After a little more than a year on the Epic Games Store, we are now expanding RENNSPORT to another platform with Steam. Our goal has always been to make sure we make the game available to as many people as possible and we’ve heard your feedback on this topic loud and clear! In this post, we’ve gathered some information and good-to-knows to get you started.

Playtest

RENNSPORT on Steam will launch as a playtest where anyone who wants to can access. You simply click the “Request Access” button on the Steam store page and you will be automatically accepted and can download the current version of the Open Beta.

Cross play and cross progression

On Steam, you will have access to the same content as on the Epic Games Store – that means the same races, your profile, your achievements and the same community. This way you can choose which platform you want to play on and still join the same races as people on other platforms.

Founder’s Packs

At this time, it is not possible to buy the Founder’s Packs on Steam. These will be available once we move from Open Beta to Early Access later this year. If you have already purchased any of the Founder’s Packs via the Epic Games Store, your content will also be available on Steam when you sign in with the same RENNSPORT account that you made the purchase with.

Time to race

The first cross play races will begin later today as the Steam version is launched, and in the evening you might even race against some RENNSPORT developers!

As always, we’re hoping you’ll have a good time racing and we’re looking forward to your feedback. Please sound off your feedback on our Discord Server. It is packed with a very passionate community that is always happy to help new joiners and discuss digital racing. 

Be brave. Brake last.

Bugfixes

• Fixed some issues with random physics engine crashes when player hits a wall with high speed
• Fixed issues with random crashes and on-hit performance drops when driving with damage model enabled
• Fixed problem with Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport sometimes not being selectable in singleplayer
• Improved rolling start radar update function for smoother visual experience
• Fixed problem with automatic headlights assist not working correctly in some scenarios
• Fixed some remaining problems with track branding on Nürburgring
• Fixed crash which might occurred in rare cases when performing pit stops
• Adjusted main menu layout

Known Issues

• VR
  • No default settings Flickering when loading into level Some menus don’t work in VR No mouse support UI colour is offset in-game Camera position slightly offset
• Spectator engine audio can be missing
• GT3 tires might feel a bit slippery *¹
• Rank can still be affected if the server/client crashes
• Going back to pits on Orchard Road can trigger a pit stop
• Using Vulkan can cause the game to crash
• Nvidia Reflex can cause stuttering. Recommendation is to disable it for now
• Replays can crash when scrolling through longer replays
• Time Trial delta is only shown when personal best time is set
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients and possibly still crash the physics engine. Restart your client if this happens.
• Getting a black flag in Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu
• Porsche Mission R has the wrong TC sound, fix in future patch
• Porsche Mission R has a refuel section during the pit stop even though the battery charge doesn’t increase

Additional Info *1 – Our current benchmark is the GT4 tires. We did not fully finish the GT3 just yet, so they will be further optimized over the next couple of weeks. As for now, this could result in a more “slidey” feeling.

Bugfixes

• Implemented physics engine adjustments, which should prevent “broken” physics state from being spread between online servers
• Fixed problem with game restart sometimes being required to acquire Founder’s pack content after buying it
• Fixed some problems with wrong branding being used in some parts of Nürburgring Nordschleife

Known Issues

• VR
  • No default settings Flickering when loading into level Some menus don’t work in VR No mouse support UI colour is offset in-game Camera position slightly offset
• Spectator engine audio can be missing
• Rank can still be affected if the server/client crashes
• Automtic Headlight assist doesn’t always trigger after stage transition
• Going back to pits on Orchard Road can trigger a pit stop
• Using Vulkan can cause the game to crash
• Nvidia Reflex can cause stuttering. Recommendation is to disable it for now
• Replays can crash when scrolling through longer replays
• Time Trial delta is only shown when personal best time is set
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients and possibly crash the physics engine. Restart your client if this happens.
• Getting a black flag in Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu
• Porsche Mission R has the wrong TC sound, fix in future patch
• Porsche Mission R has a refuel section during the pit stop even though the battery charge doesn’t increase

New Content

• Nürburgring Nordschleife (24h Layout)
• Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport
• BMW M4 GT4
• Audi R8 LMS GT4

New day-night system enabled tracks

• Daytona
• Monza

Track improvements

• Increased foliage quality across all the existing tracks
• Added flares for light sources placed on tracks

New Features

• Implemented Founder’s Pack store
• Implemented system for allowed driving assist synchronization. It can be used to equalize the settings between players in a multiplayer contest
• Implemented Time or Laps Gameplay End Condition which allows to specify both time and laps limit for a gameplay stage. Gameplay ends after the first end condition is met.
• Added possibility to cycle between headlights colors – Only used by Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport for now

General

• Implemented account experience system
• Implemented player ranks system
• Implemented friends system
• Added possibility to change driving aids settings while in gameplay
• Added motion blur toggle in video settings
• Added cloud shadows toggle in video settings
• Improved overall video quality of the game
• Updated DLSS to version 3.7 and adjusted DLSS settings to achieve sharper image when driving
• Updated XeSS to version 1.4
• Optimized game’s netcode update frequency
• Removed some unused assets from the memory to save some space
• Tire Info in the HUD editor can now be toggled to show more detailed info for both tire & brake temperatures
• Closed Beta Livery reward removed from the game
• Closed Beta Winner Livery reward removed from the game

Physics

• Reworked tires for all GT3 cars
• Adjusted simulation parameters for all GT3 cars.

