After eight of 24 races, the 2024 Formula 1 season promises to be much more exciting than in recent years. After all, reigning world champion Max Verstappen will have to fend off much stronger competition this year. Shortly after the Monaco Grand Prix, F1 24, the official game for the premier class of motorsport, is launched, with a number of gameplay innovations in tow, thanks to which the racing simulation is clearly ahead of its predecessor. Our test.
F1 24 at a glance
| Title | F1 24 (official homepage) |
| Genre | Racing game |
| Developer: Codemasters | Codemasters |
| Publisher | EA Sports |
| Release date | 31. May 2024 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S |
| Number of players | 1-20 |
| Price | € 69.99 * |
F1 24 Review: Better on the track… and more realistic
After the less innovative F1 22, the Formula 1 simulation brought back the Braking Point story mode last year, although opinions were divided on this. For the latest offshoot, F1 24, Codemasters has put the cliché-laden story about Aiden Jackson and Devon Butler back on the back burner and is concentrating much more on improving the feel of the game.
And the British development team has succeeded in doing this extremely well. Especially in terms of driving physics and handling of the cars, the latest offshoot has noticeably improved.
On the one hand, we owe this to F1 world champion Max Verstappen himself, who worked closely with the team. On the other hand, Casey Ringley, Senior Game Designer and Vehicle Handling Lead at EA Sports, who made a name for himself as a modder in F1 2002 and was hired by Codemasters for the latest offshoot, is also responsible for this.
Collectively, the team has done a great job in providing F1 24 with the most realistic physics and handling model in the history of the series. For example, suspension and suspension are now calculated physically correct, while the aerodynamics of the different teams also differ greatly from each other.
In practice, this means that the cars of the ten Formula 1 teams differ greatly from one another in terms of gameplay. While the Red Bull RB20, for example, reaches a higher speed than the Ferrari SF-24, the racing car from Milton Keynes is significantly more nervous than its counterpart from Maranello, especially when accelerating out of slow corners.
At the same time, your own driving style has an even more realistic effect on various factors such as fuel consumption or tire wear, which can make a huge difference, especially in online races.
While professionals and long-time fans of the racing game series will notice this in particular, newcomers and occasional drivers are gently introduced to the realistic gameplay thanks to numerous driving aids, customizable difficulty levels and more.
New features for the career
Despite the omission of the story, F1 24 also increases the game modes. Or rather, it offers more in the familiar modes. The career mode in particular has been given an upgrade this time, because in addition to the official F1 and F2 drivers, icons are finally available to choose from (again).
These include Formula 1 world champions such as Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Ayrton Senna, as well as drivers such as Pastor Maldonado and professionals from the F1 sim racing series. So anyone who has always wanted to see Schumi in a current F1 car on the new circuits in Jeddah or Las Vegas will finally have the opportunity to do so.
However, this feature is purely optional. In contrast to the driver ratings, which play a much bigger role this year. This is very reminiscent of other sports games such as EA Sports’ FIFA series, as values such as attention, speed or concentration change over the course of the season and affect behavior on the track.
At the same time, these ratings also have an impact on the team-internal duel, which in turn affects the number of research and development upgrades, the speed of improvements and much more.
These new, light role-playing elements add a whole new nuance to F1 24’s career mode, making it much more fun to battle your way through the 24 races this year (shorter seasons are also available as an option). Of course, the career mode can also be played cooperatively with a friend.
The challenge career is also new this year. These are short, time-limited events that have to be completed with a specific driver. Points for the online rankings and exclusive rewards are up for grabs here.
Who has the best fans?
F1 World mode, which contains the majority of the game modes in F1 24, also has some exciting new features. First and foremost is the new fan zone. Here, after you have completed a few races, you choose your favorite team and your favorite driver and collect ranking points to whip your favorites to the front in comparison to other teams and drivers.
What rewards there will be for this in the long term is not really visible at the moment. However, it is certainly an additional motivation boost, as you can select up to 15 objectives that can be completed in races and reward you with bonus points.
Technically chic, albeit dusty
Ever since the F1 series was docked at EA Sports, racing simulations have improved noticeably, especially in terms of presentation. The development studio also has some improvements in store for F1 24.
Above all, the character models of the drivers finally look much more realistic, which is particularly noticeable in the intro sequences. When celebrating on the podium, however, Verstappen, Sainz and co. still look a little wooden, even if the general presentation has taken another step forward this year.
The car models once again look excellent and, in combination with the atmospheric ray tracing effects, F1 24 is visually impressive. However, the somewhat dated game engine shows its age, especially in the bland environments or spectators. A Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo 7 looks much better here.
Slowly but surely, Codemasters should give the series a fresh graphical makeover. On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with the soundtrack, which is pleasing with its atmospheric soundtrack and rich engine sounds.
F1 24 Review: Conclusion
I’ve played pretty much every F1 game since Formula 1 97. However, I haven’t had as much fun on the tarmac as with F1 24 for years. The racing simulation owes this above all to the significantly improved gameplay, which is noticeably enhanced with a perceptible engine brake, improved physics and new tactical options.
However, a lot has also happened this year in terms of everything else. The new goals in F1 World or the duels and rivalries in the career promote long-term motivation and ensure that I still want to squeeze back into the cockpit even after the 17th race of the season.
F1 24 also improves once again in terms of graphics, although the environments in particular could do with a fresh coat of paint. This makes F1 24 not only the ideal game for newcomers to the genre, but perhaps the best part of the series since the almost legendary F1 2017 and an absolute must-have for fans of the sport and genre.
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Pros
|
Contra
|
|---|---|
| improved physics successful mix of arcade and sim up-to-date licenses and rules |
– rare AI lapses – Penalties sometimes too lax |
| many optional driving aids new options for pros motivating tasks |
– many systems confusing for newcomers |
| extensive career options incl. co-op motivating MyTeam mode improved F1 World |
|
| improved driver models stylish vehicles rich sound |
– Poorly detailed environment graphics – occasional frame rate drops |
F1 24
Gameplay
Balance
Scope
Graphics & Sound
90/100
Major gameplay improvements, additional features in Career and F1 World and improved technology make F1 24 the best Formula 1 game in years.
