If you’re planning on playing all the best racing games, you’re going to need a top-notch racing wheel. Read on to find the best racing wheels 2020 has to offer.
The best racing wheels for most people are made by three companies: Fanatec, Thrustmaster and Logitech. We say ‘most people’ because there are boutique companies that produce ultra-enthusiast, ultra-expensive racing wheels for sim racing obsessives. Most of us can’t afford them. Three companies and just a handful of core racing wheels on sale at any one time mean news doesn’t come around that often. But we have some for you. Thrustmaster is about to announce a brand new racing wheel. You can check out its teaser on YouTube. Will it unseat the champ Fanatec ClubSport v2.5? You’ll have to wait to find out, but the F1-style wheel rim suggests those after an entry-level wheel for, say, $400 or less, you don’t need to hold off buying. We’ve reviewed just about every other mainstream racing wheel available, and you’ll find our top recommendations below. Be sure to check console compatibility before you buy but, good news, if a wheel is advertised as supporting Xbox or PS4, it’ll work with the Xbox Series X /S and PS5 too. Here are our favourites of 2021. The Fanatec ClubSport v2.5 is the best non-direct-drive racing wheel you can get. And the best wheel available for under $1000. We say under $1000, but you can easily spend more than that if you also buy the ClubSport v3 pedals and a separate shifter. This one’s pricey, but use it and you’ll understand why. The Fanatec ClubSport v2.5’s force feedback is superb, with depth and fidelity not seen in alternatives that cost less. Its build represents the best of Fanatec too, with plenty of metal on show and a translucent panel up top that lets you see its inner workings. This thing feels like it’ll outlast your next console. Heck, it might outlast you. It’s quiet and runs cool too, thanks to a well-designed dual fan cooling system. If you have the money to spend, this is racing wheel one to get. However, it doesn’t come with a table clamp. The Fanatec ClubSport v2.5 is made for a permanent setup. It doesn’t want to spend 10 months of the year in a cupboard, although Fanatec does sell an excellent clamp separately. This is not for the PS4/PS5 crowd either. It’s for Xbox and PC only. The Logitech G923 looks almost identical to the G920, but there are some major changes underneath. It adds Trueforce, a more intelligent kind of feedback that needs to be optimised for each game. iRacing, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Snowrunner, GT Sport, and Grid are on the list today. Don’t expect too many oldies to be added, as it requires more work from the developers. But what does Trueforce do? It’s a haptics based system that transmits the feel of the road through your fingers and palms. The feedback is no longer mostly about struggling against wheel as you take a corner 5mph too quickly. You’ll feed the tarmac tickling your digits. Logitech has also upgraded the G923’s brake, for more progressive resistance on the depress. It’s a healthy level-up that makes the Logitech G923 seem ready for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. But it’s just as happy with the Xbox One, PS4 or PC. Make sure you buy the right version, though. There are separate versions for Sony and Microsoft consoles, and both types have the same “G923” name this time around. Most of the fundamentals remain the same as the previous Logitech G920. The G923 has Logitech’s helical gearing system under the hood, which does not provide as smooth a feel as the Thrustmaster T300 RS. For years Logitech made virtually the default console race wheels – the Logitech G25 and G27 were crackers. The Logitech G29 (PS4) and G920 (Xbox One) are great too, but are quite similar to those older wheels. That comes with good and bad parts. First, the G29 is a lot more affordable than the direct Thrustmaster alternatives, the T300 series wheels. The quality of the wheel itself is great too. There’s a metal core and leather stitched over the parts your hands grip. Fanatec and Thrustmaster charge a lot more for leather wheels. The Logitech G29 gets you higher-end extras at no extra cost. Its pedal board is much better than anything else at the price too, with a board that has a clutch and very solid metal plates. It’s not plastic rubbish. There is one reason to prefer a Thrustmaster wheel, though. The Logitech wheels still use a completely gear-based system for their force feedback rather than belts. While it’s very powerful, you can feel this geared effect as you turn the wheel, as its motion is a bit notchy rather than completely smooth. After a while you get used to it, but it makes the whole experience that bit less realistic; unless you drive a Flintstone’s era car it shouldn’t feel notchy, right? The Logitech G29 is also a bit noisier than the more expensive belt-driven models.
