If you want to take your first steps into the vast world of sim racing and wheels, the Turtle Beach Racer Wireless is a great place to start. It features pressure-sensitive paddles that give you a competitive edge in racing games, and its buttons can be extensively customized.

Featuring wired and wireless connectivity, as well as a lap rest so that you can use it while on the couch, this is a very versatile racing wheel. That isn’t to say it’s perfect, though. Given that this is a budget-friendly wheel and doesn’t cost nearly as much as more premium or direct drive setups, it’s worth noting that there’s no force feedback, and it doesn’t come with pedals.

Is this the right racing wheel for you? Read my full Turtle Beach Racer Wireless review for the complete breakdown.

Turtle Beach Racer Wireless review: Specs

Turtle Beach Racer Wireless review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A beginner-friendly racing wheel
• Who is it for? Racing game enthusiasts on a budget, or those buying their first sim racing wheel
• How much does it cost? The Turtle Beach Racer Wireless is available for $179 / £139
• What do we like? The comfortable and ergonomic design, pressure-sensitive paddles, connectivity options, and detailed companion software
• What don’t we like? There’s no force feedback, no peddles, and it isn’t compatible with all racing games

Turtle Beach Racer Wireless review: The ups

From its comfortable and ergonomic design, to its stellar performance in racing titles such as F1 25 and Forza Horizon 5, the Turtle Beach Racer Wireless is a fantastic racing wheel for casual players or sim beginners.

Comfortable and ergonomic

If you’re on the hunt for a comfortable and ergonomic racing wheel, the Turtle Beach Racer Wireless should be right up your alley.

Given that this isn’t an expensive wheel and is aimed at beginners, it’s nice to see that Turtle Beach has ensured the wheel is still comfortable. First of all, the build quality is excellent for the price. Though the wheel is made entirely of plastic, it feels high quality, with no hollow-sounding parts or creaking under intense steering.

The Racer Wireless has got good weight to it too, with the entire unit measuring 4.06lbs without the included lap rest. When the lap rest is attached, the weight jumps to 5.91lbs. This might sound like a lot but it isn’t.

Thanks to good weight distribution, you don’t feel like you’re being weighed down when the Racer Wireless is sitting in your lap, but it’s just enough to make the wheel feel substantial. The Racer Wireless’ wheelbase measures 11.46 x 10.75 x 10.28 inches so it doesn’t take up too much space, but is still comfortable to use — at least I found it so, with my medium-sized hands.

Let’s talk about its ergonomics now. I’ve found the Racer Wireless to be extremely comfortable to hold and use. The face buttons, laid out in the Xbox ABXY layout, and the other function buttons are all well-placed and within easy reach of your thumbs. I never once felt like my hands were off the wheel or my index, ring and middle fingers were off the left (brake) and right (throttle) rear paddles.

I also love the inclusion of two lap rest attachments. It feels like a nice and inclusive touch from Turtle Beach, especially for those who don’t have a desk setup and just want to play sitting on their couch.

The metal lap rests are easy to attach — simply follow the easy-to-read instructions in the Quick Start guide — and they can be extended from 11.42 to 17.72 inches. This range provided more than enough room for the wheel’s lap rests to sit comfortably on my thighs. I also found the lap rests comfortable to use for long periods of time, as they didn’t dig into my clothes or skin.

If you want to use the wheel at a table, you can mount it onto the edge of a desk with the built-in clamps. Again, simple enough to do.

Two ways to connect

The Turtle Beach Racer Wireless is a versatile racing wheel, as there are two ways for you to connect it to your machine.

Firstly, the wheel is compatible with Windows 11/10, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Android smartphones. Secondly, as the name suggests, the Racer Wireless can connect wirelessly to your PC and Xbox via the 2.4GHz USB-A dongle. The USB-A dongle slots into the bottom of the wheel base for safekeeping.

If you want to use the wheel with your Android smartphone or tablet, you can connect it wirelessly over Bluetooth 5.1. Both the 2.4GHz dongle and Bluetooth offer a range of up to 30ft / 9.14m. Being able to connect it wirelessly frees you from the mess of cables that comes with other racing rigs, so you can play your favorite games while sitting on the couch. You have the option to connect the wheel via a USB-C to USB-A cable too.

I tested the wheel over the 2.4GHz and wired connection, separately, and I didn't experience any input lag or latency issues.

Stellar gaming performance

If this is your first time using a racing wheel or you’re ditching your controller or keyboard for the first time, you’ll be pleased to know that the Turtle Beach Racer Wireless is a stellar wheel to race on. I tested both mounting systems and I have to say, I prefer the lap rests as I felt more in control, but I still enjoyed using the wheel when it was attached to my desk.

To test the Racer Wireless, I played a few games on a Windows 11 laptop, including F1 25, Asphalt Legends, and Forza Horizon 5. Across all three games, I had a great degree of control on my vehicle, whether I was drifting in Asphalt Legends and Forza Horizon 5 or maintaining a respectable distance between myself and a rival racer when we went wheel-to-wheel in F1 25.

In F1 25, when I was chasing Max Verstappen down a long straight, I could confidently rely on the left paddle to brake right behind him so as not to crash into him. The paddles never let me down, as they were quick to register my inputs depending on how deeply I was pressing them.

Turning tight corners was a piece of cake too, as was making minute adjustments to my car’s position to ensure I didn’t bump into another driver in F1 25. Having used standard controllers for racing games prior to the Racer Wireless, I have to say that this might be the closest I’ve come to beating peak Verstappen!

