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The 2021 Summer Update is the 48th update of Asphalt 8: Airborne.

Announcement

Update 48 shines new light on the art of racing, with fresh events, more varied challenges, more rewards, and brand-new ways to let your personality shine!

SUMMERTIME MADNESS
Scorch up the streets in the new McLaren Elva Festival! And don't forget to check the Calendar to see what other hot new events are just over the horizon.

MULTIPLAYER MADE BETTER
You can now partake in multiple Seasons at once, with unique rules adding a special spice to each one. We also added new seasonal tasks to crank up the challenge and rewards like never before!

NEW SUMMER FASHION
Try out the new custom profile options including avatar icons and custom borders so you can express yourself to the world!

MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF
Players can now choose their own in-game nickname, so make it one that will resound across the leaderboards!

New Vehicles

All of these cars are festival-unlockable only and have hybrid upgrades, with the exception of the McLaren Elva - a card-specific-upgrade car, the Bugatti Chiron SuperSport 300+ and the Bugatti Bolide - both are Ultimate cars.

The new cars will need the following cards:

Onuk Sazan LM Kit Onuk Sazan LM Kit – Last checked: Aug 1, 2021
Sale value: Fusion Coins 200
Rarity: Rare (Class B)
Vehicle: Onuk Sazan LM (160 to upgrade)
Availability: Festival Premium reward
Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution Kit Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution Kit – Last checked: Aug 23, 2021
Sale value: Fusion Coins 200
Rarity: Rare (Class B)
Vehicle: Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution (160 to upgrade)
Availability: Festival Premium reward
McLaren Elva Kit McLaren Elva Kit – Last checked: Nov 15, 2022
Sale value: Fusion Coins 250
Rarity: Epic (Class A)
Vehicle: McLaren Elva (160 to upgrade)
Availability: Festival Premium reward
Bugatti Centodieci Kit Bugatti Centodieci Kit – Last checked: Jul 23, 2021
Sale value: Fusion Coins 300
Rarity: Legendary (Class S)
Vehicle: Bugatti Centodieci (160 to upgrade)
Availability: Festival

