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Home Ā» Blog Ā» Sim Racing for Beginners: The Ultimate Getting Started Guide (2025)
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Sim racing is one of the most immersive and exciting ways to experience motorsports – all from the comfort of your home.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or upgrading from other hardware, this guide will walk you through everything you need to build a beginner sim racing setup that suits your budget and goals behind the wheel.
Sim racing (short for simulation racing) combines high-performance software and realistic hardware to simulate real-world motorsport. With the right sim racing setup, you can experience everything from GT3 endurance battles to high-speed F1 qualifying laps.
Itās the closest you can get to racing without being on a real track. Sim racing offers competitive online events, driver training, and casual fun – all from home.
Whether you’re racing for trophies or just want a realistic driving experience, sim racing brings motorsport excitement to your screen with impressive accuracy.
Getting started in sim racing may seem overwhelming at first, but this guide will show you what you need to do to get started.Ā
Your PC should be able to run most games at a minimum of 60 frames per second with a resolution of at least 1080p at lower graphic settings. Using iRacing as a baseline, a graphics card like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD RX 580 will be sufficient for most sim racing games.
Additionally, you’ll need a CPU with performance equivalent to an AMD FX-6300, Intel Core i5-4430, Intel Core i5-2320, or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, and at least 16GB of RAM. While these components may handle 1440p, this guide focuses on the 1080p benchmark for beginners, who might start with a smaller monitor.Ā
The term ‘sim-rig’ varies widely based on budget. Beginners typically start with a basic desktop setup, using a table clamp to mount the wheelbase on an office table. While not the sturdiest, itās a great way to get a feel for sim racing. As you progress, you can invest in a foldable rig or eventually a ‘4080 rigā, both of which involve the use of a dedicated racing seat and mounting plates for your pedals and wheelbase.Ā
The relationship between pedals and seating position is closely connected. Most beginners start by learning the basics of sim racing through popular motorsport classes like GT3, LMP, and Formula. These typically require just a throttle and brake pedal, which are included in most entry-level pedal sets.
For those using a desktop setup with a clamp-mounted wheelbase, itās crucial to secure the pedals and prevent your office chair from rolling during heavy braking. This can affect both immersion and driving performance. Common solutions include removing the wheels from your chair, anchoring it to something heavy, or using dedicated office chair stoppers.
To keep your pedals from sliding, you can place them against a wall – though this may require some DIY creativity. A slip-proof pedal setup is key, but achieving that without upgrading to a full sim racing rig can be a challenge.
These sim racing titles are beginner-friendly and widely supported:
Each game offers a unique driving style and car selection ā try a few and see what suits you.
Choose from presets developed by Asetek SimSports to replicate force-feedback sensations of different cars in various race classes for a realistic and immersive driving experience. Below are our presets made for some of the most popular sim racing titles:Ā
These are turn-key presets that can be adjusted. If you want to fine-tune the settings further, Will Ford at Boosted Media has created a detailed walkthrough of the different parameters and their impact on your driving experience:Ā
