SimRacing Expo will take place in Frankfurt, Germany, from 16–18 October 2026, bringing more than 70 exhibitors and nine billed world premieres to a show devoted to racing simulation. The event’s scale is notable: organisers say the exhibition footprint has grown 40% from the prior edition to more than 14,000 square metres.
That growth matters because the show is not framed simply as a place to look at expensive steering wheels from a respectful distance while pretending a folding chair is a GT cockpit. The stated focus is hands-on access. Visitors will be able to try hardware and software spanning pedals, wheels, shifters, accessories and full-motion simulators, while several manufacturers use Friday for product reveals intended for both the Frankfurt crowd and a livestream audience.
For game players, the standout confirmed attraction is an early public-facing opportunity to try Assetto Corsa EVO’s new Free Roam mode. KUNOS Simulazioni will make the mode playable at the venue ahead of its public release, and its team is scheduled to appear on the live stage at 16:00 CEST on Friday. The weekend will also host the FIA Esports Global Rally Tour’s European regional shootout, where 16 leading drivers will compete using Advanced Simracing and D-BOX simulation equipment.
What is happening at SimRacing Expo Frankfurt?
The 2026 event runs across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with day and weekend tickets available. Named exhibitors include BDH Sim Hardware, Corsair, Fanatec, TrakRacer, ImSim, KUNOS Simulazioni, RECARO alongside Manthey-Racing, and Porsche Motorsport.
Those names illustrate the breadth organisers are aiming for. Some exhibitors are closely associated with the equipment that turns a PC or console racing game into a simulation setup: the controls, seat or chassis that give the driver a physical interface with the virtual car. Others connect the event to real-world motorsport and automotive seating. Organisers also describe a wider spread of simulation interests, including cars, motorcycles and flight simulators.
Premiere Friday is positioned as the big reveal day. Fanatec, Simucube and ImSim are specifically listed for product presentations, with additional surprises promised. Nine world premieres are planned across the whole weekend, although no complete rundown of every premiere or its product details has been provided. That distinction is useful for anyone following remotely: a premiere count tells us the show expects news, but it does not yet tell prospective buyers which product category, compatibility standard or price range each reveal will occupy.
For those unable to attend in person, the SimRacing Expo YouTube channel is set to carry live coverage each day. That makes the Friday announcements accessible beyond the convention floor, though viewers should temper expectations around details until each individual manufacturer presents its product.
Assetto Corsa EVO Free Roam gets a pre-release public trial
KUNOS’ Free Roam mode is among the clearest game-specific pieces of the Frankfurt programme. It will be playable before its public release, making the expo a controlled early-access opportunity rather than confirmation that the feature will become available to all players during the event weekend.
Related coverage includes SimRacing Expo Frankfurt Sets Nine Premieres for October 2026.
The phrase Free Roam generally signals activity outside a fixed race session: players can move through a driving environment with fewer of the usual event constraints, rather than selecting a prescribed grid, race length and finish condition. The information available here does not define the mode’s map, activities, multiplayer structure, progression or technical requirements. Those are precisely the kinds of questions a playable show-floor build may help attendees ask, but they remain unconfirmed from the announced programme.
KUNOS’ Friday stage session at 16:00 CEST creates a second opportunity for clarification. The studio’s continued collaboration with the expo has been highlighted as its third consecutive year, alongside 505 Games and Digital Bros. For sim-racing players, that combination of a hands-on build and a developer presentation is more useful than a teaser alone: it can show what exists now while allowing the team to put the feature in context. Still, a convention demonstration is not the same thing as a final public build. Features shown at an event should not be treated as a complete list of what will ship or as a release-date commitment unless explicitly confirmed.
Why hardware demonstrations matter in sim racing
Simulation racing is unusually dependent on the relationship between game software and physical equipment. A game can be played with a standard controller, but a dedicated setup may add separate pedals, a steering wheel, a shift mechanism and a rigid mounting frame. The quality of the whole experience is influenced not only by any one component, but by how securely and comfortably those parts work together.
The hardware list for Frankfurt therefore deserves a little translation. Pedals handle throttle, braking and, where included, clutch inputs. Steering wheels turn player movement into steering commands and may communicate forces generated by the simulation back through the rim. A shifter provides a separate gear-selection control, with “true-feel” in this context describing an attempt to provide a more convincing mechanical sensation rather than a formal performance specification.
A full-motion simulator goes further by moving the driver’s seat or cockpit structure. Its purpose is to represent some aspects of vehicle motion physically. D-BOX, whose hardware will be used for the FIA competition at the show, is associated with this side of the experience. In practical terms, motion hardware can take up more space, require more setup and add a new layer to the question of whether a player’s equipment and game settings feel right together. A show floor is one of the few places where visitors can compare that kind of gear directly before making any commitment.
It is also worth separating immersive hardware from guaranteed driving skill. Better controls may offer more precise or more natural inputs, but they do not remove the need to learn braking points, car behaviour, rally stages or racecraft. For competitive drivers, consistency and familiarity with an input device are as important as novelty. For newcomers, the sensible takeaway from an expo is not that every rig needs to become a full-motion installation; it is that trying several forms of equipment can reveal which controls suit their space, budget and preferred games.
FIA Esports Global Rally Tour brings competition to the show floor
The FIA Esports Global Rally Tour European regional shootout adds a competitive centrepiece to the equipment and product programme. The top 16 drivers will compete at SimRacing Expo on hardware from Advanced Simracing and D-BOX.
Rally simulation poses a distinct challenge from circuit racing. Rather than repeatedly lapping a paved track and refining each corner over a session, rally competition commonly requires drivers to manage changing surfaces and a sequence of stages. The announced shootout does not specify the game, stage format, scoring system or how the 16 competitors qualified, so it would be premature to infer any of those details. What is confirmed is the regional-shootout setting and the equipment partners involved.
Its presence also helps explain the show’s mix of developers, manufacturers and motorsport-linked brands. Sim racing sits at an intersection: games supply the simulation, hardware translates it into a physical experience, and organised esports creates an environment in which drivers can demonstrate mastery of both. An event that houses all three can make those links visible without reducing the audience to a single type of visitor.
A launch platform, not just a trade-show display
Organisers describe the increased exhibition space and the coordinated Friday reveals as evidence that manufacturers are treating the expo as a launch platform. That is an important change in emphasis. A conventional display stand is primarily about letting people see an existing product; a timed premiere is designed to create a shared moment for attendees and online viewers.
The attendance of RECARO with Manthey-Racing and Porsche Motorsport reinforces the event’s stated connection between real-world motorsport and virtual competition. It does not mean every visitor will be training for a professional racing programme, nor does it establish any particular partnership beyond those companies’ participation. But it does demonstrate why sim racing continues to draw interest from brands whose identities are tied to actual vehicles, competition and driver environments.
For spectators at home, the sensible watch list is straightforward: Friday’s reveals from Fanatec, Simucube and ImSim; the KUNOS presentation at 16:00 CEST; any details that emerge around the nine world premieres; and footage from the rally shootout. Anyone planning a wider gaming-news viewing schedule can also check today’s game releases, though SimRacing Expo itself is centred on event demonstrations, competition and technology rather than a conventional game-launch calendar.
For visitors, Frankfurt offers a more practical opportunity: compare controls and rigs in person, see what the manufacturers actually reveal, and try Assetto Corsa EVO Free Roam before the public release. The largest unanswered questions concern the still-unidentified premieres and the final specifics of the Free Roam mode. Those details may be the real measure of the show’s significance once the doors open on 16 October.