Game changes

Gameplay changes

  • The following cars have been rebalanced:
    • Audi R8 e-tron Special Edition
      • MAX + PRO top speed reduced from 399.6 km/h to 292.8 km/h
      • MAX + PRO nitro reduced from 43.2 km/h to 32.5 km/h
      • MAX + PRO car rank reduced from B1672 to D1231
      • Nitro efficiency reduced significantly
        • Previous = 5/7.5/10 (NEI)
        • Current = 6/8.5/13 (MMS)
      • Acceleration reduced to levels on-par with nearby vehicles
        • Previous = ~2.70 seconds at 456.1 km/h or 283.2 mph Tuning Kit (MMS)
        • Current = ~2.55 seconds at 335.1 km/h or 208.1 mph Tuning Kit (MMS)
          • Note: Even though the time in seconds has been reduced (i.e. quickened), the maximum speed must also be taken into account.
            • Reasoning: The current AR8SE takes ~2.55 seconds to accelerate from 0 km/h to 335.1 km/h. The previous AR8SE took ~2.70 seconds to accelerate from 0 km/h to 456.1 km/h. The previous AR8SE's average acceleration speed per every 100 km/h was ~0.59 seconds (2.70 ÷ 456.1 × 100 = ~0.59). The previous AR8SE's average acceleration speed from 0 km/h to 335.1 km/h was ~2 seconds (0.59 ÷ 100 × 335.1 = ~2). Therefore, the average acceleration speed has been decreased by ~0.55 seconds. (MMS)
      • Handling reduced significantly
        • This statistic was visually increased, but it was reduced in reality. (MMS)
      • Drifting reduced significantly
        • The new drifting radius is wide, similar to the original Audi R8 e-tron. (MMS)
    • Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG Special Edition
      • MAX + PRO top speed reduced from 430.0 km/h to 314.7 km/h
      • MAX + PRO nitro reduced from 47.1 km/h to 35.0 km/h
      • MAX + PRO car rank reduced from S1801 to D1322
      • Acceleration improved significantly
        • Previous = ~6.8 seconds at 491.4 km/h or 305.3 mph Tuning Kit (WKPQ)
        • Current = ~3 seconds at 360.1 km/h or 223.7 mph Tuning Kit (MMS) (WKPQ)
          • The SLK SE originally had the second worst acceleration in the game; the current SLK SE has fairly good acceleration, though not the best. The nearby Nissan Juke Nismo accelerates in ~2.75 seconds, and the nearby Lotus Elise Cup 260 accelerates in ~2.50 seconds. The SLK SE's only advantages over these two cars are its slightly higher speed and its significantly better nitro efficiency. (MMS)
      • Nitro efficiency improved significantly
        • Previous = 9/14/18 (NEI)
        • Current = 7.5/9.5/12 (MMS)
      • Handling and drifting are now more manageable due to the reduced speed
        • The SLK SE originally had extremely bad handling and drifting, among the worst in the game. It still has bad handling and drifting for it rank, but nowhere near as bad as what it had previously.
    • BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage
      • MAX + PRO top speed reduced from 431.2 km/h to 335.8 km/h
      • MAX + PRO nitro reduced from 46.9 km/h to 37.3 km/h
      • MAX + PRO car rank reduced from S1804 to C1410
      • Nitro efficiency improved significantly
        • Previous = 8/13/18 (NEI)
        • Current = 5.5/11/14 (MMS)
      • Acceleration improved slightly in relation to nearby vehicles
        • Previous = ~5.37 seconds at 492.5 km/h or 305.8 mph Tuning Kit (WKPQ)
        • Current = ~3.40 seconds at 384.3 km/h or 238.7 mph Tuning Kit (MMS)
    • Porsche Taycan Turbo S
      • PRO top speed reduced from 367.8 km/h to 336.1 km/h
      • PRO nitro reduced from 40.9 km/h to 37.3 km/h
      • PRO car rank reduced from C1543 to C1411
      • Perfect (level 2) nitro efficiency unchanged, level 3 nitro efficiency reduced significantly, level 1 nitro efficiency improved slightly (difference not noticeable when decimal is rounded off to the nearest 0.5)
        • Previous = 5/9.5/13 (MMS)
        • Current = 5/9.5/14.5 (MMS)
      • Acceleration reduced to levels on-par with nearby vehicles
    • Porsche Cayman GT4
      • MAX + PRO top speed reduced from 364.8 km/h to 357.2 km/h
      • MAX + PRO nitro reduced from 41.4 km/h to 39.7 km/h
      • MAX + PRO car rank reduced from C1535 to C1499
      • Nitro efficiency reduced slightly
        • Previous = 6/8/11 (2+3 MMS) (1 NEI)
        • Current = 6/9/11.5 (MMS)
      • Acceleration reduced slightly (same acceleration, slightly lower maximum top speed)
        • Previous = ~3.20 seconds at 418.4 km/h or 259.9 mph Tuning Kit (MMS)
        • Current = ~3.20 seconds at 408.8 km/h or 253.9 mph Tuning Kit (MMS)
    • Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo
      • MAX + PRO top speed reduced from 387.8 km/h to 357.4 km/h
      • MAX + PRO nitro reduced from 44.4 km/h to 39.7 km/h
      • MAX + PRO car rank reduced from B1632 to C1500
      • Nitro efficiency improved significantly (except for level 1, which was reduced)
        • Previous = 6/12/16 (NEI)
        • Current = 7/10/14.5 (MMS)
      • Acceleration reduced to levels on-par with nearby vehicles
    • Lamborghini Veneno
      • MAX + PRO top speed increased from 395.3 km/h to 422.2 km/h
      • MAX + PRO nitro increased from 43.0 km/h to 46.9 km/h
      • MAX + PRO car rank increased from B1654 to A1770
      • Acceleration improved significantly; slightly slower than the Rezvani Beast Alpha's (A1767 | Acc. = 2.672s) (MMS)
        • Previous = ~4.00 seconds at 451.4 km/h or 280.3 mph Tuning Kit (MMS)
        • Current = ~2.70 seconds at 483.1 km/h or 300 mph Tuning Kit (MMS)
      • Nitro efficiency improved slightly
        • Previous = 6/12/16 (NEI)
        • Current = 6/11.5/15.5 (MMS)
  • The following cars have had their Season 9 race locations changed:
  • World Series (Multiplayer)
    • New mode: Master Season
    • In Master Season, competition is based on the player's league, not their vehicle's rank. Players can only race against other players in the same league as themselves, regardless of the vehicles being driven. This allows Class S vehicles to regularly compete with Class D vehicles, for example.
    • The first race in the season now counts towards the player's rating; previously, it always provided an equals sign.
    • Master Season runs simultaneously with Classic Season and does not have an entry fee for a race.
    • The limit for losing rating points is now over 20 (previously, it was exactly 20). The maximum seen so far is minus 40.
    • Until July 20, the game would allow for the player to immediately join another race lobby during the post-race screens without having to go back to the garage.
      • This would later be reimplemented in early October during the following update.
    • On July 19, the new Classic Season no longer had Multiplayer Tickets or the already-defunct Golden Multiplayer Tickets, and this has been true of every Classic Season since then.
    • On August 2, the new Classic Season had additional minor Class B, A and S participation rewards in the form of tech cards.
      • On August 16, the new Classic Season had additional minor Class C participation rewards in the form of tech cards, on top of the aforementioned rewards.
    • On August 21, the daily race rewards were changed to have a 24 hour waiting period before becoming available again. The rewards were originally available everyday at 0:00 UTC.
