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.

Privacy Policy - Sim Racing Fov Calculator

This Privacy Policy explains what information Sim Racing FOV Calculator (simracingfovcalculator.com) collects, how it is used, and the choices available to you. By using this site, you agree to the practices described below.

Information the calculator stores locally

The FOV calculator on our homepage saves your last-used monitor size, aspect ratio, seating distance, screen setup and selected sim directly in your browser’s local storage, so the tool remembers your setup on your next visit. This information is never transmitted to our servers and never leaves your device. You can clear it at any time by clearing your browser’s site data for this domain.

Analytics

We may use standard web analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to understand how visitors use the site in aggregate, including approximate location, device type, and pages visited. This data is anonymized and used only to improve the site. If analytics tools are active, they may set their own cookies subject to their respective privacy policies.

Advertising

This site may display third-party advertising, including through Google AdSense, now or in the future. Advertising providers may use cookies or similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this or other websites. You can opt out of personalized advertising through your browser settings or through Google’s Ads Settings.

Cookies

Cookies may be used by analytics or advertising providers as described above. This site does not use cookies for any purpose beyond those disclosed here. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some site features may not function as intended if you do.

Third-party links

Our content may link to external sites, including simulator publishers and hardware manufacturers. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any third-party site.

Your rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, or request deletion of any personal data associated with you. Since this site does not collect personally identifiable information directly, most requests will relate to analytics or advertising providers, and can typically be exercised through those providers’ own opt-out tools.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

Contact

Questions about this policy can be sent to admin@simracingfovcalculator.com