Simulation racing games enjoy some of the most passionate communities on Windows PC, and getting the most out of these highly customizable, realistic titles often means investing in a powerful PC.
Any of the best pre-built gaming PCs should get the job done, but I figured I'd go the extra mile and recommend a handful of our favorites that we've tested here at Windows Central. Any of these PCs should be able to handle even the most demanding sim racing games, and support the best racing wheels to boot.
Recent updates
Apr. 2, 2025 — I jumped in with a pretty sizeable update. In addition to tweaking formatting and checking all the links and PC information, I replaced the Dell XPS Desktop with the HP OMEN 35L as our favorite mid-sized desktop for sim racing.
The quick list
Lenovo's premium pre-built gaming desktop is powerful, stylish, easy to upgrade, and packs plenty of ports for all your sim racing accessories and peripherals. Even its lowest configuration is more than enough for any sim racing game, but you can upgrade those components to push every setting to 11.
The HP OMEN 35L is nearly as powerful and upgradeable as the Legion Tower 7i, but it packs that hardware into a sleeker, more compact 35-liter chassis. You still get plenty of options to build the best PC for your needs, but you shouldn't have any issues running any sim racing game.
If you're short on space, the ASUS ROG G22CH is a seriously impressive, full-powered gaming PC but half the size. That compact stature makes it more difficult to upgrade, but its excellent performance and thermal management makes it perfect for sim racing right out of the box with no extra work.
Another offering from Lenovo, the Legion Tower 5i is a more affordable, simpler alternative to the Tower 7i that lets you play all the best PC sim racing games without breaking the bank. You still have a roomy chassis that's easily upgraded, with some very solid components from Intel and NVIDIA powering it.
Budget gaming PCs often heavily compromise to reach a lower price point, but the newer Lenovo LOQ line of pre-built PCs cuts corners in the right places to ensure you're still getting a reliable, performant gaming PC that can play all the sim racing games you want. Watch out for the limited ports, though.
This gorgeous, compact aluminum gaming machine from ASUS isn't just one of the best gaming laptops, it's one of the best laptops in general. Despite its small stature, this laptop offers excellent performance, a great selection of ports, and incredible speakers so you can hear every car with perfect clarity.
My favorite pre-built gaming PCs for sim racing in 2025
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The best overall PC for sim racing
Lenovo is a surprisingly excellent source for fantastic, balanced gaming hardware, and the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i sits at the top of the company's pre-built desktop lineup.
It's unapologetically large, but that sizeable chassis means plenty of room for the latest and greatest internals from Intel and NVIDIA, as well as plenty of fans and cooling solutions to keep things running smoothly. It also makes the PC extremely easy to access and upgrade, a boon for any PC gamer.
The eighth generation of the Legion Tower 7i was first available with Intel 13th Gen, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-series GPUs, and plenty of the fastest RAM and SSD storage inside. Now, you can also equip this desktop with Intel 14th Gen CPUs.
There's a respectable number of ports on the front and rear of the desktop, including lots of USB ports for all your accessories and peripherals. Performance is top-notch, and the Legion Tower 7i does an excellent job keeping itself cool for long, intense gaming sessions.
In my Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8) review, I praised this pre-built gaming desktop for its design, performance, and features, saying:
"Lenovo's flagship pre-built gaming desktop is a hulking beast of a tower but packs incredibly powerful hardware in an attractive, easy-to-upgrade design, features ample customizable RGB lighting and plenty of ports, and stays quiet and cool while gaming."
You can start configuring your own Legion Tower 7i desktop PC from around $2,899.99 at Lenovo. It's a pricey PC, but you're getting your money's worth in performance, features, and upgradeability.
👀Read our full Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8) review
The best mid-sized PC for sim racing
We may recommend Lenovo's pre-built Legion PCs a lot, but the HP OMEN family has its own fantastic qualities worth considering.
The HP OMEN 35L is the best example, pairing a beautiful 35-liter chassis with the best components you can get from Intel, NVIDIA, and even AMD. A ton of different configuration options allows for budget flexibility, too.
