WHAT YOU'LL NEED
OK, so you've seen a slice of the action and you want to join in. You're spoilt for choice for games and equipment so your choices may be constrained to a budget. At the end of the day, nobody with bills to pay will be buying expensive kit from the start.
SIM RACING ON THE CHEAP - COST £250-£450, NO SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Platform: PC with dedicated Graphics Card or PS4/XBOX
The Sim: Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition on PC - PS4 - XBOX or Live For Speed on PC
The Equipment: Logitech G29 Driving Force Steering Wheel and Pedals or for XBOX Users Logitech G920
Assetto Corsa is available for a low price and remains popular since it's initial release in 2014. I consider this a good sim with which to start as it's intuitive to drive and is at the top end of the curve in terms of audio and visual experience, which is important even for sims which are supposed to be all about the feel and physics. It has a large online community and modding options (mods only on PC platform). Not that these are of much interest initially but it's always good to know there's a lot of room to grow into should you be hooked. The list of cars you can sample spans all corners of Motorsport, from a factory Fiat 500 to a La Ferrari, and being an italian development studio they have poured a lot of love into crafting a sim with passion and excitement. Watching replays back is very satisfying in Assetto Corsa, just look at this hotlap showcase we created of a recent Ferrari F1 model included with the Ultimate Edition.
An honorable mention goes to Live For Speed, an absolutely amazing simulator that truly defies belief when you consider it was created by a small team of 3 people - Scawen Roberts (Programmer), Eric Bailey (Artist) and Victor van Vlaardingen (Webmaster). I can't think of another team of people that absolutely punches far above their weight, and when you sample Live For Speed you'll understand why. Long before rFactor 2 could claim to model tyre wall deformation physics or flat spotting, Live For Speed was doing it first. Live for Speed is particularly popular in regions of the world where exchange rates are poor because of its low cost, very low performance requirements and low fussiness. The Free version of Live For Speed allows a select portion of cars and tracks without spending a penny, and somehow it's even fairly driveable with a mouse and keyboard. Combine this with the low hardware demands and you can see how for some regions of the world, Live For Speed is simply the one and only option to have fun with simulators.
As for the equipment, the G29 is truly the all-purpose steering wheel for the masses. I used Logitech Wheels from 2005 to 2020 and they were consistently dependable and got the job done. The Fanatec CSL Elite is a huge jump from the G29 for sure, but when you're entering the scene without busting your bank account, the G29 is there. Released as the G920 for XBOX/PC, the G29 is compatible with Playstation/PC. As you get a respectable force feedback wheel with paddle shift along with a 3-pedal base to make the throttle, brake and clutch available to you is the G29/G920 is still the best value option for beginners and cost conscious intermediates.
You may have seen some professional drivers on Instagram showing off their sim racing setups with dedicated cockpits and fixed rigs, but they are at the extreme end of the scale. You won't need a cockpit or rig to use a G29, all you need is an ordinary computer desk or a basic wheel stand if you're racing in front of the TV. I raced on the most basic of PC desks for a long time - keeping costs down is the benefit of making do with what you have - there's no reason to have the best kit if you're starting out, just get stuck in! You can even use an ordinary office chair with locking castors, or you can get yourself a set of bell stem castors to keep it planted in place when you press that brake pedal. For IKEA Chairs, select 10mm castors, for all others 11mm will fit.
All in all, assuming you already have your console or PC, you can extract years of fun from this most basic of setups with no rolling fees or subscriptions.
The Sim: Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition on PC - PS4 - XBOX or Live For Speed on PC
The Equipment: Logitech G29 Driving Force Steering Wheel and Pedals or for XBOX Users Logitech G920
Assetto Corsa is available for a low price and remains popular since it's initial release in 2014. I consider this a good sim with which to start as it's intuitive to drive and is at the top end of the curve in terms of audio and visual experience, which is important even for sims which are supposed to be all about the feel and physics. It has a large online community and modding options (mods only on PC platform). Not that these are of much interest initially but it's always good to know there's a lot of room to grow into should you be hooked. The list of cars you can sample spans all corners of Motorsport, from a factory Fiat 500 to a La Ferrari, and being an italian development studio they have poured a lot of love into crafting a sim with passion and excitement. Watching replays back is very satisfying in Assetto Corsa, just look at this hotlap showcase we created of a recent Ferrari F1 model included with the Ultimate Edition.
An honorable mention goes to Live For Speed, an absolutely amazing simulator that truly defies belief when you consider it was created by a small team of 3 people - Scawen Roberts (Programmer), Eric Bailey (Artist) and Victor van Vlaardingen (Webmaster). I can't think of another team of people that absolutely punches far above their weight, and when you sample Live For Speed you'll understand why. Long before rFactor 2 could claim to model tyre wall deformation physics or flat spotting, Live For Speed was doing it first. Live for Speed is particularly popular in regions of the world where exchange rates are poor because of its low cost, very low performance requirements and low fussiness. The Free version of Live For Speed allows a select portion of cars and tracks without spending a penny, and somehow it's even fairly driveable with a mouse and keyboard. Combine this with the low hardware demands and you can see how for some regions of the world, Live For Speed is simply the one and only option to have fun with simulators.
As for the equipment, the G29 is truly the all-purpose steering wheel for the masses. I used Logitech Wheels from 2005 to 2020 and they were consistently dependable and got the job done. The Fanatec CSL Elite is a huge jump from the G29 for sure, but when you're entering the scene without busting your bank account, the G29 is there. Released as the G920 for XBOX/PC, the G29 is compatible with Playstation/PC. As you get a respectable force feedback wheel with paddle shift along with a 3-pedal base to make the throttle, brake and clutch available to you is the G29/G920 is still the best value option for beginners and cost conscious intermediates.
