Best Sim Racing Setup For PS5

Sim racing on PlayStation 5 has come a long way in recent years. The release of Gran Turismo 7 really gave PS5 owners a true car-collecting sim. Along with GT7, PS5 sim racers have a range of sim racing games to enjoy including GT Sport, the Formula 1 game series and Assetto Corsa Competizione.

With pretty hardcore racing sim titles such as Assetto Corsa Competizione, choosing to purchase a sim racing setup can really help increase immersion. Using a racing wheel and pedals for these titles gives you much higher levels of control and feedback on how your car is behaving on track.

In this PS5 sim racing setup guide, I’m going to look at the best racing wheel, pedals and cockpit that are compatible for PS5 sim racing.

The sim racing products that make up this rig build

When it comes to sim racing on a console, there are much higher restrictions compared with racing on a PC. The most important restriction is ensuring all products are compatible with your console, in this case PS5.

Many of the extremely high-end sim racing products are only PC compatible. However, there are still a good number of PS5-compatible products to choose from.

Secondly, when creating a racing wheel, steering wheel and pedal combination for PS5, we need to choose products from a single brand. This is because all products need to work from a single connection to your console.

Generally, you will connect your pedals and any other peripherals such as shifters or handbrakes to the rear of your racing wheel via a cable. And then you will connect your racing wheel to your PS5 console. This will activate all of your sim racing gear, and it should be recognised in games such as Gran Turismo 7 and ACC.

Beings that we have to choose a single ecosystem, I would recommend looking at Fanatec. They have the largest number of sim racing products that are PS5-compatible. And this gives you more choice to find products that you really like, as well as providing upgrade options over time.

Why choose this PS5 sim racing rig build?

This sim racing setup designed specifically for PS5 gives you a fantastic platform for your racing wheel. The Fanatec GT DD Pro is one of the very best mid-range racing wheels. And it is compatible with PC, PS5 and Xbox allowing you to open up your compatibility to other consoles if needed.

I’ve chosen a fairly premium steering wheel to pair with the GT DD Pro. The Fanatec Formula V2.5X is possibly the very best PS5-compatible formula-style steering wheel you can buy. There are alternative options at a lower price if you want to lower the overall cost.

I’ve paired this Fanatec sim racing setup with a few GT Omega products. Their wheel stand is a great option for mounting your racing wheel and pedals. It allows you to fold up and store away your sim racing setup when not in use which is ideal if space is an issue.

The rear seat frame and RS12 seat are both optional, but they transform the wheel stand into a full-sized sim racing rig. Overall, this is one of the best PS5-compatible sim racing setups using one of the very best PS5 racing wheels on the market today.

I will say that if the price of this sim racing setup is a bit too much, you do have options. You could buy the Fanatec GT DD Pro wheel base, and pair it with a cheaper steering wheel. And you can choose to not purchase the seat and rear frame module to further save cost.

The Wheelbase

Fanatec GT DD Pro 8Nm

When it comes to choosing a PS5 racing wheel, the options are fairly limited. You have a choice of a few budget-friendly racing wheel such as the Logitech G923 or Thrustmaster wheels.

Or you have a limited number of direct drive racing wheels. Logitech sells their Pro racing wheel which is PS5 compatible, although it is a little pricey when paired with a steering wheel and pedals. And you don’t get any choice to change the steering wheel or pedals.

Fanatec on the other hand have a huge ecosystem of products, with many compatible with PlayStation 4 and 5. You can really mix and match steering wheels, pedals and other peripherals with the GT DD Pro to create your own custom sim racing setup.

The GT DD Pro is an 8Nm direct drive wheel base that produces incredibly detailed force feedback. The motor being directed mounted to the wheel shaft allows all of the force feedback to be sent directly to the steering wheel.

This results in both a very strong and detailed sim racing experience. There is new technology inside the GT DD Pro, which makes it more advanced than the more powerful Podium range of wheel bases that Fanatec sell.

Why not choose the GT DD Pro bundle?

You do have options when buying the GT DD Pro from Fanatec. You can purchase it in a bundle which comes with a set of pedals and a Gran Turismo licensed steering wheel.

The reason I haven’t chosen this bundle to recommend for this PS5 sim racing setup is that the steering wheel really isn’t that great. It is designed in collaboration with Gran Turismo 7, but it feels a little cheap compared to other Fanatec steering wheels.

For that reason alone, I would recommend paying a touch more to choose your own steering wheel. There are plenty of options starting from just $119.95. Finding a steering wheel that you like shouldn’t be too tricky.

Competitors and other options

As mentioned, Logitech offers the biggest competition for PS5 sim racers. Their Pro racing wheel is very similar in terms of performance to the GT DD Pro, although it is $70 more expensive at the time of writing.

Logitech also only sell a single steering wheel and single pedal set giving you very little option in terms of a wider ecosystem. In this area, Fanatec offers much better value and variety.

Other than the Logitech Pro wheel, the other options are much more budget-focused. There are cheaper racing wheels available from Logitech, Thrustmaster as well as a few other brands. However, these don’t offer anywhere near the same performance or customisation.

