January always arrives with that weird promise of “this year, yes.” Yes, I’m going to train more. Yes, I’m going to tune the brake better. Yes, I’m going to stop fighting with the cable that, mysteriously, is always too short even though it has measured the same since 2019.
And then you open the sim racing “paddock” in 2026 and you understand why: there’s a general smell of new rubber. Not because we’re all nailing poles, but because the brands have entered the year as if someone had shouted “green flag!” and they forgot to warn our wallets.What follows is not a catalog.
It’s more like that pit-walk where you stop, look, smile, make a joke to hide that you want everything… and keep walking as if you hadn’t seen the price.
Fanatec
Fanatec opens 2026 with a pretty clear message: a changing of the guard is coming. Its new top-of-the-line base, Podium DD, is marked for January as the next step above the DD2, and on top of that the brand is preparing a move of headquarters to larger facilities in Landshut (Germany). Free translation: “we’re going to build more, faster… and with more ambition.”
And watch the technical detail that makes you sit up straight in the seat: the Podium DD aims at 25 Nm of real sustained torque (holding torque). In the language of forearms that means: if you drive relaxed, it makes you serious; if you drive serious, it turns you into a statue.
Also, the corporate shift is already noticeable in practical things: 3-year warranty, shipping improvements, and a unified software suite. The kind of stuff that doesn’t set lap records… but lowers your blood pressure when something fails.
Available products in all regions:
- Fanatec Clubsport Handbrake V2
- CSL DD QR2 (5 Nm)
- CSL DD QR2 (8 Nm)
- Fanatec ClubSport DD
- CSL Elite Steering Wheel Porsche Vision GT
- CSL Elite Steering Wheel WRC
- Fanatec ClubSport DD 699,95 euros
- Fanatec ClubSport DD+ 999,95 euros
- ClubSport DD Table Clamp 99,95 euros
The Podium Pedals promise to get serious: a brake with 200 kg load cell and construction in forged aluminum (yes, forged, as if the pedal were entering Le Mans tomorrow). And the best part for the impatient community: a release window in Q1 2026
Simucube
On the more “Finnish laboratory with white light” side, Simucube enters the year with new shipments in January for its Simucube 3 generation: Sport (15 Nm), Pro (25 Nm), and an Ultimate announced as a 2026 release. It’s not the loudest shout in the paddock, but it is the sharpest.
The brand itself says it without detours: new orders that go out in January, and the Ultimate stays as “even more” for later. It’s the kind of planning that sounds boring until you remember that in sim racing, patience is another peripheral.
- Simucube 3 Sport
- Simucube 3 Pro
- Simucube 3 Sport (SRB) €1236,41 (19% VAT) / $1399,00 (Excl. tax) / £1159,00 (20% VAT)
- Simucube 3 Pro (SRB) €1474,41 (19% VAT) / $1599,00 (Excl. tax) / £1399,00 (20% VAT)
- Ultimate €3188,01 (19% VAT) / $3299,00 (Excl. Tax) / £2899,00 (20% VAT)
And if you like science fiction applied to your right foot: the Simucube ActivePedal continues to be the sector’s “look mom, no hydraulics,” with Pro/Ultimate versions and a philosophy that changes the game (software commanding sensations).
Simagic
Simagic comes with that brand tone that seems to say: “yes, yes, Simucube, everything very refined… but look at this.” Its roadmap for early 2026 leans on three names that sound like gym mythology:
- Alpha Evo Ultra, with the idea of 28 Nm and a bet on fine reading and serious build.
- P700, with a 150 kg load cell brake and a Hall-sensor throttle.
- Zeus Formula, with CNC structure, carbon, and screen, aimed at those who believe a “minimal” wheel is a wheel without 90 buttons.
Where to Buy Alpha Evo Wheelbases
- Official Simagic Store: Simagic
- SimUltimate:
- Sport 9 Nm ·
- 12 Nm ·
- Pro 18 Nm
- SimracerZone:
- Sport 9 Nm ·
- 12 Nm ·
- Pro 18 Nm
- SimRaceWebshop:
- Sport 9 Nm ·
- 12 Nm ·
- Pro 18 Nm
If this lands with a good price, it’s going to hurt… but not in the hands, in the market.
MOZA
MOZA opens 2026 with a headline that, honestly, sounds like “okay, now we’re playing in the big league”: collaboration with Porsche and an official Porsche Mission R wheel. The detail that hooks you isn’t just the logo: it’s the 5.4” flexible OLED screen, plus a machined aluminum chassis and a clearly “pro” approach.
- Moza Racing KS Pro Steering Wheel
- Moza Racing Porsche Mission R Steering Wheel
- Moza Racing CS Pro Steering Wheel
Here my human part confesses something: I don’t need another screen in my life. I already have enough. But I see it integrated, curved, with telemetry… and my primitive brain says: “yes, you need it, it’s for safety.”
Ascher Racing
Ascher has been playing the “this is race hardware, not living-room hardware” game for a while, and its officially licensed line in 2025 raised the bar. It’s not a product for everyone; it’s a product for whoever wants the wheel to feel like a real car component: robustness, tactility, and zero compromises.
The easy joke would be “at this price it comes with an engineer at home.” The truth is that, in feeling, it almost does.
