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How to Run an Assetto Corsa Dedicated Server on Linux

Set up an Assetto Corsa dedicated server on Debian or Ubuntu with SteamCMD, App ID 302550, compatible content, firewall and router rules, persistent operation, and troubleshooting steps.
Length11 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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You can host an Assetto Corsa dedicated server on Debian or Ubuntu with SteamCMD, the Windows-targeted dedicated-server depot (App ID 302550), and the supplied acServer binary. Use a separate Linux account, keep at least 4 GB of free disk space, copy compatible cars and tracks from a licensed PC installation, open the ports defined in server_cfg.ini, and launch from the server directory with ./acServer.

What you need before installing

A dedicated server is a continuously running process that publishes sessions, accepts drivers and loads Assetto Corsa content. Linux is suitable for a home machine, a virtual private server or a dedicated box, but the host must remain reachable and powered on whenever you want the lobby to be available.

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Host requirements

  • A current Debian- or Ubuntu-based 64-bit installation with administrative access.
  • At least 4 GB of free disk space, as recommended by the community setup guidance. This is a storage prerequisite, not a measured player-capacity or performance guarantee.
  • Inbound port control. A home host needs a router that supports port forwarding; a VPS must permit the ports in its network policy and firewall.
  • A licensed PC copy of Assetto Corsa from which you can obtain the cars and tracks your server will use.
  • A stable network connection. Wired Ethernet is preferable for a home host, particularly when the machine also serves other devices.

Choose a host location

Home hosting gives you direct control over the machine, router and files, but your public address may change and your internet connection may have limited upstream capacity. A VPS or dedicated machine usually provides a persistent address and a data-center connection, while adding a monthly charge, provider limits on public game ports and responsibility for backups and updates. Pick a location geographically close to the expected drivers; physical distance affects latency, but no authoritative latency or player-capacity benchmark is established for this setup.

Consideration Home server VPS or dedicated host
Monthly cost Uses existing hardware and connection; electricity and upgrades remain your cost. Recurring rental cost; CPU, memory and storage vary by plan.
Port control Requires router forwarding and a reachable public connection. Requires provider support for the required TCP and UDP ports.
Availability Depends on power, hardware and home internet uptime. Designed for continuous operation, subject to the provider’s maintenance policy.
Network policy You control the router and local firewall. Provider anti-abuse, DDoS and inbound-port policies apply.
Backups and access You arrange backups and physical or remote administration. You arrange backups, while the provider supplies console or remote access options.

Create the Linux account and install SteamCMD

Run the following as an administrator. The separate ac account keeps the game process and its writable files away from your normal login and from root.

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  1. Enable 32-bit package support:
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
  1. Install SteamCMD and the 32-bit runtime libraries used by the depot:
sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1 lib32stdc++6 steamcmd

Package names and repository availability can differ between Debian and Ubuntu releases. If your distribution cannot locate steamcmd, enable the distribution repository that supplies it rather than downloading an unrelated binary. Confirm that the installed command starts before proceeding.

  1. Create a service account with no password login:
sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" ac
  1. Create the server directory, or let SteamCMD create it while installing. The examples below use /home/ac/server.

Do not put your Steam password in a shell history file or in a script that other users can read. The account used for SteamCMD must have access to the dedicated-server depot. A Steam account credential is shown as a variable in the command below; replace it interactively with your own account details.

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Download the Assetto Corsa dedicated-server depot

The dedicated server is distributed through Steam as App ID 302550. On Linux, some SteamCMD packages need the Windows platform override because this depot is delivered as a Windows-targeted Steam application. Use the form that matches the behavior of your installed SteamCMD package.

sudo -u ac steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/ac/server +login YOUR_STEAM_ACCOUNT +app_update 302550 validate +quit

If the package requires an explicit platform selection, place +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows before the login and depot commands:

sudo -u ac steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/ac/server +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +login YOUR_STEAM_ACCOUNT +app_update 302550 validate +quit

SteamCMD may prompt for the account password and, if enabled, a Steam Guard code. When the update finishes, verify the expected layout:

ls -l /home/ac/server/acServer
ls -ld /home/ac/server/cfg

The first command should find the acServer executable and the second should find the configuration directory. If either is missing, stop and correct the SteamCMD install before editing configuration files.

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Install the cars and tracks the server will use

The dedicated-server depot does not include every community or licensed car and track combination. Copy the required content/cars and content/tracks directories from a licensed Assetto Corsa PC installation into the server’s content directory. Preserve each car and track folder name; those names are what the INI files reference.

