Jumping into a brand-new game can prove to be a bit of a minefield, given the number of different settings you’ll need to pore through so that you can build an enjoyable experience for yourself.
Automobilista 2 is pretty straightforward to get working well compared to many other sim titles on the market, though there is still a lot to take in.
Coach Dave Academy decided to provide a guide that should help you get started with the game, so that you can get to the good part as quickly as possible.
Before You Begin
Like many simulation games on the market today, AMS2 contains a wide range of not only base content, but also extra DLC content that you can to buy in addition to the standard game to access.
If you want all of it, you can purchase the season pass, which will grant you all the content available for a discounted total. If you only want certain content, then you can purchase smaller packs at a lower standalone price.
Steam usually has a sale on throughout the year, with the AMS2 base game and DLC content all at a reduced price.
AMS2 Tracks and Cars
AMS2 is a sandbox simulation racing title, meaning it comes stacked with a wide range of cars and tracks, from classic South American touring cars and single-seaters to modern international prototype and GT cars.
Over 100 vehicles are available in the base game, a number that rises to over 230 when you factor in DLC. Massive scope to keep you entertained.
The same goes for the tracks, with locations ranging from stunning South American venues like Cascavel and Velo Cittia that many drivers not from the region would likely never of heard of, to world-famous tracks like the Daytona International Speedway, the Nurburgring Nordschleife, and Le Mans.
Well over 60 tracks are available when you factor in DLCs, making AMS2 one of the richest sim racing titles on the market when it comes to content variety.
AMS2 DLC Content
| DLC Name | Content | Price |
| Hockenheimring Pack | Supercars Pack Pt 1 | £7.99 |
| Silverstone Pack | 1 Location, 4 layouts (1975, 1991, 2001, 2020) | £7.99 |
| Nurburgring Pack | 1 Location, 8 layouts (GP Circuit, GP Circuit with Veedol chicane, GP Circuit Sprint, Nordschleife, 24H Nordschleife, 1971 Nordschleife, 1971 Sudschleife, 1971 Gesamtstrecke) | £7.99 |
| Spa-Francorchamps Pack | 1 Location, 4 layouts (2020 GP, 2022 GP, 1993 GP, 1970 GP) | £7.99 |
| Racin’ USA Part 1 | 3 Locations, 2 vehicles(Daytona International Speedway, WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway, Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach)(2020 Cadillac DPi-V.R, BMW M8 GTE, Corvette C8.R GTE, Porsche 991 RSR GTE) | £10.99 |
| Monza Pack | 1 Location, 4 layouts (Monza GP 2021, Monza GP 1971, Monza GP 1991, Monza GP 1999) | £7.99 |
| Racin’ USA Part 2 | 7 Locations, 10 layouts 6 VehiclesAscurra Dirt, RX Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, RXFoz Hockenheim, RXNurburgring, RXSpa-Francorchamps, RXTykki Dirt 1, Dirt 2, RX, Tarmac(Citroen DS3RX, Formula Dirt, Kartcross, Mini Countryman R60 RX, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X RX, Volkswagen Polo RX) | £10.99 |
| Racin’ USA Part 3 | 3 Locations, 1 vehicle(Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway)(Formula USA 2023) | £8.50 |
| Historical Track Pack Pt 1 | 3 vehicles (Corvette C8 Z06, McLaren Senna, Brabham BT62) | £8.99 |
| Historical Track Pack Pt 2 | 3 Locations (Cascais 1988, Jerez 1988, Bathurst 1983) | £8.99 |
| Brazilian Racing Legends Pack Pt 1 | 4 Locations(Barcelona 1991, Interlagos 1991, Interlagos 1993, Montreal 1991) | £6.69 |
| Adrenaline Pack Pt 1 | 6 vehicles (Brabham BT49 Cosworth V8, Brabham BT52 BMW I4 Turbo, Lotus 98T Renault V6 Turbo, McLaren MP4/4 Honda V6 Turbo, Mclaren MP4/6 Honda V12) | £12.99 |
| Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya Pack | 1 Location, 2 layouts(2023 layout with and without final chicane) | £5.99 |
| Adrenaline Pack Pt 2 | 13 new track layouts, 1 Adelaide STTAutodromo Yahuarcocha, STTCleveland, STTHockenheim, STTGuapore, STTLong Beach, STTMonza, STTRoad America, STTSebring, STTSpielberg, STTWatkins Glen, STTVelopark 2017, STT(Super Trophy Truck) | £16.99 |
| Endurance Pack Pt 1 | 13 new track layouts, 1 Adelaide STTAutodromo Yahuarcocha, STTCleveland, STTHockenheim, STTGuapore, STTLong Beach, STTMonza, STTRoad America STTSebring, STTSpielberg, STTWatkins Glen, STTVelopark 2017, STT(Super Trophy Truck) | £6.99 |
| Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans Pack | 1 Location, two layouts(Le Mans 24, Circuit Bugatti) | £8.99 |
| Endurance Pack Pt 2 | 7 cars(LMDh: BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh, Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh, Porsche 963 LMDh) (GT3: BMW M4 GT3, McLaren 720s GT3 Evo, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, Porsche 992 GT3-R) | £8.99 |
| 3 Locations, 3 car classes (Cleveland Burke Lakefront, Watkins Glen International, Road America)Formula USA Gen1 (featuring Reynard 95i and Lola T95), Formula USA Gen2 (featuring Reynard 98i, Swift 009c and Lola T98), Formula USA Gen3 (featuring Reynard 2Ki and Lola B2K/00) | 7 cars(LMDh: Alpine A424)(GT3: Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R)(LMP2: Ligier JS P217 (Gen 1 and 2, Oreca 07 (Gen 1 and 2) | £8.99 |
| Formula HiTech | 9 cars(F-HiTech G1 M1, F-HiTech G1 M2, F-HiTech G1 M3, F-HiTech G1 M4, McLaren MP4/7A, F-HiTech G2 M1, F-HiTech G2 M2, F-HiTech G2 M3, McLaren MP4/8) | £5.89 |
| IMSA Track Pack | 3 Locations, 3 layouts (Mosport, Road Atlanta and Road Atlanta Moto, Sebring International Raceway GP with School and Club) | £12.99 |
| Lamborghini Dream Pack Part 1 | 4 cars(Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2, Lamborghini SC63, Lamborghini Veneno Roadster) | £8.99 |
To save money, there are four different DLC bundles you can also purchase, which are outlined below.
