How to Set Up Steering In Assetto Corsa With Rotary Mouse
Do you know that you can play Assetto Corsa without buying an expensive steering wheel? With the Rotary Mouse, you can use the rotary wheel for smooth analog steering.
Since Assetto Corsa doesn’t natively support using the Rotary Mouse as a steering wheel, we use vJoy and a short AutoHotkey script. You can use the Rotary Mouse wheel for steering while using the W and S keyboard keys as throttle and brake. This guide walks you through the complete setup.
This guide assumes you’re driving with the Rotary Mouse in one hand and using the keyboard with the other. If you have another preferred input device for throttle and brake, you can modify the AutoHotkey script below accordingly.
This guide has been tested with Assetto Corsa version 1.16.4.
What You’ll Need
- Rotary Mouse
- Assetto Corsa v1.16.4 (Steam)
- Windows 10/11
- AutoHotkey
- vJoy
Step 1 – Install AutoHotkey
Download and install the latest AutoHotkey.
After installation, double-clicking an .ahk file will run the script.
Step 2 – Install vJoy
If you’re using Windows 11, we recommend installing vJoy version 2.1.9.1 instead of the newer releases, as it has proven to be much more reliable.
Download it from:
https://github.com/jshafer817/vJoy/releases
Install it using the default settings.
During installation, allow Windows to install the driver.
After installation, open Configure vJoy.
Use these settings:
- Device: 1
- Buttons: 8 (or more)
- POV: Disabled
- Axes Enabled:
- ✔ X
- ✔ Y
- ✔ Z
Click Apply.
Step 3 – Verify vJoy
Open
joy.cpl
Select vJoy Device
Click Properties.
Leave this window open for testing later.
Step 4 – Download the Rotary Mouse AutoHotkey Script for Assetto Corsa
Download the rotary-profile-assetto-corsa-with-keyboard-v1.0.zip file containing the AutoHotkey script (.ahk). Unzip it.
The script:
- Uses the Rotary Mouse wheel as steering.
- Maps W to throttle.
- Maps S to brake.
- Press F11 to enable/disable driving mode.
- Press Esc to exit the script.
Step 5 – Start the Script
Double-click the script. A green “H” icon should appear in the Windows system tray.
The script is now running.
Press
F11
You should see
Driving ON
Step 6 – Test vJoy
Open Game Controllers by pressing Win + R and entering joy.cpl.
When you:
- rotate the Rotary Mouse wheel
the X Axis should move.
Hold
W
The Y Axis should move.
Hold
S
The Z Axis should move.
If all three work, your virtual steering wheel is ready.
Step 7 – Configure Assetto Corsa Manually
Instead of assigning the controls from inside Assetto Corsa, configure them directly in the controller profile file, controls.ini. You may learn how to manually edit this file below or download our pre-configured .ini file (unzip it) to skip this step.
Close Assetto Corsa first.
If you have downloaded our controls.ini file above, back up your original file under Documents\Assetto Corsa\cfg\controls.ini and then replace it with our file.
Otherwise, to edit the file manually, open:
Documents\Assetto Corsa\cfg\controls.ini
Locate the following section:
[CONTROLLERS]
CON0=vJoy Device
PGUID0=xxxxxxxx
If vJoy Device is not listed, start Assetto Corsa once, assign the steering axis only, save the profile, then exit the game. This creates the vJoy controller entry.
Steering
Verify that the steering section contains:
[STEER]
JOY=0
AXLE=0
This maps the Rotary Mouse steering axis (vJoy X) to Assetto Corsa.
Throttle
Edit the throttle section to:
[THROTTLE]
JOY=0
AXLE=1
MIN=-1
MAX=1
JOY=0 refers to the first detected controller (vJoy Device), while AXLE=1 corresponds to the Y axis used by the AutoHotkey script.
Brake
Edit the brake section to:
[BRAKES]
JOY=0
AXLE=2
MIN=-1
MAX=1
GAMMA=2.4
This assigns the Z axis from vJoy as the brake.
Save and Restart
Save controls.ini and restart Assetto Corsa.
The controls should now be:
| Function | vJoy Axis |
|---|---|
| Steering | Axis 1 (X) |
| Throttle | Axis 2 (Y) |
| Brake | Axis 3 (Z) |
Notes
If your throttle or brake axis is inverted, change the MIN and MAX values:
MIN=1
MAX=-1
instead of:
MIN=-1
MAX=1
This reverses the pedal direction. Similar MIN/MAX inversion is commonly used in Assetto Corsa controller profiles for pedal axes.
Step 8 – Configure Gear Shifting (Optional)
Assign any keys you prefer.
Example:
| Function | Key |
|---|---|
| Gear Up | Space |
| Gear Down | Left Ctrl |
Controls Summary
| Function | Input |
|---|---|
| Steering | Rotary Mouse wheel |
| Throttle | W |
| Brake | S |
| Gear Up | Space |
| Gear Down | Left Ctrl |
| Enable Driving Mode | F11 |
| Exit Script | Esc |
Troubleshooting
Steering sensitivity
Increase or decrease the following value inside the AutoHotkey script to make steering faster or slower.
step := 60
Higher values make the steering more responsive.
Steering doesn’t return to center
The provided script behaves like a steering wheel that stays where you leave it. Simply rotate the Rotary Mouse in the opposite direction to straighten the wheels.
Throttle or brake stays on
Open Controls in Assetto Corsa and enable Invert for the affected axis.
Assetto Corsa won’t detect the throttle
Verify that:
- vJoy X, Y and Z axes are enabled.
- The Y axis moves in
joy.cplwhile holding W. - The Detected Controllers panel in Assetto Corsa (Options -> Controls) shows that the axes are moving.
- The controller profile is set to Wheel.
vJoy Device does not appear
- Reinstall vJoy 2.1.9.1
- Restart Windows
- Open:
Configure vJoy
- Verify that Device 1 and the X Axis are enabled.
Steering axis does not move in joy.cpl
Make sure Driving Mode is enabled by pressing:
F11
before testing.
Mouse won’t scroll normally
Driving Mode is still enabled.
Press:
F11
to return to normal mouse scrolling.
F11 conflicts with another application
Simply edit:
rotary.ahk
and assign a different toggle key. You may paste the script on ChatGPT for it to assist you to edit.
I want to customize the AutoHotKey script. How do I do that?
You can easily edit our existing AHK script by using AI platform like ChatGPT. Simply paste or upload our script on ChatGPT and prompt it to modify our code to whatever you want. It may even generate a completely new script for you. You may then update the script and reload it without having to restart the game. Have fun customizing!
Do I need to restart the game each time I edit the AutoHotKey script?
No, you don’t have to. While the game is running, simply press the Windows button on your keyboard to minimize the game. Then, edit the script, save it and reload the script by double-clicking the file. AHK may ask if you which to reload the script that is currently running. Click “Yes”. Then, you may hit F11 to return to Driving Mode, and return to the game to test the new script.