Technologies

The Best Racing Games and the Wheels and Pedals to Play Them With

Add a wheel and pedals to these PS5, Xbox and PC racing games to have an amazing gaming experience.

Whether you’re into real-life motorsports or not, racing video games offer the exhilarating experience of sending fancy cars hurtling around tight asphalt bends or down dirt tracks in ways you’d never dream of doing out there in the real world. Add a racing wheel and pedals to the mix, and things get even more immersive as you suddenly have to drive your vehicle almost exactly like you would a real car.

And with so many great wheel-compatible racing games on the PS5, Xbox Series S or X and the PC, there’s no shortage of excitement, whether you want true-to-life sim racing or more of a frantic joyride across open worlds. It’s a sizable investment to get a good setup, but it’s worth it if you’re a fan of this type of game.

Read more: Best Gaming Laptop 2023

My current favorite racing wheel is the Thrustmaster T-GT II wheel, which includes a separate three-pedal footboard. It’ll set you back a sizable $800, but its high torque and real-time force feedback means it offers an extremely lifelike racing experience, letting you feel everything from differences in ground textures to tires slipping as you take a corner too quickly. It’s sturdy, comfortable to hold and works on both PS5 and PC.

Thrustmaster T-GT II

$800 at Thrustmaster

Though you can get various racing frames and stands to play in front of your living room telly, I simply clamped mine to my desk, putting the pedals on the floor and playing via my existing monitor.

Once you’re set up, you’re ready to race. These are some of the best racing games I’ve found that benefit most from the added realism of using a wheel-and-pedals set.

Gran Turismo/Sony

Gran Turismo 7

Available on: PS5, PS4

A PlayStation icon, Gran Turismo’s latest outing brings exactly what you’d expect from the series; photo-realistic graphics, a fleet of cars to choose from and rigorously modeled real-world racing tracks from all over the world. The game is stunning and lets you dive deep into the world of car modifications and tuning setups, if that’s your thing.

It’s best played with a wheel and pedals set, letting you feel exactly like you’re behind the wheel of cars from the likes of McLaren, Aston Martin, Dodge or a wealth of others. Sure, it’s not perfect; earning money is slow going and, yes, you can controversially just buy more with in-game microtransactions, as if paying the whopping $70 (£70) price for the game wasn’t already enough.

But if you want to experience tracks like Silverstone or the iconic Nurburgring in pristine detail behind the wheel of some of your favorite cars, GT7 is a no-brainer for PlayStation owners.

$70 at Target

$70 at Best Buy

$70 at Amazon

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Codemasters

F1 22

Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC (via Steam)

If you’ve been hooked on Netflix’s Drive To Survive series, then maybe it’s time you took your own step into the F1 racing world. F1 22 maintains its formula of putting you behind the wheels of the biggest, most powerful, most expensive racing cars on the planet, sending you hurtling around real-world racing tracks and daring you not to take the best racing lines.

You can start your own racing team and battle names like Verstappen, Hamilton, LeClerc and Norris as you progress through the game. The physics feel excellent with a racing wheel (although how they actually compare to real life F1 racing I’ve no idea) and despite an often relentless focus on «proper» driving, it remains fun and enjoyably challenging to play.

$57 at Walmart

$70 at Best Buy

$50 at GameStop

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Microsoft

Forza Horizon 5

Available on: Xbox, PC

The Forza Horizon series has been my favorite racing franchise since its launch, and the fifth generation is no exception. Set in Mexico, Horizon 5 maintains the glorious open-world scenery, letting you send a huge variety of real-life cars hurtling down volcanoes, over sand dunes or around sweeping coastal roads at tire-squealing speeds.

I fully completed the game on the Xbox Series X using a standard controller, but trying it out with a wheel and pedals was a huge revelation for me. It was harder at first, but I quickly fell in love with how much fun it was to actually steer my Bugatti Chiron at top speed around the map or to practice my drift skills in one of the Hoonigan vehicles.

It’s an exceptionally fun game and well worth playing with a racing wheel and pedals.

$39 at Amazon

iRacing

Available on: PC

If Forza Horizon’s attitude is «drive it like you stole it,» then iRacing’s is most definitely «drive it like you borrowed it off your boss and your career is over if you get so much as a scratch on it.» You’ll find no driver assistance, auto braking or steering guides here, nor any kind of rewind mechanic or even a mini map of the track you’re on.

Instead, iRacing is about pure realism, with tracks and physics modeled with brutal accuracy and a focus on genuine skill and knowledge of the tracks and cars in order to do well. Unlike others on this list, iRacing is an online subscription game, where progression takes place via competing in races against real players at set times of the day. Furthering your journey doesn’t just involve winning; you earn your next license instead by driving safely, avoiding colliding with other cars or coming off the track.

As a result, it’s arguably the least «fun» game on this list, but its laser focus on realism means it’s the nearest you’ll get to actually feeling like you’re behind the wheel of a race car on a track and it’s why real-life pro racers reportedly use iRacing as a training ground.

