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- Increased transmission: Russians began to actively buy game steering wheels
Increased transmission: Russians began to actively buy game steering wheels
Interest in virtual motorsport has grown dramatically in Russia: in the first half of 2026, Russians bought almost 80,000 gaming handlebars. This is almost a third more than a year earlier, and the market for these accessories has doubled since 2022. The growth is facilitated by more realistic physics of modern car simulators, a reduction in the average cost of equipment and the popularity of Russian racing projects like CarX Street, experts believe.
The steering wheels are picking up speed
In January – June 2026, Russians purchased 78.3 thousand gaming handlebars, which is 27.3% more than a year earlier, according to the market assessment made by analysts at M.Video". The segment's cash turnover increased by 23.8% to RUB 1.22 billion. Since 2022, the market has doubled (39 thousand handlebars were sold then), while the average price of the device decreased by 3% to 15.6 thousand rubles, which made the category more accessible to a wider audience.
Against the background of the almost stagnating market of gaming accessories, sim racing (virtual motorsport) turned out to be one of the fastest growing categories. The share of steering wheels in cash turnover increased from 11.9% to 15.3%, although in quantitative sales the category occupies just over 5% of the market. Simracing is gradually ceasing to be a hobby for a narrow audience, analysts say.
— Modern racing games offer more and more realistic physics and ample opportunities for competition, so users strive to get a more accurate and emotional driving experience. We see that customers are not only more likely to purchase gaming steering wheels, but also pay attention to more technological solutions, including ready-made Direct Drive kits. At the same time, there is still a demand for universal entry—level models, so the category continues to expand at once due to several groups of buyers," said Zhanna Ilyukhina, head of the Accessories department at M.Video.
In August 2026, Russians' interest in gaming devices increased markedly, according to Alexander Fezdestov, head of the "Household Appliances" and "Audio/Video" categories at Avito. According to the data provided by him, sales of gaming handlebars on the site increased by 70% compared to August last year, and they were bought 79% more often on the resale. Controller sales increased by 16% over the month, while the retail sales grew by 11%.
— A gaming steering wheel in new condition costs about 9 thousand rubles on average, and when purchased by hand, its cost is about 3.5 thousand rubles. Controllers cost an average of 3.8 thousand rubles, and when purchased by hand — about 2 thousand. At the same time, you can find devices in good condition and fully equipped on the retailer, but they will cost an average of 35-40% cheaper," the expert explained.
According to Yandex Market, sales of gaming steering wheels increased by 7.8%. The expansion of the audience is largely due to the fact that more and more affordable solutions are appearing on the market: manufacturers offer ready-made kits that no longer require significant investments and are suitable not only for enthusiasts, but also for beginners. Technology development also plays an important role: car simulators are becoming more realistic, and immersion in the gameplay is deeper, which further fuels interest in virtual racing, the company's press service told Izvestia.
Why is simtracing becoming widespread?
In recent years, the simulation market has changed not so much in terms of volume as in terms of player habits: more and more people are switching from keyboards and gamepads to gaming steering wheels. This became possible due to the fact that high-quality models have noticeably become cheaper and more accessible. So far, this trend is more noticeable on PCs, but as new devices for consoles become available, interest in such devices is likely to continue to grow, Vladimir Berezhnoy, head of the CarX Drift Racing Online 2 project, told Izvestia.
— What is happening in this market now can be called a revolution in Direct Drive technology. This is comparable to the transition to optical mice from ballpoint a couple of decades ago," he said.
The growth of the Russian market coincides with the global trend. According to a study by Data Insights Reports, the global gaming steering wheel market is estimated at about $719 million in 2026 and, according to analysts, will grow by an average of 8.1% annually until 2034.
The main drivers are the development of esports, the popularity of sim racing and the improvement of reverse power recoil and direct drive technologies. In the first case, the steering wheel transmits vibrations, wheel resistance, and road bumps, and in the second, it is directly connected to an electric motor without belts or gears, which more accurately reproduces the behavior of the car. This makes the virtual management as similar as possible to the real one.
Analysts also note that home users remain the largest segment, while computers and game consoles remain the main platforms. At the same time, there is a growing demand for ready-made sets of handlebars and pedals, which were previously considered equipment exclusively for enthusiasts. In many ways, experts attribute this popularity to the worldwide popularity of the realistic CarX car racing series created in Russia.
According to the GameSTUL project manager! Alexandra Kazmina, the current growth is different from the surge during the pandemic.
— If this was due to special cases during Covid, then over the past year and a half or two, the popularity of racing-themed computer clubs has increased significantly. Drift, circuit racing and Chinese manufacturers, who offered modern solutions in time, played a role," he said.
According to the expert, Russian racing projects with domestic tracks and cars can give an additional boost to the market.
The market is going through a stage of gradual user engagement, says Olga Bolina, an expert on the Russia — Land of Opportunity platform and an AI marketer.
"The game steering wheel becomes not a one—time purchase, but the first step towards a full-fledged home simulator: then pedals, racks, gearboxes and VR equipment appear," she noted.
According to a study by the Organization for the Development of the Video Game Industry (RVRI), today up to 75% of Russians over the age of 14 play video games with varying frequency, and about a quarter of players are interested in racing and car simulators. It is this kind of mass audience that creates the basis for the further growth of simracing. Although experts note that not every steering wheel buyer becomes a professional racer — many purchase devices for home leisure or several popular racing games.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
