The best car simulators for PC for 2022

Driving simulators can give a person the initial necessary driving skills, allowing them to overcome their fears. For such purposes, various programs are suitable, in which compliance with traffic rules plays an important role. At the same time, with the help of a computer, you can also get sports driving skills, but for this it is better to purchase peripheral devices such as a steering wheel and a gearbox. The main benefit of all autosims is that the user begins to better understand the real "iron horse" in principle. And the most important benefit is that during training you do not have to put the machine itself or the people around you at real risk.

Fighting fear

In our country, the vast majority of drivers whose driving experience is less than 3 years have already had a chance to practice on simulators in driving schools, especially since such lessons have already begun to be introduced everywhere. However, many underestimate this practice, believing that learning is only possible while driving a real car, not a virtual car. Nevertheless, the statistics show the opposite: the training experiment with mandatory training on the simulator was recognized as successful, because. up to 80% of cadets of driving schools before the first trip successfully overcome feelings of fear during real practice. And here it is not the banal fear of the steering wheel that is of great importance, but the fear of getting a comment from the instructor, as well as the fear of making a mistake in front of other road users. The simulator, on the other hand, allows you to learn how to start, drive and stop in time, while not endangering either the instructor or the car itself.

The same statistics says that only 50% of driving school graduates immediately, upon completion of the course, get behind the wheel of their own car. The other half gets a real car under their control only after a year or three. And this can already be considered a significant break, because of which you will have to re-learn all the basics. And then, in order to catch up with the “forgotten”, the former student has to train at an early, or vice versa, late time of the day, when traffic is not burdened with heavy traffic.And such trips are unlikely to be effective, because they happen quite rarely, due to the frantic pace of modern life. Thus, in the event of a long break in driving experience, car simulators are the best solution to restore skills.

Confident driver skill

It is no secret that even experienced drivers do not interfere from time to time to spend time playing the game. A big plus will be the ability to simulate various extreme situations with the subsequent search for a solution to get out of them (or simply avoid them). In addition, car simulators will help you master the beginning of sports driving. Here you should not confuse sports driving with aggressive driving, in which a special driving style is performed and the desire to be the first is constantly present. For sports driving, the basic rule also applies - to drive, as accurately as possible, fulfilling safety requirements.

Of course, it is preferable to master a sporty driving style with a special steering wheel, and a gearbox and pedals are also desirable. With them it will be easier to master the operation of the pedals, the steering technique, to get the initial skills of damping skids, the ability to properly select the speed limit. If you add a good audio system to all this, then you can begin to focus on the sound, isolating it from extraneous noise (this function should be supported by the simulator itself).

In addition, not every driver can test his car in special conditions on a special track. In the game, it is possible to pick up a car that is approximately suitable for the technical characteristics of a personal one and try it out in virtual conditions.

It is also worth noting that most modern car simulators pay great attention to the technical part of the car, its physics while driving. Having learned information from the game, it is quite possible to apply it in practice.

Often, professional users of car simulators are quite capable of showing a high level of skill when they even get behind the wheel of a real car for the first time. The simulator, which perfectly implements the physics of motion, the technical part for the "iron horses", can teach even the "couch driver" to competently drive a car on a particular surface. As an example, the following situation can be cited: a gamer who is professionally engaged in computer racing in the simulator genre, went much better on an icy track in a real car, although he had never driven on ice before. At the same time, a driver with an experience of 5 years showed a much worse result, because he could not correctly extinguish drifts.

Modern car simulators

Naturally, learning to drive in arcade sims (like The Need for Speed ​​series) doesn't make any sense. There are certain requirements for computer simulators:

• The presence of physics as close to reality as possible;
• The technical characteristics of the car clearly have an impact on the driving process;
• There are dynamically changing weather conditions;
• The road surface affects the ride;
• There is two-way traffic.

Thus, for learning, you need to use the "right games". The most famous of them is Gran Turismo.

IMPORTANT! Although it is exclusive to the PlayStation, today, with the help of various emulators, it has also been ported to the PC.

So, it is considered the most realistic driving simulation game.The cars offered for training can be selected as standard, or you can assemble your own car yourself. The last option allows you to visually get an idea of ​​​​the changes in the behavior of the machine when one or another unit is replaced in it. Also, the Gran Turismo series is praised for its very realistic sound. Most users note that when playing with the manual transmission option, after a few trainings, the player will already be able to shift gears by ear, which allows you to permanently get rid of the habit of peering at the dashboard, wondering - is it time to shift or not yet?

