Here is our ultimate sim racing cockpit buyers guide for 2024. Includes the best sim rig recommendations in 2024 for a wide range of budgets and requirements.
Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. We earn a commission from any sale after clicking an affiliate link. Find out more.
Sim racing can be an expensive hobby, but lucky for us, there is a huge range of brilliant sim rigs and cockpits available to buy. The best sim racing rig for you will depend on your budget along with a few factors such as space available among other things. This guide will run you through the best sim rigs across a wide range of styles and budgets.
Sim racing cockpits and sim rigs come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and budgets, which is great for someone looking to purchase one. However, the sheer number of different sim rigs and cockpits available to buy can make shopping for a sim racing cockpit a daunting task.
In this ultimate guide to buying the best sim racing cockpit, I’ll show you my top picks for the best sim racing rigs across a wide range of budgets and categories. These include the best high-end sim rigs for hardcore sim racers, through to mid-range and budget sim racing cockpits for beginners and those with less space.
Sim racing cockpits are one of the most important pieces of equipment you can buy when building a sim racing setup. They can dictate the style of sim racing wheel base you can mount to it, as well as the amount of space you’ll need. So it’s important to know how sim rigs can differ before you start shopping.
| Type of cockpit | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| 8020 sim rig | Sturdy | Can be expensive |
| Tubular sim rig | Looks great | Not as many mounting points |
| All-in-one cockpit | Functional | Not as sturdy as an 8020 rig |
| Wheel stand | Space saving | Less sturdy than most rigs |
The most professional and heavy-duty sim racing rigs are known as 8020 sim rigs and are constructed using a heavy-duty aluminium profile. These can be highly customisable and can fit almost any requirement. The strength of the aluminium profile used allows for the strongest and best-performing sim racing wheels to be mounted to them.
Metal tube sim rigs often sit in the middle ground between 8020 sim rigs and budget-focused all-in-one sim rigs. They are often constructed from strong metals such as aluminium, steel or iron with a heavily engineered design allowing for strong forces to be absorbed.
There are a whole host of all-in-one sim cockpits and rigs across a wide range of budgets however, these normally cater for beginner sim racers or those with less budget and space available. All-in-one sim rigs will feature everything you need to start sim racing including a sim racing seat, which is normally an added extra for tubular and 8020 rigs.
If you’re short on space, or need a way of storing away your sim racing cockpit after you’ve finished racing, a wheel stand could be the ultimate solution. Wheel stands can generally be folded up when not in use to reduce the amount of room they take up. Most let you keep your racing wheel and pedals mounted while you fold it away to make setting up and packing away as easy as possible.
TL;DR – If you don’t have enough time to read our detailed sim rig guide below, here are our top picks for each category of the best sim racing cockpits in 2024. I’ll look at each of these sim rigs in more detail below as well as a host of other alternative sim rig options.
Best 8020 Sim Lab P1X Pro | Best Metal Tube RennSport V2 | Best All-in-one NLR GT Track |
 |  |  |
|
|
|
As well as the three options above, I wanted to suggest a few more sim racing cockpits for specific use cases. The three picks above are the class leaders in each of the different types of sim racing cockpit, 8020, tubular and all-in-one. However, these three cockpits won’t be the best pick for everyone.
Below is a more detailed comparison of the best sim racing cockpits across a range of different budgets and categories.
| Racing Cockpit | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Best overall sim racing cockpit | Sim-Lab P1X Pro | $800 |
| Best budget sim racing cockpit | Next Level Racing F-GT Lite | $240 |
| Best racing wheel stand | GT Omega Apex Wheel Stand | $115 |
| Best Formula 1 cockpit | PlaySeat Formula Pro | $1200 |
| Best motion sim racing cockpit | Next Level Racing Motion Platform v3 | $2999 |
| Best extreme performance rig | Sim-Lab X1 Pro | $1500 |
There are a few questions you can ask yourself that make shopping for a sim racing cockpit in 2024 a much easier task. These should include, what is your budget, how much free space you have in your room, and what are your requirements for a sim rig.
