F1 24 is the latest installment in the long-running Formula 1 game series from Codemasters and EA SPORTS and features all the teams, track drivers and cars from the 2024 season, as well as a full suite of 2023 Formula 2 content (the 2024 F2 grid is coming on it). in a post-launch update).
The developers have remained with Codemasters’s own ego game engine for F1 24, so players do not have to expect radically improved images, despite long-awaited graphic revisions for circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps.
There are still disappointing rough edges on older circuit models such as Monza and Hungaroring, where the screen occasionally stuck during Cross-Play Online modes. However, the game runs smoothly overall, despite lacking the polish you’d expect from a 2024 title.
The overall presentation is suitably slick though, with Sky Sports F1 stalwarts like Natalie Pinkham, Anthony Davidson and – of course – David Croft, making players feel like they’re about to watch an authentic F1 event (in terms of commentary, players can even replace Crofty with F1 TV lead commentator Alex Jacques, if desired).
The driving behavior of the car has also been adjusted, with a new ‘Dynamic Handling’ system that is designed to produce more ‘realistic and predictable performance’ on both the GamePad and the steering wheel controllers.
In practice, the new suspension, tire and aero models seem to be aimed more at gamepad users, which is understandable given how most F1 24 players will use a pad. With all assists disabled, traction zones are now easier to master, while curbs appear to be a benign presence in all but the most extreme cases: the Variante Tamburello and Gresini sausage curbs at Imola can be sampled, for example, causing the gamepad to make a lot of progress. less frustrating.
Many hardcore F1 enthusiasts will prefer to use a steering wheel, and while operation feels largely intuitive (after extensive force feedback adjustments), cars feel very ‘on the nose’ to drive, with initial oversteer tending towards understeer in the mid-range the curve. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but after some acclimatization it provides a predictable platform from which to tackle the game’s extensive career mode (there’s no ‘Braking Point’ story content this time around – it’s a bi-annual event).
F1 24
Photo by: EA Sports F1 24
In this regard, not much has changed from its predecessors: players complete specific practice session programs set by their engineers and earn upgrade points to help improve their car. Additional improvements are also provided by fulfilling objectives for the new-in-2024 Specialists – personnel with specific skills – who come and go throughout the season. Get it right and the new “Driver Recognition” metric will increase, attracting potential employers.
For the first time ever, players can choose to ride as a member of the F1 grid, whereby the rating of each driver (including yours) rises or falls during the season. However, the effects of these new additions are usually skin deep.
The new Challenge Career mode adds intriguing, bite-sized scenarios, with online leaderboards ranking the highest-scoring players. More will be added during the season, with the recurring F1 World and My Team modes continuing to offer interesting distractions for the most important career for one player. Microtransactions are present (but completely optional), and the much-derided supercars are now a thing of the past.
Is F1 24 worth buying if you already own F1 23? On balance, there are few real innovations that distinguish it from its predecessor. The Challenge Career is an interesting but limited addition; the reworked handling is divisive yet forgiving; and the effects of the Driver Recognition and Driver Rating systems have very little impact on player choices in Career Mode.
The renewed circuits, however, bring the series to modern F1 standards, and although the career mode is comparable to earlier incarnations, it still offers an interesting and compelling challenge.
If you are completely new to the F1 series or have skipped a few parts, F1 24 offers an authentic hit full of F1 theme promotion, with a forgiving operating model that appeals to the vast majority of players. However, this may alienate those looking for a more in-depth driving experience.
F1 24
Photo by: EA Sports F1 24
F1 24 price and console availability
● EA SPORTS/Codemasters
● PC (Steam, Epic Game Store, EA app), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
● RRP: £59.99 (Standard Edition), £79.99 (Champions Edition)