In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re entering a golden era of racing games. In May 2026, Forza Horizon 6 was released on the Xbox and, for a time, it felt like half the gaming world was screeching around the streets of Japan.
At the same time, on the PS5, millions still flock to the slightly older, but more serious racing sim Gran Turismo 7 for the weekly races and ladder competitions.
Even F1 drivers are at it: when Max Verstappen isn’t on the track, you can probably find him competing online with his own Verstappen Sim Racing team.
Indeed, Max is a big advocate of sim racing – games that attempt to recreate the driving experience as authentically as possible, including using realistic racing wheels and pedals. He argues that it’s a much better way to find driving talent than the traditional ‘karting to open-wheel racing’ route that costs millions.
So what does it take to get involved? Well, if you want to graduate from a controller to something that makes you feel like a sim racer, we think you’ll need around £700 (about $950), and that’s not including a console or a PC.
Here’s how we got there.
The game
First, you need to pick a game and console, as some will only be compatible with one system.
Sure, you might want to pull up alongside Max in rFactor 2 (it’s the place to be if you’re serious about sim racing), but it’s expensive, hugely demanding of your time and very strict.
Plus, a gaming PC is going to set you back at least £1,500 ($2,000). Console games will provide 90 per cent of the fun, and you won’t need a bank loan to get started.
If you already own a console, stick with that and find racing games there. For us, the PS5 is the console of choice.
That’s because Gran Turismo 7 is the best entry point to sim racing, and it’s a PlayStation exclusive. There’s a healthy community of racers and a ranking system you can climb towards real competitive events.
The yearly Formula 1 series and the more serious Assetto Corsa are also great options if you’re on Xbox.
The kit
The wheel and pedals
This is the core and where most of your budget should go. Cheaper wheels use belts or gears to generate resistance; better ones use ‘hybrid’ or ‘direct drive’ systems for sharper, more detailed feedback.
On the pedal side, look for a proper brake pedal that directly measures how much pressure you are using rather than a simple spring. A load cell brake, for instance, can give you a lot more control and makes a bigger difference to how the car feels under braking than almost any other single upgrade, though it tends to be something you add later.
The seat
A wheel bolted to a wobbly desk will quickly frustrate, because you lose the ability to brace against the pedals under hard braking, and your sitting position is all wrong. What’s more, you won’t get to enjoy the authentic sim racing experience to the full.
You don’t need a full motion rig to fix this – a dedicated, foldable cockpit does the job for a fraction of the price and can be packed away when you’re not using it if you have limited space.
The monitor
Easy to overlook, but a fast-refresh screen matters more in racing games than almost any other genre, because you’re reacting to braking points and apex markers in real time.
A 144Hz-plus panel with a low response time and support for your console’s variable refresh rate will noticeably reduce blur and input lag compared with a standard TV.
A curved, wide screen will up the immersion. Multiple screens give a wide field of view, but take up a lot of room and are usually pricey.
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The setup I tried
Here's a complete realistic beginner's rig:
...Wheel and pedals: Thrustmaster T248R ~£249.99
A hybrid force feedback wheel with a magnetic pedal set and an on-wheel display for adjusting settings without a PC. It’s officially licensed for PS5, PS4 and PC, and maps straight into Gran Turismo 7’s wheel settings with no fuss.
Buy the Thrustmaster T248R from Amazon
...Seat: Next Level Racing GTLITE Pro ~£279
A foldable, GT-style cockpit rated for wheels with up to 13Nm of torque, so it won’t need replacing even if you upgrade the wheel later. Rolls away on built-in wheels when you need the space back.
Buy the Next Level Racing GTLITE Pro from Amazon
...Monitor: iiyama G-Master G2766HSU-B1 ~£115-165
A 27in (69cm) curved gaming monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time – well beyond what a standard TV offers and enough to make braking points noticeably easier to judge.
Buy the iiyama G-Master G2766HSU-B1 from Amazon
How did it fare?
A lot of sim racing is about understanding what your tyres are doing. Through its ‘hybrid’ drive system, the Thrustmaster pedal and wheel do a great job of this – it was like playing a whole new game when I fired up Gran Turismo 7.
It’s worth digging into the wheel’s menu to fine-tune the settings, but out of the box it’s close to plug-and-play. The pedals were sturdy with enough travel and resistance to feel realistic.
The Next Level Racing seat comes in a surprisingly small package and is easy to build – all you need is some IKEA-level construction skills.
Despite being designed to fold away and be hidden in a cupboard, it’s comfortable for several hours and, crucially, makes you feel like you’re sitting in a racing car.
The iiyama curved monitor is a winner. If you can, spend a little more for something bigger. But at this price it’s hard to fault.
The road ahead
It’s tempting to go all in and invest, but sim racing requires time and space. If you have both, then this setup is modular enough that you can upgrade each component one at a time.
That said, if you want to just jump into an F1 race on a Sunday and pretend you’re in Monaco, this will do the trick.
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