Only distribute content you are entitled to use. Every connecting client needs a compatible version of the same car and track. A server may start correctly yet reject drivers when a folder is missing, a layout name is wrong or the client and server versions differ. After copying files, check ownership so the service account can read them:

sudo chown -R ac:ac /home/ac/server/content

Large content collections consume more storage than the 4 GB minimum recommendation. Treat that figure as free-space headroom for the basic setup, not as a limit on how many cars or tracks you can install.

Configure server_cfg.ini

Open /home/ac/server/cfg/server_cfg.ini with a text editor as the ac user or an administrator, then set the identity, session, content, password and network values. The exact values in your file are authoritative; the commonly used ports below apply only when you leave the defaults unchanged.

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Identity and content

  • NAME: the lobby name players will see.
  • CARS: car model identifiers that exist under content/cars.
  • TRACK: the track identifier under content/tracks.
  • Optional track-layout fields: use the layout name exactly as installed.

Sessions and capacity

  • MAX_CLIENTS: the maximum number of connected clients configured for this server.
  • Practice, qualifying and race session lengths: set the durations and sequence appropriate for your event.
  • Lobby visibility and gameplay-assist settings: decide whether the server is publicly listed and which assists are allowed.

Passwords and ports

  • PASSWORD: the join password, if you want a private or invitation-only lobby.
  • ADMIN_PASSWORD: administrative access. Treat it as a secret and do not publish it in a forum, stream overlay or public configuration paste.
  • UDP_PORT, TCP_PORT and HTTP_PORT: the actual values that determine firewall and router rules.

The usual setup values are UDP and TCP port 9600, plus TCP port 8081. Do not assume those values if your INI specifies something else. A changed port is not effective until the host firewall and, for a home server, the router are changed to match.

Configure car slots in entry_list.ini

entry_list.ini describes individual grid slots. Use it when you need specific car models, skins or named drivers rather than a simple open list.

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  • Define each slot and its car model.
  • Set a skin and driver name where your event requires a fixed appearance or roster.
  • Use a driver’s GUID when you need to reserve a slot for a known account.
  • Apply ballast and restrictor values for handicap or league rules.
  • Add optional AI rows when the server should fill spare places with computer-controlled cars.

AssettoServer documentation describes AI=auto and AI=fixed patterns. If you use AI to fill spare slots, set an explicit maximum player count so the AI does not consume every available position. Test one slot and one client first, then expand the list; a malformed entry can prevent the server from loading the roster.

Open the firewall and forward the router ports

There are two separate network controls: the Linux host firewall and the internet-facing router. Both must allow the same values as server_cfg.ini. Forwarding a port on the router does not bypass a host firewall rule, and opening a host port does not make a private home address reachable without router forwarding.

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UFW rules for the common defaults

sudo ufw allow 9600/tcp
sudo ufw allow 9600/udp
sudo ufw allow 8081/tcp
sudo ufw status

If you changed any INI port, substitute that value in the corresponding rule. Keep the protocol distinction: port 9600 needs both TCP and UDP, while the common HTTP port 8081 needs TCP.

Router forwarding

  1. Give the server a stable private address, either with a DHCP reservation or a static network configuration.
  2. Create a forwarding rule for TCP 9600 to that private address.
  3. Create a forwarding rule for UDP 9600 to the same address.
  4. Create a forwarding rule for TCP 8081.
  5. Save the router configuration and confirm that the Linux firewall is enabled with the matching rules.

If players on the same home network can join but people outside cannot, inspect the public-address, router-forwarding and ISP reachability layers rather than changing the INI repeatedly.

Start the server and verify the first launch

Start from the server root, not from cfg or your home directory:

cd /home/ac/server
./acServer

Keep the process attached to the terminal for the first launch. This exposes missing content, invalid INI values, permission errors and port-binding failures immediately. Confirm that the configured track and car names are found, that the sessions load and that no other process is already using the selected ports.

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Join from a client on the same network first when possible. Then test an external connection using the public address and the server’s actual port configuration. A successful local test proves that the binary and content load; it does not prove that router forwarding or public reachability is correct.

Keep it running after logout

For a temporary event, a terminal multiplexer can keep the process alive after you disconnect. For an always-on host, use a service supervisor such as systemd, but validate the unit, permissions and stop/restart behavior on your own machine. The basic launch command is the supported starting point; a service wrapper adds operational policy rather than changing the server itself.