VR

• Implemented v1 VR support in the game
  • Add -vr to Epic Launch Options to enable

UI

• Upgraded Main menu’s “My Rennsport” tab visuals
• Improved in-game tire status widget readability
• In car menu automatic disable logic is no longer active while player is in pit lane
• Updated in-game controller icons
• Improved overall visuals for main menu screens
• Updated loading screens
• Simplified in-game car dashboard is now enabled by default

Spectator

• Implemented helicopter camera for spectators
• Improved overall spectator system logic for smoother experience

Bugfixes

• Fixed issue with lap times sometimes being inconsistent across the whole race
  • Some lap times being different than race time
• Fixed issue with scoring being messed up when players cross the finish line
• Fixed issue with player delta being out of sync for a few seconds after player crosses S/F line
• Fixed some cases where player progress (distance and percentage) on a lap was not updated correctly
• Fixed problem with players disappearing from leaderboards table when they quit the game
• Fixed issue with players receiving error message upon being disconnected from game servers which were closed gracefully
• Fixed problem with checkpoints being triggered a little bit to early by cars
• Fixed issue with the day-night system sometimes being out of sync for some players
• Fixed some edge case issues occurring in pit stops system
• Fixed some issues with dynamic in-game minimap sometimes not rotating correctly
• Improved overall game stability

Known Issues

• VR
  • No default settings Flickering when loading into level Some menus don’t work in VR No mouse support UI colour is offset in-game Camera position slightly offset
• Spectator engine audio can be missing
• Rank can still be affected if the server/client crashes
• Automtic Headlight assist doesn’t always trigger after stage transition
• Going back to pits on Orchard Road can trigger a pit stop
• Using Vulkan can cause the game to crash
• Nvidia Reflex can cause stuttering. Recommendation is to disable it for now
• Replays can crash when scrolling through longer replays
• Time Trial delta is only shown when personal best time is set
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients and possibly crash the physics engine. Restart your client if this happens.
• Getting a black flag in Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu
• Porsche Mission R has the wrong TC sound, fix in future patch
• Porsche Mission R has a refuel section during the pit stop even though the battery charge doesn’t increase

Hey! As we look forward to Open Beta on July 10th and Early Access later this year, we think it’s important we share our vision for monetization with RENNSPORT. Our goal is simple: we want to make the game available to everyone and offer options for those who want to take it to the next level. Ready to get in and learn more? Let’s get started:

Free-to-Play

As we plan to run RENNSPORT for many years, our intention is to provide our drivers with a fully free-to-play experience. We want to bring RENNSPORT and the thrill of racing to everyone without any upfront costs. You can get in and start racing right away without spending money.

Importantly, most tracks will be free. That said, we will introduce some premium tracks for purchase from time to time. We want everyone to experience the best racing environments, but creating top-notch tracks takes a lot of time and resources. So, by offering premium tracks, we can make sure we keep delivering the best content for you.

Cars are a similar story. All our cars are licensed and based on real life data we get from our OEM partners. You’ll still be able to get a free GT3 with your account, and we’ll have rotating free to drive cars, but we will also offer you the option to purchase cars and record your very own history on them.

Selling content might not be a brand-new concept, but it hasn’t been widely adopted in the racing game genre. We’re experimenting to see if this model can create a sustainable and healthy racing community. By offering premium content, we can invest back into the game, ensuring constant updates and fresh content for all players.

As we move from the Closed Beta phase towards our eventual 1.0 full release, we want to be as transparent as possible and give you regular updates on our progress.

Open Beta

With Open Beta launching, you’ll no longer need to sign up to the Closed Beta waitlist to get access! From July 10th on, you’ll be able to just click download in the Epic Games Store, make a RENNSPORT account and immediately jump in and play!

Founder’s Pack

As we look ahead to the future of RENNSPORT, we’re excited to introduce our first premium content: the RENNSPORT Founders Pack. Stay tuned for more details in an upcoming post, but we can promise you it includes some truly exciting and exclusive features.

Early Access

Looking towards Q4, our goal is to get the game in a shape we’re ready to move to Early Access and put RENNSPORT in the hands of drivers everywhere. 

Just before we launch Early Access, we’ll probably have a reset period where the game will go down, and we’ll be resetting everyone’s accounts, as well as moving some content that you now have available for testing into the store. Don’t worry though, if you bought the Founder’s Pack, you’ll keep it in your account once we launch Early Access. 

Truly own your very own car in RENNSPORT – eVIN

In our game, owning a car means more than just having it in your virtual garage. Each car will have its own electronic Vehicle Identification Number (eVIN). It will track mileage, record competition history and recreate the real car ownership experience in the digital world. Just to be clear, our system isn’t based on the blockchain, it’s about capturing the spirit of owning a real car. Your car’s journey, achievements and history will be unique to you and different from everyone else’s, adding a whole new layer of depth and personalization to your collection and racing history.

Vision for Modding

We’re big fans of the modding community and will fully support that natively in our game. Our long-term vision includes creating a robust modding ecosystem where talented creators can share and even make money from their work. We’re planning to set up a marketplace for outstanding mods, giving modders the opportunity to make a living from their passion. But don’t worry, we’re not ditching free modding! Both free and paid modding will co-exist.

Bringing Racing to the Masses

Our ultimate goal is to make racing accessible to absolutely everyone. By choosing a free-to-play model and offering a wide range of content through optional purchases, we’re building a vibrant and inclusive community of racing

That’s if for now. If you want see and learn more about our recent development, make sure to watch our third episode of the RENNSPORT Radio Check!

