This ultimate pedal guide looks at the best sim racing pedals that you can race with in 2023. I'll show you a range of different pedals, explain how sim racing pedals work, and what to look for.
In this ultimate guide to sim racing pedals, I’ll run through the best sim racing pedals for 2023 across a wide range of budgets and categories. I’ll also look at the different technologies that go into sim racing pedals, how they differ, and how they can affect your lap time and consistency on the track.
Sim racing pedals are an essential part of any sim racing setup. But the world of sim racing pedals can be just as confusing as looking for a racing wheel or sim rig. So I’ve created this ultimate guide to sim racing pedals to run through everything you should know about your sim racing pedals.
I will give you an overview of the different types of sim racing pedals, along with their pros and cons to help you narrow down your search criteria. I’ll also look at how upgrading your pedals is one of the best upgrade options early on in your sim racing journey.
Finally, I’ll take a deep dive into which pedals are worth considering. I’ll show you a wide range of sim racing pedals along with what makes them special and stand out from the rest of the competition.
So let’s jump right into the big question. Will upgrading your pedals improve your speed on track when sim racing? This is a tricky question and is very similar to asking if a direct drive wheel will improve your speed compared to a budget wheel.
Quite simply, upgrading your sim racing pedals to load cell or hydraulic pedals will give you more control and consistency under braking. And this is a crucial part of sim racing.
If you can brake at the same spot and with the same amount of pressure each time you approach a corner, you have a baseline to work from and improve upon.
This can lead to extra consistency throughout a race leading to fewer mistakes under braking. And it will also allow you to push your braking technique and reduce your time spent braking to potentially improve your lap time.
Recently on the sim racing Subreddit, there was a poll about which piece of sim racing equipment would sim racers recommend upgrading first. The options were between pedals, wheel, wheelbase, triple screens or adding a VR headset.
The majority winner was upgrading your pedals with a whopping 67% of the vote.
The credit for this survey goes to SimPlace. You can find the original Reddit poll here.
Much like racing wheel technology, there is a range of different technology found inside sim racing pedals. The technology starts relatively simple and progresses to more complex ways of measuring braking and throttle force as you move up in budget.
At the entry-level for sim racing pedals, you have potentiometer and hall effect pedals. Both of these technologies work in similar ways, and essentially measure your input by the distance that the pedals travel.
As you push down on a pedal, the sensor will measure how far the pedal has been depressed and convert that to a brake input in-game.
This is the simplest form of measuring brake and throttle input and isn’t an overly realistic method of doing so. Many potentiometer and hall effect pedals include springs and dampers to increase the resistance with the goal of simulating the pressure required when you press a real pedal.
There is a difference between potentiometer and hall effect pedals. Potentiometers measure the physical distance using a potentiometer, which is a physical resistor. As you push down, the resistor converts the movement to a voltage which is converted to your in-game braking input.
Hall effect pedals are very similar, however, they remove the physical potentiometer, and use contactless magnets instead. These magnets work in essentially the same way, by measuring the distance of the sensor to the magnet, but by being contactless, they won’t wear as fast.
Because of the increased durability of hall effect pedals, they are often looked at as better than standard potentiometer pedals.
Load cell pedals are the next step up if you want a better sim racing pedal. A load cell pedal has much greater levels of resistance compared to potentiometer pedals. They can physically measure greater amounts of force, allowing the pedals to have much higher levels of resistance and feel more realistic.
You will often find load cell brake pedals in sim racing that can withstand forces of up to and over 100kg. That means you can stamp on the brake pedal with that much force before something gives up.
As an example, Formula 1 cars require around 130-150kg of pressure to fully depress the brake pedal.
Load cell brake pedals measure this force and translate the pressure into your braking input in-game. By using brake pressure rather than pedal distance, you can be much more consistent under braking when sim racing.
You can train your muscle memory to apply the same amount of force each time you approach a corner every lap. This will lead to greater consistency and can lead to you improving your braking technique and lap time.
At the very top of the best sim racing pedal tree, you’ll find hydraulic pedals. Hydraulic sim racing pedals incorporate real hydraulic dampers, just like those found in real-world cars and most forms of motorsport.
A truly realistic hydraulic pedal is very hard to simulate without using hydraulic dampers. Trying to do so with load cells, springs and magnets is almost impossible.
