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.