As mentioned, a sim racing cockpit really sits at the heart of your sim racing setup. You can mount your monitor to it allowing it to be a completely stand-alone item in your room, or you can position it in front of a mounted TV or monitor. Below I’ll look at a few key areas of a sim rig that you should consider.
I touched on this in the intro above, but sim rigs and sim racing cockpits come in a wide range of styles. High-end aluminium profile and metal tube sim rigs allow for the most high-end sim racing equipment to be mounted without any stability issues. While all-in-one rigs and more budget-friendly options will limit the type of sim racing equipment you can mount.
A strong wheel base for example can cause some sim rigs to flex and shake under load. The main decision you should make right at the start of your sim rig shopping experience is what style of sim rig are you looking for. Below are a few key points for each style of sim rig.
A sim rig is a rather large commitment in terms of cost and floor space. Many sim racers will start with a racing wheel mounted to a desk or a foldable wheel stand. But for many, this isn’t a viable long-term solution. If you are looking to upgrade your equipment or sim race more often, a sim rig is the next natural step. But a limiting factor can be floor space.
On average, a sim rig will take up around 1 and a half meters by 1 meter worth of space. Some more compact all-in-one sim rigs will be considerably less than this, while some 8020 sim rigs will require more space.
Ensuring you have enough space for a permanent sim rig is important. And if you are limited on space, this will affect your buying decision. You could instead opt for a smaller all-in-one sim rig or a collapsable wheel stand.
Read our best sim racing wheel stand guide for our top wheel stand recommendations.
You will also need to factor in where your sim rig will be positioned in your room, and how you will mount your TV or monitor. Unless you’re using a VR headset, you will need your sim rig in front of a screen. This could be in front of a TV mounted on the wall or tucked under your desk.
However, most sim racing rigs can be cumbersome to move around. So you will want to look for somewhere rather permanent to position your sim rig that has a screen directly in front. Many sim rigs do have mounting points for screens which is the ideal solution, but again, this will take up even more space!
Aluminium profile sim rigs and sim rigs constructed from a metal tube go about achieving the same result with two completely different methods. They are both extremely strong and sturdy styles of construction and will allow you to mount the best direct drive sim racing wheels and best sim pedals to them.
However, they both look very different and present a completely different set of pros and cons.
An aluminium profile (8020) sim rig is designed for maximum versatility. You can configure your rig in an almost infinite number of ways, tailoring it to your exact needs. And if you want to mount any additional items to your rig such as keyboard trays or shifters, you can simply bolt on another piece of aluminium extrusion.
A metal tube sim rig is a much more streamlined product. They can be just as sturdy as an 8020 rig, but customisation and versatility are sometimes lacking. You often get a limited amount of customisation with a metal tube rig as they will come in a pre-designed form. Although with high-end rigs, you can often adjust a lot of areas such as seating position and mounting points to find a fit that works perfectly for you.
Looking at sim rig strength is important as it will dictate the style of the sim racing wheel and pedals that you can mount to it. To race with a high-powered direct drive racing wheel, you’ll need an extremely sturdy sim rig.
This is because direct drive racing wheels can create a huge amount of force feedback. With less sturdy sim rigs, you will noticeably feel your sim rig flexing and moving under heavy load.
This isn’t good for the integrity of your sim rig as it can cause damage over time, but it also doesn’t help you translate which force is due to the force feedback and what is just movement within your rig. This can make it harder to correctly respond to the force feedback.
If you are using a lower-powered racing wheel, then rigidity won’t be such a big issue. This is where all-in-one sim rigs shine, as they give enough stability to support your racing wheel, with the bonuses that all-in-one sim rigs offer.
Another area to look at is ensuring the mounting points of your sim racing wheel base match the mounting points in your sim rig. The majority of sim rigs come with pre-drilled wheel mounting plates, while others require you to purchase specific adapters to mount your racing wheel.
A pre-drilled mounting plate will allow you to mount a wide range of racing wheels to your rig from the bottom of the wheel base. With these, you must ensure the pre-drilled positions match the mounting points of your racing wheel.
