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For a more realistic racing game, match the assists to the car being simulated, then reduce the systems that take control away from you one at a time. There is no universal rule to turn everything off: some modern race cars use traction control and ABS, while road cars and older race cars may have different equipment. The right setup also depends on the game’s physics, your controller or wheel, and whether your goal is authentic behavior, learning, or simply driving clean laps.
What each driving assist does
Assist names are not standardized across games, so check the current manual or update notes for the title you play. The systems generally affect different parts of the driving task:
- Traction control (TC/TCS): Reduces driven-wheel spin, often by limiting or adjusting accelerator input. In its Gran Turismo 6 manual, Polyphony Digital describes TCS as controlling accelerator input to limit wheelspin.
- Anti-lock braking (ABS): Helps prevent the wheels from locking under braking. Whether it is realistic to use depends on the car being simulated and how the game models its brakes.
- Stability management and countersteering assistance: Intervene when the car begins to lose control. These may help prevent a spin, but stronger settings can override more of your steering input.
- Steering or braking assistance: Can steer, brake, or otherwise help position the car. These are distinct from ABS and TC, even when a game bundles them together.
- Skid recovery: Adds grip or helps recover the car when the tires slip. The GT6 manual, for example, describes Skid Recovery Force as increasing grip during wheel slip.
- Racing line: Shows a suggested route and, in some games, braking guidance. It teaches the shape of a corner rather than reproducing a mechanical aid on the car.
Forza’s developer explanation describes its driving line through braking points and corner-entry and exit speeds. It also explains that its tire model accounts for contact and grip over uneven surfaces, and that tire compounds trade grip against wear. That is why a line is best treated as a learning reference, not a realism switch: tires and car setup can change how a car behaves even when the displayed line stays the same. Forza’s explanation of its audio and physics provides that game-specific context.
What assists should I turn off for a more realistic racing game?
Start with the assists that steer or brake for you, then reduce other interventions gradually. Keep any aid that belongs on the simulated car or that lets you control it consistently. Turning every assist off may make a game harder without making the car more authentic.
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A practical starting point
If you are new to a game, begin with enough support to complete clean laps. EA’s F1 25 beginner guide, published September 18, 2026, recommends Traction Control on Medium and Anti-Lock Brakes on as a beginner baseline. It suggests removing braking and cornering assists first, changing the racing line to Corners Only before switching it off, and lowering TC from Full to Medium and then Off. These are F1 25-specific recommendations—not a preset for every game or car. Some material on that page applies only to the 2026 Season Edition or Season Pack, rather than the base game.
Reduce intervention in stages
- Turn off or lower braking and cornering steering intervention first if you want the car to respond more directly to your inputs.
- Change a full racing line to corners-only guidance, then try driving without it once you can identify braking and turn-in points.
- Lower traction control one step at a time. If you lose control on corner exits, move it back up rather than treating a spin as proof that the setting is more realistic.
- Evaluate stability and skid-recovery aids separately. Reduce them only if you can manage the resulting behavior and the setting suits the car being simulated.
- Keep ABS when it fits the modeled car or helps you brake consistently. Do not switch it off solely because an “all assists off” setup sounds more authentic.
Should I use ABS and traction control?
Use them when they fit the vehicle the game is modeling, or when they provide useful control while you learn. Modern race cars may use ABS and traction control; other cars may not. The car’s real equipment is a useful reference, but only when the game represents it credibly.
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Even within one series, presets and assist behavior can change between updates. In its March 30, 2023 notice for Gran Turismo 7 Update 1.31, Polyphony Digital changed the Intermediate preset’s countersteering assistance from Strong to Weak and TCS from 5 to 3. The same update changed Expert countersteering from Strong to Off and adjusted TCS, ABS, Active Stability Management, and countersteering intervention. Those changes show why an old setup recommendation may not describe the current version. Read the GT7 Update 1.31 notice and check your own game’s current documentation.
How do I make a racing game feel more realistic?
First identify the exact game and version, car, input device, and what “realistic” means to you. An authentic car setup is different from a setup that best teaches you to drive, and both differ from a setup that prioritizes accessibility or clean laps.
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- Check for car-specific options. Look for factory, authentic, or vehicle-specific assists if the game offers them. Do not assume every real-world aid is modeled accurately.
- Choose a stable baseline. Keep enough support to finish laps consistently. For a novice in F1 25, EA’s cited example is TC Medium and ABS On; choose an appropriate baseline in other titles rather than copying it blindly.
- Change one or two settings at a time. Use the same car, track, tire, weather, and driving conditions for several repeat laps. Compare control, consistency, and how much the game intervenes. This is a practical way to isolate changes, not a claim that one setup has been experimentally proven best.
- Separate driving assists from input calibration. Adjust controller sensitivity and deadzones, or wheel force feedback, independently. EA documents customizable steering, throttle, and brake calibration as well as vibration and force feedback in its F1 25 accessibility information. That page’s stated scope is US English for PC and consoles.
- Keep accessibility needs in view. Realism and difficulty overlap, but they are not identical. In F1 25, Steering Assist enables Braking Assist, ABS, and Traction Control, with higher levels providing more help. Use the combination that makes the game playable for you; an accessibility option does not invalidate your approach to authenticity.
Controller players can tune assists and calibration without buying a wheel. A wheel is optional, and its force feedback can communicate track contact through your hands—the GT6 manual describes this function—but hardware alone does not make a setup realistic. Before choosing a wheel, verify compatibility with both your platform and game. The GT6 controller manual explains its steering-sensitivity and force-feedback options; those instructions are specific to that older game.
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Compare options by what they actually change, not by how many toggles are off. A useful setup balances four things:
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- Intervention: How much does the game override steering, throttle, or braking input?
- Vehicle fidelity: Does the setting reflect the aids fitted to the car being simulated, as far as the game models them?
- Controllability: Can you drive consistently with your current input device and skill level?
- Transferable learning: Does the setting help you learn braking, throttle control, and cornering, or mask those decisions?
Event rewards, eligibility, and online rules vary by game and mode. Check the current rules for the specific event before changing a setup for competition; there is no universal consequence established for using or disabling assists.
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