PC car racing / sim racing

[xbudx]

Hi im new here played games for years.. but im new to car racing on any computer .. last one i played was toca touring cars on playstation lol.

But anyway ive recently been given a logitec g920 steering wheel and pedals as i said i would like to start trying sim racing as it looks fun.
I tried Automobilista 2 and wow can i hell keep it on the track when i try and go faster lol ... So my question is what game should i buy that will help me get into sim racing that is not as hardcore something that will help me learn and progress into a full on sim racer online ? ive spent days and days watching youtube videos and figured its easier going to a forum and asking people how they got into it so what do you all recommend?
Assetto Corsa Competizione
Assetto Corsa
forza motorsport 7
or something different ?
i have a very good pc so i can handle any game

anyway thank you for any help and advice any one can offer me
David.

 

[TumeK5]

The original rFactor is a great place to start. Plenty of mods for it too, so you don't even have to touch the default cars/tracks (they are quite bad anyway)

 

[Northstar]

Assetto Corsa Competizione
Assetto Corsa

Both of these are great options, ACC focuses on cars designed with amateur racers in mind so they can be made easy to drive with assists that you can gradually tone down as you progress. Driving with a wheel is also fantastic.

The first AC is also great and has an insane number of mods available.

Both are also regularly on sale as well so you can pick them up for fairly cheap.

forza motorsport 7

There is a new Forza coming out next week so I would recommend waiting to see how it's received first (especially when it comes to racing with a wheel), but Forza tends to be very approachable (it's in the same "simcade" zone as GT).

 

[r_outsider]

Honestly? Pick one and stick with it. Try a few of the lower spec cars until you find one you get on with, google some good wheel settings (I run AMS2 and RaceRoom on my G920 with box stock wheel settings), get everything dialed in and run with it. Once you get used to it and start getting comfortable, then maybe branch out into different games. Or stick with what you have and have fun.


Should also mention, all games, and particularly the Madness engine games, require you do a wheel calibration correctly, not sure how new you are so I thought I'd mention.

 

[OooAhh Cantona]

If you already own Automobilista 2, then stick with it. The dev team have continuously improved the physics and driving feel since launch. It’s much improved. Controlling a car on the limit is not easy. Start with lower power cars and work your way up. Learning the optimum racing line for a track is also important. It’s not just about how hardcore or not hardcore the physics simulation is.

Assetto Corsa is also a good option in terms of out of the box feel and not requiring a lot of wheel setting adjustments.

 

[xbudx]

Honestly? Pick one and stick with it. Try a few of the lower spec cars until you find one you get on with, google some good wheel settings (I run AMS2 and RaceRoom on my G920 with box stock wheel settings), get everything dialed in and run with it. Once you get used to it and start getting comfortable, then maybe branch out into different games. Or stick with what you have and have fun.


Should also mention, all games, and particularly the Madness engine games, require you do a wheel calibration correctly, not sure how new you are so I thought I'd mention.

i am brand spanking new to any sim racing game or any racing games ... like i said last one i owned was toca touring cars on the old playstation .. atm only games i play are total war battlefield and other strat games.
I played Automobilista 2 on a family members computer for maybe 20mins but its something i think i could really enjoy i dont have a stand or anything like he did not sure if i need one but first i need to buy a game and ive noticed most of them are cheap so was looking for the best starting game to purchase for a complete amateur

And thank you to you all who have replied to my help thread it is very much appreciated

If you already own Automobilista 2, then stick with it. The dev team have continuously improved the physics and driving feel since launch. It’s much improved. Controlling a car on the limit is not easy. Start with lower power cars and work your way up. Learning the optimum racing line for a track is also important. It’s not just about how hardcore or not hardcore the physics simulation is.

Assetto Corsa is also a good option in terms of out of the box feel and not requiring a lot of wheel setting adjustments.

no i dont own any as of yet

Both of these are great options, ACC focuses on cars designed with amateur racers in mind so they can be made easy to drive with assists that you can gradually tone down as you progress. Driving with a wheel is also fantastic.