Fanatec PlayStation compatibility explained

I think it’s safe to say, Fanatec has a strange way of enabling compatibility with different consoles. Their Xbox-compatible products are dictated by their steering wheels, while PS5 compatibility is dictated by their wheel bases.

Ultimately, as long as you have a PlayStation-compatible wheel base like the GT DD Pro, your whole setup will become PlayStation-compatible.

If you also want Xbox compatibility, you simply need to purchase an Xbox-compatible steering wheel. Then when connected to the GT DD Pro, your whole setup will become Xbox-compatible.

The Steering Wheel

Fanatec Formula V2.5X Steering Wheel

The steering wheel I’ve chosen is one of my favourite ever Fanatec products. The Formula V2.5X as you can probably tell by the name is a formula-style steering wheel. It certainly looks the part, and performs well while sim racing.

There are a huge number of inputs from push buttons to rotary encoders, joysticks to thumb encoders. And all of these inputs work perfectly when sim racing on PlayStation.

Across the top of the steering wheel are also a set of LED rev lights, flag lights and an OLED display. Again, all of these work flawlessly on PS5.

The downside of this steering wheel is its price. At around $400 it is quite pricey. Although I believe the quality justifies this, if the price is a problem, there are alternatives.

Alternative steering wheels

Fanatec sells PlayStation-compatible steering wheels for as low as $119.95. This will get you a circular steering wheel that features an LED screen and various inputs.

A great alternative to the Formula V2.5X, if you do fancy a cheaper formula-style wheel, is the McLaren GT3 V2 steering wheel. This is a McLaren-branded wheel that is also designed in a formula style. In fact, it is actually a replica of the steering wheel found in McLaren GT3 cars.

There are plenty of different Fanatec steering wheels from BMW licensed products, Nascar and WRC branded products. You can view all of Fanatec’s steering wheel range here.

The Pedals

Fanatec CSL Pedals Load Cell

For the pedals, we have to stay within the same ecosystem, so we have a choice of Fanatec pedals to choose from. They do sell a range of pedals from budget 2-pedal sets through to premium load cell pedals.

I’ve chosen a mid-range pedal set costing $199.95. This includes a full 3-pedal set with a load cell brake pedal. And this is the important bit. When choosing a sim racing pedal set, a load cell brake is the most important thing to opt for.

Load cells measure pressure rather than distance, meaning the brake pedal will act much more like a realistic pedal from a real-world car.

This Fanatec load cell pedal set is compatible with PC, and both consoles meaning if you do have both an Xbox and PlayStation console, you can use this single pedal set for both.

The Cockpit

GT Omega Classic Wheel Stand

I have chosen to pair this Fanatec racing wheel setup with a GT Omega wheel stand. This is a great choice if you are short on space and can’t afford to have a permanent sim rig setup all the time.

A wheel stand can be folded and stored away without removing the racing wheel or pedals. So after a long sim racing session, you can clear the floor until next time.

This classic wheel stand from GT Omega is one of the best around, and it is very affordable. It is sturdy enough to support the 8Nm direct drive GT DD Pro wheel with very little flex.

I have also included the optional rear frame. This transforms this wheel stand into a full cockpit.

So if you do have a bit of extra space, you can attach the rear frame and a racing seat to create a sturdy full cockpit. Both the rear frame and seat are optional. You can always use a chair you already have with the wheel stand.

The Seat

GT Omega RS12 Simulator Seat

The optional seat I have chosen is the GT Omega RS12 seat. While there are cheaper racing seats available, I want to ensure maximum compatibility without having to worry about additional accessories.

The GT Omega RS12 seat works flawlessly with the rear frame attachment. It is also GT Omega’s most recent seat design. It comes with lumbar support cushions, is fully reclinable and has a seat slider built in.

These features make it incredibly comfy as well as very adjustable. This is great if you often sim race with friends and need to adjust your seat position quickly.

How well does this sim rig perform?

So now we’ve looked at each of the components, how does this PS5 sim racing setup perform together?

Well, you will always get the best performance from the Fanatec GT DD Pro wheel base. It is incredibly powerful for such a small and compact wheel. And you can adjust the power output depending on the sim racing title you’re playing.

Paired with the mighty Formula V2.5X steering wheel, you get a lot of immersion. The Formula V2.5X gives you a lot of inputs to allow you to adjust any part of your car whilst driving or taking your eyes off the track.

The steering wheel is fairly light which lets it dance around under the forces from the GT DD Pro. And using Fanatec’s quick release, you can swap the steering wheel out for any other Fanatec wheel in seconds.

The CSL Load Cell pedals provide a great braking experience. Despite being Fanatec’s most entry-level pedal set, they provide a good feeling allowing you to find consistency at every corner.

The GT Omega wheel stand is more than sturdy enough to handle the power from the racing wheel. And it becomes even sturdier with the rear frame attachment. The optional seat is very adjustable and comfortable across even the longest sim racing sessions.

Overall, this PS5 sim racing setup will allow you to really feel immersed in whichever PlayStation sim racing title you’re playing. If you do want to change out the steering wheel or upgrade the pedals as you grow as a sim racer, Fanatec offer plenty of options to do so.