Sim Racing for Beginners

Step 1: Choose your platform

Already have a console? Start there. If you are choosing from scratch and want to get serious, PC gives the most room to grow.

Step 2: Pick a beginner-friendly game

More options in our best racing games for PC.

Step 3: Get a wheel and pedals

You can start with a controller, but a wheel and pedals make braking and car control far easier to learn. Three things to know:

• Direct drive is now affordable. Entry bundles such as the MOZA R5 (PC) or Thrustmaster T598 (PS5, PC) cost about what gear-driven wheels used to and feel far more detailed. A Logitech G923 is the cheapest proper option. Compare them in our budget wheels under $300 and wheel guide or by platform: PC, PS5, Xbox.
• Pedals matter more than the wheel. A load cell brake, which responds to how hard you press, makes you more consistent. It is the best first upgrade: see our pedal guide.
• Check platform support. On console, the wheel must be licensed for that console, and add-ons like a shifter must match the wheel's brand.

Shifters and handbrakes are optional: worth it for road cars, rally and drift (shifters, handbrakes), not needed for GT3 or formula cars with paddles. For immersion later, a bass shaker under the seat adds engine and kerb feel.

Step 4: Decide where to mount it

• Desk: fine for a G923 or a small direct drive base with a clamp, but office chairs roll back under braking.
• Wheel stand or foldable cockpit: cheap, keeps the pedals fixed to your seat, folds away. See the wheel stand guide and budget rig guide.
• Cockpit: a steel or aluminium profile rig for stronger wheels and load cell pedals. See the cockpit guide and seats.

Step 5: Set up your screen and field of view

This is the step most beginners skip, and it changes everything. Put the screen as close as you can behind the wheel, then set the in-game field of view (FOV) for your screen size and distance. The correct FOV makes speed and distance look real, so braking points become easier to judge.

• Use our FOV calculator, or the page for your game: iRacing, ACC, Assetto Corsa, LMU.
• Set your seat first: our seat position guide has the angles to aim for.
• Choosing a screen? See the monitor guide, TVs, triples vs ultrawide or VR.

Step 6: Get the settings right

• Wheel rotation: set your wheel software to 900° and match it in the game (most sims then set each car's lock).
• Force feedback: start low and raise it until you feel the car without the wheel going "dead" in fast corners.
• Assists: keep traction control and ABS on (real GT cars use them), turn off stability control and the racing line once you know the track.
• Frame rate: smooth frames beat pretty graphics. See our iRacing graphics guide, ACC settings guide and F1 25 wheel settings, plus iRacing FFB settings, LMU settings, AMS2 FFB settings and GT7 wheel settings.

Step 7: Learn to drive fast

1. Pick one car and one track and stay with them for a while. Changing every session slows learning.
2. Brake in a straight line, hard at first, then ease off as you turn in.
3. Be smooth before you are fast. Consistent laps come first; speed follows.
4. Use reference points such as boards, kerbs and signs for braking and turn-in.
5. Watch a faster driver, through replays, a ghost car or onboard videos of the same car and track.
6. Race clean online. Finishing without contact matters more than winning at first; iRacing and ACC online reward it.
7. Don't get frustrated. Everyone is slow at first. A few weeks of regular practice makes a big difference.

Beginner setups by budget

Upgrade in this order for the biggest gains: correct FOV and seat position (free), pedals, a stiffer mount, then the wheel and screens.

FAQ

Last reviewed October 2026.