Gaming News

Reiza Studios says Automobilista 2 V1.6.9.0 is now live, with the update published on 2025-12-23 via Steam News. The studio describes it as the final update of the year and says the new content is free for all users to try through the holiday season until the early days of 2026. The patch expands AMS2 with US Stock Car Racing bonus content, a new oval in Pocono Raceway, the Nordschleife Tourist layout, and a fresh pack of Supercars. In the Steam announcement, Reiza Studios says the update expands Automobilista 2 into US Stock Car Racing with three generations added as bonus content for the Racin´ USA Expansion Pack, along with a new oval at Pocono Raceway. The changelog also lists Fontana Oval Historic and the addition of five layouts for Pocono Raceway. The same update adds the Nordschleife Tourist layout to the Nurburgring 2025 DLC. Reiza Studios also lists a new Supercars Pt2 DLC pack with the Audi R8 V10 GT, Dodge Viper ACR, Maserati GT2 Stradale and Aston Martin Valkyrie. According to the announcement, the Valkyrie is added to the Hypercars class. For players, the headline change is not just the number of cars and tracks, but the fact that all new content introduced in this update is free for all users to try and enjoy through the holiday season until the early days of 2026. That makes V1.6.9.0 especially relevant for anyone sampling the game or checking whether the latest content fits an upcoming race night. For tournament organizers and league administrators, Reiza Studios notes that users who encounter issues with the new version, or who have an imminent league race to run, can remain on the previous V1.6.8.6 by using the Steam beta branch path listed in the announcement. That gives organized events a clear fallback if they choose to hold a competition on the older build. Beyond content additions, Reiza Studios says V1.6.9 brings another round of physics updates across the board. The focus is on tyres, with further adjustments to tread friction coefficients, elasticity, hysteresis and thermodynamics parameters for most slick, semi-slick and all-weather tyres in Automobilista 2. The studio frames this as another step up in simulation quality. The update also includes minor UI cosmetic changes, with title texts now capitalized and panel designs now featuring squared edges. Reiza Studios says work has begun on a new HUD design, though that work is not yet complete. Users can view a work-in-progress version through Display options. The patch adds a free camera mode in both live play and the monitor screen. Reiza Studios lists the control inputs for enabling and operating the camera, including movement keys, FOV controls, orientation controls and reset. The announcement also says TAA development has improved enough that users can now combine Temporal Antialiasing with Super Sampling AA for optimal results. According to the changelog, Reiza Studios has also improved optimization for Temporal Antialiasing, along with VRAM usage, especially at higher resolutions such as VR or triple-screen setups. The studio says it has significantly reduced shadow flickering with TAA enabled, reduced shadow acne with high FOV, adjusted shadow transitions between detail levels, improved shadow clarity in cockpit view and slightly increased shadow distance in cockpit and external views. On the online side, the update further optimizes packet transfer near the end of multiplayer practice, qualifying and race sessions to help prevent lag and mass disconnections at that stage. The changelog also says a setup-loading issue in multiplayer was fixed for low downforce or oval specifications, and a championship-mode weather progression bug was corrected when using real weather. The patch notes also mention a fuel-level issue that could cause the player’s fuel to occasionally be set to the same value as an AI driver’s instead of the configured setup. Reiza Studios lists that as fixed in V1.6.9.0. For the Automobilista 2 community, the immediate practical question is how the new content affects short-term league planning and holiday play. Because the new additions are available for a limited free trial window, players and event organizers have a clear period in which to test the update without committing to a purchase decision. For streamers, the update creates a visible slate of new material: stock car classes, a new oval, a Tourist layout on one of sim racing’s most familiar circuits, and a new supercar selection. Reiza Studios’ own wording suggests that the build is both a content drop and a maintenance update, which makes it relevant to audiences interested in either fresh cars and tracks or the simulation changes underneath them. Automobilista 2 V1.6.9.0 is available now on Steam, and according to Reiza Studios it marks the final update of the year. The announcement combines new racing content, free holiday access to that content, and a substantial list of technical and physics changes that should matter to players, league admins and streamers alike.