You can equip the OMEN 35L with Intel 14th Gen, AMD Ryzen 8th Gen, and NVIDIA 40-series, sure, but you can equip load it with Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) and the latest NVIDIA 50-series GPUs.
Your expansion options are a little limited because of the compact chassis and HP's software isn't my favorite, but the OMEN 35L is a very strong performer with excellent thermal management, above-average cable management, and toolless access to its standardized parts.
In my HP OMEN 35L review, I concluded:
"The HP OMEN 35L is the freshly coronated king of HP's pre-built gaming desktop family, and it's sitting pretty at the top. The compact, two-tone "panda" design is built to last and built to be upgraded, new Intel Core Ultra hardware delivers surprisingly impressive performance, and the smaller case still packs plenty of ports."
Endless configuration options means you can get your own HP OMEN 35L from just $1,249.99 at HP, but those prices obviously skyrocket quickly as you upgrade the hardware inside.
👀Read our full HP OMEN 35L (2024) review
The best compact PC for sim racing
If you're looking for something unique, a little niche, a little different, ASUS is often a good company to turn to. That's true with gaming PCs, too, as ASUS is one of the only major brands investing in making truly powerful, compact gaming PCs.
The ASUS ROG G22CH isn't quite a mini-PC, but it's much smaller than basically any other gaming desktop you might consider, coming with just 10L of internal volume.
You don't have to be concerned about power, though. The ASUS ROG G22CH comes equipped with the latest Intel and NVIDIA hardware, and can go toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful computers out there.
This is a fast machine, and its thermal management is impressive enough that the G22CH can keep up with you no matter your task. Size constraints means you are limited to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, but that's more than powerful enough for all the best sim racing games.
In our ASUS ROG G22CH review, my colleague, Rebecca Spear, said:
"ASUS ROG provides the accessible gaming excellence it promises with this compact tower that can easily fit on your desk or media center. It's packed with a powerful RTX-4070 GPU and an Intel Core i9-13900KF to provide smooth gaming experiences. The fans tend to be loud, but they keep the system cool and working efficiently. Plus, you can customize this rig's RGB lighting for a fun vibe."
Just be aware of the limited configuration options and opportunities for future upgrades or expansions. If the ROG G22CH checks all the boxes on your list, you can get it from $1,449.99 at Best Buy.
👀Read our full ASUS ROG G22CH review
The best mid-range PC for sim racing
Lenovo makes another appearance on this list with its Legion Tower 5i. It looks very similar to the more expensive Legion Tower 7i above, but trades some features and a fair bit of power to save you as much money as possible.
This desktop caps out where the Legion Tower 7i begins, but that doesn't mean it's a slouch. Modern Intel and NVIDIA hardware means you're getting a very capable PC that can scale with your needs.
You're still getting a premium, well-designed chassis with attractive RGB lighting and easy, toolless access. That means it's easy to upgrade the Legion Tower 5i after you buy it, although you'll be a little more limited out-of-the-box than the Legion Tower 7i.
Thermal management is also great, ensuring that even hours-long gaming sessions go off without a hitch. In our Lenovo Legion Tower 5i (Gen 8) review, my colleague, Cale Hunt, stated:
"With cool performance for 1440p gaming, a sleek RGB case with clean cable management, and a competitive price, the Legion Tower 5i (Gen 8) should be considered by any PC gamers who don't want to build their own system. It has its drawbacks, like any pre-built, but overall the pros outweigh the cons."
Just be sure it has all the ports you need, and possibly consider prioritizing the power supply as one of your first upgrades. For FHD-QHD gaming, though, the Legion Tower 5i should crush any sim racing title, and it's especially attractive from just $1,149.99 at Lenovo.
👀Read our full Lenovo Legion Tower 5i (Gen 8) review
The best budget PC for sim racing
When it comes to gaming desktops, it's often worth spending more at first to have more space to grow in the future. If you really need a great all-around pre-built PC for under $1,000, though, you still have some reliable options.
The best right now is the Lenovo LOQ Tower, which starts from $899.99 at Best Buy with modern Intel and NVIDIA hardware, an attractive design, and actually some limited room to grow (within the capabilities of the motherboard, that is).