Changelog

• Disabled cloud shadows on Atlanta & Spa

Known Issues

• Using Vulkan can cause the game to crash 
• Nvidia Reflex can cause stuttering. Recommendation is to disable it for now
• Curb sounds can disappear after pit stops
• Replays can crash when scrolling through longer replays
• Time Trial delta is only shown when PB is set
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients
• Getting a black flag in Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu
• Updating your profile name will not update your name in any Time Trial leaderboards unless a faster time is set with the new name
• EV has wrong TC sound, fix in future patch

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue with laps not always being registered on Road Atlanta
• Potential fix for time of day simulation not being replicated correctly to all clients

Known Issues

• Using Vulkan can cause the game to crash 
• Nvidia Reflex can cause stuttering. Recommendation is to disable it for now
• Curb sounds can disappear after pit stops
• Replays can crash when scrolling through longer replays
• Time Trial delta is only shown when PB is set
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients
• Getting a black flag in Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu
• Updating your profile name will not update your name in any Time Trial leaderboards unless a faster time is set with the new name
• EV has wrong TC sound, fix in future patch

Bug Fixes

• Moved rolling start position for P1 on Hockenheimring to right sid
• Moved rolling start position for P1 on Spa to right side

Known Issues

• Using Vulkan can cause the game to crash 
• Nvidia Reflex can cause stuttering. Recommendation is to disable it for now
• Curb sounds can disappear after pit stops
• Replays can crash when scrolling through longer replays
• Time Trial delta is only shown when PB is set
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients
• Getting a black flag in Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu
• Updating your profile name will not update your name in any Time Trial leaderboards unless a faster time is set with the new name
• EV has wrong TC sound, fix in future patch

Bug Fixes

• Potential fix for DirectX12-related crashes
• Clouds are now no longer random and the same positioning for all clients in online races
• Fix to player laps being invalidated on stage transition
• Restored Brake Temperature reset to ambient temperature upon crossing the line when wear and temperature reset is enabled
• Improved spectator performance
• Removed “End on crossing finish line” UI banner
• Fixed an issue with DSQ players being sorted as better than DNF’d players

Known Issues

• Using Vulkan can cause the game to crash 
• Nvidia Reflex can cause stuttering. Recommendation is to disable it for now
• Curb sounds can disappear after pit stops
• Replays can crash when scrolling through longer replays
• Time Trial delta is only shown when PB is set
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients
• Getting a black flag in Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu
• Updating your profile name will not update your name in any Time Trial leaderboards unless a faster time is set with the new name
• EV has wrong TC sound, fix in future patch

Ola Racers, 

While we’re hard at work on the next RENNSPORT update (more information about this soon), we felt like it was time to do something together. As you might know, right now in the Closed Beta we limit each split to 12 drivers, this is mainly because we want to make sure performance is as good as possible for a wide range of hardware. But we thought, “Hey, why not just try to double it for a session? And why not invite our Closed Beta testers?” So, we hereby welcome you to our first Focused Feedback session:

DOUBLE THE CARS!

It’s quite simple. On May 4th (May the 4th be with you), we will host a 45-minute race on Spa-Francorchamps with a grid of 24 cars, and we want you to join!

When: May 4th, 20:00 CEST

Track: Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps

Race length: 45 minutes

Set-up: Fixed

Damage: Off

How to join

You need to have access to the closed beta.

1. Go on our Discord
2. Check the top right corner for the event and mark yourself as interested.
3. Register for the race in the game or our app
4. Before the race begins, join the newly created “Focused Feedback” voice channel and enjoy some friendly banter with the other drivers if you want. 
5. RACE
6. Report any feedback you might have. 

As a note, 24 cars on track has not been heavily optimized yet so expect performance to be lower than usual (internally we see an average of 10-15 fps drop compared to lower grid races).

Changelog 1.8.3

GT3 Cars

• Reworked Tire compounds to improve driving characteristics
• New default setups for all cars
• Balancing out of the box performance of all cars
• Adjusted steering feel
• Adjustment to TC behaviour
• Increased Tire pressure to improve tire simulation stability

While revamping the tire system and fine-tuning their behavior in the physics engine, we discovered that the tire construction was weaker than expected, and increasing the tire pressure increased tire performance and stability. Consequently, we’ve temporarily adjusted tire pressure to approximate these desired results. Currently, in-game tire pressure reads around ≈2.50 bar, equivalent to approximately ≈1.7/1.8 in real-world behavior. Our engineering team plans to address this discrepancy in a future patch, but for now, a pressure reading of ≈2.50 indicates optimal performance. We’d also like to add a little bit of an explanation for the Force Feedback settings, as those have even more impact now!

Max Wheel Torque Capability
This parameter determines the extent of the linear response range for force feedback (FFB). Adjusting this setting allows you to address instances of excessive clipping in the force feedback. Increasing the value can alleviate clipping, while decreasing it may reduce occurrences of clipping. Notably, it doesn’t directly correspond to the torque capacity of your wheelbase.


Sensitivity
This setting determines the linearity of the force feedback. A value of 100 maintains linearity, while values below 100 introduce a cubic curve effect, reducing force feedback for subtle details similar to power steering in cars. Values above 100 create a more logarithmic response, enhancing the amplification of minor vibrations and road nuances.

Green = 200% sensitivity
Blue = 100% sensitivity
Red = 0% sensitivity

We’d advise to just play around with those settings a bit to find something that works best for you!

Changelog – 1.8.2

• Improved the tire model of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, reminiscent of the version prior to the 1.8.0 update
• Enhanced advertisement management for the community track branding
• Implemented a feature to automatically repair visual damage upon returning to the pits

Known Issues

• Disabling the pit limiter as soon as the Pit Lane message disappears will result in a penalty due to a desync between the message and the detection point. Wait 1-2s after the UI message disappears to disable the pit limiter
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• Shadow textures in Time Trial occasionally do not load correctly. Resetting Time Trial resolves the issue
• “End on Crossing Finish Line” message will trigger when anyone goes back to pit during Race or Quali. This is only a UI issue, the race stage won’t actually end on crossing the finish line until all cars on track are finished
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients
• Reversing with the Porsche Mission R will recharge the battery
• Getting a black flag in Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu
• Updating your profile name will not update your name in any Time Trial leaderboards unless a faster time is set with the new name
• EV has wrong TC sound, fix in future patch

Changelog – 1.8.1

• Wiped all the leaderboards for all tracks with the MISSION R
• Reduced power of the MISSION R
• Disabled “Quali” mode of the MISSION R for the time being
  This mode will be enabled in a later patch again

Known Issues

• Disabling the pit limiter as soon as the Pit Lane message disappears will result in a penalty due to a desync between the message and the detection point. Wait 1-2s after the UI message disappears to disable the pit limiter
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• Shadow textures in Time Trial occasionally do not load correctly. Resetting Time Trial resolves the issue  
• “End on Crossing Finish Line” message will trigger when anyone goes back to pit during Race or Quali. This is only a UI issue, the race stage won’t actually end on crossing the finish line until all cars on track are finished 
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients 
• Reversing with the Porsche Mission R will recharge the battery
• Getting a black flag during Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu. 
• Updating your profile name will not update your name in any Time Trial Leaderboards unless a faster time is set with the new name
• EV has wrong TC sound, fix in future patch

Check out the full patch notes for Beta Update 1.8.0 here.