If you are looking at buying a high-end sim rig, you will often be presented with a choice of racing wheel mounting options. If you’re using a direct drive racing wheel, this will often be front-mounted or side-mounted.
As you grow as a sim racer, over time you may wish to add more elements to your sim racing cockpit. These could include a mount for a shifter, keyboard tray or monitor. It is hard to account for this when purchasing a sim rig, but try to keep an eye out for the potential to upgrade over time.
Many sim rigs will show you which accessories can be added, and some will push you to purchase these extra items when buying your sim rig. Don’t worry about buying the additional accessories right away, but do keep in mind which accessories are available.
Then over time, you will be confident that you won’t need to buy a new sim rig, as you can simply add extra elements to your current rig.
One of the additional products often available with a sim rig is an additional monitor mount. These allow you to mount a wide variety of gaming monitors directly to your sim rig.
This is a great option when thinking about where you will position your sim rig. It often isn’t practical to position your sim rig directly in front of your desk monitor or TV as this will block it from being used in other ways.
Monitor mounting comes in a few different varieties. Many sim rigs will have the option to directly mount it to your rig. This is a solid option as you can ensure your monitor is always correctly positioned even if you moved your rig. It also allows you to position your monitor closer to your racing wheel which is beneficial to achieving the correct FOV (field of view).
You can also opt for a stand-alone monitor mount. This will sit independently to your sim rig, and allow you to move and reposition your screens over time.
If this is a route that you are looking to go down, or thinking about in the future. Simply double-check that the correct mounting options are available when looking at buying a sim rig.
The last area to keep an eye on when shopping for sim racing rigs in 2024 is your budget. This is often one of the most prominent deciding factors as it will dictate how far you can reach. It is always important not to overstretch your budget, especially as sim racing can be an expensive hobby.
You may need replacement parts, or look to upgrade your sim racing wheel over time. So it is important not to spend all of your money on a super flashy sim rig.
There are sim rigs available for a wide range of budgets, including lower-priced 8020 sim rigs. So always keep your intended budget in mind when shopping.
I’m going to start our recommendations with our top pick for the best aluminium profile sim rig. This is a very crowded market with many brands and manufacturers having their own aluminium profile sim rig. These brands include Sim-Lab, Next Level Racing, Trak Racer and more.
The mighty Sim Lab P1-X is always at the tip of the tongue when it comes to recommending an 8020 aluminium profile sim rig. It is one of the most sturdy and best sim rigs available, with a host of great customisation features just like many 8020 rigs.
In 2024, Sim-Lab revamped the P1-X and released the P1X Pro sim rig. This new sim rig took the foundation laid by the original P1-X and improved in almost every area. It features a new design throughout designed to be even sturdier.
Sim Lab is widely known to partner with real-world racing drivers and is currently the official supplier of the Mercedes AMG F1 team. That is a testament to the quality on offer from Sim Lab.
One of the reasons that the Sim Lab P1X Pro is so strong is due to the large aluminium profile that is used. The P1X Pro uses 40x160mm aluminium extrusion to ensure there is no movement or rigidity. This is compared to 40x120mm and 40x80mm that a lot of other 8020 rigs use.
Every piece of the aluminium profile used to build the P1X Pro is laser-cut to ensure a precise fit. Overall, this is without a doubt one of the best 8020 sim rigs you can buy and is the go-to professional sim rig.
Sim Rig – Sim-Lab P1X Pro
Price – From €785/$849
Where to buy –
Buy from Sim-Lab
While the Sim-Lab P1X Pro is an absolute beast of a sim rig and is easily one of the best sim rigs you can buy, I also want to offer an alternative option. Next Level Racing is an Australian sim rig manufacturer that produces a wide array of different sim racing cockpits. At the top of their lineup is the F-GT Elite which is designed to compete directly with the Sim-Lab P1X Pro.
The Next Level Racing F-GT Elite is one of the more recent 8020 sim rigs that have been released, and it certainly arrived with a bang. In a world where many 8020 sim rigs look like something constructed from parts of extrusion found lying around. The NLR F-GT Elite certainly stands out.
