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A racing sim seat can help you become immersed in your favorite racing games like iRacing, Forza Horizon or Gran Turismo.
Racing game fans want a truly immersive virtual driving experience, and if you are one of them, you probably already know that you’ll need to invest in a proper racing simulator. A sim racing cockpit is a serious improvement over a basic wheel and pedal setup. It makes it feel like you’re tearing down the track. A wide range of models is available, and finding the right one will help you kick your gaming sessions into high gear.
A sim racing cockpit does more than just look badass and signal how serious you are about virtual racing. Like the seat in your car, a racing simulator seat creates a stable platform for your constant steering and pedal pressing, which allows you to move the controls, rather than vice versa. A good racing sim seat setup will also help to optimize the ergonomics and placement of those controls, keeping the sim racing wheel and pedals in a natural position for increased control.
We’ve rounded up the best home racing sim seats for all budgets and spaces. At the top of the heap, we’ve even included a few motion control rigs — the next evolution of sim racing force feedback that allows drivers to feel their cornering, acceleration, bumps and braking through the seat, not just the wheel.
For close to $1,000, GTTrack isn’t cheap, but it’s a solid and upgradable platform for sim racing. The sim racer rig starts with a beefy frame that can support the most powerful direct-drive force feedback racing wheels while standing up to strong pedal pressure. The seat is supportive and comfortable which is good for extended lapping sessions. Roadshow’s Editor-in-Chief, Tim Stevens, has recommended this sim racing setup before and uses one in his iRacing setup.
The GTtrack racing simulator cockpit is adjustable for a wide range of body types, compact enough for most homes and is compatible with Next Level’s ecosystem of motion control electronics.
Besides being significantly less expensive than a full racing rig like the GTtrack, the Playseat Challenge’s best feature is how it quickly folds into an extremely compact package for storage in a closet, corner or under a bed. The foldable racing simulator cockpit design comes with a few compromises but ultimately makes the Challenge one of the most ideal simulator cockpits for casual and serious racers in small apartments, bedroom setups and shared spaces.
There are adjustments for the wheel, pedal and seat placement, but no gear shifter mount. (If you must have a shifter box, consider the Next Level Racing GT Lite.) Getting in and out of the racing simulator seat can be a touch awkward, especially for kids. The racing simulator frame is strong enough for most console racing wheels and the fold-out pedal mount keeps the foot controls surprisingly planted during use. I personally use the Playseat Challenge sim rig in my small San Francisco Bay Area apartment.
The Next Level Racing Wheel Stand provides a firm platform for mounting a racing wheel, pedal box and even a shift lever. The Wheel Stand is meant to be a starting point around which you can upgrade, adding a seat and more as you go. Unfortunately, that means that it doesn’t come with a real racing seat in the box, and the racing simulator ergonomics of a couch or rolling office chair aren’t the best.
The low entry point price makes this a good option for casual racers who want to get away from just clamping onto a coffee table or desk.
If you don’t have the space (or the bucks) for a full GTrack cockpit, but don’t need the foldability of the Playseat Challenge, the OpenWheeler GEN3 sim racing rig sits nicely in the Goldilocks zone between the two. This sturdy racing seat and frame combo accommodates mounting a wheel, pedal set and shifter and is very adjustable for a wide range of body types. The racing seat is also quite comfortable.
When not in racing simulation use, the OpenWheeler can collapse a bit. Fans of flight sims can also purchase optional mounts to quickly convert the rig to a HOTAS setup, complete with a perfectly centered flight stick.
Offering the excellent build quality of the GTtrack at a more affordable price point, the Next Level Racing F-GT Simulator Cockpit has an extra trick up its sleeve that makes it an ideal choice for F1 racing fans. The dual-position seat and pedal box can be configured in the traditional, upright GT passenger car seating position or transformed for a low-slung, high-pedal position for a Formula Sim racing experience.
Like the GTTrack racing simulator, the F-GT is a flexible and upgradeable platform that can support the addition of display mounts, extra hardware and even a conversion kit for flight sim setups. Unfortunately, the F-GT is not compatible with the Motion Platform V3 kit, which shouldn’t matter too much to buyers on a budget.
The Motion Platform V3 is an add-on for the Next Level Racing GTtrack rig at the top of our best racing simulator cockpit list, providing an easy and relatively inexpensive entry point into the world of motion-controlled sim racing. The Motion Platform adds 2-axis force feedback to the racing seat allowing drivers to feel the G-forces of every corner, braking point and application of throttle. You’d be amazed how much this extra level of immersion and feel can improve your sim racing performance. The hardware is compact — adding nothing to the GTtrack’s footprint — fairly quiet and easily configurable with the included software. Just make sure your favorite racing sim is compatible, most of the big ones for PC are, but console racing is not.
If price is not a factor and you want the best home racing experience short of building a track in your backyard, look no further than the CXC Motion Pro II. This is a full turn-key sim racing rig complete with a large monitor, racing seat with motion control force feedback, an immersive audio system, direct-drive steering wheel and pedal box. Just add a gaming PC or console and you’re ready to rock. This is the most immersive (and most expensive) sim racing rig that I’ve ever tested that could conceivably fit in a game room or garage.
Starting at $69K for the standard setup, the Motion Pro II can be further upgraded with flight sim controls, a 3-head ultrawide display or a VR headset. There are myriad steering wheel options to choose from and even an option for a real FIA-certified racing bucket from Cobra. Checking all of the boxes pushes the price just over the six-figure mark, at which point, maybe just consider taking your actual car for a cruise more often.
