Hot Wheels Race Off Car List
Sondra Pevy
Racing wheels pair the best with games that feature a level of realistic simulation. On PC, this could be Assetto Corsa Competizione and iRacing. And over on console, games like Forza Horizon 5, F1 24 and Gran Turismo 7 support a wide range of contemporary racing wheels, meaning that you don't need to play them with a more traditional controller.
Force feedback is a standard feature now, and can be found in most of the best racing wheels. Essentially, the feature aims to provide realistic physical feedback based on on-track events. This could register in the wheel rattling when hugging the apex of a tight corner, or shaking after a collision with a rival driver. Force feedback is largely implemented for the sake of immersion, much like a controller's rumble. However, if you find it distracts you from performing during a race, most games offer the option to switch it off or adjust its intensity.
Racing wheels can be expensive, but there are options if you're operating on a stricter budget. While still not necessarily cheap, we'd recommend either the Thrustmaster T150 or the Hori Apex as they're fantastic entry-level wheels that, unlike models like the Thrustmaster T300 RS, won't cost the earth.
The best racing wheels are much more than just a fun novelty. For certain titles, a racing wheel setup can be more advantageous than a traditional controller thanks to pinpoint steering, immersive force feedback and ancillary features like a set of pedals or even a gear shifter. But that said, they can also be a more engaging and immersive way to enjoy racing sims.
If you want to go all-out, a top-grade racing wheel setup can make racers like Gran Turismo 7 and F1 24 feel particularly immersive. With a racing wheel, and potentially a set of pedals, dedicated wheel base and a gear shifter, you've instantly got a more realistic driving experience. You'll also find this to be the case with many of the best PS5 racing wheels, which often come bundled with these extras.
Our pick for the best racing wheel overall is a real jack-of-all-trades in terms of performance, design and price: the Thrustmaster T248. This excellent racing wheel boasts top-notch build quality for both the wheel and pedal modules, as well as n impressive range of features for those who like to customize their experience up to quite a granular degree.
At $300 / 300, the Thrustmaster T248 finds itself costing about the same as the Logitech G923 outside of notable sales periods. It's quite an eye-catching price point if you don't quite have the budget for our premium option below - the Thrustmaster T-GT 2 - or you're looking for something more feature rich than a cheaper wheel without breaking the bank too much.
That said, the Hori Apex is easily the most toy-like wheel in this group. It has plastic gear shifters, fairly cheap plastic pedals and no parts to upgrade. It also has very limited rotation compared with all the other wheels here, turning just 270 degrees rather than the 900 or 1080 we see with pricier options. There's some compromises here, then, when compared to the pricier wheels. But as a budget buy for more laid back racing titles, it's a decent pick.
The elephant in the room is that the Thrustmaster T-GT 2 is incredibly expensive. At $799 / 699 it'll be understandably out of reach for most budgets, sitting in a more suitably enthusiast price bracket. If you're still keen on the T-GT 2, then, we'd highly recommend waiting for a discount, as the wheel does often come down in price over key sales periods.
It's still a healthy improvement, though, that makes the Logitech G923 perfect for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. But it's just as happy with the Xbox One, PS4 or PC. Make sure you buy the right version, though, as the wheel has two separate products that are console-dependant. There's no one-size-fits-all option here.
The G923 makes some vital improvements too though. Primarily, the G923 adds Trueforce, a haptics-based system that transmits the feel of the road through your fingers and palms. Logitech has also upgraded the G923's brake, for more progressive resistance on the depress, while the LED rev indicator and 24-Point selection dial from the Playstation 4 version of the G920 become standard for this wheel. However, the G923 has Logitech's helical gearing system under the hood, which does not provide as smooth a feel as the Thrustmaster T300 RS.
The Logitech G920 is certainly quite similar to prior Logitech wheels like the G29 or the upgraded G923, but the G920 is designed first and foremost with Xbox Series and Xbox One consoles in mind. It's an excellent choice if you're looking to spend a bit less for an Xbox wheel, while still having comparably great build quality, rotation and decent force feedback.
Like it's PS4 counterpart, the G920 is more affordable than Thrustmaster wheels but still boasts great quality. However it also comes with the same downfall of being a bit noisier than most wheels on the market. Its force feedback profile also isn't the smoothest around, improvements of which we'll see for the G923 and some Thrustmaster models.
The best racing wheels are typically among the most expensive peripherals you can buy for console or PC. Even budget models, like the Hori Apex, can command upwards of $100 / 100. As a result, racing wheels are usually bought by genre enthusiasts.
That being said, the best racing wheels we've highlighted in our list are feature-rich packages. There's usually robust functionality here, with some options featuring sim racing specific buttons to help with everything from gear shifts to pit crew comms. Furthermore, most of the best racing wheels will also come with a set of pedals included, offering a greater sense of immersion and control during gameplay.
Many of the best racing wheels are also plug-and-play. That's because the wheel comes pre-attached to an included base, meaning they can be hooked up to a console or PC with minimal fuss.
There are some racing wheels, such as the Thrustmaster Ferrari 488 GT3, however, that don't come bundled with a base or pedals. In such a case, you'll need to buy these separately. But because these can command high prices, such setups are strictly for the enthusiast crowd. We've endeavored to include more plug-and-play friendly options that are more cost effective, and will save you tons of setup time.
We test the best racing wheels with a variety of criteria, first and foremost being ease of setup. If, for example, a wheel is fairly plug-and-play, we can recommend it to beginners as it's often as simple as plugging the device into your console (or PC) of choice. Some wheels, meanwhile, will need to be attached to a wheel base that are often sold separately. These can often be quite expensive and thus would only recommend them to enthusiasts or those familiar with this type of peripheral.
A number of other factors can determine which racing wheels are truly the best. One standout feature here is force feedback, which aims to provide realistic kick and vibration, reacting to in-game sensations such as gripping tight corners, driving over curbs and shifting gears. Force feedback can provide an extra layer of immersion that you simply won't get from a standard controller.
We also look at various design elements such as rotation, comfort, drive type and ancillary buttons to determine a racing wheel's overall quality. The very best will offer a high level of comfort during gameplay, and offer a robust set of features suited to games from the most basic arcade racers all the way up to the most immersive sim racing experiences.
Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.","contributorText":"With contributions from","contributors":["name":"Andrew Williams","link":"href":"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/author\/andrew-williams"]}), " -0-9/js/authorBio.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); Rhys WoodSocial Links NavigationHardware EditorRhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.
d3342ee215