| 2020-2022 Season Pass | Hockenheim Pack, Silverstone, Nurburgring Pack, Spa-Francorchamps Pack, Monza Pack, Historical Track Pack Pt 1, Supercars Pack Pt 1, Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya Pack, Racin’ USA Part 1,2,3 Brazilian Racing Legends Pack Pt 1, Adrenaline Pack Part 1, 2. | £79.99 |
| Premium Track Pack | Hockenheim Pack, Silverstone Pack, Nurburgring Pack, Spa-Francorchamps Pack, Monza Pack, Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya Pack. | £31.99 |
| Premium Expansion Packs | Historical Track Pack Pt 1, Supercars Pack Pt 1, Racin’ USA Part 1,2,3, Brazilian Racing Legends Pack Pt 1, Adrenaline Pack Part 1, 2 | £51.99 |
| Racin’ USA Expansion Packs | Racin’ USA Parts 1, 2, 3 | £29.99 |
Offline Game Modes
AMS2 has a selection of different offline racing experiences available, no matter what mood you’re in.
- Time Trial mode is perfect for those wanting to lap against the clock. You can add a selection of ghosts to compete against, which can help give you the push you need to shave more time from your best lap.
- Test Day allows you to drive any car around any track in a no-pressure situation, allowing you to get used to everything without fighting to shave time.
- Single Race allows you to set up a timed or lap-determined race at any track in the game, using single-make or multi-class AI opponents. You can set the race up to your preference, with elements like the weather, length, penalties, and AI difficulty all adjustable.
- Championship follows the same structure as Single Race, but allows you to create a multi-race championship against AI that pays out points to determine an eventual champion.
- You can create a completely custom single-class or multi-class series, or select from a range of presets created by AMS2 developers Reiza, such as an official Stock Car Brasil fixture to run through that uses the official cars and track, points system, etc.
There is also a small tab in the top right section of the main menu labelled ‘Preset’. Clicking this will provide you with a list of car classes available in the game, and selecting one will put you straight in a vehicle and track associated with it to make your choice more streamlined.
Online Racing
AMS2 doesn’t have any in-game ranked multiplayer as of the time of writing in July 2025, with only user-created online lobbies, which can be made public or private, being available.
Low Fuel Motorsport, which you may be familiar with through its Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione exploits, does offer a range of ranked online racing series to join. These include IMSA, Formula Trainer, and Historic GT1 events, among others.
Steering Wheel Setup
Given that AMS2 has been developed as a simulation title, you’ll have the best experience buying a force feedback racing wheel. If you’re not sure where to start, Coach Dave Academy’s guide to the best Direct Drive wheelbases is a good place to start.
If these seem a bit pricey, entry-level wheelbases like the Thrustmaster T300 and Logitech G920 can be picked up for cheap on the used market. The FFB and control settings can be altered by heading to the “Controls” tab within the main menu.
PC Hardware Requirements
Due to the complicated physics calculations going on in the background of AMS2, it can be intensive to run on lower-end systems. The game requires at least a 3.5 GHz Intel Core I5 or AMD FX-8350 to run at all, but ideally requires an Intel Core i7 8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X to run smoothly.
You’ll also need at least 8GB of RAM, an Nvidia GTX680 or equivalent graphics card to run the game at all, and ideally 16 GB of RAM or at least an Nvidia 1080 GTX or equivalent to allow the game to run well.
Initial Start-Up
Once you’ve got all your content and hardware sorted, you’ll need to tweak the in-game settings to ensure you have as smooth an experience as possible.