The LOQ Tower isn't going to blow anyone away with its performance, but it's a reliable 1080p gaming machine still capable of playing the best PC racing games without much issue.
It's a fantastic option for when you're on a budget, with Lenovo not obviously cutting any corner too aggressively. It's well-built, it stays cool, it boasts fast RAM and storage, and the Intel CPU punches above its weight.
In my Lenovo LOQ Tower (Gen 8) review, I had a lot to say, including:
"If you're looking for a capable and compact gaming PC that'll grant you access to all the best PC games without draining your wallet, the Lenovo LOQ Tower is an excellent option. Low starting prices and well-balanced configurations for 1080p gaming make the LOQ Tower one of the best budget gaming desktops available right now."
I technically reviewed the older model, but not much has changed with Gen 9 except a sleeker chassis design and Intel 14th Gen. You'd be absolutely fine going with either, especially if you can find Gen 8 significantly discounted. Just be aware of the limited ports available on the LOQ Tower, which is likely its biggest weakness.
👀Read our full Lenovo LOQ Tower (Gen 8) review
The best laptop for sim racing
No, this is not a desktop PC, but sometimes the best gaming PC for you needs to be portable. If that's what you need, the best gaming laptop right now is hands-down the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14.
You'd be forgiven for not recognizing it as a gaming laptop at first, because this device has an incredibly premium, slim, and high-quality design that puts it alongside the most expensive Windows laptops.
Open the lid, and you'll be greeted by the gorgeous 120Hz OLED display, the fantastic RGB-lit keyboard and glass touchpad, and some of the best speakers I've ever heard in a laptop.
Under the hood, you get the powerful AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS and up to an NVIDIA RTX 4070, a potent combination that means you can play all the latest and greatest PC games you want.
I praised this laptop in my ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review, saying:
"ASUS has redesigned its Zephyrus G14 with a beautiful, slim, light aluminum chassis. It's ridiculously portable and doesn't skimp on the power, so it can play any modern game without breaking a sweat. There's an absurd level of quality and polish here for an ASUS ROG machine, but such a thin chassis leads to more heat, meaning the Zephyrus G14 can't push its hardware to the max."
Honestly, this gaming laptop excels in practically every category if you don't need the absolute highest performance, and it's about to be updated with a 2025 model powered by AMD Ryzen AI and NVIDIA RTX 50-series.
Want one for yourself? I get it, and you can pick up the ROG Zephyrus G14 from $1,599.99 at Best Buy. Keep an eye out for sales on the 2024 model, as the upgraded version for 2025 is right around the corner.
👀Read our full ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review
I've reviewed a lot of gaming desktops and laptops, and I've played a lot of racing games. It makes sense that I'd be the first choice at Windows Central to compile this list, and I intend to meet expectations.
How to choose PCs and laptops for sim racing
Getting started in sim racing is pretty straightforward, and though you can't engage without a decent PC and racing setup, it's easy enough to get going.
You need a solid PC at the heart of your setup, and all of the PCs here can handle all the virtual racing you can throw at them with multiple monitors or even VR for high-spec models.
As a sim racing enthusiast, I can attest that the demands of each title can vary wildly depending on your tastes.
For enthusiasts, more focus will be on accurate simulation, which generally requires a stronger CPU, as in the best overall and enthusiast picks. Anyone craving realistic visuals will want a more powerful graphics card, like in the enthusiast Lenovo Legion Tower 7i you can get from $2,899.99 at Lenovo.
Of course, there are plenty of more affordable options. If you want a great desktop PC that you can upgrade into the future, the HP OMEN 35L is my tower of choice, starting from $1,249.99 at HP.
Windows Central has extensive experience with building custom PCs and testing pre-built desktops or gaming laptops, and we often use titles like Forza Horizon 5 and iRacing to test these machines.
Given that, this is our list of the very best options we've tested so far. As with all PC gaming, you should check the required specifications for your favorite game and compare it against a choice in this that fits your budget.
