The best PC racing wheels are the ones to shop for if you’re looking to build a dedicated racing setup on desktop. A PC racing wheel setup has the capacity to make your racing game sessions all the more enjoyable, with top features like immersive force feedback, accurate and responsive steering, and expert build quality.
As you’ll see in our general guide to the overall best racing wheels, those available for PC also tend to come bundled with a set of pedals for an even more enjoyable racing experience and one that saves cash in the long run. Read on to learn all about our picks for the best PC racing wheels. Or, for a broader look at options on console, our best PS5 racing wheels and best Xbox racing wheels pages are ideal for finding a setup for your platform of choice.
The Quick List
Best overall
Best overall
Combining quality, ease of setup, and a great value price point, the Logitech G923 is our best overall PC racing wheel pick for most people.
Best budget
Best budget
The Thrustmaster T128 marries ease of use with an overall solid, feature-rich experience for less. Perfect if you’re on a budget.
Best premium
Best premium
For the price, you’re getting a superbly powerful racing experience with the T-GT 2 along with smooth force feedback and a swappable wheelbase.
Best for beginners
Best for beginners
The Logitech G920 offers exceptionally detailed force feedback, providing one of the most immersive racing experiences at its price point, and comes in slightly cheaper than the G923.
Best accessory
5. Thrustmaster TH8S shifter
Best accessory
Prefer manual transmission? Thrustmaster’s TH8S gear shifter is a PC racing wheel accessory that’s compatible with most racing games.
Best controller
6. Thrustmaster eSwap XR Pro
Best controller
The Thrustmaster eSwap XR Pro offers high customizability with its stick and d-pad modules alongside a fantastic racing wheel add-on for the stick itself.
The best PC racing wheels in 2024
Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The best PC racing wheel overall
Buy it if
✅ You want the complete package: Coming with pedals and a pre-fitted wheelbase, the Logitech G923 has everything you need to get started right away.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You’re on a tighter budget: It’s the PC racing wheel we’d recommend above all else, but it’s nonetheless a pricey investment for those interested.
When it comes to the best PC racing wheels, Logitech leads the charge with the superb G923. It features in our other racing wheel buying guides for a reason; the sheer quality on offer here matched with a reasonable mid-range price point makes it the best overall choice for racing fans.
The Logitech G923 outshines much of its competition in terms of build quality, overall customizability, and in-game performance. You’re getting a set of three pedals here (throttle, brake, and clutch) as well as a wheelbase already attached. These factors alone make the G923 perfect for beginners who just want to plug in and play from the go.
The Logitech G923 is also supported by pretty much all of the best racing games that are worth playing today. Be that Forza Horizon 5, EA Sports WRC, F1 24, or even Need for Speed Unbound, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a racer that doesn’t support Logitech’s wheel. Even though it’s a few years old at this point, it still remains an excellent choice and our PC racing wheel recommendation for most players.
Coming in at $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$799, the Logitech G923 offers great value too but it is also subject to frequent price drops throughout the year. It’s been a stalwart PC racing wheel for a number of years, and it’ll be hard to beat going forward.
The best budget PC racing wheel
Buy it if
✅ You’re not looking to spend much: The Thrustmaster T128 provides incredible value for money at its relatively lower asking price and it’s packed with great features.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You’re a stalwart racing simmer: If you want all the racing wheel bells and whistles and better build quality, consider shopping for a pricier wheel if you’re able.
Want an affordable PC racing wheel that’s blissfully simple to set up? Then look no further than the Thrustmaster T128. With superb features that you won’t often find at this price point outside of a sale, the T128 really stands out as a budget option.
The Thrustmaster T128 is the PC racing wheel we recommend if you want a quality racing experience while still saving a bit of cash. Coming in cheaper than this list’s Logitech options, it offers a comparable experience with 900-degree rotation and a decent amount of force feedback for more immersive driving. The inclusion of a wheelbase, pedals and a simple layout of action buttons also make it a very approachable racing wheel for players who just want to get stuck in with little fuss.
While we’ve yet to review the Thrustmaster T128, we suggest reading the Thrustmaster T128 review over at our sister site, GamesRadar+, which described it as “a great entry-level rig,” and one that offers “a taste of what great force-feedback can add to sim racing.”
- Stay tuned for our full Thrustmaster T128 review coming soon
The best premium PC racing wheel
Buy it if
✅ You want robust features and customization: With a quick-release system and a huge amount of action buttons, the T-GT 2 is ideal for sim-heads who frequently adjust their setups.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You’re new to PC racing wheels: If you’re a first-time purchaser, the T-GT 2 isn’t quite ideal with its price tag and overwhelming litany of features.
When it comes to the best PC racing wheels, the Thrustmaster T-GT 2 is an easy pick for the best premium choice. Don’t be fooled by the giant Gran Turismo logo in the center of the wheel; it’s still compatible with PC and makes for a top-flight option.
The T-GT 2 puts forward a very impressive feature set, boasting up to 1,080 degrees of rotation (which can be altered within the Thrustmaster PC software), ultra-smooth linear force feedback, a three pedal base and a quick-release system. That last one allows you to unlock the wheel from the servo base for use with other supporting bases. Throw in a whopping 25 action buttons and you’ve got plenty of customization options for in-depth sim racers.
The wheel, pedals and servo base as one package comes to $799.99 / £699.99; about as expensive as a PS5 Pro, actually. But we digress; those with the cash to spend will find a superb, long-lasting premium PC racing wheel in the Thrustmaster T-GT 2.
The best PC racing wheel for beginners
Buy it if
✅ You want a fantastic entry-level wheel: It’s a few years old now, but the G920 remains a powerhouse in its price bracket thanks to top-notch build quality, superb force feedback and pin-sharp responsiveness.
