The Farming Simulator games offer some of the most calming and relaxing gaming experiences in existence. These games allow you to unwind after a long day at work and just melt away the stress. But in order to get the best out of such games, you really need to pile on the immersion.
The two most important things you need for this are a good display and good controllers. With regards to monitors, you can check some of my top recommendations here (its for a different sim but the same principle applies). I wish we had VR support but these monitors work well too.
Next, you need some top tier controllers – steering wheels, pedals or perhaps even more specialised products that we will see here on this list.
What do look for in a Steering Wheel, Pedal, Controller for Farm Sim?
- Comfort – My ploughing, cultivating, seeding, fertilizing and harvesting sessions can last for hours. Comfort is key or your hands can start to feel real tired. Keyboards are especially bad for this reason. You need a setup that is ergonomic.
- Compatibility – Many controllers are made for racing and it can be a bit odd using them for Farm Sim. That being said, many racing wheels work pretty well and I will list them all here. You need enough buttons and levers to take care of all the tasks.
- Excellent Build Quality – 20 years ago, I bought a Logitech MOMO wheel and pedal set. It still works perfectly fine to this day and a collector even offered to pay me a premium for it. That is the quality I expect out of my peripherals. A lot of my other wheels have that quality too, but a few don’t. I will rank them here accordingly.
1. Best Overall
- Updated with engineering enhancements that address feedback from the community
- 900-degree rotation steering wheel offers the realistic rate of rotation for a tractor steering...
The Logitech G Farm Simulator Heavy Equipment Bundle is a dedicated product from Logitech for us digital farmers! You get a steering wheel, pedals and the side control panel that makes this product unique. Best features:
- Works straight out of the box with Farm Sim. No need to map controls.
- 900 degrees steering on the wheel giving you finer controls for finer movement. It also feels more realistic for tractors.
- Dual analog sticks for walking around so that you don’t have to use the mouse when moving between vehicles or looking around.
- Set and forget Cruise Control speed dial which is super handy.
- 37 buttons to get almost everything you need at the touch of your fingertips. It definitely makes the job easier and adds immersion.
These are just additional features over top of what you would generally expect from a wheel and pedal setup. These additions really add to the immersion and also makes the product feel unique.
2. Best Mid-Range
- Immersive Gaming Experience: Perfect for PlayStation 5, PS4 and PC gaming titles, the Driving Force...
- Premium Control: The Driving Force feedback racing wheel provides a detailed simulation of driving a...
The Logitech G29 is unsurprisingly the most popular wheel for Farm Sim and most of the other racing/ driving sims as well. I have owned one for almost 5 years now and it is definitely one of the best purchases I ever made in my entire 20 years of simulation gaming.
The build quality is excellent with both pedals and wheel having taken abuse for almost half a decade with not a single broken part or squeaking. The motion is still as smooth as it was on Day 1.
The wheel has an excellent range of motion which feels appropriate for both tractors and harvesters (and racing cars!). You can set the dead zone or sensitivity as required (meaning you can choose to turn it less). Force feedback can be pretty strong if you want realism or you can be a softie like me and tone it down. There are plenty of buttons to assign for all your tasks. I never had any issues on that front.
The pedals are smooth and responsive with the brake pedal being harder as expected. It feels pretty sturdy although it tends to slip on non-carpeted surfaces (use a dumbbell or something to support it against the wall). But almost all pedals tend to slip so you have to make it work if you are on a smooth surface.
There are two other options here so I will talk about them too. Firstly, you have the Logitech G920 which is the exact same wheel but missing some buttons and dials. The other is the newer Logitech G923 which is also very similar to these other two but has a newer and better force feedback system. It does cost a lot more though so that’s a trade off you have to decide on based on your budget.
- Works with G29 and G920 Driving Force Racing Wheels: Driving Force shifter is designed for both G29...
- Quality Construction: With a solid steel gear shaft, Driving Force shifter is built for precision...
No matter which wheel you choose, I highly recommend getting shifter. The gear shifter really adds to the immersion. Now, I am going to be honest with you here that this is not the best gear shifter out there but it’s the only one that Logitech offers. On the plus side, it’s good enough for games like Truck Sims where you don’t have to shift gears like a racing driver. Either way, its pretty cheap and I think you will get more than your money’s worth. I certainly have!
3.Best Budget/ Entry Level
- 【PLAY MULTI-PLATFORM GAME】: This game steering wheel is compatible with Xbox One, Xbox Series...
- 【MORE RACING GAME】: PS4 racing wheels take you to experience the thrill of driving a heavy...
The PXN Xbox Steering Wheel V3II is my pick for the budget option. It lacks some of the bells and whistles of the higher end options, but if you looking for something in the budget category, this is your best option. It is decently durable, provides nice smooth controls, comes with pedals and even has built-in dual vibration motor for some nice feedback. There is even a gear lever and dual paddles on sides. I must commend them for packing so much into an entry level wheel.
It feels pretty solid given its price point and has some nice quality materials used on the 3 and 9 o’clock positions of the wheel. The pedals are decent and heavy but you will need to make sure you secure them properly to keep them from moving around.
All in all, you should be happy with this product as long as you are aware this is essentially a starter wheel. But as far as starter wheel go, this is by far the best option.
4. Best Premium
- The TS-XW Racer is a 1:1 scale replica of the Sparco P310 Competition wheel, and is officially...
- Works on Xbox Series X/S, XBOX One and PC
The main difference between the premium products and others is the build quality. But that can have a massive effect on almost every aspect of performance. The TS-XW is made with the best quality materials and offers the smoothest controller movement of any product on this list. This is essentially a racing wheel but it works well with any driving game.
You get 1080 degree rotation on the wheel with smooth force feedback (which can be tuned up considerably) and buttery smooth motion. The stars of the show are certainly the centring springs which makes the wheel feel divine in your hands. That can have a considerable impact on how you experience the game.
The metal pedal set is heavy and is not going to move around when you use it. It is also fully adjustable with detachable components allowing for component upgrades as per your personal preference. It is heavy.
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