Heusinkveld
Heusinkveld, famous for pedals that many consider a reference, entered wheels with the ONE, wireless, with an OLED screen and a very untypical design. It’s an interesting move because it doesn’t compete by looking like what’s always been there; it competes by making you rethink what “comfortable” means in a long stint.
Cube Controls
Cube Controls keeps its style: improve, polish, offer variants, and step down in price without losing “premium feeling.” Its Astra arrived as a more accessible, lighter formula wheel with a clear proposition: I don’t need to shout to be good..
You can buy it from one of our affiliate programs by clicking here:
Thrustmaster
Thrustmaster brings a nice narrative for 2026: “get in, try it, evolve.” On one side, the Thrustmaster T598 base with a Direct Axial Drive (axial flux) motor and the promise of reducing cogging, with an official price of €499.99 in its store.
And on the other, the Raceline Pedals LTE with that very sensible idea of “you don’t have to buy three pedals today if you’re still learning.” There’s an upgrade kit to add a third pedal and a load-cell brake (sold separately). It’s like an RPG: you level up, you unlock the good brake.
VRS
VRS stays in that zone of “understated product, high performance.” Its DirectForce Pro pedals have been consolidating as a strong alternative in the high end, with a focus on precision and “car-like” sensations, without posing.
Conspit
Conspit, which not long ago was “the emerging brand,” enters 2026 with attention on its CPP Apex pedals and its hydraulic approach, aiming for progressive, realistic feel with an aggressive value proposition.
Logitech G
Logitech arrives in January without dropping the “bomb” of the moment, but with a very clear bet on its RS ecosystem: the Logitech RS50 System base offers 8 Nm of direct drive and is sold as a modular foundation to build the set your way.
And if you like competition as a show, the global championship tied to its alliance is still active with a pool of over 100,000 in prizes across cash and rewards. It won’t make you faster, but it will make more people take it seriously… and that push always ends up improving the hobby. (And raising the level of the guy who dives you in Turn 1.)
Logitech Simracing Hardware:
- Logitech RS50 System
- Logitech RS50 Wheelbase (PS Compatibility)
- Logitech RS50 Wheelbase
- Logitech RS Pedals
- Logitech RS Fórmula Wheel McLaren Racing Edition
- Logitech G RS Shifter & Handbrake
- Logitech G RS Wheel Hub
- Logitech G RS Track Wheel
- Logitech G RS QR Adapter
- Logitech G RS Round Wheel
- Logitech G Racing Adapter
- Logitech G Driving Force Shifter
- Logitech G PRO Racing Pedals
- Logitech G PRO Racing Wheel
Asetek
Asetek enters 2026 with a topic you don’t feel in the wheel… but you might feel in the future: a public acquisition offer announced on November 25, 2025, with an expectation of closing in Q1 2026.
Here my humor runs short because this is delicate: if it closes, it can mean more muscle to grow, but also reasonable questions about support, warranties, and product direction. In sim racing, there’s racing off the track too.
You can access stores by clicking here:
- EU: https://www.asetek.com/simsports/product-category/black-week/?aff=boxthislap
- US: https://www.asetek.com/simsports/product-category/us/black-week/?aff=boxthislap
- Global: https://www.asetek.com/simsports/product-category/global/black-week/?aff=boxthislap
You can access the products directly by clicking here:
- Asetek Forte Button Box
- Asetek Forte Formula
- Asetek La Prima Button Box
- Asetek Formula La Prima
- Asetek La Prima Formula Button Box (Black)
- Asetek La Prima GT Button Box (Black)
- Asetek La Prima Clutch
- Asetek La Prima
You can buy it on Asetek’s official website (5% OFF using this coupon: boxthislap)
Cammus
Cammus has pushed hard with entry bundles that aim to offer direct drive at basic-tier prices. The underlying message is clear: your first wheel doesn’t have to be gear-driven for you to have fun.
Cammus has surprised us many times with its approach to sim racing. If we look at its website, we can see that not only sim racing is of interest to them, but cars in general also benefit from their contributions. One of their most unexpected products, which also helps diversify their catalog, is the Windbooster, a throttle controller.
Cammus has been improving the quality of its product line in recent years. Now, we have an upgrade of the Cammus LC100 pedals, which is already available for pre-order.
You can pre-order it by clicking here:
PXN
PXN has also shaken the board with very cheap proposals and modest torque, but with an idea that a few years ago was science fiction: direct drive in low-price packs. In power it won’t dethrone anyone, but in accessibility it can move masses.
And when masses come in… races come in. And when races come in… the hobby grows. Even if it’s with people braking too early in the first corner. (We’ve all been that person. All of us.)
The real upgrade of 2026 isn’t in Nm, it’s in intent
If I had to summarize January 2026 in one idea, it would be this: sim racing is no longer sold as “a wheel”. It’s sold as a world.
A world where:
- some brands raise the bet in torque and detail (hello, 25 Nm, 28 Nm),
- others make you fall in love with screens and ergonomics,
- others invite you with prices that two years ago sounded like a joke,
- and several are trying the hardest thing of all: making the full experience coherent.
And you, meanwhile, are in your cockpit with a silly smile because you nailed a clean lap… and because, for a second, your brain forgets that this is “virtual.”
That’s sim racing. And January 2026 comes eager to remind you.
Note: In a separate article, we’ll take a deeper look at the brands that specialize in sim racing cockpits rigs, seats, and full chassis setups.
Happy Racing!
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