AMS2 Graphics Settings
When out on track, you’ll want the game to run as smoothly as possible so that you don’t lose immersion, and therefore focus while trying to kiss every apex just right. Setting the correct graphics settings is a must so that your PC can run at a consistent FPS. AMS2 doesn’t offer any graphic presets, so you’ll need to tweak them yourself.
Depending on how powerful your PC is, aim to set every setting the same initially (i.e, set everything to Low, Medium, etc.) to see what kind of stable FPS you can achieve, and tweak from there depending on which settings matter to you.
Ideally, you’ll need to aim for at least 60 FPS, but more powerful PCs will be able to run higher graphics settings at a higher constant framerate.
Just remember, achieving a constant framerate is more important than making the game look pretty, especially when you’re out on track.
AMS2 Control Settings
To tweak the in-game FFB settings or controls on your wheel, head to the “Control” settings in the options menu. Here, you’ll be able to tweak the control bindings and settings regarding your wheel and other peripherals. FFB is largely subjective, but focus on getting the Gain setting right first.
This determines how heavy the forces will be on your wheel, and it’s important to find a good baseline here. Each vehicle in AMS2 has a per-vehicle FFB setting available, so you can tweak per car if your setting doesn’t match that particular machine.
From there, play around with the other values until you find a base you’re happy with. Look to have Damping as low as possible to prevent loss of detail, though turn it up if your wheel begins to oscillate too aggressively. Keep FX and Low Force Boost at around 50 or so, but you can tweak from there if you fancy something different.
AMS2 View Settings
You’ll also need to ensure your view settings are on point, as otherwise you’ll find it tricky to hit apexes and judge distances while out on track, which could prove a hindrance while racing wheel-to-wheel. Firstly, use a (vertical) FOV calculator to ensure your FOV is right so that these issues won’t be a problem.
From there, make sure to bind buttons for the seat settings in the ‘Edit Assignments’ section of the Controls screen. Each car will have a vastly different cockpit, which means you’ll have to move your seat around to achieve a view you’re comfortable with.
You May Need To Achieve A Certain Safety Rating To Enter Some Online Lobbies
Pretty much everything is unlocked from the moment you fire up AMS2, though some online lobbies will prove inaccessible due to their hosts setting a minimum Safety Rating that drivers need to achieve before being allowed to join.
What is a Safety Rating (SR) in AMS2?
AMS2’s Safety Rating score is used to judge how safe drivers are when out on track. The algorithm tracks when you make driving mistakes, such as spinning, corner cutting, or driving off-track during online sessions, and will take points away from your safety rating.
Drivers who get involved in plenty of contact and make many mistakes will lose points, while clean racers will gain them. Simply drive cleanly and fairly, and you’ll find your SR will increase naturally, which will mean you’ll be able to join cleaner lobbies in time. Be warned that AMS2’s in-game SR won’t matter when it comes to external services like LFM, which uses its own SR algorithm.
Understanding Car Setups In AMS2
So with all that setting up out of the way, it’s now time to head out on track. Before you do so, you’ll need to make sure your car is set up properly for whatever session you decide to take on. Here are the most important setup points you’ll need to look at.
Fuel
Due to the sheer number of vehicles available in AMS2, each car has a fuel estimate in the Setup menu that’ll tell you how many laps you can complete before running out. Simply work out how many laps you’ll need to complete in a given qualifying race session, and tweak your fuel load to suit.
Assists
AMS2 has a suite of assists available for less experienced drivers, such as Traction Control, ABS, and Stability Control, as well as a 3D racing line. Use these to learn your craft before switching them off, as they’ll likely be costing you lap time due to their intrusiveness.
In-Car Electronics
Some vehicles, such as GT3s, have onboard Traction Control and ABS systems. You can tweak these up and down in the setup menu to suit the track conditions you’ll be facing. As a rule of thumb, you’ll need to go with lower settings on a dry, rubbered-in track, and higher values on less grippy and wet surfaces.
In-Depth Settings
With so many vehicles available in AMS2, many will have changeable values that others will not. Generally, the most common ones to tweak are the anti-roll bars, which can be used to dial out understeer or oversteer. Higher values stiffen them, and lower values soften them.
- As a general rule, stiffer front ARBs lead to more understeer and softer ones to less, while stiffer rear ARBs cause more oversteer and softer ones less.
- Downforce is also useful to play around with on cars that allow you to change the values
Higher downforce gives you more grip in faster corners but makes you slower on the straights, while lower downforce affords less grip in fast corners but more speed on the straights. - Play around with downforce levels front-to-rear to affect car balance in high-speed corners.
Other settings are available, but are more advanced when tweaking a car, so these can come later. For now, these settings should allow you a broader window to bend a car to your liking,
Now It’s Time To Hit The Track
With all these points covered, you’ll be ready to head out and start getting to know AMS2. With so much content to discover, you’ll be able to spend hours sampling different car and track combinations, which is enhanced further by the title’s fun AI opponents.
It may lack a pukka in-game ranked multiplayer structure right now, but let’s see what the future holds.
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