While load cell pedals and some hall effect pedals are incredibly good and feel fairly realistic to sim race with. Opting for hydraulic sim racing pedals is the only way to truly replicate the same feeling you get behind the wheel of your road car.
This technology doesn’t come cheap, however, with hydraulic sim racing pedals costing up to and over £/$1000 in some cases. For this reason, many sim racers choose to opt for load cell sim racing pedals as they are much more accessible.
Below I will run through the very best sim racing pedals that you can race with. I’ll show you the best pedal options from a variety of brands, and pedals that utilise a wide range of different technology from load cell brakes to full hydraulic pedals.
Click on any of the pedal names below to quickly scroll down to read more information, along with what type of sim racing setup I would recommend them for.
If you don’t have too much time to read through this entire guide, I’ll show you my top 3 recommendations for the best sim racing pedals here. These three pedal sets cover a wide range of budgets and compatibility. And they are widely considered the best pedal sets in each of their respective categories.
Best Budget Pedals Fanatec CSL Pedals | Best Load Cell Pedals Heusinkveld Sprint | Best Hydraulic Pedals Asetek Invicta |
 |  |  |
BRAKING FORCE 60kg | BRAKING FORCE 120kg | BRAKING FORCE 200kg |
PRICE From €/$79.95 | PRICE €/$575 | PRICE €/$715 |
The Fanatec CSL Pedals came at a similar time to Fanatec’s breakthrough CSL DD wheel base. Together they formed the new wave of more budget-friendly Fanatec products.
The CSL Pedals were seen as a replacement for the older CSL Elite pedals. They look relatively similar in terms of design and layout and feature a load cell brake pedal.
You can pick up the CSL pedals in a two-pedal or three-pedal layout. But we would always recommend the three-pedal layout with a load cell brake included. The load cell brake pedal is what really makes this pedal set perform up there with the best load cell sim racing pedals on the market.
I did just mention the CSL Elite pedals, as these CSL pedals did initially replace those older pedals. However, Fanatec recently revived the CSL Elite pedals with an upgraded V2 iteration.
So now you can choose between the CSL pedals and the CSL Elite V2 pedals. But what is the difference? Well, to start with the CSL Elite V2 pedals cost €/$100 more. Other than that, the brake pedal on the CSL pedals feels very different to the brake found on the CSL Elite V2.
The CSL brake pedal is extremely stiff with very little pedal travel. The CSL Elite V2 brake has much more travel and a more progressive brake feel.
Are the CSL Elite V2 pedals worth €/$100 more than the CSL? Probably not, which is why I’m recommending the Fanatec CSL pedals as one of the best budget load cell sim racing pedal sets.
Pedals – Fanatec CSL Pedals
Compatibility – PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series X|S
Price – From €/$79.95
Where to buy –
Buy from Fanatec EU /
Buy from Fanatec US
If you don’t fancy the look or like the feel of the CSL pedals, Fanatec has the ClubSport V3 pedals as an alternative option. These are the best sim racing pedals that Fanatec currently sell.
They feature a completely different design to the more budget-friendly CSL pedals. There is a 90kg load cell in the brake pedal which allow the pedals to feel extremely realistic.
But the real party piece of the ClubSport V3 pedals are the vibration motors that are inside the brake and throttle pedal. These motors vibrate to simulate brake locking and tyre slip.
If you brake too hard, your brake will vibrate in a similar manner to your controller if racing with an Xbox or PS5 game controller. The same happens on the throttle if you start to lose traction under acceleration.
The ClubSport V3 pedals also come in two layouts. You can pick them up in a standard layout, or opt for the inverted pedals. The inverted pedals replicate the pedal layout often found in real-world cars and therefore can feel more realistic to race with.
Pedals – Fanatec ClubSport Pedals V3
Compatibility – PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series X|S
Price – €/$399.95
Where to buy –
Buy from Fanatec EU /
Buy from Fanatec US
MOZA Racing’s CRP pedals are the companies top of the range pedals. They feature a range of technology aimed to compete with Fanatec’s ClubSport V3 pedals.
There is a 100kg load cell at the rear of the brake pedal and a whole host of customisation. You can change the position of each pedal in numerous ways, adjusting the springs and dampers to create the perfect feel under braking.
