Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
If you have tried to jump into an official Competition race in Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC) lately, you know the routine: you register, you wait, you join the server for free practice, and then… nothing. You can start your engine, but the game won’t let you engage first gear. The timer hits zero, the session never switches to qualifying, and everyone eventually gives up and leaves. Even hopes in newest livery update did not bring a solution for internal racing. This is a widespread issue in early 2026, and it’s reaching a breaking point for the community. Here is the reality of what is going on with the game’s internal competitive system.
Stuck in the “Practice Loop”
The core problem is a systemic failure in the way Kunos handles session transitions. Since the release of the Season 25 libraries and liveries, the official servers have been plagued by a bug that effectively kills the race before it starts.
- The Gear Lock: You are stuck in the pit box. While the UI might say “Qualifying,” the server logic is still stuck in “Practice.” Because the server hasn’t officially moved the session forward, your car remains software-locked.
- Wasted Time: Because registration windows are limited to a few specific times a day, players are spending 30–60 minutes waiting in queues for a race that is fundamentally broken.
- Invisible Servers: In many regions, the Competition tab is simply empty, or it shows servers that you cannot actually click on or join.
Why Isn’t Kunos Fixing It?
The most frustrating part for any racer is the lack of information. If you check the Kunos Simulazioni website, you won’t find a server status page or an official acknowledgment of the outage.
The reality is that ACC has been moved to “legacy” status. Most of the development team is now fully focused on Assetto Corsa EVO, which just saw a massive 0.4 update in December 2025. While Kunos still releases small cosmetic packs for ACC, the core infrastructure is currently unmonitored. There is no one “at the wheel” fixing the backend transitions that the competition servers rely on.
Where to Actually Find a Race when Serious in ACC
Since the internal solution is broken, the community has completely moved to third-party platforms. If you want to race seriously, you shouldn’t look at the game’s own menu. Instead, use these independent services:
- Low Fuel Motorsport (LFM): This is where the vast majority of the player base has gone. LFM runs its own servers and its own ranking system, bypassing the broken Kunos matchmaking entirely.
- SimGrid: A great hub for finding organized leagues and endurance events that actually function.
- PitSkill.io: Another reliable alternative with a small but strong community and daily ranked racing.
| Feature | Official ACC Servers | Third-Party (LFM/SimGrid) |
| Status | Frequently Broken | Stable |
| Matchmaking | Broken “Practice Loop” | Working Elo/Rating System |
| Support | None | Active Admins/Stewarding |
It is painful to see a great sim like ACC struggle with its basic features, especially for new players who just want to race. For now, the “official” way to play is essentially a dead end. To get the experience you paid for, you have to look outside the game and join the community-run platforms.
Until Kunos releases a final stability patch, the community is the only thing keeping the competitive spirit of ACC alive.