New content

• Added Goodwood Hillclimb Track
• Added Porsche Mission R Car

New features

• Implemented Time Trial mode
• Added day-night cycle system for Spa-Francorchamps track.
  •  More tracks featuring full night time coming with future updates.
• Implemented proper car lights for all available cars
• Implemented car brakes heating visuals on brake discs
• Implemented tire deformation and wear visuals
• Implemented lock to horizon feature
• Integrated Intel XeSS upscaling technology
• Integrated Nvidia Reflex technology
• Integrated Nvidia Frame Generation technology

General

• Upgraded Unreal Engine from v.5.1.0 to v.5.3.2
• Updated Nvidia DLSS to v.3.5
• Improved overall game CPU performance and scaling with increasing number of cars on track
• Improved frame rate stability for smoother experience
• Improved server performance
• Removed an option to set mirrors FPS
• Added a possibility to change an email address assigned to account in the player profile page
• Added Sharpness setting in Video Settings

Cars

• BMW M4 GT3
  • Corrected aero balance
• Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)
  • Corrected top end torque

• All cars have had their shift lights corrected
• All cars now have more drag

Physics

• Improved GT3 tires behavior
  • More consistent grip
  • Reworked slip curve
  • Better tire cooling (Tires now last longer)

The changes to the GT3 tires are part of larger rework coming in a future update.

• Using telemetry output will no longer affect CPU performance

Gameplay

• Added possibility to perform actions during a locked-input countdown procedure
  • It is now possible to change TC, BB and ABS while waiting for countdown
• Implemented in-game pause when player enters in-game menu in single player mode
• Implemented pit lane lights
• Improved wheel blur visual quality

SFX

• Implemented tire lock up sounds for all cars

Input

• Updated provided wheel presets:
  • Fanatec Podium DD1
  • Fanatec Podium DD2
  • Fanatec CS DD
  • Fanatec CS DD+
  • Fanatec CSL DD
  • Gamepad Preset 
  • Logitech G29
  • Moza R5
  • Moza R9 
  • Simucube 2.0 Pro 
  • Thrustmaster T300RS
• Added a system to detect your hardware and match it with an existing default preset

UI

• Added possibility to select favorite cameras in spectator mode
• Added a possibility to set transparency for some modules in HUD layout editor
• Added device-based button display on game UI
• Updated splash screen

Bug Fixes

• Fixed some problems with game servers sometimes not starting because of timeouts
• Fixed problem with direct input wheel presets detection not working on game boot
• Fixed some problems with car dashboards displaying invalid values in some cases
• Fixed some problems occurring when using scrubbing functionality while in replays or live spectator mode
• Fixed problems with replays not being saved correctly if contest name contains Windows-prohibited characters in its name
• Fixed problem with on-track marshals sometimes not waving flags correctly
• Fixed a problem with steering wheel rotation not being correctly replicated while spectating in certain scenarios
• Fixed some problems with players being penalized for no reason during a rolling start procedure
• Fixed some penalties-related bugs occurring when player enters or exits pit lane
• Fixed some problems with ghost visibility when spectating ESL R1-like qualifications
• Fixed problems with caching filters in quick session settings which led to new cars being hidden after a game update
• Fixed some problems with holding buttons in menus leading to unexpected behavior
• Fixed problem with cars in garage sometimes being flipped on their roofs
• Fixed problem with losing UI focus in some cases
• Fixed problem with “choppy” impression when looking at credits screen scroll animation
• Added missing default controller bindings for garage view
• Fixed a problem with car not being spawned for DNF:ed / DSQ:ed players if they disconnect and reconnect a server
• Fixed a few typos in the UI
• Fixed grass being too slippery

Known Issues

• Disabling the pit limiter as soon as the Pit Lane message disappears will result in a penalty due to a desync between the message and the detection point. Wait 1-2s after the UI message disappears to disable the pit limiter
• Ghost car does not move in Time Trial Replays
• Shadow textures in Time Trial occasionally do not load correctly. Resetting Time Trial resolves the issue  
• “End on Crossing Finish Line” message will trigger when anyone goes back to pit during Race or Quali. This is only a UI issue, the race stage won’t actually end on crossing the finish line until all cars on track are finished 
• In online races, if a car crashes at very high speeds into a wall, it can cause a mini-freeze for all connected clients 
• Reversing with the Porsche Mission R will recharge the battery
• Getting a black flag during Time Trial will soft lock the player. You have to leave the Time Trial and go back to the Main Menu. 
• Updating your profile name will not update your name in any Time Trial Leaderboards unless a faster time is set with the new name
• EV has wrong TC sound, fix in future patch

Welcome, racers, to the introduction of our official RENNSPORT Roadmap 2024!

Let’s take a glance at what we have in store for the upcoming months – FOR NOW!

While it might seem empty at first glance, remember though, that we’re just kicking off the year. This Roadmap is a dynamic document that will evolve together with us, being constantly updated and expanded. And who knows, along the way, we might just come across some exciting surprises for you!