A minimal unit pattern is:

[Unit]
Description=Assetto Corsa dedicated server
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
User=ac
WorkingDirectory=/home/ac/server
ExecStart=/home/ac/server/acServer
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save it as /etc/systemd/system/assetto-corsa.service, then reload and enable it:

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sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now assetto-corsa.service
sudo systemctl status assetto-corsa.service
sudo journalctl -u assetto-corsa.service -f

Before relying on this for a public league, stop and start it deliberately, check that the process exits cleanly, and confirm that the working directory and file ownership still point to /home/ac/server. Keep updates controlled: stop the service, run SteamCMD validation as ac, inspect the configuration and content, then start the service again.

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Stock acServer or AssettoServer?

The stock binary is the least disruptive route when you already use the original INI files or Content Manager presets. AssettoServer is an alternative Linux x64 implementation with an extra_cfg.yml file and additional administration and gameplay features. It is not merely a configuration toggle: replacing the binary introduces a separate compatibility and update surface.

Decision point Stock acServer AssettoServer
Existing INI or Content Manager presets Best fit for the original configuration format and presets. May require migration or adjustment.
Linux build Installed from the Steam depot; the depot is delivered as a Windows-targeted Steam application. Provides a separate Linux x64 build.
Administration Uses the capabilities exposed by the original server configuration. Documents commands such as /admin, /kick, /ban, /next_session and /settime.
Extended configuration Centered on server_cfg.ini and entry_list.ini. Adds extra_cfg.yml for extended administration and gameplay features.
Update risk Follows the Steam depot and its original behavior. Requires checking the current AssettoServer release documentation for supported settings and versions.

Stay with the stock server if compatibility is your priority. Consider AssettoServer when its administration, AI, weather or plugin capabilities solve a specific requirement and you are prepared to test configuration migration after updates.

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Security and public-server considerations

Use a dedicated Linux account, keep ADMIN_PASSWORD private and limit administrative access to people who need it. Review any admin whitelist or authentication setting before opening the lobby publicly. The AssettoServer documentation warns: “The default server implementation of Assetto Corsa does not use the Steam API to determine whether a connected player is actually the account they claim to be.” That is an identity-verification limitation to account for, not proof that every configuration is unsafe.

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Expose only the ports you actually configured. Keep the operating system and SteamCMD installation maintained, back up cfg and your custom content, and retain a copy of the last known-good configuration before making changes. Do not paste passwords, private GUID lists or complete public-facing configuration files into support requests.

Troubleshooting by symptom

SteamCMD completes but acServer is missing

  • Check that +force_install_dir points to /home/ac/server.
  • Run the update again with +app_update 302550 validate.
  • Try the Windows platform override if your SteamCMD package requires it.
  • Verify that the ac account owns or can read the installation directory.

The server exits immediately

  • Run ./acServer in the foreground and read the first configuration or content error.
  • Check that cfg/server_cfg.ini and cfg/entry_list.ini exist and use valid names.
  • Confirm that every configured car, track and layout folder exists under content.
  • Check for a port already in use and compare the configured values with your firewall rules.

Clients report missing content

Compare the exact car, track and layout identifiers on the client and server. Copy the required licensed content to the server and make sure the client uses a compatible version; opening another port will not fix a content mismatch.

Local players connect but internet players cannot

Recheck the server’s private address, router forwarding for TCP and UDP 9600 and TCP 8081, the Linux firewall and any VPS provider network policy. Test from a genuinely external connection rather than relying only on a second device inside the same LAN.

Players cannot use administrator commands

Confirm the administrator password and any whitelist or authentication option in your chosen implementation. With AssettoServer, verify that the command syntax and feature are supported by the current release; with the stock server, do not assume AssettoServer commands exist.

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Operational checklist

  1. Choose a persistent Debian or Ubuntu host with at least 4 GB of free disk space.
  2. Create the unprivileged ac account.
  3. Install 32-bit support, SteamCMD, lib32gcc-s1 and lib32stdc++6.
  4. Install App ID 302550 into /home/ac/server and verify acServer plus cfg.
  5. Copy licensed, compatible car and track content.
  6. Edit server_cfg.ini and record its actual UDP, TCP and HTTP port values.
  7. Edit entry_list.ini for slots, skins, drivers, GUIDs, ballast, restrictors and any AI rows.
  8. Match Linux firewall and router rules to those exact ports.
  9. Launch with ./acServer in the foreground and correct every reported error.
  10. Test locally, then externally, before switching to a persistent supervisor.
  11. Back up configuration and content, and apply updates through a controlled stop, validate and restart cycle.

Once these checks pass, the Linux host is running the original Assetto Corsa dedicated-server workflow with explicit control over content, sessions, access and networking. AssettoServer remains an optional replacement when its additional Linux-native administration and gameplay features justify the migration and its separate update process.

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