      • This would later be reverted on August 24. While it reappeared on September 9, it was not reimplemented.
  • Vehicle-specific cards for the Italdesign DaVinci, Ferrari 599XX Evo, Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, Ferrari F8 Tributo, Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta, Koenigsegg Gemera, McLaren Speedtail, Bugatti Chiron Sport 110 Ans, and Bugatti La Voiture Noire are now available for Wild Card (Optimal, Prime, Superb) conversion.
  • Gauntlet races now count towards Daily Tasks and Festival quests that require gameplay in a multiplayer mode.
  • Multiplayer no longer defaults to the Dodge Dart GT when a new league is reached. Instead, it defaults to the player's highest-ranking vehicle, e.g. the Koenigsegg Jesko or Arash AF10 in Class S, or to their highest-ranking vehicle in the lower leagues, such as the Pininfarina H2 Speed (for the Classic Season, not the Master Season; the latter has Class S cars unlocked at the very beginning).
  • Vehicle Availability (MMS)
    • The BMW M4 GTS is now permanently on sale in the Garage, from the launch of the update.
    • The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage, Porsche Taycan Turbo S, Porsche Cayman GT4 and Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo had their prices reduced considerably upon the launch of the update. The default prices included Fusion Coins 430,000 for the Hommage and Fusion Coins 590,000 for the Panamera. It is unclear what prices the other cars were reduced to. It is also unclear whether the Veneno's price was increased at this point in time.
    • The Hommage, Taycan, Cayman, Panamera, Porsche Carrera GT and Lamborghini Veneno were simultaneously removed from the Garage within hours of the launch of the update, following the compensation bug.
    • A huge exclusive sale was launched on July 16. It was updated on July 17. Most cars in the sale are priced normally in Fusion Coins Fusion Coins and discounted in Tokens Tokens.
    • The Ferrari LaFerrari was removed at the beginning of the exclusive sale that began on July 16.
    • The Italdesign DaVinci was placed on sale in the Garage for Tokens 2,000 on July 16. It was subsequently removed from the Garage again at the end of the first sale.
    • The Honda Integra Type-R, Mazda RX-8 Special Edition, BMW i8 Coupe, Rezvani Beast Alpha and Rezvani Beast X were sold for unusually low default prices in Fusion Coins Fusion Coins from the beginning of the July 16 sale, at Fusion Coins 100,000, Fusion Coins 150,000, Fusion Coins 170,000, Fusion Coins 430,000, and Fusion Coins 590,000, respectively. All five cars were simultaneously discounted in normal Tokens Tokens prices.
    • The normally-unavailable, usually Credits Credits-priced SSC Tuatara and Hennessey Venom GT have temporarily returned to the Garage again, as of July 16, as they had done so during the one-month-long Spring sale, despite not having discounts. They are again priced unusually cheaply in comparison to nearby vehicles, at Tokens 7,500 and Tokens 8,000, respectively, the same prices as before. As fully-upgraded ULTIMATE vehicles, they are priced more cheaply than nearby unupgraded MAX+PRO vehicles.
    • The Sbarro GT1, Lucra L148, Sbarro Alcador, Ferrari Enzo Ferrari and Zeus Twelve Sigma have temporarily returned to the Garage on July 16, as they did during the brief third spring sale that occurred just before the launch of the 2021 Summer Update. They are all discounted.
    • The Dodge Tomahawk has temporarily returned to the Garage on July 16, as it had done so during the one-month-long Spring sale. It is heavily discounted, as it was before.
    • Various Festival cars that debuted in 2021 are temporarily on sale in the Garage again, as of July 16. This includes the Exotic Rides W70, Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, Ferrari F8 Tributo, Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta. These four cars are all discounted in Tokens Tokens and simultaneously available in normal prices in Fusion Coins Fusion Coins.
    • Several vehicles that normally cost Tokens Tokens are simultaneously discounted in Tokens and on sale in Fusion Coins Fusion Coins for the first time in the game's history, as of July 16. This includes the Renault Sport R.S. 01 and Devel Sixteen Prototype, as well as various cars that are temporarily on sale and normally unavailable, including the Ferrari Enzo Ferrari and Zeus Twelve Sigma.
    • Some other special mentions, as of July 16, carried over from the one-month-long Spring sale, include the fact that the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 2016 Veloce remains the only Class D car on sale, and that the the Arash AF10, being an ULTIMATE S1859 vehicle, is on sale for twice the price in Tokens Tokens as every other S1860 vehicle.
    • As of July 16, it can be seen that the McLaren 650S GT3, McLaren F1 XP-5 and McLaren Senna are discounted in the exclusive sale, even though the exact prices can't currently be seen, due to the ongoing McLaren Elva Festival. The prices can be presumed to be identical or very close to those of their respective neighbouring vehicles.
    • The Hommage, Taycan, Cayman, Panamera, Carrera, Veneno and LaFerrari returned to the Garage during the second day of the exclusive sale that began on July 16 (i.e. on July 17).
    • Several vehicles had their prices switched from Fusion Coins Fusion Coins to Tokens Tokens on July 17, as was the case during the lengthy exclusive sales of the preceding 2021 Spring Update.
    • The normally-unavailable Audi R8 e-tron Special Edition and Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG Special Edition were made available for purchase on July 17, with no discount, at the default prices of Fusion Coins 150,000 and Fusion Coins 170,000, respectively. It is unclear whether these sales are temporary or permanent.
    • The normally-unavailable TVR Sagaris Special Edition was made available for purchase on July 17, with a normal price in Fusion Coins Fusion Coins and a discount in Tokens Tokens.
    • The prices of the Ferrari F50, 911 GT3 RS, Carrera, LaFerrari, Veneno, and likely various other vehicles were adjusted on July 17 to correspond to their respective ranks. All of these vehicles were reshuffled during either this update or preceding updates.
    • The BMW S 1000 RR, a motorcycle that was not purchasable by any means since February 2021 (due to the removal of Car Packs in the 2021 Lunar New Year Update), appeared in a bundle with the BMS M4 GTS in the Offers section on July 23, on sale for six days.
    • The Honda Integra Type-R, Mazda RX-8 Special Edition, BMW i8 Coupe, Rezvani Beast Alpha and Rezvani Beast X disappeared from the Garage a few days after they were (possibly inadvertently) discounted. These vehicles then returned to the Garage several days later, with their full prices restored. Previously, they had not been discounted, but rather, their full prices had been substantially reduced.
    • Vehicles that had previously had their purchase prices switched from Fusion Coins Fusion Coins to Tokens Tokens have now had their Fusion Coins prices restored, as of the end of the first sale, on August 2.