Stay tuned! There’s much more to come.

We are thrilled to unveil a new development supporting our online systems today: the launch of the very first South-East Asian servers in collaboration with the amazing team at Vertex Esports. This marks a significant milestone as we open up directly to the Asian market. Partnering with the passionate community of sim racing enthusiasts in the APAC region, particularly under the banner of ASRF (Asia Sim Racing Federation), we are entering a new era of league races and remarkable events.

This series will showcase everybody’s darling, the GT3 class, pushing the boundaries of skill and precision across four of the most iconic and demanding tracks in RENNSPORT.

But that’s not all – in our continuous quest to engage with our communities, we are introducing dynamic track branding. This innovative feature allows leagues and communities to proudly display their unique logos and supporters, adding some personal touch to each event. This marks the next step towards customization for clubs on RENNSPORT, where every community can carve out its own unique brand identity.

We are very excited to embark on this journey alongside Vertex Esports and the entire sim racing community. Gear up for the ride of a lifetime on the other side of the world – the RENNSPORT South East Asia Servers awaits you!

If you are part of an established sim racing community and are interested in creating your community league in RENNSPORT, make sure to join our Discord Server and contact our Admin LucasB. He will listen to your ideas and wishes for the league and evaluate if we can set something up for you too!

Hello folks,

from today on we will offer you the chance to participate in our first-ever “Leap Year Hotlap Week”!

You have the chance to win a brand new VRS^® DirectForce^® Pro Formula Steering Wheel that is sponsored by VRS and comes to you fresh from the production line. This wheel is just a game-changer.

This competition will end on the 4th of March 00:01 CET and the only thing you need to do is to enter one official race on five different days where you cover one race each.

If you are disqualified or counted as “did not start (DNS) or “did not finish (DNF), those races will not count.

Keep your eyes peeled for more competitions like this to come very soon!!

Terms and Conditions

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

1. Eligibility

The Hotlap competition is open only to legal residents of a EU country, the UK, the United States and Canada. Proof of residency and age may be required. Employees and directors of Competition Company Suisse AG and their subsidiaries, divisions, affiliates, and advertising or promotional agencies or individuals involved with the design, production, execution or distribution of the Challenge and the immediate family and household members of such individuals, are not eligible to enter or win. “Immediate family members” shall mean parents, stepparents, children, stepchildren, siblings, stepsiblings, or spouses, regardless of where they live. “Household members” shall mean people who share the same residence at least three months a year, whether related or not. In order to enter the Hot Lap Challenge or receive the prize, you must fully comply with the Terms and Conditions  and, by entering, you represent and warrant that you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and the decisions of the Organiser, whose decisions shall be binding and final in all respects relating to this activation. Void where prohibited.

Hey everyone,

I want to address some of the rumours and accusations that have been circulating in our community recently. We are proud to say that all content and libraries used for the production of RENNSPORT are created by us, commissioned, or licensed appropriately.

RENNSPORT as an ecosystem is designed to be modular, where best-in-class solutions are available we would be remiss to avoid them. This is why we use Unreal Engine and some of our in-game content is licensed on commission, such as laser scans for our tracks and several other parts of our ecosystem. It is our desire to work with external partners for the lifetime of the project, so this has always been a core value for us.

Our current technical direction is to first improve what we can with state-of-the-art technology and if we find fundamental limitations, we rewrite it. One example of this methodology is already apparent in our network replication implementation. There are also cases where we have intentionally chosen compatibility and thus will have some code that resembles other software. For example, our simulator supports exporting MoTeC Telemetry. At some point, there is only one way to implement a particular format and you will inevitably have similar code to serialise data that every other implementation also contains. There are, no doubt, countless other examples of software that is used in developing software such as this. In our case, we also use licensed software such as FMOD for audio, and Sentry for crash collection. Unreal Engine itself is a licensed technology, and so on.

Creating a really good product requires using really good technologies, not all good technology is technology that you create.

In the end, we want RENNSPORT to feel like RENNSPORT, and we are tweaking, changing, and refining the systems all the time. When we do physics implementations in the game, we work closely with the different car manufacturers and their car-specific data to ensure that every car in RENNSPORT feels unique and represents its real-life counterpart. That combined with our own interpretations of what digital racing is, and the direct input from esports drivers and real-life drivers will let us push further and further forward, and evolve the racing genre.

Morris Hebecker

CEO & co-founder

Hey racers, 

Before we begin, let me introduce myself, my name is Kim and I work within the communications department at RENNSPORT. As an avid gamer and sim racer since a very young age, I am very excited about what we’re building here; expect to hear more from me in the future.

Now that we have the Closed Beta running and the game is in more than 8 people’s hands, we thought it would be time to start doing regular updates on the game’s development here on the website.

Welcome to UNDER THE HOOD!

We’re looking at this as a monthly deep dive into what is happening in the RENNSPORT world.  Now, let’s dive into the juicy parts.

First and foremost, to read the latest patch notes, click here.

Second, did you watch our Closed Beta Trailer yet? Here it is. Enjoy.

Today we will talk about the following:

• RENNSPORT Rating
• Safety Rating
• Split System
• Race Calendar
• The RENNSPORT Summit 2023
• 8ETA

The first update to the RENNSPORT Closed Beta is here, and it introduces multiplayer and our ranking system. During the Closed Beta period, we can test our systems in the wild and welcome all your feedback. The multiplayer sessions available now are a chance for us to monitor and for you to try out our systems. Let’s all have some fun together

As a part of this fun, any mileage you put into the car you picked when you first registered will be saved in your account, in the beta and beyond. You can also access any liveries you collected via stream drops or other activities to differentiate yourself from others.

RENNSPORT Rating (RR)

Let’s start with the RENNSPORT Rating. This is our ranking system for players. Everyone in the Closed Beta starts at RR 1500 and will increase or decrease based on your race results. Higher rating = a better racer. At least this is the ambition, but remember that this is still a Closed Beta, and several systems are still subject to change.