Don’t buy it if
❌ That brake pedal sounds like trouble: Really the only major downside here is the G920’s stiff brake pedal. Sensitivity settings in-game can help alleviate the stress of it, but it will take some serious getting used to still.
We’ve picked the Logitech G920 as one of the best PC racing wheels largely for its beginner-friendly nature. Like the G923 above, it’s a plug-and-play wheel that isn’t too large, has superb force feedback and actually comes in cheaper (in the US, at least) than its sibling wheel.
As we’ve come to expect from the brand, the G920’s build quality is nothing short of superb, with a leatherette-wrapped wheel providing tight grip and comfort which makes it a great pick for endurance racing and the lengthy grand prix events of F1 24.
The only outstanding flaw we discovered with the G920 is its awkwardly stiff brake pedal, which we found to be quite irksome during testing. We recommend downloading the G Hub software on PC and whacking brake sensitivity up, which will reflect universally across all supported games.
The Logitech G920 is available for $299.99 / £349.99 / AU$549.95 but it is worth keeping in mind that it’s often subject to some pretty fantastic discount prices over major sales periods. You’re also getting a set of pedals just like the G923, increasing the value proposition exponentially.
The best PC racing wheel accessory
Buy it if
✅ You want immersive manual transmission: For a satisfying and tactile gear shifting experience, this is an absolute must-own racing accessory.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You’re an F1 player: Codemasters’ open-wheel sim racers are great, but not particularly well-suited to the TH8S given their use of eight forward gears.
One of the best PC racing wheel accessories for us is certainly the Thrustmaster TH8S gear shifter. It does what it says on the tin and provides a more realistic and tactile way to apply manual transmission to your racing sim sessions. And when it comes to setup, things couldn’t be easier; simply clamp it to your desk, hook it up to your PC via USB-C or DIN and you’re ready to go.
At $69.99 / £59.99, we also find it to be a very reasonably priced PC racing wheel accessory. That’s doubly so if you’ve already saved cash by opting for a cheaper wheel like the Thrustmaster T128. Given the branding, you may be tempted to pair the TH8S with a Thrustmaster wheel, but as it connects directly to your PC, it’ll work well with any racing wheel.
With seven forward gears and one for reverse, the Thrustmaster TH8S is ideal for racers that primarily feature road cars. It’s a superb option for more casual games like Forza Horizon 5 or The Crew Motorfest, as well as simmers like Assetto Corsa Competizione. We find that it’s not best suited for open-wheel racers like F1 24, given those cars’ reliance on eight forward gears.
The best PC racing controller
Buy it if
✅ You want a more novel racing experience: The eSwap XR Pro’s bespoke wheel module is an excellent substitute if you’re not interested in a full wheel setup.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You’re on a tighter budget: Much like the entire eSwap range, the eSwap XR Pro is pretty expensive as far as standard controllers go. You may wish to wait for a sale here.
What’s this? A controller in a list of the best PC racing wheels? It’s true; the Thrustmaster eSwap XR Pro is a gamepad, but it has a unique extra up its sleeve that you may want to consider if you’re after a racing wheel-adjacent experience, but don’t have the room for a full setup.
The eSwap XR Pro includes a bespoke racing wheel add-on module that can be swapped into the pad in place of a traditional thumb stick (or d-pad module, depending on what you prefer to swap out). It provides full rotation, making it effectively a miniature steering wheel for use with racing games. It’s an excellent addition and is also brilliantly responsive, making it more than just a throwaway gimmick in our books; Thrustmaster really put some effort in here.
If you’re familiar with the eSwap lineup, you’ll be glad to know that all the hallmarks of the brand including swappable stick and d-pad modules are also present and accounted for here. That means you can, for example, adopt PlayStation’s symmetrical stick layout if you’d prefer.
At $179.99 / £179.99 / AU$379 it is a premium wired controller; encroaching on the retail price of the Thrustmaster T128. That said, it’s still a worthwhile option if you like the idea of essentially having a controller and a racing wheel packed into one device.
The best PC racing wheels FAQs
What PC racing wheel should I buy if I’m just starting out?
Beginners to the PC racing wheel scene shouldn’t feel pressured to shell out for the best premium pick. In reality, you’ll be well served opting for the Thrustmaster T128 – our best budget option – thanks to an impressive feature set at its relatively lower price point. Those willing to spend a bit more should consider the Logitech G920, however. This PC racing wheel is exceptionally easy to set up; going from box to desk to game potentially in mere minutes.
Is a PC racing wheel worth it?
This will all depend on how often you play PC racing games, as well as which types. For simpler arcade racers, a standard controller can do the job just fine. However, when it comes to more in-depth sim racers, you often miss out by not making use of a more immersive control style. If you frequent the lobbies of Assetto Corsa Competizione or iRacing, then, having a PC racing wheel will exponentially increase your enjoyment of those titles.
How we test the best PC racing wheels
In testing the best PC racing wheels, accessories or controllers for review, we dig deep into a number of factors to determine whether or not a product is worth your time and cash; let alone whether it should be considered among the best or not. PC racing wheels are typically expensive peripherals, so knowing you’re getting your money’s worth is paramount.
On that note, we take a microscope to elements like build quality, ease of setup, versatility and of course, overall performance. We take into account features like force feedback, rotation, ease of setup, customizability and overall responsiveness during racing sessions. Once we’ve analyzed all that, we put those factors up against the price of the PC racing wheel in question to determine overall value for money.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PSFEZadUvQtidw6RsmkYmA-1200-80.jpg
Source link