    • The SSC Tuatara, Hennessey Venom GT and Dodge Tomahawk have been removed from the Garage again, as of the end of the first sale, on August 2. It is unclear whether the various other temporary cars had been removed or not. These other cars are now again available in the second sale, which began only two days after the previous one had ended.
      • The Italdesign DaVinci and TVR Sagaris Special Edition have also been removed, having been temporarily purchasable during the first sale. The DaVinci had been available for a fixed price in Tokens Tokens, whereas the Sagaris SE had been available for a discounted price in Tokens and a fixed price in Fusion Coins Fusion Coins.
    • Strangely, none of the ULTIMATE vehicles in the game are on sale in the second sale. This includes the Koenigsegg Agera R, SSC Ultimate Aero XT, Arash AF10 and Dodge Tomahawk.
    • Several new cars that are normally unpurchasable are now on sale as of August 3. This includes the Lamborghini Essenza SCV12, Lamborghini SC20, McLaren Elva, Koenigsegg Gemera, McLaren Speedtail, Bugatti Chiron Sport 110 Ans and Bugatti La Voiture Noire.
    • Several exclusive vehicles, including the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, Bugatti Chiron Sport 110 Ans and Bugatti Centodieci (possibly also including the Bugatti Divo), have been featured as bonus vehicles in recent Festivals, specifically the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ Festival, regarding the four aforementioned vehicles. The LVN has also been available in the most recent exclusive sale and in the third-most recent exclusive sale during the preceding 2021 Spring Update. This is the second appearance of the Centodieci and its first appearance outside of the Bugatti Centodieci Festival, its debut during the 2021 Summer Update.
    • On August 20, 2021, the Lucra L148 was sold in the Offers section for a period of five days. It is not normally purchasable in the Garage, though it has been temporarily available for months due to ongoing exclusive sales in the Garage. A similar deal for the Lucra L148 appeared in early-2021.
    • On September 2 or 3, several vehicles went missing for non-owners, most of which are projected to be reshuffled in the next update. These included the Infiniti Project Black S, Renault Trezor, Honda Integra Type-R, TVR Sagaris, Mazda RX-8 Special Edition, BMW i8 Coupe, Chryser ME412, Rezvani Beast Alpha, and Rezvani Beast X. Notably, the ME412 is not projected to be reshuffled in the next update, so its status is currently unknown.
    • On September 5, in the Anniversary Cup that was held that day, seven motorcycles were usable as (MAX or ULTIMATE) free tries. The Dodge Tomahawk is a non-concern vehicle, and it was also known beforehand that the MV Agusta F4 1000 R and BMS S 1000 RR were certainly still in the game. However, four other motorcycles that appeared in this event have not been on sale since February 4, 2021 (2021 Lunar New Year Update), when Car Packs were permanently removed from the game. These unavailable motorcycles are the Ducati XDiavel S, Suzuki Hayabusa, Kawasaki Ninja H2R and Lightning LS-218.
      • Given that the Yamaha YZF-R6 has also been shown to be available in a future bundle (that will presumably be available during the next update, though it has been revealed beforehand by what can assumed to be hackers), this means that only the statuses of the Ducati SuperSport S, Yamaha FZ-10 and Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 RR my2017 are uncertain, at this point. Given that the Aprilia was missing from the Anniversary Cup on September 5 but fits within the rank bracket of that cup, this suggests that it has been permanently removed from the game, as has been suspected ever since it disappeared years ago.
  • Since July 23, the day that the Bugatti Centodieci Festival started, there is a new bundle in the Offers section, which is presumably available during Festivals of Class S vehicles with hybrid upgrades, that provides x55 of each Class S part and x60 of both Class S engines and tech cards for 5 USD, which is very cheap in comparison to similar bundles of the recent past. The bundle also provides the usual amount of VIP Points VIP Points.
    • A similar bundle was featured during the Onuk Sazan LM Festival, providing x55 of each Class B part and x60 of both Class B engines and tech cards for 5 USD, the exact same price as the Class S bundle. The bundle provides the usual amount of VIP Points VIP Points. This bundle is much less valuable than the equivalent Class S bundle since Class B cards are worth much less than Class S cards.
    • The Class B parts bundle also appeared during the Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution Festival.
  • Since August 13, the day that the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ Festival started, several bundles have been on sale in the Offers section that feature x55 vehicle-specific kit cards for various pre-existing Festival cars, rather than x10 or x20, for the same price as the less-valuable bundles. This means that players are essentially receiving 5.5 or 2.75 times the rewards in comparison to what they would have received in the recent past for the same amounts of real money. Class S bundles cost 20 USD, whereas Class A and Class B bundles cost 10 USD. It seems that Class C and Class D bundles are not available. The bundles also simultaneously provide Fusion Coins 360,000 (20 USD) or Fusion Coins 180,000 (10 USD), depending on the price, as well as the usual amounts of VIP Points VIP Points.
    • As of August 18, the time of writing, the regular bundle offering only x10 vehicle-specific kit cards for pre-existing vehicles for the same price (20 USD or 10 USD), specifically the Bugatti Centodieci (x10 Class S kits for 20 USD), has returned. This bundle is visible to some players and not others, even if their parameters are identical. It might be a bug. (MMS)
    • These bundles expired on September 1, 2021. (MMS)
  • Since August 18, a new type of bundle containing vehicle-specific upgrades and parts cards for low Class D cars has been added to the Offers section. The bundles are relatively overpriced. The bundles provide the usual amounts of VIP Points VIP Points.
  • On August 20, 2021, a free-try Multiplayer Cup was launched, the first of its kind in many months. Vehicles available included all cars from rank S1858 to S1862, not including the Dodge Tomahawk (S1860) motorcycle. Players were given free triple-boosts during the Multiplayer Cup (NS, TK, ET). The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ and Bugatti Centodieci, both cars that debuted in this update, were usable in this Multiplayer Cup. This Multiplayer Cup was intended to be part of the 8th Anniversary celebrations of Asphalt 8. The Multiplayer Cup originally had a pre-race screen of a Russian cosmonautical collaboration, with the Mercedes-Benz Biome and Orbital Loop featured in the promotional artwork; this pre-race screen was seemingly mismatched from another event. This pre-race screen was replaced by a "2018 Asphalt Cup" pre-race screen on August 21; although the year is wrong (likely due to being a reused pre-race screen), the theme seems to be more appropriate.

