. A hosting template or manager can generate these files, so confirm which copy the startup process reads. If settings revert at launch, ask support which configuration source owns them instead of repeatedly overwriting generated files.

In server_cfg.ini, check the selected CARS, TRACK and CONFIG_TRACK. They identify installed content and, where applicable, the chosen track layout. Display names from a download website are not necessarily the folder identifiers the server expects.

3. Match the grid and content

The entry list supplies the available cars. Confirm that each configured model is allowed by the race configuration and that there are enough entry slots for the planned drivers. Keep MAX_CLIENTS within the selected layout's pit capacity. A service's hosting resources do not increase the number of pits a track provides.

For the first test, use a known-good car and layout available to every tester. Keep the player password separate from ADMIN_PASSWORD, choose unique values, and share only the player credential. Do not publish either configuration file without removing secrets and driver identifiers.

4. Preserve the assigned network settings

The stock server has separate UDP, TCP and HTTP port settings. Retain the allocations supplied for this service; an example from a home-hosting tutorial is not an allocation on CloudExa. Ask support if a required listener has no assigned port. Do not copy a desktop router-forwarding procedure onto the shared node.

5. Prove the session works

Start once, watch for configuration or content errors, then join from an ordinary client with the matching content. Select a car, enter the track and complete a short driving test. Have a second player join before adding mods or changing race rules. Save the working settings as your rollback point. If it fails, provide the server ID, first relevant log error, chosen layout and test time; do not reinstall the service or overwrite the content tree.

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