The gradual throttle application also meant that I could manage tire wear more easily and effectively, which is crucial in a game like F1 25. The back paddles are assigned to the actions of braking and accelerating, and these can’t be remapped to function as gear shifts.

Back paddles on wheels are usually assigned to shifting gears while foot pedals enable braking and acceleration. This might not sound ideal as it can break your immersion, but in my opinion, it broadens the Racer Wireless’ appeal as it’s more accessible for casual gamers.

For those who do want manual gear shifting, you can assign gear up and down functions to the wheel’s F1 and F2 buttons, as I did. It’s a good solution for players who do want manual control over gears, and I found it worked well in both F1 25 and Forza Horizon 5. I was able to easily hit the F1 and F2 buttons with my left thumb as and when needed, and they were quick to register my commands.

I also found the Racer Wireless snappy in Forza Horizon 5 and Asphalt Legends, and this made weaving through traffic effortless. The face buttons give good tactile feedback when pressed and they don’t require a lot of force, taking the fatigue out of the action. This made hitting X to do a 360° spin to take out rival NPCs in Asphalt Legends.

Following the racing line and keeping within track limits in F1 25 felt much easier with the Racer Wireless than it has ever done with another controller or a mouse and keyboard too.

Detailed companion software

The Turtle Beach Racer Wireless can be extensively customized via the Turtle Beach Control Center 2 software, available to download for free on Windows. The software is extremely intuitive and easy to use, so those picking up their first racing wheel should have no issues getting to grips with it. Everything is clearly signposted and explained.

Within the software, you can customize the paddle response and choose one of three settings: Standard, Precision and Fast. These determine how analog input translates to digital. Think of it like the response curves for the sticks of a traditional controller. You can adjust the paddles’ deadzones too.

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The wheel’s rotation angle can be adjusted as well, as you can choose between 360° and 180°. Basically, it determines how far the wheel needs to be physically rotated to reach the maximum steering wheel rotation. Locking at 180° means you don’t need to turn it fully to make your car go left, for instance. I preferred playing with the wheel rotation locked at 180° as it ensured faster input.

Other settings include the ability to remap buttons, assign functions to the F1 and F2 buttons, and adjust headphones settings (as there’s a headphones in jack on the left-hand side of the Racer Wireless). You can customize the equalizer, adjust the mic monitoring and the chat mix too. I’d recommend spending some time experimenting with the different settings to find what fits your gamestyle best.

Competitively priced for beginners

The Turtle Beach Racer Wireless is aimed at casual racing enthusiasts buying their first wheel, and it’s priced as such. The Racer Wireless retails for $179 / £139 at Amazon, which is a lot cheaper than most other racing wheels or sim rigs we’ve reviewed at Tom’s Guide.

The Racer Wireless is priced similarly to the Thrustmaster T128 ($199) and is cheaper than the Logitech G29/G920 ($329). It’s also cheaper than its stablemate, the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race ($649) but you also get pedals for that price, which aren’t included with the Racer Wireless.

Turtle Beach Racer Wireless review: The downs

Though the Turtle Beach Racer Wireless is excellent, it’s not perfect. It isn’t compatible with every racing game, and there’s no force feedback.

Not compatible with every racing game

Unfortunately, the Turtle Beach Racer Wireless isn’t compatible with every racing game on the planet.

You can’t just plug the wheel in and fire up that obscure racing game that no one else has heard of and expect the wheel to work, sadly. Turtle Beach has a list of games the Racer Wireless is compatible with, so it’s worth reading through it before you buy the wheel.

No force feedback

One of my biggest gripes with the Turtle Beach Racer Wireless is that there’s no force feedback. Force feedback is, basically, akin to the vibrations produced by the best controllers to make you feel more immersed in the game you’re playing.

Similar to how a standard controller’s vibrations are created by rumble motors, force feedback in sim wheels is created by radial, magnetic or axial flux motors — and the Racer Wireless features none.

This means that there is no force feedback whatsoever, and the Racer Wireless cannot emulate the physical sensations of driving, such as tire grip, weight transfer and road textures.

There’s no vibration or rumble whatsoever, which makes you feel less immersed. But it’s also important to note that this is a very budget-friendly wheel, so while it’s disappointing, it isn’t a dealbreaker, in my opinion. It’s worth spending extra on the Thrustmaster T128 if you do want force feedback.

No pedals included

This brings me to my last point, and this isn’t a massive drawback or flaw, but a pre-purchase consideration. The Turtle Beach Racer Wireless is just a wheel. It doesn’t come with pedals or a gear shifter. That’s why it’s for beginners and casual racers, taking their first steps into the world of sim rigs.

If you want a proper sim racing setup with pedals and the works, you’ll have to spend a lot more on the likes of the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race ($649), the Thrustmaster T598 ($499), or the Logitech G29/G920 ($399). The good thing about sim racing is that you can always upgrade later, once you’ve gotten a taste for it after using the Racer Wireless.

Turtle Beach Racer Wireless review: Verdict

If you’re buying a racing wheel for the first time, are on a budget, or don’t know where to start, I can’t recommend the Turtle Beach Racer Wireless enough. It’s perfect for those on a budget, and it’s an all-in-one package so it’s very accessible. Adding to its versatility is its wired and wireless connectivity options, and the included lap rests which enables you to use the wheel without a desk.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the Racer Wireless. It boasts excellent performance in titles like F1 25 and Forza Horizon 5. The wheel is snappy and its pressure-sensitive paddles feel intuitive to use.

Though the package is missing pedals and there isn’t any force feedback, this wheel is a great starting point for beginner sim racers and enthusiasts. It’s compact, affordable, versatile, and oh-so-fun. I never want to play racing games without the Racer Wireless again.