Technical changes

  • Custom key bindings are now available for Windows and MacOS.
  • Fixed an issue with Wild Card animations on the Exchange and League Reward screens.
A8 v5

Cosmetic changes

  • Profile customization:
    • The profile icon can now be selected separately from its background.
    • A new series of profile icons based on helmets has been added. The original icons are no longer available.
      • Helmets for certain countries are available. This includes Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
    • A custom in-game name can now be made. The name used in social media, Game Center, or Google Play is no longer used by default.
      • The first custom name is made for free but subsequent changes cost Tokens 300.
      • From VIP Level 4 and above, players have access to a premium golden/yellow version of their name. When changing the player's original white-coloured name, the yellow-coloured name's characters change simultaneously, in line with the white-coloured name.
      • The size limit of the name is 20 characters. Spaces, hyphens and apostrophes can be used, but other special symbols cannot be used. The player can add a maximum of four numbers to their name. By default, the player's name reads "Driver#...".
        • Non Latin-based characters, e.g. Chinese or Arabic characters, can seemingly no longer be used in a player's in-game name.
  • New app icon of the McLaren Elva.
  • New splash loading screen of a McLaren Elva in Dubai.
  • In-game advertising for the McLaren Elva was visible until July 27. Track billboards had an ad for the McLaren Elva and pre-race cutscenes had a camera angle that showed a McLaren Elva billboard.
  • In-game advertising for the Bugatti Bolide was visible between September 3-X. Track billboards had an ad for the Bugatti Bolide and pre-race cutscenes had a camera angle that showed a Bugatti Bolide billboard.
  • Multiplayer (currently, v3.3) has been renamed to "World Series". This was the name of the first version of Multiplayer. The second version had been named "Multiplayer League". The third version was named "Multiplayer", undergoing some early revisions. The current version is still considered to be identical to the third version.
  • The "in multiplayer" wording for Festival quests and Daily Tasks was initially changed to "any multiplayer activity".
    • "Finish X races without wrecks in Multiplayer" is now "Finish X races without wrecks in any multiplayer activity".
    • "Place first in a race X times in Multiplayer" is now "Place first in a race X times in any multiplayer activity".
      • Starting with the Bugatti Bolide's Fesitval, these would later be changed to "in World Series" and "in Gauntlet".
  • The Master Season and Classic Season now share the same "Series Store", and Multiplayer Badges are now called "Series Badges".
    • The Master Season has its own new vehicle artworks and league symbols that are similar to the Classic Season's but also distinct. The leagues are functionally the same.
  • The player info pop-up in lobbies for the 10th and 11th opponents now opens upwards to be readable.
  • The ellipsis listing for the Exclusive Offers and Wild Card conversion screens has been replaced with a scroll bar that moves in segments.
  • The handling statistic is now measured in "g" instead of in "Gs".
  • The colour selection options of the Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 have been completely reworked. Seven out of eight colours have been removed and replaced by similar or completely different colours, whereas the green paint option is now the default option (the green paint change was recorded as early as June 16, 2021).

Exclusive vehicles

These vehicles are not normally purchasable in the Garage.

*These vehicles were placed on sale on July 17, rather than on July 16.

These vehicles are not normally purchasable in the Garage.

Events

  1. McLaren Elva Festival (July 12 - July 22, 2021)
  2. Bugatti Centodieci Festival (July 23 - August 2, 2021)
  3. Onuk Sazan LM Festival (August 2 - August 12, 2021)
  4. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ Festival (August 13 - August 23, 2021)
  5. Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution Festival (August 23 - September 2, 2021)
  6. Bugatti Bolide Festival (September 3 - September 13, 2021)

Gifts

Compensations

Anniversary YouTube Milestone Challenge

On August 17, 2021, a pop-up ad for the Anniversary YouTube Milestone Challenge appeared in-game. The deadline of the challenge was August 31. All players were gifted rewards based on the subscriber count of the official Asphalt YouTube channel. The challenge was cross-platform, involving standard Asphalt 9 and Asphalt 9 on Nintendo Switch as well. The goal of the challenge was for the channel to reach one million subscribers within this two-week timeframe. The challenge was completed on August 23.

Other gifts

  • Certain players have received either Fusion Coins 36,000 or Tokens 200 as gifts recently; the time of writing is August 19. These gifts are speculated to be compensations for certain issues that have yet to be identified.
  • Starting on September 6, the compensation that was intended for the Eighth Anniversary Update for the 9 cars that were announced to have a performance reduction were given out.

Koenigsegg Agera RS offer

From August 20 to 24, 2021, the Koenigsegg Agera RS (S1860), an ULTIMATE (fully-upgraded by default) car with good performance in high Class S, was sold for US $5, along with Tokens 500 and the standard VIP Points 500 (VIP Points). This is roughly a tenfold depreciation of its original estimated price (US $50) in both the Koenigsegg Agera RS Festival and Ferrari F8 Tributo Festival, the only two methods of acquiring it prior to this offer. The Agera RS is a relatively new car, having only debuted in January 2021, during the 2020 Christmas Update.

End of Summer gifts

Summer Gift Asphalt 8

This promotional image accompanied the announcement on the official Asphalt 8 Discord server.