The first AC is also great and has an insane number of mods available.

Both are also regularly on sale as well so you can pick them up for fairly cheap.

There is a new Forza coming out next week so I would recommend waiting to see how it's received first (especially when it comes to racing with a wheel), but Forza tends to be very approachable (it's in the same "simcade" zone as GT).

so you would choose the ACC for the 1st purchase?

 

[r_outsider]

Honestly, ask 10 people the old "which game?" question and you'll get twenty different answers. What works for one person won't for the next, and neither is wrong, they just have different things they're looking for, and some games seem to work better with different hardware than others. Not a one of these games is perfect, after all.

@Northstar's suggestion of the upcoming Forza Motorsport is probably what I'd suggest. Figure out what you like and how you like to play and branch out from there. Many hardcore racing gamers started in Forza or in Gran Turismo, and many see no reason to move on from there.

 

[BoneSawTX]

The original rFactor is a great place to start. Plenty of mods for it too, so you don't even have to touch the default cars/tracks (they are quite bad anyway)

rFactor is the last i'd suggest to anyone based on trying set the game up, worst experience I've had in PC gaming. Something more straight forward to start then go that way if you love bad UI's.

 

[TumeK5]

rFactor is the last i'd suggest to anyone based on trying set the game up, worst experience I've had in PC gaming. Something more straight forward to start then go that way if you love bad UI's.

Well, keep in mind he's new to simracing, and, as per his words:

what game should i buy that will help me get into sim racing that is not as hardcore something that will help me learn and progress into a full on sim racer online ?

Edit: I love them toxic people, in their 40s no less

 

[greenlightning]

Good thread topic. There are so many different avenues to take these days. I do like the sugestion to pick one and stick with it. On the other hand with holiday sales it would be fairly cheap to have 2 or 3 sims to mess around with. When I decided to start switching to sim racing several years ago. I first started with project cars 1 on PC. Except was my sons PC - so that did not work out to well as he did not like to share game time lol. I remember struggling big time trying to transition to PC1. Even making it a few laps was challenging compared to GT series. I eventually bought PC1 for PS4, never got that great at it. Except gave me a look into the future as cockpit view, FOV adjustments and racing in general was just more immersive. Then purchased PC2 for PS4 soon after released. Enjoyed PC2 a lot, however still never got that good. Regret getting GT sport when should of spent that time on PC2. Also got GT7 - even when told myself not to, but for price of good meal did anyway. Yes graphics are great, car selection is good, photo mode great. The economy absolutely and GT offline modes makes it one of worst GT ever - especially for what was supposed to be 25 year anniversary game.

Anyways baught gaming lap top in 2020. Mainly for AMS2, sadily was disappointed with AMS2 in the begging and even tried to get refund on steam. Now AMS2 is absolutely favorite. It has made significant improvements over the last 2 years. Then with content manager to easily add car mods.

I suppose AC would be great if want to perhaps have endless add-on content. Meaning you could most likely through downloading car mods end up with roster of cars that equates to GT or Forza and same with tracks. The #1 thing that I dislike with AC is user interface. I am sure there are add on mods that can even change some of that.

As far as what sim racing game to get most likely depends on what you want out of it. Is offline racing a priority, is online racing a priority, is the absolute best physics a priority. Do you want/need an offline career mode structure.

As mentioned AMS2 is my preferred sim. Even though I would say car selection is 40% formula or Indy style race cars. I am okay with that, even though not my preferred class of cars. I use them from time to time and enjoy them. I can easily see how running current formula cars could maybe be comparable to flying a jet fighter.

In the end it depends on what you want and where you want to go - with sim racing.

If you can afford it get a direct drive wheel and wheel stand. That alone makes a significant improvement to enjoyment and immersion.