Sim racing: real racing rules, simulated cars, from home or on a stage.

What sim racing is

Sim racing means driving a computer simulation of a race car, on services such as iRacing or in games on PC and console. At the top level it is an organized esport: the FIA says it has certified esports competitions since 2018, and lists FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships, the Olympic Esports Series and a Motorsport Games Digital Cup among its activities. The FIA also publishes a separate Esports International Sporting Code alongside its main one, and Wikipedia (secondary) says an esports appendix was added to the International Sporting Code in 2024.

A short history

Wikipedia's sim racing article (secondary) traces the lineage this way:

• Namco's 1982 arcade game Pole Position introduced qualifying laps, computer-controlled rivals and the chase view from behind the car.
• Papyrus's Indianapolis 500: The Simulation (1989) is often called the first true PC racing simulation, followed by Grand Prix Legends (1998).
• Gran Turismo (PlayStation, 1997) was seen as the most realistic console racing sim of its time.
• rFactor appeared in 2005.

iRacing's own history pages say its online service launched in August 2008, built by Papyrus co-founder Dave Kaemmer with John Henry around laser-scanned tracks. iRacing's pages give two starting points for the company, saying in one place it was founded in 2003 and in another that development began in 2004. Wikipedia adds that when COVID-19 stopped real racing in 2020, sim racing streams drew up to 400,000 viewers and iRacing reached about 160,000 subscriptions in April 2020.

The platforms and what they need

Simulators differ in which machines they run on and what they ask of them. A few examples, as each publisher states them:

• iRacing (system requirements page, last modified 31 March 2026) runs on Windows 11 64-bit only and does not support macOS, Linux or virtual machines. It does not require a wheel: its minimum controller is an analog gamepad, joystick, mouse or touch screen. It recommends a wheel and pedal set, and a force-feedback wheel and pedals for serious online racing.
• Le Mans Ultimate, from Studio 397, is a Windows-only PC simulator sold on Steam, with VR support, according to its Steam page. It left Early Access on 22 July 2025.
• F1 25 runs on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and EA's help page lists supported wheels for each, from several makers. The lists differ by platform.
• Gran Turismo 7 is a PlayStation game; its official notices point players to in-game settings to check steering inputs and calibrate pedals.

Hardware: wheels, pedals and screens

The explanations below come from companies that sell sim hardware, so read them as manufacturers' descriptions.

• Wheel bases. Fanatec describes three ways of producing force feedback. Gear-driven bases turn the shaft through cog wheels and are low-cost and easy to set up, but weaker. Belt-driven bases allow more torque and detail, though belts can loosen and wear. Direct-drive bases, where the motor drives the shaft, are what Fanatec calls the top tier, with the strongest forces and finest detail.
• Pedals. Simucube explains that a load-cell brake pedal measures how hard you press rather than how far the pedal moves, and argues this suits real-world braking, where drivers brake by pressure. That is Simucube's claim.
• Displays. Trak Racer says a single monitor placed far from the eyes often forces a very low field of view and should be mounted as close as possible, that triple screens add peripheral vision, and that VR gives depth perception but needs a powerful PC and can cause motion sickness, especially in newcomers. It concludes the choice is personal preference.

Our sim rigs page goes further, and our buying guides cover wheels and pedals and cockpits.

Esports championships

Wikipedia (secondary) says the official F1 esports series began in 2017, and that iRacing hosts official series including the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, the IMSA iRacing Pro Series and the Porsche eSports Supercup. Formula 1's final standings for the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship, run over 12 rounds, show O. Lawrence (Alpine) as champion on 156 points, two ahead of I. Fahssi (Ferrari), with Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing first in the teams' standings. See esports for more.

From sim to real cars

Some drivers have used sim racing as a route into real racing. Wikipedia (secondary) says Nissan and Sony's GT Academy (2008 to 2016) turned Gran Turismo players into racing drivers, with 24 graduates including Lucas Ordonez and Jann Mardenborough, and that graduates Wolfgang Reip and Florian Strauss shared the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour overall win for Nissan. It also names professional drivers, including Gabriel Bortoleto and Laurin Heinrich, who cite sim racing as part of their development.

How much skill carries over is less settled. Wikipedia's racing simulator article notes that claims about transfer rest mainly on drivers' own statements rather than controlled studies. The cues are also different: Virtual Racing School, for example, says sim drivers find the braking limit through tyre sound, visible lock-ups, force feedback and engine revs, and Simucube points out that a simulator lacks the g-forces and seat-of-the-pants cues of a real car. Our sim technique page covers this in more depth.

Driving a real car on track is a separate step with its own requirements. NASA's HPDE track days put first-time drivers with an instructor, and racing schools such as Skip Barber say no racing experience is needed and provide the safety gear. See track days and licences and schools.