It was announced on Discord on August 31, 2021, that players would receive gifts to celebrate the end of Summer, available on that day only. Players were provided with a link that gave Credits 10,000, 1x 5-Min Nitro Starter 5-Min Nitro Starter, 1x 5-Min Tuning Kit 5-Min Tuning Kit, and 1x 5-Min Extra Tank 5-Min Extra Tank. These gifts were only available for iOS and Android players.

Anniversary YouTube Milestone Challenge Secret Gift Asphalt 8

Anniversary YouTube Milestone Challenge "Secret Gift" promo image from the official Asphalt 8 Facebook page.

Meanwhile, also on August 31, 2021, players on all platforms, including those on Windows, also automatically received 3x 1-Hour Nitro Starter 1-Hour Nitro Starter, 3x 1-Hour Tuning Kit 1-Hour Tuning Kit, and 3x 1-Hour Extra Tank 1-Hour Extra Tank.

  • According to the official Asphalt 8 page on Facebook, these gifts were a secret addition to the Anniversary YouTube Milestone Challenge gifts, detailed above. The extra gifts were provided because the community "exceed[ed] the goal". As of the time of writing, September 1, 2021, the YouTube subscriber count of the official Asphalt 8+9 YouTube channel is 1.04 million, which does not seem to be highly over the original goal of 1 million subscribers. It should be noted that August 31 was the original deadline of the challenge, but the goal had already been reached by August 23 or earlier (the subscriber count surpassed 1 million at least by August 21).

