Thrustmaster has revealed the T-GT III, a new officially licensed Gran Turismo 7 wheel and pedal bundle for PS4 and PS5. It’s the first Direct Axial Drive wheel built for Gran Turismo, and it goes on sale December 3 for $749.99.
The reveal lands on the same day the Gran Turismo World Series arrives in Singapore, where Polyphony Digital also plans to reveal more details on Spec IV during the broadcast. Thrustmaster also announced that it’s an official partner of the World Series again More on that below.
What Is the T-GT III?
The T-GT III is essentially a T598 with an upgraded wheel and pedal set.
Thrustmaster doesn’t actually name the base in its press release, but it’s the T598 Servo Base in specs and appearance: 5 Nm of constant torque, with short bursts of up to 10 Nm. That burst is “overshoot,” the extra force a wheel can deliver for a moment when a car snaps sideways or hits a sharp change of direction.
The T-GT III uses essentially the same leather-wrapped rim from the T-GT II (with upgraded quick-release), including four metal rotary encoders that map directly to Gran Turismo’s in-race settings.
It’s the rim I called Thrustmaster’s best Gran Turismo wheel when it got a new quick release in April, and it addresses my biggest complaint from my T598 review.
Thrustmaster is also promoting two haptic effects built on its high-frequency “Harmony” system. GEAR JOLT kicks the wheel on every shift, and ENGINE ROAR lets you feel the engine’s revs through the rim. GEAR JOLT is already on the T598, where I found it a bit much even at its lowest setting, so it will be interesting to see if or how it has been tweaked.
The pedals are the other new piece. Thrustmaster describes the bundle as including a load-cell pedal set, and from the photos it appears to be the Raceline Pedals LTE with the RACELINE LC load-cell brake upgrade kit included. That’s the same two-pedal set that shipped with the T598, now with a load-cell brake.
Thrustmaster also says it will keep updating the wheel through firmware and software to keep pace with Gran Turismo’s Spec updates.
Price and Availability
The T-GT III will be on sale from December 3, with worldwide availability expected before Christmas, so some regions may wait a little longer. Recommended retail prices are:
- US: $749.99
- UK: £649.99
- Europe: €699.99
- Japan: ¥119,000
For context, the T598 launched at $499 with a rim and a two-pedal set. The GT Wheel Add-On rim sells separately for $299.99.
Buying both comes to about $799, so the T-GT III undercuts that route by roughly $50 while including the load-cell brake, which would be another $179.99 upgrade. Thrustmaster says more details are coming “in the coming months”.
World Series Partners
Thrustmaster was the “Official Hardware Partner” of the Gran Turismo World Series from 2018 to 2020, and it was also a partner of the 2023 Olympic Esports Series, which was held in Singapore. Now it’s back.
“We are delighted to welcome them as partners of Gran Turismo World Series,” said Kazunori Yamauchi in the announcement. Thrustmaster’s Gilles Raulet described the 16-year relationship as one that has let the company take on “projects that we believe no one else would have accepted.”
Of course, Moza was named an official World Series partner in July and has since revealed its first PS5 wheels, so there are now three direct competitors (Thrustmaster, Moza, and Fanatec) all carrying the same partner title.
When Moza’s deal was announced, it led many to speculate about Fanatec’s future with Gran Turismo. Polyphony Digital quickly cleared the air with a statement on social media, calling Fanatec the “Official Steering Wheel Partner” of the World Series and saying nothing had changed about its role as the hardware supplier at live events.
With Thrustmaster officially back in the fold, it will be interesting to see what happens with the World Series in 2027 and beyond.
See more articles on Gran Turismo World Series and Thrustmaster.