The clutch on the CRP pedals is one of the most impressive sim racing pedals around. It features a three-stage configuration to allow it to better replicate a real-world clutch pedal.
It stimulates the low resistance of the initial pedal travel, followed by a stronger resistance as you reach the bite point and then a drop-off once you fully depress the pedal.
The CRP pedals also feature customisable linearity curves and pressure sensitivity which are all controlled by the MOZA Pit House software that is included.
Pedals – MOZA Racing CRP Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$499
Where to buy – Buy from MOZA
The SR-P pedals from MOZA are a more budget-friendly approach to a load cell brake pedal set compared to the CRP pedals. These SR-P pedals feature a much more lightweight design and construction with a stripped-back feature set compared to the CRP pedals.
There is a load cell brake included on the brake pedal of the SR-P pedals, which is rated up to 75kg. This makes the load cell not quite as strong as the one found in the CRP pedals.
There also isn’t any trickery going on in the clutch pedal. Instead, the clutch on this sim racing pedal set is a much more traditional contactless pedal with little to no resistance.
While the SR-P pedals aren’t as premium as the CRP pedals, they do make a fantastic relatively-low cost sim racing pedal set.
Pedals – MOZA SR-P Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – From £179/$179
Where to buy –
Buy from MOZA
Logitech recently released their Pro sim racing range. It consisted of the company’s first direct drive racing wheel and is a step towards having a professional sim racing range.
Alongside the Pro racing wheel sit these Logitech Pro Pedals. They are sold individually from the wheel making them the perfect stand-alone sim racing pedal set.
The Pro racing pedals come packaged in a three-pedal layout, with a large surround which is perfect for mounting to your sim rig. However, if you fancy a bit more flexibility in your mounting position, you can remove all three pedals from the surround and mount them individually.
This pedal set features a 100kg load cell behind the brake making it one of the strongest within this price range. And when paired with the Logitech Pro Racing Wheel, this pedal sets become fully console-compatible on either Xbox or PS5.
Pedals – Logitech Pro Pedals
Compatibility – PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series X|S
Price – £/$349.99
Where to buy –
Buy from Logitech UK/EU /
Buy from Logitech US
If you make the decision to step away from budget-friendly sim racing pedals and pick up a set of premium pedals, one of the first brands you’ll likely come across is Heusinkveld.
They’re a company that has earned their place as one of the best sim pedal manufacturers around. And the Sprint pedals are their entry-level pedal set. I say entry-level with a pinch of salt, as for a full three-pedal set, these pedals cost well over €/$500.
That is rather pricey in comparison to all of the pedals we’ve looked at so far. However, the performance, adjustability and build quality of the Sprints is more than enough to justify that price tag.
The brake pedal features a 120kg load cell, and each pedal features individually adjustable geometry allowing you to set up and mount these pedals in a completely unique configuration.
All Heusinkveld pedals also come with the SmartControl software which allows almost endless tweaking and adjustments to be made.
You can create completely customised pedal output curves, along with adjustments to deadzones and braking force.
At the end of the day, if you are looking for some of the most accessible professional-level sim pedals, the Heusinkveld Sprints are a fantastic choice.
Pedals – Heusinkveld Sprint Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$575
Where to buy – Buy from Digital Motorsports
If for some reason you take a look at the Heusinkveld Sprint pedals, and think, I want more performance out of my pedals, well Heusinkveld still have you covered.
The Heusinkveld Ultimate+ sim racing pedals are the top-of-the-range sim pedal that the company produces. The Ultimate+ pedals feature a 200kg load cell behind the brake with hydraulic damping on every pedal.
The bespoke hydraulic dampers behind each pedal allow these pedals to feel about as realistic as sim pedals come. And they’re reliable too, with each pedal designed to withstand over a million duty cycles.
Just like the Sprint pedals, the Ultimate+ pedals include the brilliant SmartControl software allowing for almost endless adjustments to be made.
Pedals – Heusinkveld Ultimate+ Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$1100
Where to buy – Buy from Digital Motorsport
The Asetek Forte sim racing pedals are one of the best designed sim racing pedals. They utilise an all-black anodized aluminium combined with orange accents throughout, allowing them to look particularly striking. They even include an RGB light strip in the pedal base for added flair.
But more importantly, they perform incredibly well, allowing up to 180kg of pedal force.
