Rennsport update introduces sharper AI, lighting and force feedback alongside fresh DLC

A notable game update will be released today, 24th September, for Rennsport, with claimed improvements across several key areas.

When the sim racing game was released nearly a year ago, it featured some of the most dunderheaded AI-controlled rivals we’d ever seen. They have received tweaks since then, but remain pretty hopeless.

Rennsport doesn’t claim that they are now the smartest on the grid, or that AI work is finished, but does state that several changes have been made.

In what it calls “a new baseline for artificial intelligence”, it’s claimed they should show greater awareness of track limits and rival drivers, plus drive on more conventional racing lines, less hesitancy plus be better balanced across car types and difficulty levels.

“Our design target for single-player racing remains focused on smart racing and zero stupidity,” reads the statement.

Visuals and FFB

Elsewhere, what’s described as the “first round” of visual enhancements will be rolled out.

For now, these are focused on lighting, be that increased track visibility when in cockpit view during darker times of day, higher shadow contrast, reduced headlight glare, skybox adjustments and the ability to toggle on/off motion blur on the PlayStation and Xbox versions.

PS5 owners should now feel more subtle effects through their direct drive wheel peripherals, while H-pattern shifter users should no longer have a delay between input and response.

In the cross-platform multiplayer, one of Rennsport’s competencies, track limit penalty logic has been changed in race and qualifying scenarios.

Kings of the Ring DLC

Releasing at the same time as the game update is the Kings of the Ring DLC pack.

For Deluxe edition owners, this is no additional charge. For base game owners, this is an optional paid pack.

As the teaser posts already alluded to, it includes the following:

• KTM X-Bow GT2
• BMW M1 Procar
• Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo
• Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit

The Porsche adds a functioning drag-reduction system (DRS) to the game for the first time.

The Nürburgring Nordschleife 24Hr layout is already part of the Deluxe Edition, and the Grand Prix layout is in the standard edition. If you own the standard version, then buy Kings of the Ring, then the 24hr layout will also unlock.

The full changelog is below.

Rennsport version 1.2.15 patch notes

New Content

Vehicles

• Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo
• KTM X-BOW GT2
• BMW M1 Procar

Circuits

• Nürburgring Nordschleife (Standalone Layout)

Core System Updates

Artificial Intelligence

• Increased spatial awareness between AI competitors and the player, reducing unprovoked contact during close racing.
• Refined driveline tracking for cleaner launches off the grid and improved straight-line pace.
• Tuned throttle logic to run full throttle on clear straights while remaining disciplined in braking zones and corners.
• Balanced performance scaling across difficulty settings and refined behaviour across individual car classes.

Force Feedback and Controls

• Recalibrated wheelbase torque output curves on consoles for clearer dynamic range and kerb detail.
• FFB strength has been increased
• Improved baseline Force Feedback behaviour on PlayStation®5.
• Removed the input delay when shifting with an external manual H-pattern shifter.
• Fixed controller navigation when binding an action to “None”.
• Fixed an issue preventing PlayStation 5 players from assigning a single action to the DualSense trackpad, and corrected default trackpad bindings for headlights and pit limiter.
• Fixed an issue where connected peripheral hardware was occasionally not detected on startup.

Competitive and Gameplay Systems

• Overhauled track limit penalties: the system now calculates and penalises all positions gained off-track, rather than only a single position.
• Off-track slowdown penalties in qualifying sessions are now applied immediately rather than at the end of the session.
• High-rated drivers (5000+ rating) can now join player-hosted Custom Contests.
• Closed an exploit that allowed players to switch to external camera views when the server host enforced cockpit view.
• Fixed an issue where gear selection failed to reset upon restarting a Time Trial session.