It features swept-back pieces of aluminium profile that have all been cut to align perfectly. This gives it an extremely race-ready look and lets it take its place as one of the best high-end 8020 sim rigs on the market in 2024.
The build quality of the F-GT has the power to back up this edgy appearance. It features large pieces of 40x80mm aluminium extrusion, mixed with an extremely heavy-duty pedal plate.
And there is more adjustability with this sim rig than you would ever need. The rig comes equipped with a seat mount that allows you to side-mount your racing seat in almost any position. You can achieve an upright GT-style racing position or a fully reclined Formula 1 style seating position.
The combination of striking looks combined with exceptional build quality and adjustability allows the NLR F-GT Elite to be one of the best 8020 sim rigs on the market.
While many 8020 sim racing cockpits can be quite pricey and expensive, they don’t have to be. There is a good selection of more budget-friendly sim racing cockpits available. The Trak Racer TR80 Lite below is one of our top picks in the budget sim racing cockpit category.
The TR80 Lite is one of the cheapest and most accessible 8020 sim rigs on the market. It’s essentially a stripped-down variant of the TR80 from sim rig manufacturer Trak Racer.
It uses the same 40x80mm aluminium extrusion, albeit in a different configuration. This alternate approach allows this 8020 sim rig to be accessible to those without the budget to spend on rigs like the P1X Pro.
Despite its lower budget, the Trak Racer TR80 Lite is a fantastic sim racing cockpit. It features a sturdy wheel deck compatible with direct drive racing wheels, along with a pre-drilled pedal tray that is also widely compatible.
Both the wheel deck and pedal tray are designed to be instantly compatible with the most popular sim racing wheels and pedals available. If you do find your pedal or wheel doesn’t fit with any of the pre-drilled holes, you can relatively easily drill your own holes through the metal sheets.
A few years ago at this price point, you wouldn’t have been able to find any 8020 sim rigs unless you undertook a DIY project yourself. Now in 2024, at this price, the TR80 Lite is one of the best mid-range sim racing cockpits around.
Stepping away from aluminium profile sim racing cockpits, the alternative for a truly sturdy sim racing experience is to opt for a sim racing cockpit that utilises a metal tube construction. This approach can be just as sturdy as aluminium profile sim rigs, however, they sometimes sacrifice adaptability for a nicer design.
Whereas an aluminium profile sim rig or cockpit allows you to mount any peripheral almost anywhere along the frame thanks to the slot gaps. A tubular sim racing cockpit is much more restrictive on where you mount peripherals. Typically, there are designation mounting spots and brackets that allow you to mount a shifter, handbrake and monitor stand. But this approach can limit true customisation in comparison to an 8020 sim rig.
Metal tube sim rigs do have the benefit over an 8020 rig of looking much more streamlined thanks to the sleek curves and shapes that are possible from manipulating metal tubes. The Fanatec RennSport V2 is one of the best-looking sim racing cockpits available on the market thanks to its curves.
It features a slicked-back solid aluminium tube frame that is designed to emulate the feeling of sitting inside a race car surrounded by a roll cage. And it certainly achieves this. The solid aluminium tube wraps around you with metal meshing filling in the areas between the frame.
While this does give you the feeling of being in a real race car, it also provides a huge amount of stability. The RennSport V2 cockpit has been designed with direct drive in mind and has been fully tested with the strongest direct drive wheels such as the mighty Fanatec DD2. It is also compatible with the latest sim racing wheels including Fanatec’s own Clubsport DD+.
The rigidity of this sim rig is incredible, but it also does what many metal tube sim rigs fail to do. And that is to allow for customisation and adaptability as you progress as a sim racer.
You can purchase a wide range of additional extras to this sim rig to mount hardware such as shifters and monitors directly to the rig. If you’re looking for a sturdy sim rig to pair with your Fanatec racing wheel setup, the RennSport V2 has to be at the top of your list.
The main downside of the Fanatec Rennsport V2 cockpit is its high price tag. Thankfully, there are alternative sim racing cockpits on the market that come in cheaper than the Rennsport V2. If you are looking for a more budget-friendly tubular sim racing cockpit, the Trak Racer TR8 Pro is a great option.