Bugs/glitches

  • Compensation Provided to New Owners of Vehicles: For a few hours after the update had launched, players were able to receive compensation for any of the reshuffled cars by purchasing them after the update had been installed and then waiting for several minutes to receive the rewards. This bug was promptly patched in a hotfix that occurred a few hours after the update had launched. For the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage, this was especially profitable, with a return of around 300% of the cost of the Hommage (based on the new, reduced price post-update) in Fusion Coins Fusion Coins. It was also a good deal for the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo (with a return of roughly 50% the cost of the Panamera in Fusion Coins Fusion Coins).
    • The hotfix removed five of the seven reshuffled cars from the Garage (the other two, the Audi R8 e-tron SE and Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG SE, are not normally available for purchase anyway), as well as several other cars (at least six, if not more), including the Porsche Carrera GT, among others. (MMS)
  • The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage still uses Class S parts in its PRO upgrades.
    • This has since been fixed. The time of writing is September 1, 2021. The bug was fixed long before this date, though the exact date is unknown.
    • The Hommage now uses the appropriate Class C parts in its PRO upgrades.
  • The German flag on the "Team Germany" avatar helmet is upside-down.
    • This has since been fixed.
  • The infinite Daily ads bug on Windows PC was patched.
    • The ads available on Windows PC include: x15 Daily ads (including Milestone rewards), x10 Daily Credits Credits-multiplier ads, x5 Daily 5-Min Nitro Starter 5-Min Nitro Starter ads.
    • The x15 standard Daily ads (on top of the Daily milestone ads) are available via a bug. This bug had been persistent for many months previously, was removed and unusable for several months, and has now returned in early-August of 2021. The ads are only available for a few seconds upon starting up the game. They are overridden by the Daily milestone ads once players have a stable internet connection with Gameloft's servers.
  • The "Red X" can now be seen in Multiplayer again.
  • TLEs also count towards Multiplayer-related Festival quests.
  • Some players have reported seeing strange offers (in the Offers section), such as the Koenigsegg Jesko + Tokens 500 for US $5. The deal reportedly shows up only during small windows of time, and only for certain players (presuming this is not a hoax). Some players have reportedly managed to purchase the Jesko through this offer. (MMS)
    • Other offers alleged include bundles that offer extremely high levels of in-game currency for very low costs in real money. (MMS)
  • In the profile screen, the most-used cars only display their brand logos and not the specific models.
  • Some free-to-play players have reported seeing frequent advertisement pop-ups since the update's launch. (MMS)
  • Several players have reported having issues with changing their usernames via the new name-changing feature in the Profile section in-game. Some usernames are apparently blacklisted for no apparent reason; this includes players' former usernames that they held from Google Play, iOS, Xbox, etc. Several players have claimed that the feature entirely doesn't work for them, no matter which names they choose. (MMS)
  • When the Onuk Sazan LM Festival finished, the animation for winning the Onuk Sazan LM was replayed for players that already owned the car. This is similar to a longstanding bug that has affected the Lamborghini Asterion, a car that can be attained via ads. (MMS)
  • On August 23, the new Master Season in World Series Multiplayer was duplicated. One of the Master Seasons was promptly shut down on the same day, leaving only one Master Season left, as usual. According to certain reports, the extra Master Season went into "validation", which might indicate that rewards will still be granted to players who had participated in it during its brief existence. (MMS)
  • Persistent Weekly VIP Bundle: When the Weekly VIP Bundle is claimed, it remains visible. Attempting to claim it again will result in the "Transaction Failed. (0-1-5001)" code appearing and the bundle's contents are not added to the player's inbox. Rebooting the game removes the bundle until it is ready to be claimed.
  • Reset Festival Quests: Several of the quests in the McLaren Elva Festival were bugged at the 9th level with progress for it being reset to 0 if it has been completed, a coin pack from a different quest in the same daily set is claimed, a different bugged quest is claimed, or the game is closed. If the quest is reset, it may also refuse to recognize the progress counting towards it even if the post-race screen shows progress. This bug affects the following quests:
    • Be airborne for 135 seconds
    • Break 120 obstacles on the track
Another variant can occur where the quest can be completed normally but can't be claimed until a higher level of the quest is completed. This bug affects the following quests:
  • Finish a multiplayer race 10 times
  • Skipped Festival Bundles: Starting with the Bugatti Centodieci's Festival, the daily bundle may not always appear for purchase and the one-time bundles that increase in size with each puchase will either skip several levels or show multiple options at the same time even if none have been purchased.
  • Bugs that persist from previous updates:
    • Cosmetic bugs that persist:
      • Switching paint colours removes the currently-equipped decal in the Garage (it remains functionally equipped). This bug arose through the preceding 2021 Spring Update. (MMS)
      • The Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta does not have ghost or Infected renders. The LaFerrari Aperta's ghost always shows up as the black paint job, no matter which paint job is actually being equipped by the driver. (A newbie Driver 9351 + MMS)
      • The Ferrari LaFerrari's white paint job is inaccessible outside of two decals (one of which is exclusive to the now-defunct Garage Kingpin Decal Pack) that unlock access to it. (MMS)
      • The McLaren P1™ GTR's branding livery was changed years ago, but it still displays the removed logos (Mobil 1) in some of its decals. (MMS)
      • The GT by CITROEN still has broken rendering for its wheel rims. (MMS)
      • The Mazzanti Evantra Millecavalli's rear name badge has been broken for months. (MMS)
      • The BXR Bailey Blade GT1 Special Edition is still missing the fins in the front grill that are present on the BXR Bailey Blade GT1. This feature might not be intentional since the shadows of the fins are still visible on the Blade SE. This issue has existed ever since the Blade SE debuted in February 2021. The Blade SE was advertised to feature these fins in promotional images. (MMS)
      • The Datsun 280Z's Garage Kingpin Decal Pack decals are still broken; they are not displayed during races when equipped, although they are viewable in the Garage. (MMS)
      • The #89 decal for the Range Rover Evoque Coupe HSE Dynamic is still presumably broken on Android but not on Windows. This decal was original purchasable for Credits Credits several years ago. Subsequently, it became exclusively available via the Garage Kingpin Decal Pack. Following the remove of the Garage Kingpin Decal Pack along with all other Car Packs, the decal has been unpurchasable, although owners can still equip it. (MMS)
    • Track errors that persist:
      • Major teleportation bugs still exist on various tracks. The two most prominent teleportation bugs occur at the ends of Transylvania: Citadel Clash and Terra 9: Metal Garden, respectively. These two teleportation bugs are relatively minor but also virtually essential to use in order to achieve the best possible lap-time; they cut off a split-second from the player's final lap-time, if used correctly. Many high-level players use these bugs (especially the Citadel Clash bug, which only works with very fast vehicles), and there have been no known reports of players being penalised for this, presumably due to the ubiquitous and minor nature of these teleportation bugs. There are also some risky teleportation bugs in other tracks, including Patagonia: Crystal Lake, Nevada Reverse, Munich Subway, and Venice, that are much more serious and can get players sent to the "Cheaterboard" or even banned (in special cases) if they are used in Time-Limited Events, cutting off huge amounts of time from the player's expected lap-time. (MMS)
        • Terra 9: Metal Garden also contains an extreme teleportation bug that falls under the "risky" category. It is highly recommended that players do not use this teleportation bug. (MMS)
        • The Terra 9: Metal Garden teleportation bug also exists on the reverse version of the track, Terra 9: Neon Pursuit (at the equivalent point along the track, at the beginning rather than at the end). This teleportation bug is little-known, seldom used, and unreliable, but it cuts off a split second from the player's lap-time. (MMS)
      • A minor teleportation bug exists on Munich Subway: Rooftop Raceway, wherein players can bypass the barrier at the beginning of the race, after having failed to take the conventional routes, via ramming their vehicle into the gap between the two stationary vehicles that straddle the barrier. There is a small area there that can allow the player to instantaneously teleport to the other side of the barrier without wrecking, although they would have already been slowed down anyway in comparison to having taken the correct routes (either the rooftops or the small tunnel). (MMS)
      • A minor teleportation bug exists in the middle of Terra 9: Metal Garden, wherein players can take the leftmost route in the middle of the track, scrape the wall on the right, and then instantaneously teleport underneath into the middle route. The teleportation bug occurs near a light pole that straddles the wall on the right. This bug is not essential for achieving an optimal lap-time on the track, though it can correct a player's route after they have already taken the longer route (the middle route is faster than the left-most route). (MMS)
      • On Sector 8, there is a high chance for vehicles to be "locked" into steering left or right after exiting a portal on the track. This might be triggered by steering left or right just before entering the portal. Even after the vehicle wrecks, the steering is often still broken until the player toggles their steering. The bug has existed since the preceding 2021 Spring Update. (MMS)
      • On Orbital Loop and Terra 9, the physics of vehicles can break down completely, especially after the game has been played for a long period of time and is becoming laggier. Vehicles can sometimes turn upside-down after jumping off of ramps normally (i.e. without barrel rolling), usually leading to wrecks. This bug is known to affect Windows players. (MMS)
      • On certain tracks, respawn loops can occur that are impossible to escape from. Such respawn loops exist on Venice (in the narrow streets) and Orbital Loop (in the jumps through space). Pseudo-respawn loops that are escapable exist on Nevada (in the entrance to the tunnel) and Tokyo Reverse (behind the barrel roll ramp in front of the mall). (MMS)
      • Loading up Patagonia, Transylvania and Terra 9 tracks can frequently lead to game crashes on Windows PC.
    • Game crashes are still frequent on Windows PC.
    • Several players continue to lose some or all in-game data on multiple platforms.
    • Time-Limited Events can often send players to the "Cheaterboard". Players have theorised that pressing the replay button directly from within the race or participating with bonus vehicles that haven't been nominally unlocked yet (i.e. the player owns them from a previous Festival but hasn't unlocked them in the current Festival yet) might be the anti-cheat triggers responsible for this phenomenon. (MMS)
    • In the Tag Season (Tag Racing) in Career Mode, the tail lights (rear lights) of the second vehicle sometimes turn off upon replaying races via directly pressing the replay button from within the race. What this means is that the lights no longer change colour on the vehicle, and there are also no special effects. This bug might be useful for visually inspecting the tail lights of certain vehicles without the special effects getting in the way. The bug has presumably been carried over from previous updates. (MMS)
    • Stars in Season 9 (MAX) in Career Mode are still misallocated, which has been a persistent issue for years.
    • Challenges in Car Mastery and Moto Blitz (Bike Mastery) mode are still misaligned, which has been a persistent issue for years.
    • The Lamborghini Asterion can still be superfluously won via Milestone Ads and standard Daily Ads. In Milestone Ads, the compensation for winning the Asterion superfluously is Fusion Coins 2,888, the same as the regular Fusion Coins Fusion Coins prize in Milestone Ads. The compensation in standard Daily Ads is unknown. It was Credits 1,500 over one year ago. It might be the same as the compensation in Milestone Ads in the present day. (MMS)

