Euro Truck Simulator 2 (ETS2) supports steering wheels with force feedback (FFB) and H-shifters, and SCS Software has reworked wheel support in several updates. The most important piece of official advice: after the big FFB overhaul in update 1.44, SCS recommended resetting your force feedback settings to their defaults. This guide covers what the game offers for wheels, what changed in which version and where to find the advanced input options. It deliberately gives no “best settings” numbers, because there are no official ones.
Short answer: what the game does with a wheel
- Force feedback profiles for wheels and other controllers, updated in version 1.42 (October 2021).
- New FFB effects plus reworked power steering and self-centering in version 1.44 (2022).
- H-shifter support, documented by SCS for the Logitech G27 and compatible wheels.
- Smart Sequential Shifting (1.44) and Lane Assistant (1.50), the latter designed with FFB wheels in mind too.
- Advanced input configuration through config files, documented on the SCS Modding Wiki.
A wheel isn’t required. On Steam the game lists partial controller support and Steam Input, and since the Steam Deck update in 2022 it shows an on-screen legend for gamepad buttons. Steam Deck players also got a dedicated control layout.
Force feedback: the 1.42 profiles and 1.44 effects
Update 1.42 in October 2021 brought updated force feedback profiles for wheels and controllers. FFB started working on more types of controllers and, for the first time, on Linux. The same update added a new setting for the steering wheel animation range.
Update 1.44 in 2022 went further and added new effects you feel through the wheel:
- gear grinding when you miss a gear,
- slip when the truck understeers.
The same update also reworked the power steering and the self-centering of the wheel. Alongside these changes, SCS also gave wheel owners one piece of advice.
Reset FFB to defaults after updates
With 1.44, SCS recommended resetting force feedback settings to their default values. If your wheel feels wrong after updating from an older version, that’s the official first step: go back to the defaults in the game’s controls settings and adjust from there.
Since version 1.50 the settings screens also show a description of what each option does. That makes it easier to see what you’re changing before you move a slider.
H-shifter and range selection
The SCS Modding Wiki documents H-shifter support for the Logitech G27 and compatible wheels. That’s the only wheel model named in the official documentation we work from, so we don’t list others.
Trucks have more gears than an H-shifter has positions. That’s why the game uses an extra control for selecting the gear range, in other words which group of gears the shifter positions currently use. You’ll want to assign it alongside the shifter itself in the controls settings.
Smart Sequential Shifting and Lane Assistant
Smart Sequential Shifting arrived with version 1.44 and can be switched on in the settings.
Lane Assistant came with version 1.50 in 2024. According to SCS, it was designed to work with force feedback wheels as well. The same update reworked the settings screens, which now explain each option.
Advanced input configuration
For anything beyond the in-game menus, ETS2 lets you configure inputs through config files, including your own mappings and custom expressions. SCS documents this on the Advanced input configuration wiki page. It’s aimed at experienced players, so back up any file before you edit it.
Config files are also how you unlock the developer console. Our console commands guide explains config.cfg and the game’s user folder on Windows, Linux and macOS.
Before you buy a wheel, make sure your PC meets at least the minimum system requirements: Windows 10 64-bit, an Intel Core i5-6400 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB of RAM and a GTX 660 or RX 460 class graphics card. And once you’re comfortable behind the wheel, our career guide explains how to build your own trucking company.
Join our Discord to compare wheel setups with other drivers: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
Yes. Update 1.42 brought updated FFB profiles for wheels and controllers, including on Linux, and 1.44 added new effects such as gear grinding and understeer slip.
SCS doesn’t publish recommended numbers. Its official advice after update 1.44 was to reset FFB settings to the defaults and adjust from there.
Yes. The SCS Modding Wiki documents H-shifter support for the Logitech G27 and compatible wheels, with an extra control for selecting the gear range.
Yes. Steam lists partial controller support and Steam Input, and the game shows an on-screen legend for gamepad buttons.
Information verified on 14 November 2026. We update this article after new DLCs and game updates. Find more guides in our ETS2 guides section.