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.
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
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.
Codemasters
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.
Read more: 15 Best PS5 games to play right now
Microsoft
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.
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.
Codemasters
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.
Codemasters
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.
Game console reviews
Technologies
Pope Francis’ Funeral: How to Stream Live or Watch the Replay
Here’s how to stream the pope’s funeral very early Saturday, and what you can expect to see during the service.
After a week of global mourning for Pope Francis, who died on Monday at age 88, the pope’s funeral will be celebrated on Saturday . Francis’ funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. local time at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City (which is very, very early if you’re tuning in from the US or Canada), and he will be laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
The Vatican will be livestreaming the papal funeral and procession, though not the burial, on its YouTube channel as it happens. The funeral will also be televised live on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox, as well as on streaming services like Disney Plus, Hulu, Peacock and Paramount Plus. Due to the time difference, it seems likely that many interested North American viewers will catch it when it’s replayed later on Saturday. Numerous networks will rebroadcast the service later that day.
If you choose to stay up, or get up early, here’s when the live broadcast of the pope’s funeral will air in your time zone in the continental US on April 26:
- ET: 4 a.m.
- CT: 3 a.m.
- MT: 2 a.m.
- PT: 1 a.m.
The papacy of Pope Francis was notable for the progressive reforms he brought to the Roman Catholic Church. He appointed more than half of the current College of Cardinals and attempted to foster more positive attitudes toward members of the LGBT community and migrants worldwide.
What to expect from the funeral
The funeral will follow many rituals, though not all traditional protocols will be followed. Most popes are buried in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes, but the AP reports Francis chose the St. Mary Major Basilica to reflect his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the People of Rome).
His funeral will be less elaborate than those of other popes per his own wishes. Francis simplified papal funeral rites last year, permitting his burial outside the Vatican, and emphasizing his role as a bishop rather than as pope (the pope is also the Bishop of Rome).
Previous popes were buried in three coffins: one of cypress, one of lead and one of oak. Francis requested to be buried in a single wooden, zinc-lined coffin and not to be placed in an elevated bier as other popes were.
The coffin will be taken from St Peter’s Basilica and placed on a dais in St Peter’s Square, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will lead the service. After the service, the coffin will return to St Peter’s Basilica before it is carried across the River Tiber and to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major for burial. The ceremony is estimated to end around 2 p.m. local time, or four hours after it begins.
Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will be the first of nine Masses held daily at St. Peter’s until May 4. This is an ancient tradition of the Catholic Church that observes nine days of consecutive mourning. According to Vatican News, a different group of mourners will participate each day, though the Eucharistic celebrations are open to everyone.
Who will attend Pope Francis’ funeral?
Hundreds of people, including world leaders and royals, are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral.
US president Donald Trump confirmed on his Truth Social Platform that he and first lady Melania Trump will be at the funeral. This will be Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term. He is expected to have a seat in the third row, though the Vatican has yet to release an official seating chart. It is tradition for the first row of seats to go to Catholic royalty, and the second row to non-Catholic royals.
Prince William, who is attending on behalf of King Charles, will sit in the second row, which is reserved for non-Catholic royals. Former president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, devout Catholics, will also attend the funeral.
Conclave: What happens next to choose the new pope
After Pope Francis’ funeral, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will vote on his successor in an assembly of cardinals known as a conclave.
There are many matters for the cardinals to settle before the conclave begins, but once it does, it can take days or even weeks to conclude. Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors and the vote tally is never made public.
Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope
Look for the white smoke
The ballots are burned after each round, and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, the chemicals will be added to the flames so they produce white smoke. Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square to watch for the results.
If you’re fascinated by the process, you can watch a dramatized version of the events in 2024 film Conclave.
In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is completely fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.
You can stream Conclave on Amazon Prime Video, or rent it for $6 on Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube or Google Play Movies.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 26, #685
Hints and answers for Connections for April 26, #685.
Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections puzzle features a lot of short words, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. That purple category requires a lot of thinking — probably most people will solve it only by solving the other three and having four words left over. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Rainbow.
Green group hint: San Fernando ____.
Blue group hint: Think Robert.
Purple group hint: Mixed-up hue words.
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Tint.
Green group: Valley.
Blue group: Bobs.
Purple group: Color anagrams.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is tint. The four answers are color, hue, shade and tone.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is valley. The four answers are dale, dell, glen and hollow.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Bobs. The four answers are Dole, Hope, Marley and Ross.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is color anagrams. The four answers are Dre (red), Gary (gray), genre (green) and lube (blue).
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 26, #215
Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 215, for Saturday, April 26.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Connections: Sports Edition is tough today. The purple category theme threw me because of one phrase I didn’t know. And let’s hope you’re familiar with college coach surnames. Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Try to achieve.
Green group hint: Move through it.
Blue group hint: Sideline bosses.
Purple group hint: Like a carton.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: What one strives for.
Green group: Room to run.
Blue group: College football coaches.
Purple group: Box ____.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is what one strives for. The four answers are aim, goal, objective and target.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is room to run. The four answers are gap, hole, opening and space.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is college football coaches. The four answers are Day, Lanning, Smart and Stoops.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is box ____. The four answers are lacrosse, office, score and seat.
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