See at Steam

Codemasters

Dirt 5

Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC

When you want to ditch the smooth, asphalt tracks in favor of some rain and mud, Dirt 5 is the game to look toward. This rally racer leans less into the hardcore simulation elements of others in the series, instead offering a more accessible arcade-style gameplay that I really enjoyed.

The variety of tracks is good, the graphics are stunning, and power-sliding the numerous vehicle types around rough corners felt great with my wheel and pedals. There are driver assistance options (which I used, because I’m here for fun, not for a lesson in car physics) but you can adjust these to suit.

The career mode itself is pretty forgettable, but you’ll keep coming back for fun races and the gorgeous settings.

$35 at Amazon

Codemasters

Dirt Rally 2.0

Available on: PS4, PS5 (backward compatible), Xbox, PC

I loved that Dirt Rally 2.0 took me back to playing the original Colin McRae Rally on the PS One back in 1998. It’s a similar game to be fair, with full-length rally courses set across beautiful locations in rally countries like Wales, Greece and New Zealand. Thankfully, the graphics and physics have somewhat moved on in the last 25 years, with gorgeous visuals and car handling that reacts to the environment, weather and car damage.

Tracks are well-modeled, and putting in good times means focusing on your driving, making full use of your brake pedal, and paying close attention to what corners or jumps are coming up. It’s much more of a rally sim than Dirt 5, but it’s still accessible enough for racing tourists like me to fire up and have a ton of fun sending my car around tight bends.

$29 at Walmart

$18 at GameStop

$30 at Amazon

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Game console reviews

See the latest CNET gaming coverage here.

Technologies

The Duskbloods Is New FromSoftware Gaming Action Coming to Switch 2 in 2026

Talk about a surprise for the new Switch.

FromSoftware had a big day with the Switch 2 Direct. The company revealed a new game called The Duskbloods and confirmed that its smash-hit action RPG Elden Ring is coming to the new console, which launches on June 5 for $450.

The Duskbloods is exclusive to the Switch 2, which was a surprise announcement during the Switch 2 Direct. According to FromSoftware, the game is a player vs. player vs. enemy, or PvPvE, online multiplayer game similar to the developer’s upcoming Elden Ring: Nightreign.

Players will be part of the Bloodsworn, which is a group that has «transcended human strength thanks to their special blood.» Each individual will be playing against each other as well as taking on other foes.

The game features some mainstays for FromSoftware games, with a gothic tone and a focus on gore, like its popular Bloodborne game for the PS4. It does appear that characters have a few more abilities than seen in previous games from the cult developer.

The Duskbloods will release sometime in It will be released in 2026.

The Switch 2 will launch on June 5 and preorders will start on April 9 at retailers. The new console will feature plenty of third-party support, with major games like Borderlands 4, Madden and Civilization 7 coming from other publishers.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, April 3

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 3.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword has two similar clues, 5-Across and 6-Across. They both play off the same idea — using the first part of two words to make one, all food-related. I didn’t get that at first, so I struggled with those two clues. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Hit the ___ (go to bed)
Answer: SACK

5A clue: Misleading name for a sub/shish kebab restaurant?
Answer: SUSHI

6A clue: Misleading name for a taco/pasta restaurant?
Answer: TAPAS

7A clue: Certain sports bets
Answer: OVERS

8A clue: Cooped (up)
Answer: PENT

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Almost *too* sophisticated and charming
Answer: SUAVE

2D clue: Upscale Colorado skiing destination
Answer: ASPEN

3D clue: Word after bar or pie
Answer: CHART

4D clue: Smooch
Answer: KISS

5D clue: Word on an eight-sided traffic sign
Answer: STOP

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Nintendo Switch 2: Everything We Know About the Console, New Games, Release Date

The $450 console will get Mario Kart World at launch, 4K gaming when docked, Switch 2 Edition game enhancements and new mouse controls.

The Nintendo Switch 2 console’s biggest reveal yet arrived Wednesday morning as part of the company’s Nintendo Direct event. This teed up a day of Switch 2 reveals that include its June 5 release date, a $450 price, its specs, and its initial game lineup that extends from launch into 2026.

The console will be further buoyed by having Mario Kart World as a launch title, which will go on sale in either a $500 bundle with the Switch 2 or on its own for $80 — making the open-world racing game one of Nintendo’s most expensive yet. Other games announced, such as Donkey Kong Bananza, are being priced around $70, which matches the cost of 2023’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That Zelda game and Breath of the Wild are among the original Switch titles that will get enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, a premium upgrade allowing players to get new features, modes and graphical enhancements that take advantage of the newer system’s capabilities.

Here are the top highlights from Nintendo’s console event, all of the games we’ve heard about so far (including new titles, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition titles and GameCube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online) and all of our coverage so far. You can also check out our Nintendo Switch 2 live blog for even more updates about the Switch 2 as we learn them.

Nintendo Switch 2 console

The Nintendo Switch 2’s specs saw a noticeable technical bump over the Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch, 1080p resolution LCD that supports a 120Hz refresh rate — matching what we now see on most Android phones. When the Switch 2 is docked, compatible games can run in 4K resolution. The new dock also includes a cooling fan.