You may have seen some professional drivers on Instagram showing off their sim racing setups with dedicated cockpits and fixed rigs, but they are at the extreme end of the scale. You won't need a cockpit or rig to use a G29, all you need is an ordinary computer desk or a basic wheel stand if you're racing in front of the TV. I raced on the most basic of PC desks for a long time - keeping costs down is the benefit of making do with what you have - there's no reason to have the best kit if you're starting out, just get stuck in! You can even use an ordinary office chair with locking castors, or you can get yourself a set of bell stem castors to keep it planted in place when you press that brake pedal. For IKEA Chairs, select 10mm castors, for all others 11mm will fit.
All in all, assuming you already have your console or PC, you can extract years of fun from this most basic of setups with no rolling fees or subscriptions.
STARTING STRONG OR STEPPING UP - £650-£2000+
The Platform: PC
The Sim: iRacing.com, rFactor 2 or Assetto Corsa Competizione
The Equipment: Fanatec CSL Elite Wheelbase and Pedals or Fanatec ClubSport Wheelbase and Pedals mounted to a Racing Cockpit
And so we arrive into the territory of the 'passionate' sim racer, by choosing platforms with a more serious user base and equipment that is more advanced and powerful than you would see outside of trade shows and simulation booths. iRacing.com is our primary sim racing platform of choice purely for it's current status as king of matchmaking and solid netcode along with a horde of drivers of all skill levels, including professional racers like Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris just to name a few. With iRacing it's relatively likely that you'll be rubbing shoulders with real world Motorsport stars.
rFactor 2 is a solid choice albeit trickier to get started and slot into just because of its brutalist user interface, its force feedback quality and physics authenticity are at the top of the board and it's basic simulation framework reportedly forms the backbone of numerous industry simulators used by professionals. iRacing is where you go for serious racing, rFactor 2 is where you go for the most serious and lifelike driving simulation.
Both iRacing and rFactor enjoyed massive exposure in the year of 2020 thanks to almost all the world's televised virtual motorsport taking place on their services (besides the Virtual F1 races using the official Codemasters F1 game). This year the virtual Le Mans 24 Hour was held on rFactor 2 which was largely a great example of the format for public viewing.
A very honorable mention goes to Assetto Corsa Competizione which is a recently released semi-sequel to Assetto Corsa. Assetto Corsa Competizione, or ACC for short, focuses on GT3 and GT4 racing to incredibly slick effect and carries the honour of being the official game of the GT series. By far the most impressive audio visual experience of the sims we've been involved in, ACC is amazing to behold and carries on Assetto Corsa's tradition of being just as electrifying to watch replays as to drive the cars. ACC does for GT racing what the F1 series games do for F1, only with an obvious emphasis towards a more mature audience. No other serious simulator today makes such a broad effort to be an experience simulator, not just a driving simulator. If you've watched onboard videos from real racing driver and sim racer David Perel and want something to most closely resemble the experience, ACC is the sim for you. With a ranked matchmaking service and large community, it is a potential competitor to iRacing if it can twist the arm of those focused on GT driving, like myself.
The Sim: iRacing.com, rFactor 2 or Assetto Corsa Competizione
The Equipment: Fanatec CSL Elite Wheelbase and Pedals or Fanatec ClubSport Wheelbase and Pedals mounted to a Racing Cockpit
And so we arrive into the territory of the 'passionate' sim racer, by choosing platforms with a more serious user base and equipment that is more advanced and powerful than you would see outside of trade shows and simulation booths. iRacing.com is our primary sim racing platform of choice purely for it's current status as king of matchmaking and solid netcode along with a horde of drivers of all skill levels, including professional racers like Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris just to name a few. With iRacing it's relatively likely that you'll be rubbing shoulders with real world Motorsport stars.
rFactor 2 is a solid choice albeit trickier to get started and slot into just because of its brutalist user interface, its force feedback quality and physics authenticity are at the top of the board and it's basic simulation framework reportedly forms the backbone of numerous industry simulators used by professionals. iRacing is where you go for serious racing, rFactor 2 is where you go for the most serious and lifelike driving simulation.
Both iRacing and rFactor enjoyed massive exposure in the year of 2020 thanks to almost all the world's televised virtual motorsport taking place on their services (besides the Virtual F1 races using the official Codemasters F1 game). This year the virtual Le Mans 24 Hour was held on rFactor 2 which was largely a great example of the format for public viewing.
A very honorable mention goes to Assetto Corsa Competizione which is a recently released semi-sequel to Assetto Corsa. Assetto Corsa Competizione, or ACC for short, focuses on GT3 and GT4 racing to incredibly slick effect and carries the honour of being the official game of the GT series. By far the most impressive audio visual experience of the sims we've been involved in, ACC is amazing to behold and carries on Assetto Corsa's tradition of being just as electrifying to watch replays as to drive the cars. ACC does for GT racing what the F1 series games do for F1, only with an obvious emphasis towards a more mature audience. No other serious simulator today makes such a broad effort to be an experience simulator, not just a driving simulator. If you've watched onboard videos from real racing driver and sim racer David Perel and want something to most closely resemble the experience, ACC is the sim for you. With a ranked matchmaking service and large community, it is a potential competitor to iRacing if it can twist the arm of those focused on GT driving, like myself.