Another great sim is Live for Speed, a great way to delve into the physics of movement and thoroughly understand the mechanics of the car. Users note a very high realism, based on which the developers have created their own unique virtual fleet. Separately, it is necessary to mention the physics of damage - everything breaks in the car, the suspension bends, each collision can become critical, therefore, in this Sim, thoughtless driving is absolutely not welcome, because it will constantly end with constant departures from the track. Among other things, here you can get closely acquainted with the concept of "coupling the wheels with the track in the process of movement." Tire heating is constantly changing, therefore, this factor will have to be permanently monitored in order to predict the behavior of the car in time.

However, in life it is not always necessary to move only on smooth paved roads. It is possible to try different road surfaces in Richard Burns Rally - this game will allow you to experience all the nuances of driving on gravel as a rally racer.Most real drivers think that rallying is the best type of motorsport competition, and participation in which will be the most useful in everyday driving. In part, this conclusion is based on the fact that rallies are held on public roads, so such an experience will be as close as possible to the real one.

Steering wheel for playing car simulators

When choosing this accessory, you need to decide the main question: whether to buy a cheap Chinese device, without any frills, which is suitable for arcade racing, or choose a professional model for a tangible amount, which will allow you to achieve maximum realism.

In fairness, it should be noted that Chinese models can also be equipped with gearboxes and pedals. Even with this additional option, the controls in the game will become predictable and more logical. By pressing the pedals, the user can actually dose the brake and gas, which will allow him to learn how to competently avoid blocking or spinning the wheels. This skill will be useful both on the game track and in real life (for example, it will reduce the risk of increased tire wear).

The main difficulty for all Chinese steering wheels is a very long time to get used to them and the lack of "feedback" (feedback). Also, their pedals work on the principle of ordinary buttons (“no contact” or “there is contact”), which is pretty useless for practical driving.

An average option could be the G27 model from LOGITECH. It is quite expensive, but it contains:

• Six-speed gearbox;
• Clutch;
• Power twin-motor feedback;
• Steering wheel rotation angle of 900 degrees (i.e. 2.5 turns for both of its extreme positions).

The last characteristic will allow you to correctly learn the technique of taxiing. Yes, for relatively serious money, the user gets pedals, a gearshift lever and a steering wheel, the construction of which is made of durable stainless steel and trimmed with leather. All these properties help to bring the effect of being in a real car cabin as close as possible.

There are also very advanced models of wheels, for example, Thrustmaster 300 (or its equivalents). He himself is pleasant to the touch, quite massive, which gives the user the most comfortable in control mode. The pedals to it are equipped with artificial resistance, which adds realism. However, the price of a complete set of such a set is very high.

The best car simulators for PC for 2022

Car simulators for beginners

5th place: "City Car Driving"

A fairly realistic city driving simulator, focused on consolidating knowledge of the rules of the road. The program implements traffic close to the present, and its algorithm will constantly throw various unforeseen situations to the driver, for example, in the form of a pedestrian suddenly appearing on the roadway. The change of weather is visually well done (there are rains and fogs that make it difficult to see), there are real racetracks with a set of exercises, as well as a built-in exam from the state traffic inspectorate. At the same time, the algorithm of this software will constantly monitor how the player complies with traffic rules.

• Change of weather;
• Implemented two-way traffic;
• Modeling of problem situations.

• The need to update the traffic police database.

4th place: “SDA. Textbook for driving schools. Driving"

This simulator has received official approval from the traffic police of the Russian Federation.It is convenient to practice in the study of traffic rules and even hone your driving skills. The game features not perfect, but believable driving physics. The ride is accompanied by voice commentary from the instructor, who keeps track of any mistakes. There are also road signs, road markings, realistic traffic. It is allowed to work out parking, descents and ascents, rear-going vehicles can be tracked using mirrors.

• Official approval of traffic control authorities;
• Performing examination exercises;
• Instructor voice commentary.

• The graphics engine is somewhat outdated.

3rd place: "My Summer Car"

In this sim, the player is invited to build their own car from scratch and practice off-road driving. Although the game may seem frivolous in some places (for example, the drunk driver mode), it perfectly shows the work of a car mechanic. This mode allows you to accurately study the design of the car, to understand how it works. Tips exist at a primitive level, therefore, practice makes up the lion's share of the simulator, which will positively affect the accumulation of experience.

