Sim Racing Entry Guide
Priority:Cost:Experience

Our Sim Racing starter's guide is specially designed to help newcomers into the sport (eSport) prioritize, balance out costs and get the best experience from what they decide to go with. We've laid out several options for everyone to choose from and slowly move up as they find a further interest in Sim Racing!

The essential device you need to have to truly experience good, realistic simulators is to have a gaming PC. It does not have to be the latest specs, but ideally something that has the capability for Virtual Reality (VR) in the future. A decent gaming PC build would cost around $1,500 in today's prices [05-Jan-2022]

And if you're not willing to invest too much into Sim Racing, you can race on free/cheap titles found on the Steam Store, while using your keyboard or a game controller just to get a feel of how far the Sim Racing industry has come.

01
Simulation Software

There are many titles on the market with varying levels of realism, graphics, and mechanics. Here is a quick summary of our recommendations:

1. RaceRoom Racing Experience - From $0

Free to play - Eat, Sleep, Race, Repeat
Lots of paid, quality content
Good realism
Various preset difficulties for all levels
Single & Multiplayer

2. rFactor 2 - From $27.50

Probably the best physics model
Tons of mods, workshops & free content
Dynamic racing experience
Multiplayer requires dedicated server
Open architecture

3. Automobilista 2 - From $34

Race anything, anywhere, anytime
Accessible visual realism
Fully dynamic racing
Racing legends
Ever evolving, ever-expanding
Simple UI for hosting and joining

The next priority to really up your racing experience is to get a Force Feedback wheel! You'd be surprised at how immersive it gets once you can feel all the bumps and forces on track.

1. Logitech G29 - From $600

Best entry level wheel with decent forces
Gear system but feels smooth
Really affordable and works with most sims

2. Thrustmaster T300RS GT - From $750

Belt driven system for a truly smooth experience
GT version comes with 3-Pedals
Decent Force Feedback strength

3. Direct Drive Wheel - From $2,000

For enthusiasts
Strong Force Feedback
Direct Drive so you can feel every detail
Expensive but worth the price

02
Steering Wheel Set

03
Display Output

Different people have different preference in how they want to "see" their racing. But our 2 recommendations are Virtual Reality (VR) which really puts you as if you're in the seat of the car, allowing you to look all directions by turning your head, as you would in real life. Or if you can't stand VR, go for an Ultrawide Monitor.

Here are our recommendations for either:

1. Oculus Quest 2 - From $600

Most affordable VR headset
Relatively good quality
Simple setup

2. Prism+ X300 - From $429

30" Ultrawide Curved monitor
One of the best priced in the market
Monitor arm makes mounting anywhere easy

We strongly recommend going for aluminium profile rigs as they are modular, so they can be adjusted anytime, any way you like, and they are relatively affordable. The main Con is that building it may be a little bit difficult. However, we do provide a few variations of rigs we have build and tested before and offer all the parts needed to build them yourself.

1. Basic Rig - From $600