The rating is based on the Elo system from chess and is designed to bring players of similar skill together in a race. It is purely based on the race results. Winning against higher-rated players will award more points than winning against lower-rated players. As a rule of thumb, you can expect to gain a rating if you finish in the top half of the leaderboard, although there are some edge cases where this is not the case. Generally, the higher you finish, the more rating points you will gain.

If the race cannot be completed because of a technical issue on the server side, ratings are not updated. However, if a client disconnects during a race, the rating will still be updated based on the final leaderboard.

There will be unranked races during the beta at a later stage, which do not affect the RR.

Safety Rating (SR)

The second rating we have in the game is the Safety Rating. It indicates a player’s race craft and will increase or decrease based on how safe a driver’s racing style is. Everyone starts at SR 1.00. Getting penalties and being involved in incidents will lower the rating, while driving a clean race will increase it. 

We are testing these systems during the beta to ensure they work the way we intend, and we might reset the values at any given time. The ratings will also be reset when the beta ends and RENNSPORT moves into full release.

SR and RR will only be updated if at least three cars participate in a race.

Race Calendar

When multiplayer gets added, you will have direct access to the race calendar, where you can find the multiplayer contests set up by our team. There will be various races every day at a fixed time interval. Every week there will be a set of new combinations of tracks and cars to choose from. Let’s dig into what everything on this screen means:

On the top left, you have the calendar; click on any day to see what races are available. On the bottom left, you can filter out the race you want based on cars and rules. In the middle box, you see the races coming up in chronological order, how many people have already registered,  what the format is (P=Practice, Q=Qualifying, R=Race), and what track it is. You have a summary of the selected race in the box to the right. 

If you want to be notified when a race is about to start if you’re practising that last sector at Spa (like I need to do every single day), you can enable the notification by pressing the “Notify Me” button in the lower right corner but, don’t forget to register as well which you can do 30 minutes before the race starts.

You can also see races on the RENNSPORT app and choose to get notified before the race start directly in the app.

There are more things that the app is usable for, like checking in your car collection, liveries, and upcoming ESL R1 streams. To download, use the links:

For the first week, there will be races on four tracks, Monza, Spa, Hockenheim and Nürburgring, with the following GT3 cars: Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, and BMW. There will be a new race every 30 minutes. To be eligible to join a race, you must register within the race calendar. There will be some differences in these races, like qualifying rules and race length, and we would appreciate your feedback on which combinations you liked the most and what you would like to see in the coming weeks.

Split System

After the contest registration period has ended, the grid is separated into splits based on each driver’s RR. For each split, the driver with the highest rating is assigned car number 1; the second highest is given number 2. Soon we will also enable you to create your contests in the game with the parameters and cars you want, but more on that in the coming weeks. 

All in all, this is a beta; we are still testing, and we want you to try with us. Join the multiplayer sessions with an open mind and have fun with other eager races, and don’t forget to give us your feedback on the official RENNSPORT Discord. 

Summit Report

Oh boy. The RENNSPORT Summit 2023 was mad! We officially showed off the Closed Beta Trailer, we had CEO Morris on stage talking about RENNSPORT (did you see the parts about modding yet?), and we had a spectacular ending to the Spring Season of ESL R1 with Marcell Csincsik of R8G crowned as the first-ever champion of ESL R1. It was great to see so many community members coming to Munich to participate in it and all the conversations happening online. We also let some of the sim racing content creators out there have a go at the latest build of the game which resulted in great content and reactions; here are a few for you to enjoy:

More than 8 Closed Beta Keys

As the week progress, we’re sending out more and more keys to the closed beta, and while we won’t share just yet how many keys are floating about in the wild, we are coming up to 60,000 (!) registrations to go through, so bear with us while we increase our capacity. If you’re not already on the waiting list, register here . We know the memes. We know we’re now forever tied to the number 8 (which accidentally also is our company logo). We have sent more than 8 closed beta keys out, we promise. The official RENNSPORT Discord had a blast, and so did we. Here are some of our favorite memes…

As a result of this, we have something special coming up… Let me be the first to show you. 8ETA.

A track. That is an 8. Like the 8 Beta keys? 8ETA? Pretty wild, huh? When and if you can play this, we will share more news in the future.

This wraps up the first UNDER THE HOOD, and I hope you enjoyed it and that some of your questions have been answered in what to expect with the next beta update. Next time we will talk about the upcoming steps of the beta and dive into the topic of modding a bit more. If you still need more, jump in on our Discord channel, be greeted by our superb moderators, and share some conversations with the best memers in the world; looking at you, Wolf of no Key…

As a final note, please note that if you’re on the lower spectrum of our recommended hardware, perfomance might be different driving in multiplayer compared to single player. If this is the case for you, adjust your settings in the in-game menu to have a smoother experience.

So there it is, multiplayer is now live and we hope you will have fun with it. And, let me repeat myself, this is a beta, expect some parts to not work as intended and be vocal with your feedback on our Discord!

Until next time drivers, see you online.

Kim

The time has finally come to distribute access keys! Community members who are on the waitlist should check their inboxes if they are among the ones who got a key during this drop.

You may have already heard the big news over the weekend. In case you didn’t – are you ready for some big news?
 
Today is the day you have been waiting for patiently! It is finally time to start handing out Closed Beta keys for RENNSPORT! As promised for months, a spot on the Closed Beta waitlist was worth it. Over the next weeks, Closed Beta codes will be sent out to the wait list, keep an eye on your inbox for more information. 

This is how the distribution works

50% of the available keys will be distributed among the first ones that signed up to the waitlist. The other 50% of the key drop will be distributed to randomly chosen members of the whole waitlist. If you don’t receive a key right away you don’t need to worry as we are increasing the capacity in the upcoming weeks. 