• A good approach in covering the work of an auto mechanic;
• Ability to practice in off-road conditions;
• Good graphics.

• The presence of purely gaming moments.

2nd place: "Live for Speed"

This car sim deservedly is a cult one, and it has been constantly refined and filled with new content for the past 15 years. The developers set out to simulate the behavior of sports cars on the track as scrupulously as possible: damage to individual parts and mechanisms, suspension physics, tire overheating, etc. The main advantage of this software is that it is completely free, downloaded from the official website of the developers.

• Excellent car physics;
• A great opportunity to control the feeling of speed;
• Realistic track coverage.

• All newly released content is paid.

1st place: "SNOWRUNNER"

This series is a simulator for the transportation of oversized cargo in complete off-road conditions. Despite the general orientation of the program, the fleet consists not only of heavy vehicles. Cars in the game play the role of scouts for laying safe routes, and can also be used as refueling trucks. It allows you to perfectly feel all the difficulties of driving a car on rough terrain, its behavior on mountain routes and snowy roads.

• Perfectly implemented wheel grip on various roads;
• It is possible to feel the weight of the cargo being transported;
• Fuel consumption control is required.

• No city driving.

Driving simulators for advanced drivers

5th place: "The Crew"

This racing simulator is suitable for drivers who want to practice sports driving in an open world. The total length of available tracks is 10,000 kilometers, and the entire game world includes 5 regions. The local fleet consists of a variety of racing cars, from street cars and SUVs to rally cars and supercars. The function of technical re-equipment of cars is available.

• Over a hundred car models to choose from;
• Open world;
• Advanced damage physics.

• Not detected.

4th place: Forza Motorsport 7

The main advantages of this simulator are excellent graphics, realistic physics, a huge fleet of cars. This game cannot even be called a game - it is a completely ready-made racing professional car simulator. The fleet includes classic cars, Formula 1 racing cars, and serious body models. To hone in on a sporty ride, there are drifting and slip-stream modes, which feel at a decent enough level.

• Diverse vehicle fleet;
• Special sports racing modes;
• Excellent and modern graphics.

• Requires serious resources from the PC system.

3rd place: "iRacing"

This game belongs to the category of the best professional racing simulators to date. It is an extremely realistic and detailed sim in which online competition is possible, both in single races and in mass races. The graphics engine properly calculates the dynamic change in track coverage, there is a realistic model of car damage, and the interaction with the suspension is correctly calculated. The game has a separate rating system that remembers the level of correct driving of drivers. The simulator will not allow users who intentionally cause an emergency or practice aggressive driving to compete. Definitely, this game should not be considered as 100% entertainment.

• Dynamic change of coverage;
• Realistic physics;
• Good graphics.

• Not suitable for initial practice.

2nd Place: NASCAR: Heat 5

This sim is the best way to date to immerse yourself in the world of NASCAR oval racing circuits. Its main feature is the need to maintain a very high speed (up to 300 km / h), moving in a circle and at the same time trying to avoid a collision with rivals, which is quite difficult.The cars on the ring behave well, the physics of the track surface works quite confidently, but at high speeds it may seem that the racing car lacks mass. However, this is not surprising, because. most of the cars are practically equal in terms of technical characteristics (the condition of the NASCAR races).

• The most realistic NASCAR racing simulator;
• Extremely high speeds and difficult driving conditions;
• Works with a full set of peripherals (steering wheel, pedals, gearbox).

• There is practically no choice in the car park.

1st place: "rFactor 2"

A very hard to use car simulator aimed at professionals from e-motorsport. However, it has different types of racing: nascar races, open wheels, truck races and even go-karts. Most experts call this game the best in simulating the handling of rubber: it tends to realistically and quickly overheat if the player works hard with the steering wheel and often fully depresses the brake. Also, it is possible to note the high-precision imitation of the work of the suspension, there are even imitations of the "bend of the chassis". The dynamic change of the track is implemented at the highest level, the heat transfer from rubber to asphalt is noticeably felt.

• Realistic environment physics;
• Large selection of modes;
• Works with a full set of peripherals (steering wheel, pedals, gearbox).

• Not detected.

Summing up

Preliminary study on driving simulators is a serious and correct topic. The main thing is to treat the whole process during the game not as entertainment, but as a real training session, to analyze the current situation on the road in order to use the acquired skills in practice in the future.Thus, the simulator is for that and a simulator created to prepare the future driver for real life.