The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, and the new Switch 2 Game Cards will load games faster. For digital libraries, however, the Switch 2 will only work with microSD Express cards, which are different from the microSD cards that are compatible with the prior Nintendo Switch. Nintendo will have a Software Transfer feature available to help move games and data from the original Switch to the Switch 2.

The new Joy-Con for the controllers will support mouse controls, and a new C button will be part of a new GameChat communication feature that allows both voice and video chat. There’s also a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing players to see each other.

The Switch 2 also adds a second USB-C port to the top of the system, which Nintendo says can help connect its new camera accessory or charge the console when playing in tabletop mode. Nintendo also revealed a new Switch 2 Pro Controller with the C button and customizable GL and GR buttons on the back.

Following the presentation, Nintendo unveiled the system’s price of $450 in the US. It will also sell the Switch 2 bundled with a digital version of Mario Kart World for $500.

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World removes its traditional boundaries and lets drivers roam freely across an entire world of race courses. The game will get its own Nintendo Direct later this month, where we’ll see additional details, but we already know it’ll include traditional races and a Free Roam mode, much like in the Forza Horizon series.

Getting the game bundled for an extra $50 on the cost of the Switch 2 might be the move if you are interested in the game, because Nintendo announced on its website that standalone copies of Mario Kart World will cost $80.

Joy-Con 2 C button and GameChat

Nintendo’s rolling out its new C button across several new Switch 2 controllers. The button will be used for the new GameChat communication features without a headset. The button will be used alongside a microphone on the console itself, which Nintendo says can be used whether it’s docked to a TV or in handheld mode.

In its teaser video, Nintendo promises the microphone will be able to cancel out loud background noises. GameChat will also work with a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing video chat and various camera-based game modes in supported titles. GameChat will be free at launch through March 31, 2026.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games upgrade titles

The Nintendo Switch 2 will play three types of games: original Switch games, Switch 2 games and Switch 2 Edition games that will receive substantial enhancements. For many of these Switch 2 Edition games, you’ll need to buy an upgrade pack if you own the original for Switch. Many of them will get more than just enhanced graphics in the upgrade; for example, Super Mario Party Jamboree will get new games that support the new Joy-Cons’ mouse controls, audio recognition and video camera gameplay options through the Switch 2 Camera.

Other Nintendo Switch games that are getting Switch 2 Edition options include The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Enhancements vary: The Zelda games will start working with a companion phone app for maps and sending schematics to friends, while Kirby will get a new story that’s exclusive to the Switch 2 Edition. On the third-party side, Civilization 7 will get mouse controls.

Nintendo did not announce what upgrade packs will cost. However, some Switch games will get free updates that will improve performance or enhance features when playing them on the Switch 2. The Switch games getting these updates include:

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a new game set in the world of Zelda that tells the story that leads into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This appears to be similar to how Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity told the story of a war that led to the events of Breath of the Wild. The teaser shows Zelda discovering that she’s arrived in the past of Hyrule, and the game will expand on how she gets involved in the corresponding Imprisonment War.

Nintendo Switch 2 games

Several other first- and third-party games were spotlighted during the Switch 2 Direct. These include Donkey Bananza, one of the first 3D platforming games featuring DK since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64. Kirby will also return to the racing genre in Kirby Air Riders, which comes more than 20 years after the GameCube racer Kirby’s Air Ride. DragXDrive will use mouse controls to control a futuristic wheelchair basketball game in which players will simulate push and pull motions to control their character.

An onslaught of Switch 2 third-party games were quickly shuffled through during the Direct, which I list below. An unnamed James Bond game is in development at Hitman studio IO Interactive, as is a darker title from Elden Ring creator FromSoftware called The Duskbloods, which will be exclusive to the Switch 2.

The full list of announced Nintendo Switch 2 games includes:

Borderlands 4
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
Deltarune
Donkey Kong Bananza
Drag x Drive
EA Sports FC
EA Sports Madden NFL
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition
Enter the Gungeon 2
Fast Fusion
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Fortnite
Hades 2
Hitman World of Assassination — Signature Edition
Hogwarts Legacy
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Kirby Air Riders
Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Star-Crossed World
Kunitsu-Gai: Path of the Goddess
Mario Kart World
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
NBA 2K
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
Pokemon Legends: Z-A — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Project 007
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Split Fiction
Star Wars Outlaws
Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions
Street Fighter 6
Super Mario Party Jamboree — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Jamboree TV
Survival Kids
The Duskbloods
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4
WWE 2K
Yakuza 0 Definitive Edition

Among these titles, you can see the full list of June 5 Switch 2 launch day games here.

Nintendo GameCube library coming to Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch Online game library will add GameCube games to the Switch 2. On launch day, these games will initially include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, SoulCalibur 2 and F-Zero GX, with each game getting enhanced graphics. Online multiplayer will also be added to certain titles. Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Strikers and Luigi’s Mansion are among the games set to arrive later. At launch, Nintendo will also sell a GameCube controller, which will be wireless and include a C button for GameChat.