You are not already signed up? Make sure to secure your spot and get a chance to receive a key with the next drop. Furthermore, it is also a good idea to already put RENNSPORT to your Epic Store wishlist.

During the second RENNSPORT Summit last weekend, our CEO Morris Hebecker presented the official trailer for the Closed Beta. We can’t stop watching it and still get goosebumps when we do. We let it speak for itself – make sure to check it out.

WHAT TO EXPECT

We will add more features over time during the next weeks and months, so please be aware that when you start racing not all of the features, cars and tracks will be unlocked immediately. Currently, you can experience the following:  

• Game Mode: Single player
• Cars: Porsche 911 GT3 R, BMW M4 GT3, Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II, Mercedes-AMG GT3
• Race tracks: Hockenheim Ring, Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Since the simulation is still in an early development phase, we want to make you aware that the Closed Beta is not the final product so some errors might appear while playing it. However, you are ALLOWED to publish in-game footage or any other content of the RENNSPORT Closed Beta.

We have a dedicated Closed Beta tester area on our Discord for all people who have received a key. Our development team is keen on proceeding with the valuable exchange about your impressions on there. We are happy to enter this exciting next chapter and are excited to create the future of virtual racing together!

More information coming soon!

For the first time ever, you will have the chance to celebrate this major milestone together with us live on-site. Tickets are now available for free!

The RENNSPORT Summit returns to Munich, with the Motorworld hosting the second edition of this thrilling virtual racing event on June 3 and 4. For the first time ever, you have the chance to experience this event live on-site. Secure a ticket for you and a friend now at summit.rennsport.gg.

HOW TO GET IN?

Enter the code “SUMMIT23” and follow the registration process to block your ticket and to join us for an unforgettable weekend. A confirmation mail will be sent one week before the event, ensuring you and your friend are ready to go. As the event draws near, anticipation builds, and all eyes turn to Munich for an incredible weekend of virtual racing action.

The official press release can be found at the end of the article.

Here’s what you can expect: Gain first-hand impressions of the latest version of RENNSPORT and test your skills on one of the professional sim rigs sponsored by our partner VRS inside the venue. Quick participants also stand a chance to win a €250 voucher from VRS and enjoy a free one-month trial of the virtual racing school. Additionally, meet well-known content creators from the virtual racing world and have a chat with them. Capture the moment at our photowall, with a professional photographer ready to take images of you and your mate in the best angles.

SCHEDULE   

Saturday: 

11 am: Location Opens 

12 pm – 8 pm: ESL R1 Races   

Sunday:  

11 am: Location Opens 

12 pm – 8 pm: ESL R1 

WHAT MORE TO EXPECT?

The RENNSPORT Summit will also provide updates on upcoming car and track releases, future developments, and innovative features within the sim. It’s an important weekend where we share our progress with the community.

If you’re from Munich, you’re likely familiar with the incredible venue hosting the Summit. Motorworld Munich is a Mecca for motorsports enthusiasts, showcasing a collection of historic and new cars from renowned brands. The venue exudes the racing adrenaline that motorsport fans adore.

To get a taste of last year’s atmosphere, check out the official aftermovie.

“The RENNSPORT Summit is gearing up for its highly anticipated second edition, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate it with you. Our goal is to bring together the world’s best drivers, our passionate community, and provide an immersive experience that celebrates the thrilling world of virtual racing,” said Morris Hebecker, CEO of RENNSPORT. “Hosting this event in Munich, a city that embodies our roots and serves as our headquarters, allows us to showcase thrilling races, engaging activities, and forge stronger connections within our community.”

If the excitement hasn’t grabbed you yet, fasten your seatbelt because this year, our esports racing series ESL R1 will feature its first Major of the season during the summit. Get ready for lights, camera, and action as our partner ESL sets the stage to host the finals of ESL R1. Two action-packed days of racing await you, where you can enjoy all the races in the venue and cheer for your favorite teams and drivers. Watch the world’s top racers battle it out for a chance to win a share of the €225,000 prize pool. Expect fierce competition and intense battles on the virtual racetracks. This video will help you to fresh up your knowledge around the ESL R1 Spring Season:

This high-stakes racing action adds another exciting dimension to the RENNSPORT Summit, further solidifying our commitment to bringing all relevant stakeholders of virtual racing together on one platform.

The RENNSPORT Summit is a must-attend event for virtual racing enthusiasts, industry professionals, and gaming enthusiasts alike. So, make sure to grab your FREE tickets now and bring your friends along for this incredible experience.

For more information about the RENNSPORT Summit and to stay up to date with the latest news and announcements, be sure to follow us on our social media channels. Don’t miss out on any of the exciting updates leading up to the event.

More than 10k international members joined the server already.

We are super glad about what has happened on our Discord server so far. Thank you all for the great support and valuable exchange!

Community management has undergone a real transformation in recent years due to the growing interest in games and Esports. Discord as the most used platform offers us as a publisher many opportunities to interact with you. This is a very powerful and helpful option that allows us to get first-hand impressions of what sim racing fans really care about. Since we made our Discord server public, we’ve seen a steady increase in members. By signing up for the Closed Beta waiting list, you became part of our Closed Beta waiting room on Discord, where we constantly interacted with you ever since. Our development team can incorporate your input into the development process. It’s great to see how active you all are when it comes to various polls or discussions about features of the sim.

Going along with our claim of creating the future of virtual racing together with you we hosted our first ever Discord Talking Session on Friday, October 28. During that our CEO Morris sat down with our Lead of Game Development, Krzysztof, and Lucas from the Marketing Team to give you some insights about the current development phase, previews to the Closed Beta and further content releases. They also answered some frequently asked questions of the Discord community. But as there were already a lot of questions handed in before via our Discord #questions channel we couldn’t answer all the live questions of the session. But don’t worry, there will be another session coming up soon. You can watch the whole and uncut video of our Discord Talking Session here.

