Gamers who play racing games, especially hardcore sim racers and even sim-lite titles like Forza Motorsport, know what a drastic difference using a racing wheel can make. A good controller is the bare minimum to play these games, and sometimes, playing racing games with a controller can make players feel sore due to the constant, repetitive finger movements.
MOZA R12 Racing Bundle Review
The Moza R12 Racing Bundle packs one hell of a punch.
A racing wheel fixes all these problems, allows players to give much more precise input and even receives force feedback that can elevate theimmersion of the game. Here are eight racing titles that massively benefit from using a racing wheel.
8Dirt Rally 2.0
The Best In Rallying
Dirt Rally 2.0
Unlike EA Sports WRC, Dirt games provide a more laid-back rally experience and are easier for newcomers to get into, not to mention its graphics, which are tons better than EA’s rally game. This, coupled with the superb racing wheel implementation makesDirt Rally 2.0 the perfect candidatefor players who own the hardware to take advantage of it.
When setting up the wheel for the first time, players might need to tweak a few settings, especially the amount of force feedback, but once everything is set up, the game works flawlessly.
7Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game
Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game isn’t a typical racing or even a driving sim game. As the name suggests, the game will have players running expeditions across hostile, muddy and rocky terrain that all but the ruggedest and sturdiest offroad vehicles can handle.
Review: Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game
Expeditions has a lot of tidying up to do to become what it should be, but there’s a wonderfully rewarding game in there once you learn its quirks.
The game is fine to play with a controller and playing it with a joystick isn’t all that tiring. But when a racing wheel comes into the equation, the experience totally changes. With a racing wheel, the force feedback that players receive accurately indicates every little undulation that the tires experience down to the pebble.
6Forza Horizon 5
It’s All About The Cars And The Open World
Forza Horizon 5
WhileForza Horizon 5is made to target a wider audience of gamers thanks to its massive selection of vehicles, an immersive open world to explore and a variety of different races to partake in, even the racing enthusiasts keep coming back to the Horizon games. Sometimes, it’s just to mindlessly roam in the world, sometimes to play casual multiplayer with friends, and sometimes, it’s to drive using a racing wheel in any of the hundreds of vehicles in an open, sandbox world, without any track limitations.
Forza Horizon 5 doesn’t disappointon any of those frontiers, and just like its Motorsport counterparts, the racing wheel support is excellent.
5BeamNG.Drive
Cars Are Supposed To Crash
BeamNG.Drive
At its heart, BeamNG.Drive is a crash simulation game that uses world-class soft body physics to simulate crashes. There’s no dedicated career mode like other games, but there are scenarios that can be played using different cars that show off the crash physics such as driving off a dam or racing on a rocky cliffside.
Since the game is so crash-friendly, a racing wheel will help players give more precise input that can help them avoid said crashes. Beyond that, driving with a wheel is more enjoyable thanks to the force feedback players receive on every inevitable crash.
1000 Bhp On The Tight Streets Of Monaco
F1racing has always dominated the automobile racing sports scene and it’s no wonder that F1 24 is following suit. Developed by Codemasters and published by EA, the latest entry into the F1 series adds much more depth to the story mode, making it arguably the best career mode in any racing game. And to experience all of it, there’s no better hardware than a racing wheel.
It’s no doubt that driving an F1 car is difficult, even if it’s in a video game. The game applies the same idea, which is why this sim racer isn’t for anyone but the most hardcore sim racing enthusiasts. While previous F1 games were practically unplayable with controllers due to how much precision they demanded,F1 24is comparatively more easygoing. Still, players can fine-tune their input to razor-sharp precision when using racing wheels and pedals.
If you regularly watch F1 races and are a fan of the sport, then F1 24 has the perfect career mode for you that beautifully captures what it is like to be an actual F1 driver.
3Euro Truck Simulator 2
Hauling Deliveries On A 30 Ton Semi
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Driving around a semi-truck on the streets of Europe is cool when it’s done with a controller. At the end of the day, it’s a truck simulator and will work perfectly with a controller. But players who truly want to enjoy the sim experience need to invest in a good racing wheel with pedals.
Euro Truck Simulator 2has native support for steering wheels, and it has been reported by players that the game feels completely different when played with a racing wheel, pedals and a shifter, and it’s hard to go back to a controller after that.
2Forza Motorsport
Sim-Lite Experience For A Wider Audience
Forza Motorsport (2023)
Forza Motorsportreceived a mixed reception from fans when it came out in 2023. Even though it’s a great game with superb driving physics, people just weren’t a fan of how its career mode progression was handled by the developers. But the one thing that Turn 10 studios made sure to include was racing wheel support.
Review: Forza Motorsport
Turn 10 Studios and PlayGround Games have improved the simulation racing aspect with Forza Motorsport.
The game is all about adrenaline-fueled track racing in everything from a Corolla SR5 to a Koenigsegg Jesko, and players who want to get the best lap times and climb the ranks in multiplayer races without cramping their fingers playing with a controller will need to get a good racing wheel for more precise control of their vehicles.
1Assetto Corsa Competizione
No-Nonsense Track Racing Sim
Assetto Corsa Competizione
If Forza Motorsport is a sim-lite,Assetto Corsa Competizioneis a full-fledged simulated track racing game, and while it still can be played with a controller, albeit with a lot of tweaking and settings to play around with, the game is meant to be enjoyed with a racing wheel and that’s what it was developed for.
Assetto Corza is an amazing racing simwith excellent racing wheel support and is compatible with nearly every premium and budget racing wheel out there. Players who want to get into the very nitty-gritty of sim racing, get the best lap times and execute defensive and offensive maneuvers in a track car rolling at more than 200mph will need a racing wheel and pedals.
Review: Moza Racing R5 Direct Drive Wheel
The MOZA R5 Bundle provides an ES Steering Wheel, a 5.5Nm torque DD R5 wheel base and the SR-P Lite Pedals.
