Assetto Corsa EVO features structured career progression, similar to Gran Turismo and Forza Horizon. Like in these games, drivers earn in-game currency (credits) to rent or purchase new cars and experience (XP) to unlock high-tier cars.
This article covers the best ways to earn and spend credits in Assetto Corsa EVO as of version 0.1.6. The game is in early access, and the in-game economy, individual rewards and overall progression will change.
Driver Academy
The Driving Academy is your main source of income at the beginning of the game. Not only does this mode bring in money and XP, but it also helps players develop their skills before driving high-performance cars. This is where you can earn tens of thousands of credits by completing tasks and achieving three stars on each stage.
Six licenses are available: Sports Cars, Supercars, Hypercars, and Racing 1, 2 and 3. Once you complete the necessary tests for each category, you will gain your license and be able to buy or rent cars within that category.
You earn credits and XP for every test, with higher license tests offering greater rewards. At one point, players could repeatedly complete the Driving Academy challenges and rapidly accumulate the in-game currency. For example, a challenge at Laguna Seca in the Ferrari 296 yielded 122,000 credits and 152,000 XP.
This loophole was quickly fixed, and now you need to improve your best lap time to receive credits, although you still earn XP for every attempt.
Special Events
Special events introduce structured challenges beyond practice sessions or AI races. Although still in early development, this feature offers a variety of racing scenarios designed to test players’ skill and consistency.
At present, only hotstint special events are available. These time-based challenges allow players to compete for top positions on the leaderboard. Unlike standard hot laps, hotstint events assess a driver’s ability to maintain consistent performance over an extended period rather than focusing on a single fast lap.
As of version 0.1.6, you can choose between 12 special events offering plenty of weather, car and track combinations. The cars for these events are already provided, so you do not need to purchase or rent them to participate.
The rewards start from 1,000 credits and 5,000 XP for completing a 10-minute event after the cost of consumables. The quality of laps does not affect the rewards in the current version of the game.
Races
Simple single-player races are another way to make credits. Longer races, more expensive cars and better results provide higher rewards. For example, you can earn around 1,500 credits and 15,000 XP per 5-minute race in a starter car or 3,000 credits and 40,000 XP in a 10-minute race in a mid-range sports car.
Races in Supercars and Hypercars pay much more once you unlock the respective licence, but you will pay the rent fee for every race.
Spending credits
Credits serve can be spent in several ways:
- Buying cars. One of the main ways to spend credits is by purchasing new drives. You can acquire anything from historic performance cars to modern hypercars and race cars with prices from 30,000 to 600,000 credits.
- Renting cars. Rather than committing to a purchase, you also have the option to rent cars for a limited number of races or events. Renting is ideal for testing vehicles before purchase and gaining easy access to expensive high-performance cars. Current rent fees are between 300 and 4,200 credits per race.
- Upgrading and customising cars. Some cars may have performance upgrades, exterior (wheel rims, brake callipers, aerodynamic packages, etc.) and interior (ambient lighting, dashboard details, seat materials, etc.) customisation options. You can read a detailed article about car customisation in Assetto Corsa EVO.
- Entering Special Events. Special events charge you for the consumables (fuel and tyres). As usual, more expensive cars with racing tyres cost more per event.
Final Thoughts
Earning credits in Assetto Corsa EVO offers multiple avenues, from completing the Driving Academy challenges to participating in Special Events and races. While the in-game economy is still evolving, you can already set up a steady stream of rewards to unlock new cars and upgrades.