v.5.8.2

Released on August 20, 2021, this update removed the following songs:

  • Band of Skulls - Asleep at the Wheel (Rock)
  • Silversun Pickups - Cannibal (Rock)
  • AWOLNATION - Burn it Down (Rock)
  • Kasabian - Underdog (Rock)
  • Mutemath - Blood Pressure (Rock)
  • Queens of the Stone Age - Go With The Flow (Rock)
  • The Bloody Beetroots - Rocksteady (Electronic)
  • deadmau5 - Professional Griefers ft. Gerard Way (Electronic)
  • Vitalic - Stamina (Electronic)
  • The Crystal Method - Play For Real (Dirtyphonics Remix) (Electronic)
  • Hadouken! - Mic Check (Camo & Krooked Remix) (Electronic)

As a result of the removal of the aforementioned songs, along with the entire Rock radio station, two songs, Ares (Villains Remix) by Bloc Party and Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go! by Trentemøller were moved to the Electronic radio station.

Post-update screen

Updates for Asphalt 8: Airborne
2013 Original Release (v1.0.0) • Free to Play Update (v1.1.0)
2014 Daily Bonus Update (v1.2.0) • The Great Wall Update (v1.3.0)
Fuel Events Update (v1.4.0) • Dubai Update (v1.5.0)
San Diego Harbor Update (v1.6.0) • Winter Update (v1.7.0)
2015 Decals Update (v1.8.0) • More Than 300 Decals Update (v1.8.1)
Tenerife Update (v1.9.0) • Car Mastery Update (v2.0.0)
Research & Development Update (v2.1.0) • Santa's Gift Update (v2.2.0)
2016 Lunar New Year Update (v2.3.0) • Elite Cars Update (v2.4.0)
Enduro Update (v2.5.0) • Rio de Janeiro Update (v2.6.0)
Multiplayer League Update (v2.7.0) • Championship Update (v2.8.0)
2017 Lunar New Year 2017 Update (v2.9.0) • Car Blueprints Update (v3.0.0)
Porsche Update (v3.1.0) • Motorcycles Update (v3.2.0)
Munich Update (v3.3.0) • Hot Wheels Update (v3.4.0)
2018 Fall Out Boy Update (v3.5.0) • 2018 Spring Update (v3.6.0)
Asphalt Moments Update (v3.7.0) • Fifth Anniversary Update (v3.8.0)
Halloween Update (v3.9.0) • Holiday Update (v4.0.0)
2019 Fast Lane Update (v4.1.0) • 2019 Spring Update (v4.2.0)
Showdown Update (v4.3.0) • Sixth Anniversary Mini Update (v4.4.0)
Sixth Anniversary Update (v4.5.0) • 2019 Halloween Update (v4.6.0)
2019 Holiday Update (v4.7.0)
2020 2020 Lunar New Year Update (v4.8.0) • 2020 Spring Update (v4.9.0)
Formula E Update (v4.9.1) • Fifteenth Anniversary Update (v5.0.0)
Wild Cards Update (v5.1.0) • 2020 Summer Update (v5.2.0)
Seventh Anniversary Update (v5.3.0) • 2020 Halloween Update (v5.4.0)
2020 Christmas Update (v5.5.0)
2021 2021 Lunar New Year Update (v5.6.0) • 2021 Spring Update (v5.7.0)
2021 Summer Update (v5.8.0) • Eighth Anniversary Update (v5.9.0)
2021 Holiday Update (v6.0.0) • 2021 Christmas Update (v6.1.0)
2022 2022 Lunar New Year Update (v6.2.0) • Neon Season Update (v6.3.0)
Ninth Anniversary Update (v6.4.0) • Gangstar Season Update (v6.5.0)
Golden Season Update (v6.6.0) • Golden Season Mini Update (v6.7.0)
Hot Winter Season Update (v6.8.0)
2023 2023 Lunar New Year Update (v6.9.0) • Garage Life Season Update (v7.0.0)
2023 Spring Update (v7.1.0) • 2023 Summer Update (v7.2.0)
Tenth Anniversary Update (v7.3.0) • 2023 Halloween Update (v7.4.0)
2023 Holiday Update (v7.5.0)
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