While the RennSport V2 sits right at the premium end of sim rigs, the Trak Racer TR8 Pro does a good job at providing a sturdy rig at a much-reduced budget.
The TR8 Pro is the second evolution of the widely loved TR8. This is a 2″ Industrial Strength Iron Chassis sim rig that provides a huge amount of customisation. Trak Racer has done a very good job at providing a range of different mounting points for various peripherals.
Almost everything on this sim rig is adjustable. You can change your seating position between a GT-style and a more formula-style position. The wheel mount is fully adjustable meaning you can move your racing wheel closer or further away from your seat, as well as being able to adjust your wheel plate up and down.
The pedal plate is very similar in that it has a large amount of movement available. You can adjust the angle and the position of your pedals to find a comfortable driving position. The shifter mount can also be moved not only backwards and forwards, but it can also be tilted towards or away from you!
To round out the adjustability category, the Trak Racer TR8 Pro sim racing cockpit also gives you the option of mounting a fully adjustable TV or monitor directly to your rig via an integrated monitor mount that sits just behind your racing wheel. This monitor mount can also be used to hide cables to help with cable management.
With all of the customisation available and the sturdiness of the 2″ chassis, this cockpit is without a doubt one of my favourite sim rigs, so much so that I used one every week for around 2 years!
Aside from metal tubular cockpits and aluminium profile sim rigs, there are also all-in-one cockpits. Both 8020 sim rigs and tubular cockpits can be purchased with a seat to technically make it an all-in-one solution, sim racing cockpits that fit into this category come with a racing seat included. This results in them being much more affordable than a more premium sim racing cockpit.
When it comes to all-in-one sim rigs, these are sim racing cockpits that include everything you need to go racing. That includes a racing seat and mounts for all of your sim racing equipment.
The Next Level Racing GT Track is a fantastic example of an all-in-one sim rig. It features a sturdy metal frame that is highly adjustable, along with an adjustable wheel deck and pedal plate. The pedal tray can be adjusted forward and backwards as well as providing angle adjustments to let you play about with your configuration.
The wheel deck on the GT Track can also be adjusted, with both height, distance and angle adjustments available. The wheel deck is also pre-drilled to support most sim racing wheels and the cockpit itself is sturdy enough to support some direct drive racing wheels.
While the cheaper Next Level Racing F-GT allows you to recline to be in a formula-style driving position, the GT Track instead features a more premium reclining seat. This allows you to really customise your driving position to suit your needs.
Much like the sim racing cockpits that I mentioned above, this GT Track allows you to mount various accessories such as shifters and flight sticks if you fancy taking to the skies. You can also mount this onto a motion rig to really enhance your immersion levels, hence the included harnesses!
One of the main downsides of sim rigs such as the GT Track is that you can’t mount a monitor or TV directly to your stand. So you’ll need an alternate way to position your screen. Despite that, this sim rig is more than sturdy enough to handle a direct drive racing wheel such as the Fanatec CSL DD.
If you are first starting out in the world of sim racing, it can be pretty daunting seeing the price of sim racing equipment. You may not want to spend thousands on a new hobby, meaning a more budget-friendly solution is required.
Thankfully, there is a good amount of budget-friendly sim racing equipment available from budget racing wheels and pedals, to budget sim racing cockpits. Some of the more budget-orientated sim racing cockpits come in the form of wheel stands, and these provide the benefit of being collapsible allowing you to store them away once you’ve seen the chequered flag and finished sim racing for the day.
GT Omega is known for producing a wide range of gaming products including sim racing cockpits and wheel stands. And this is where I first started my sim racing journey, with a GT Omega wheel stand.
The GT Omega APEX Wheel stand is a hugely accessible sim racing cockpit. In fact, it can be configured in multiple configurations. The wheel stand itself comes as a stand-alone frame, allowing you to mount a racing wheel and pedals to it. But it can be expanded over time to include a rear seat frame and adjustable seat to form a complete sim racing cockpit.
