Best racing wheel for PS5, Xbox and PC: what works on each

With a racing wheel, the console comes before the budget. Each brand pays for a PlayStation or an Xbox licence, and a wheel without the right licence simply does not work on that console. Of the 22 kits in our comparison, 12 work on PlayStation, 8 on Xbox and all 22 on PC. And there is one rule that catches a lot of people out: no wheel works on both PlayStation and Xbox. The ones that seem to (the Logitech G923, the Thrustmaster T128 and T598, the Moza R3) are sold as two different products, one for each console.

PlayStation 5: twelve kits, two of them direct drive

PlayStation has the widest choice of the two consoles. At the bottom there are two wheels without force feedback, the Thrustmaster T98 and the Hori Racing Wheel Apex, which simply return to centre without telling you what the car is doing: fine to find out whether you like it, not to learn to drive. Then the gear-driven Logitech G29 and G923, the hybrids (T150, T128 and T248R) and the belt-driven Thrustmasters (T300 RS, T300 Ferrari and T-GT II). In direct drive, the step that changes the feel most, there are only two: the Thrustmaster T598 and the Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro, both at 5 Nm, and the second one carries the official Gran Turismo licence.

What we would pick: the G29 if you want to spend as little as possible, the T248R as the best value (the highest published torque in its range and magnetic pedals), and the T598 if you want direct drive.

Xbox Series X and S: eight kits, all with force feedback

On Xbox the list is shorter, but there is no wheel without force feedback in it. The gear-driven ones are the Logitech G920 and the Xbox G923; the hybrids, the Thrustmaster TMX, the Xbox T248 and the Xbox T128; the belt-driven one, the TX Leather Edition. In direct drive there are two again: the Thrustmaster T598 in its Xbox version (the T598-X) and the Moza R3 Xbox bundle, which is a different box from the PC one. Series X and Series S take the same wheels.

What we would pick: the G920 to spend as little as possible, the Xbox T248 as the best value, and the T598-X in direct drive.

PC: every wheel, and five that only work there

On PC every kit in the comparison works, including the console ones. And five only work on PC: the PXN VD4 and VD6, the Moza R5, the Fanatec CSL DD and the Logitech RS50 McLaren. That is where most of the direct drive is: eight kits against two on each console. PC is also the only place where you can mix brands, because pedals and rims connect over USB.

What we would pick: the Moza R3 to start, which is direct drive for the price of a good gear-driven wheel; the Fanatec CSL DD or the Moza R5 if you want more force; and the RS50 McLaren if you want everything in one box, with a formula rim and a load cell brake.

If you play on two

PS5 and PC: any of the twelve PlayStation kits also works on PC, so buy for the console. Xbox and PC: the same with the eight Xbox ones. PS5 and Xbox: there is no wheel for both. If you think you might switch console, choose a model that exists in both versions (G923, T128 or T598): you would have to buy it again, but you will know the wheel and the next one is easy to find.

And the pedals: on console they have to plug into a base of their own brand. Mixing a Thrustmaster base with Fanatec pedals, for example, only works on PC.

If you are new to this, start with best racing wheel for beginners. With a limited budget, best racing wheel under €300. And to check what F1 25 officially supports on each console: racing wheel in F1 25.