If you haven’t already, sign up for our Closed Beta Waitlist and become part of the RENNSPORT Community now here. 

Make sure to also follow our Social Media channels in order not to miss potential Closed Beta Key drops. See you around!

Almost around 10 k registrations to the waitlist within the first week!

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who has engaged with RENNSPORT through various channels or events. You have already helped us a lot in drawing attention to our simulation and the journey around it.

In order to make the first preparations for the start of the Closed Beta, we wanted to collect everyone who is interested in racing in the RENNSPORT Closed Beta on a waitlist. Among those people Closed Beta keys will then be given out. Nobody could have expected how eager you were to participate, and we are still overwhelmed of your support! Alongside the crazy amount of new members on the waitlist, it makes us also super happy that around 10 K of you have also joined our Discord server after roughly 1 month. The exchange and discussion we had with you on that lately is helping us a lot in developing RENNSPORT.

Our CEO Morris and our Game Development Lead Krzysztof welcome everyone who is interested to the first AMA session which will be held for all our Discord waiting room members on Friday, October 28 from 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm. They will sit down with Lucas from the Marketing Team to give some insights about the current development phase, previews to the Closed Beta and further content releases. They will also answer some frequently asked questions of the Discord community. You can now hand in your questions in the respective Discord Talking Session question channel. We would be happy to seeing you on Friday. You can join our Discord with the button at the end.

In the next weeks, it’s all about getting the sim ready for the start of the Closed Beta. We want to repay your trust and go live with the best possible product. Only a handful of features will be available at the beginning, but you can already look forward to 4 cars (Porsche 911 GT3, BMW M4 GT3, Porsche Mission R, another release) and 3 race tracks (Hockenheim, Goodwood Hillclimb, another release). After that, we will test and implement more and more functions together with you. In this continuous process we will work with you to create a sim that offers the best possible racing experience.

We are very hyped about this and hope you are too. If you haven´t already, make sure to register for the Closed Beta waitlist here.

Besides checking your inboxes, you better follow our channels in order not to miss further Closed Beta key drops. See you around!

When starting the Closed Beta we will be moving on to the next stage of the development of RENNSPORT. You can sign up for the waitlist now.

Attending the RENNSPORT Summit in May was not only good fun for everybody as this event was one of the first ones that was held with a big group of people meeting in person again. During this weekend all guests were also promised to get the chance of becoming testers for the first ever RENNSPORT Closed Alpha testing. We are very happy that we managed to hold on to that promise in time and have been testing with those guys for over a month now. Lately we also had our first multiplayer races within the Closed Alpha – that was good fun!

From the Summit until now we have already implemented a lot of feedback. To track the updates we made, you can check out the overview here.

The Closed Alpha phase is currently running but we are already preparing for what´s about to come next. So, from today on, which is 16 weeks after the Summit, the Closed Beta waitlist is open for all RENNSPORT fans around the world. By signing up to the Closed Beta waitlist, you guys can increase your chances of getting your hands on RENNSPORT and test more features and functions. Besides giving you the possibility to make your rounds in RENNSPORT, a key to the Closed Beta will also grant you access to Discord channels where the exchange with the game development team will be extended. A focused and more direct way of communication for feedbacks, questions and ideas can be enabled there.

We will hand out keys with a 50/50 distribution way. To ease the wait you can already become a part of our Closed Beta waiting room Discord channel by signing up to the Closed Beta waitlist. If you want to sign up to the waitlist or check more information around the development stages just follow the button.

To stay tuned about the latest videos and in-game content from RENNSPORT and many more interesting topics you can also get our Newsletter.

Next step in the development process of RENNSPORT has taken off. Sim racing professionals are part of the Closed Alpha test group.

Since the first ever RENNSPORT Summit and the RENNSPORT Roadshow we have been implementing a lot of feedback to the game. In the list at the end, you can see what has changed during the last 2 months. To enter the next phase we have been sending out keys to all Summit guests to access and test the current status quo of the Alpha and gather their feedbacks to all possible contents.

All testers have got the exclusive opportunity to test RENNSPORT and be part of the further developments. There will be more and more features added by time during the next weeks so when starting to race not all of them will be unlocked right away. Currently there is the single player practice mode, the Porsche 911 GT3 R and the BMW M4 GT3, the Hockenheim Ring and Goodwood Hillclimb racetrack available.

We will keep you guys posted and create some new gameplay content of the current Alpha build shortly. Make sure to check out our socials.

Once the testing phase of the Closed Alpha is finalized, the Closed Beta stage will start, and the number of testers will be increased. To stay tuned about the Closed Beta registration process and many more interesting topics sign up for our Newsletter.

List of changes in the Alpha build compared to Summit build

• Improved overall graphics quality and consistency (better materials)

• Goodwood Map Graphical Improvements

• Improved foliage

• More objects added

• Improved scene lighting

• Added blockade behind the finish line

• Added more details to objects close to the track

• Hockenheimring Map Graphical Improvements

• Adjustments for StartGrid line, curbs, grates, white lines and manholes

• More banners added

• Force-feedback fixes and improvements + added per-car scaling and adjustments

• New loading screen

• Physics adjustments

• Improved damper parameters for both Porsche 911 GT3R and BMW M4 GT3

• Minor fixes and improvements

• Fixed and improved minimap behavior

• Added possibility to change User First Name, Last name and used Car number via the in-game player profile menu.

• Improved models and materials for both Porsche 911 GT3R and BMW M4 GT3

• Car Mirrors Performance and Visual improvements, with more configurable settings added

• Improved physics of the on-track loose objects

• Added downshift protection to BMW M4 GT3

• User Interface Legibility and User Experience improvements

• Fixed bug in controller setting preset management

• Single Player Main Menu overhaul