Asetek has been clever in the development because while the Forte sim pedals don’t use any hydraulic damping, they still offer a very similar sensation during use. They’re designed with a two-stage pedal system which will give the sensation of using hydraulic pedals.
The Asetek Forte pedals come as standard in just a two-pedal layout. However, Asetek does sell individual clutch systems allowing you to transform this pedal set into a full three-pedal sim racing pedal set.
Pedals – Asetek Forte Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$419
Where to buy – Buy from Digital Motorsports
While the Forte pedals are designed to replicate the sensation of sim racing with hydraulic pedals, the Invicta pedals go one step further and utilise hydraulic damping.
Much like the Forte pedals, these Invicta sim racing pedals come in a two-pedal configuration with an additional clutch pedal sold separately. And they also utilise a similar external design philosophy of black with orange accents making them look just as striking.
The hydraulic brake cylinder inside the Asetek Invicta pedals is designed with 100 bars of pressure in the hydraulic system. And they’re capable of withstanding up to 200kg of pressure through the pedal.
Asetek are so confident that these pedals will improve your lap time, that they have even guaranteed that you’ll improve your lap time by a tenth. Although I’m not sure that they would offer a refund if you didn’t improve your time, but it’s a clever bit of marketing!
Pedals – Asetek Invicta Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$715
Where to buy – Buy from Digital Motorsports
Looking away from top of the range hydraulic pedals for a second, the Thrustmaster T-LCM pedals are one of the best sim racing pedals. They’re also one of the absolute cheapest load cell pedal sets on the market in 2023.
The T-LCM are designed around a full frame which houses all three pedals. Given the price, it is no surprise that some of the outer frame is constructed from plastic, but importantly every part that you come into contact with is quality metal.
The load cell that is behind the brake pedal is rated up to 100kg of pressure which is incredibly impressive given the price of these pedals.
The stiffness of the brake is also fully adjustable thanks to a set of interchangeable springs that are included with the pedal set.
Pedals – Thrustmaster T-LCM Pedals
Compatibility – Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PS4, PC
Price – €/$160
Where to buy – Buy from Digital Motorsports
The Cube Controls SP01 may not have been fully revealed yet with an unknown release date, however, we do know they are imminent. The SP01 will be the first sim racing pedals from Cube Controls who are famed for their excellent sim racing steering wheels.
We know that the SP01 sim racing pedals will feature hydraulic damping on at least the brake pedal, which we would expect to be fully adjustable.
Once we know more about these sim pedals, we will include it here. But we couldn’t resist including the Cube Controls SP01 on this list. Because if you are happy to wait for a quality pedal set, we’re sure the SP01 will be something special given the form of Cube Controls.
Pedals – Cube Controls SP01 Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – TBA
Where to buy – Buy from Cube Controls
The SimCraft Pro pedals are among the most premium in this sim racing pedal guide. But we had to mention them as a showcase of the best pedals that you can buy.
They retail for an eye-watering €/$1495, but for that price you are getting a set of sim racing pedals that could have been ripped right out of any race car.
These pedals look unlike almost any other sim pedal on the market. And they’re designed to take the form of an actual racing pedal set.
Each pedal is fully adjustable, and you can transform the brake pedal to feel like different cars with just a twist of a nut. You can switch between the braking feel of a formula car and a GT3 car, both of which feel rather different. But this is great for sim racers who often switch the style of motorsport they’re racing.
The brake pedal is rated up to 100kg of pressure, and features two different brake cylinders along with a range of springs for added adjustability.
The clutch pedal, in particular, is incredibly special and is capable of proper travel and engagement feel. The clutch itself has a patent pending on its design, it’s that good.
If you have the cash to spend on the ultimate sim racing setup, these SimCraft Pro Pedals are among the very best you can buy.
Pedals – SimCraft Pro Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$1495
Where to buy – Buy from SimCraft
The Simagic P2000 sim racing pedals are one of the most powerful sim pedals sets available. When purchasing you can opt for either a 100kg load cell sensor or a 200kg sensor. This allows you to decide which experience you are after right from the get-go.
The brake pedal also features a realistic brake cylinder consisting of a main and auxiliary hydraulic pump. This set up allows for an extremely realistic sim racing brake pedal feel. There are also four different springs included allowing you to adjust the force required to fully depress the brake pedal.