Cars Tuning

• Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (DRS) – Implemented a functional Drag Reduction System (DRS) to trim downforce and increase straight-line velocity. Players will need to manually bind the DRS input in their control settings.
• BMW M2 CS Racing: Reworked Physics and Setup
• Porsche 911 GT1 ’98: New Default Setup
• Mercedes-Benz CLK LM: New Default Setup
• Porsche 956: New Default Setup
• Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: New Default Setup
• Porsche 911 GT3 R rennsport: New Default Setup
• Mercedes C-Class V6 DTM: Engine Power adjustment
• BMW M3 E30: Engine Power adjustment
• Ford Mustang GT3: Power adjustment

Graphics and Visuals

• Added an option on consoles to toggle motion blur on or off.
• Adjusted daytime and nighttime ambient lighting balance, skybox colour palettes, saturation, and brightness levels.
• Lifted harsh shadow levels to improve visibility across dark track sections and cockpit interiors.
• Reduced trailing headlight reflections across the dashboard, digital screen (windscreen and side mirror refinements remain in progress for a future update).

Added Liveries

• 52x Standard Liveries [RENNSPORT Cup / Full Carbon]
• 41x Premium Liveries

Bug Fixes

Crashes on Xbox S

• Fixed an out-of-memory issue that caused crashes, particularly on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Vehicles

• HWA EVO.R: Corrected headlight modes, repaired dashboard display rendering on Medium and Low view distances, fixed the refuelling sequence, and resolved damaged mesh geometry errors.
• Classic Touring Fleet: Corrected headlight illumination modes on the BMW M3 E30, Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 EVO II, Mercedes-Benz C-Class V6 DTM, and Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI .
• Car Selection: Resolved an issue where body components would momentarily render before the full vehicle model loaded.

Tracks and Environment

• Nürburgring Nordschleife: Fixed an issue causing extended loading times and freezes when entering sessions.
• Hockenheimring GP: Fixed broken white boundary line markings at the hairpin turn.
• Thermalito: Fixed the racing line display incorrectly appearing entirely red for specific vehicle classes.
• Kuala Lumpur: Corrected a racing line kink located at the start/finish straight.
• Founder’s Track: Restored missing collision geometry along track boundaries.

Championships

• Fixed an issue where all AI opponents in the HWA championship loaded with identical liveries.
• Corrected track variant typography colour, round padding, and vehicle restriction lists.
• Resolved inconsistent lock icon statuses across championship menu pages.
• Fixed an issue where abandoning an active stage redirected players to the Home screen rather than the Championship hub.
• Corrected the display name for the Touring Generations Classic championship.

Pit Stops and Replays

• Fixed an issue where pit crews failed to animate if car settings were changed inside the pit box.
• Fixed missing wheel geometry and inaccurate pit crew animations during replay playback.
• Fixed an issue where quitting a race abruptly could corrupt the active replay file and cause a black screen.
• Improved general replay playback stability and performance on consoles.

User Interface and Storefront

• Added an explicit confirmation prompt when enabling or disabling cross-play.
• Added a “Show Password” toggle on private lobby password entry screens.
• Corrected layout errors in Custom Contest setting menus and Official Contest summary cards.
• Fixed an issue where the Official Contests directory disappeared after completing registration.
• Fixed player list pagination and column alignment issues across lobby and pit screens.
• Fixed misaligned session countdown timers when launching Practice or Qualifying.
• Resolved an issue where headlight warning banners remained stuck on screen during night Quick Sessions.
• Fixed visual layout formatting issues in the Friends List and repaired the Championships menu scrollbar.
• Updated corporate emblems for Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Benz.
• Corrected vehicle model designation numbers when deselecting vehicles in the garage.
• Fixed car selection highlights resetting back to the first vehicle after leaving the livery shop, and removed redundant “Change Car” button prompts.
• Corrected storefront checkout summaries to display clear Base and Bonus breakdowns for RENN$ purchases.

Known Issues

• AI-driven KTM class has slow starts
• Will be addressed in a future hotfix
• AI needs more work on the 919 who drives it a bit slow
• We’re doing internal driving improvements to guide the AI
• Visual bug with windscreen reflections in the interior
• Will be addressed in a future hotfix
• AI-driving the BMW M1 Procar has issues with one of the bumps in one of the curves on Crest