What is FOV in sim racing?

Field of view, or FOV, is the angle of the virtual world your screen shows you from the cockpit camera. A correct FOV makes objects on screen appear the same size and distance as they would through a real windscreen, which improves braking point judgement and cornering accuracy.

How do I calculate the correct FOV for sim racing?

Measure your monitor diagonal size, your seating distance from the screen in centimeters, and your aspect ratio. The horizontal FOV in degrees equals 2 times the arctangent of half the screen width divided by the viewing distance. This calculator performs that calculation automatically and converts the result for your specific sim.

Does FOV affect lap times?

Indirectly, yes. An incorrect FOV distorts your perception of speed and distance to braking markers and apexes, which leads to late or early braking and inconsistent corner entry. Most sim racers find their lap times become more consistent once FOV matches their real seating geometry.

Is triple screen FOV three times a single monitor FOV?

As a practical approximation, yes. When the two side monitors are angled correctly around the driver, each panel contributes roughly the same horizontal FOV as the center screen, so the combined horizontal FOV is close to three times the single screen value. This calculator uses that standard approximation.

Why do some games ask for vertical FOV instead of horizontal?

Games built on different engines expose different camera settings. RaceRoom Racing Experience and titles on the rFactor 2 engine use a vertical FOV field, while Automobilista 2, Project CARS and BeamNG.drive use horizontal FOV. The F1 series doubles the vertical FOV value. This calculator outputs both numbers so you can use whichever your sim requires.

What seating distance should I use for VR instead of a monitor?

VR headsets render a fixed field of view set by the headset hardware, so this monitor based calculator does not apply to VR. Most VR users leave in game FOV sliders at default or 100 percent and rely on the headset lenses instead.

Do I need to change my FOV every time I change games?

Your horizontal and vertical FOV in degrees stay the same across every game as long as your monitor size and seating distance do not change. What changes between games is which of those two numbers the game asks for, and whether it wants a doubled value, so you only need to calculate once and then look up the right field per game.

About This Tool

A free, single-purpose tool for the sim racing community.

Most racing simulators launch with a default field of view setting that was chosen to look reasonable in a marketing screenshot, not to match any specific driver’s monitor or seating position. The result is that almost every sim racer is driving with a field of view that is at least slightly wrong, and most have never realized it because the effect is subtle.

It shows up as braking points that never quite feel consistent, apexes that are always a little off, and a general sense that the car is harder to place than it should be. Our breakdown of why the wrong FOV costs lap time covers this in more detail.

The Sim Racing FOV Calculator exists to fix that with real numbers instead of guesswork. The calculation behind it is simple trigonometry based on your actual monitor size and how far you sit from it, not a generic recommendation copied from a forum post. Enter your setup once and the tool returns the exact horizontal and vertical field of view for your rig, converted into whichever value your specific simulator asks for. If you want the full math, see how the calculator works.

What this tool covers

The calculator supports single monitor and triple screen setups, explained in our single versus triple screen FOV guide, and every common aspect ratio from standard 16:9 to super ultrawide 32:9. It outputs values for iRacing, Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione, Automobilista 2, Project CARS, rFactor 2, Le Mans Ultimate, RaceRoom Racing Experience, the F1 series, BeamNG.drive, Automobilista 1, EA Sports WRC, DiRT Rally 2.0 and Richard Burns Rally. The full breakdown of which FOV type each of these sims expects is in our per-game FOV reference table.

How accurate is the math

The formula is standard trigonometry, not an estimate: horizontal FOV in degrees equals two times the arctangent of half your screen width divided by your seating distance. For triple screen setups, we apply the tripled-FOV approximation used across the sim racing community, which is accurate provided your side monitors are angled correctly. Definitions for every term used on this site, including horizontal FOV, vertical FOV and seating distance, are collected in our quick glossary.

Who this is for

Whether you are setting up a first cockpit with a single monitor or running a full triple screen rig, this tool is built for anyone who wants their braking points and corner entry to feel the same lap after lap. It is free to use, requires no account, and runs entirely in your browser. Common questions we get are answered in our FAQ section.

Get in touch

Questions, corrections, or a sim you think should be added to the list? See our contact page. You can also read our privacy policy and terms of use.