The adjustability doesn’t stop there with a three-in-one throttle cylinder. The throttle allows you to easily adjust the level of damping and the pedal travel.
From a design perspective, this pedal set utilises CNC’d aluminium in its construction along with the option for a carbon fibre heel plate, and eleven customisable RGB lights.
Pedals – Simagic P2000 Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$660
Where to buy – Buy from Abruzzi
The Simtrecs ProPedal GT look as though they have been ripped right out of a real-world race car. They utilise a full CNC machined aluminium construction to ensure they operate smoothly without any flex.
There is a 200kg load cell combined with high-quality Vishay potentiometers to allow for an incredibly powerful brake pedal. These are paired with custom-developed high-resolution electronics which allow full customisation of each pedal via their SmartDrive software.
As well as being able to customise the output curves and more from inside the software, you can also physically adjust the pedal placement including distance forwards and back, left and right, up and down as well as adjusting the pedal angles.
These ProPedal GT pedals are a serious piece of sim racing hardware, and they certainly look the part with their steel and aluminium construction.
Pedals – Simtrecs ProPedal GT Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$999
Where to buy – Buy from G Performance
The EV01 pedals from Meca Sim Hardware are a high-end set of hydraulic pedals. As standard, they come in a two-pedal layout with the hydraulic brake included. There is the option of adding a third clutch pedal as well as a baseplate if required.
Thanks to the all-black construction (apart from the bare steel pedal face plates), this sim pedal set would blend in perfectly with a black aluminium profile sim rig.
Quality of construction is the name of the game with the Meca EV01 pedals. Every part of the pedal utilises 4mm thick steel, aluminium or brass and everything has been surface treated for durability.
Behind the throttle pedal is a 20kg load cell sensor which has been specifically designed to ensure precision under acceleration.
The brake pedal utilises a 136kg load cell paired with a Willwood master cylinder and a custom slave cylinder. This hydraulic set up allows for extremely realistic braking performance and can simulate the pressure of a real brake system.
Pedals – Meca EV01 Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$700
Where to buy – Buy from Meca
Simtag has been creating high-quality sim racing pedals for years, with all of their pedals being hand built in Belgium. They currently offer two different pedal ranges.
These Iris pedals are the lower priced of the two ranges, although they are still one of the most premium in this guide. These Iris pedals feature two pedals constructed from forged aluminium.
The brake pedal features a custom-designed hydraulic push-cylinder which Simtag call the “grenade”. This is adjustable using the physical “grenade” cap to alter the pedal resistance.
The pedals come with two forms of connection. A USB that can be linked straight to your PC, and a direct connection to the Simucube 2 wheel bases.
To ensure these pedals feel as close to real-world pedals can, Simtag has utilised parts that are directly used in race cars. There is a Wilwood brake cylinder, Bosch and ABB automotive sensors and Tilton pedals.
Pedals – Simtag Iris Hydraulic Pedals
Compatibility – PC
Price – €/$1230
Where to buy – Buy from Digital Motorsports
Hopefully, this sim racing pedal guide has been informative and has helped narrow down which are the best sim racing pedals for your requirements. Whether you are after a set of load cell or hydraulic pedals, this list contains the best sim racing pedal recommendations.
The most important thing when purchasing any sim racing gear first and foremost is budget and ensuring you stick to your planned budget.
Sim racing equipment is expensive, especially as you move up to hydraulic sim pedals. And there is a great selection of much lower-cost sim pedals to choose from if you can’t justify the large price tags of some of the professional sim pedals in this guide.
You can use the links below to shop for your favourite sim racing products, or for any products that we may have recommended. These links are affiliate links, and will earn us a small commission, with no additional cost for you.
A mounting angle of between 5 and 20º is ideal for sim racing pedals. This should position each vertical pedal at around 70-90º. If you are creating an F1-style simulator, then look to mount your pedals at a more extreme angle so that each pedal sits at 90º from the floor.
There are some great pedal sets that don’t utilise load cells or hydraulics. However, upgrading to a load cell pedal will almost always improve your braking performance and consistency. Upgrading your pedals is the single biggest improvement you can make to your on-track performance.
There are some sim racing wheels which feature dual clutches that can be mapped to the throttle and brake inputs. This allows you to race without using pedals. However, utilising pedals in your sim racing setup will increase immersion and allow for greater control over your pedal inputs.
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