The configuration which I’ve got set up in our Sim Racing Setup studio includes the wheel stand, mounted onto the rear seat frame, with a GT Omega XL RS reclining chair mounted to that. This combination forms a complete sim rig and allows you to sim race with relatively powerful wheel bases.
This combination includes;
As you can see I regularly use the CSL DD wheel base and the load cell pedal with this GT Omega APEX wheel stand and rear frame combo. And there is pretty much zero flex or movement, even under heavy use.
The pure flexibility of this wheel stand is great. In its stand-alone wheel stand form, you can fold it away when not in use, and use it with your regular office or dining chair. And when you’re ready for a full sim rig, you can expand it with a rear frame and seat.
And the best part is that this whole setup is very budget-oriented. It is the cheapest sim rig on this list and performs well above its price range. For a first delve into sim racing, this is a perfect sim rig.
Hopefully, the above options give you a good insight into the different styles of sim racing cockpit available in 2024. I’ve highlighted the best sim rigs and cockpits within each category to help narrow down the selection as well as showing more premium and budget-friendly options. It is great for sim racers, that in 2024, we have such a wide range of different sim racing cockpits available.
I did touch on it above, but the main things to really consider when buying a sim racing cockpit are;
With those elements in mind, you can really narrow down your sim rig requirements. And with so many fantastic rigs on offer from a range of brands such as Sim Lab, Trak Racer, Next Level Racing and more. Shopping for a sim rig shouldn’t be too troublesome!
Sim racing cockpits and sim rigs can be one of the more confusing products you can buy when creating a complete sim racing setup. There are so many variables, from type to price and how much performance they can handle. So I’ve compiled a selection of the most commonly asked questions about sim racing cockpits below.
Not every sim rig and cockpit will include a racing seat. Many of the more premium cockpits give you the option of buying the frame without a racing seat. This is to give you the choice over the style of seat you wish to add. You may already have your own racing seat or want to purchase a different branded one.
The majority of sim racing cockpits, especially the more premium ones use a very similar method of mounting a racing seat. Most utilise seat brackets which can accommodate most racing seats. Almost all fibreglass racing seats have mounting points at the side which are designed to be attached via a set of seat brackets. Then the brackets themselves can be mounted to your sim racing cockpit.
If you don’t have the space for a sim racing cockpit, mounting to a table or desk is a viable option. Most brands sell or include a table clamp with their racing wheels. However, there is a limit on how strong of a racing wheel you can use with a desk. Powerful direct drive wheels can be too powerful and violent for a desk mount and could cause damage if not securely mounted.
If you are using a desk or table mount to sim race, you could always use your regular office chair as a racing seat. The main issue to solve is the chair rolling across the floor when you stamp on the brake pedal. This can be fixed by using a set of wheel blocks which are available on places like Amazon.
Generally, the more expensive a sim rig is, the better built it is. However, you don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune on a sim racing cockpit. If you are only planning on using a lower-powered racing wheel, you won’t need the extra support that premium sim racing cockpits provide. In this scenario, you could opt for a cheaper sim rig.
Generally yes, however, there are exceptions. Most sim rigs have pre-drilled holes that are designed to accommodate the most popular racing wheels and pedals. However, some newer sim racing products and some products that aren’t as common may not fit these pre-drilled mounting holes. In this case, you may need to drill your own holes or utilise another way of mounting your racing wheel like a desk clamp.
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.
Rich is the co-founder, and one of the main F1 setup creators and content writers for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers.
View all articles written by Rich
View Best F1 24 Racing Wheels
Best PS5 Racing Wheels
Choosing whether to use a racing wheel or controller for a racing game or sim racing… Read More »Best Controllers For Racing Games & Sim Racing: 2024 Buyer’s Guide
Both Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione have been known to suffer from wheel shaking issues.… Read More »How To Stop Wheel Shaking in Assetto Corsa?
Despite being released over 10 years ago, Assetto Corsa remains one of the most-played sim racing… Read More »Assetto Corsa Controller Settings Guide: Smooth & Driveable Settings For 2024
