The newest version of the F1 series will be released on May 31 for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and 5, and PC. This year’s game features three cover athletes.
Three-time and current World Champion, Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 driver Max Verstappen, is back as one of the faces of the franchise. He serves as the cover star of the Champions Edition.
The image above is the Champions Edition cover, a scene from the celebration at Formula 1 AWS Gran Premio De Espana 2023.
Representing Oracle Red Bull Racing, Verstappen won the 2023 Formula One World Championship.
The cover athlete for the Standard Edition, both physical and digital versions, will have a three-grid format featuring Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Here is a look at that cover:
The new game touts a deeper career mode. Users can play through a career as any of the 20 licensed drivers included in the game, F1 legends like Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher, or a custom driver. Career modes in racing titles are the most critical piece of the single-player experience.
EA seems to realize this, and much of the pre-release focus has been on enhancements to the game’s career mode. Here is a look at the trailer for the new career mode.
Rarely do we see a career mode in a sports-driving title that excels at telling a story or delivering the immersive qualities that worked in games like Fight Night Champion or several of the NBA 2K MyCareer stories.
It is tough to tell if this is a focus for most developers of sports driving titles, but perhaps the “build recognition” portion of F1 24’s career mode is leaning a bit more toward storytelling.
The rivalries in the real-life F1 world are the most compelling aspect of following the sport–beyond the technical driving discussions that may be overlooked by casual fans.
EA mentions multi-season rivalries and contract signings that denote secret agreements. If this is woven into the fabric of the career mode, we may see something groundbreaking in the way career modes function in sports driving games.
The cutscenes and trailer visuals look strong. This level of visual excellence has become standard practice for the series. The hope is that the career mode will become more human this year.
The ‘reworked two-player career’ is a promising addition to the F1 24. It’s designed to adapt to all the changes made in the single-player career mode, potentially enhancing the multiplayer experience.
EA has made significant promises for the F1 24’s gameplay and driving experience. These include more authentic handling, new suspension physics, an updated Tyre model, improved aerodynamic models, power unit settings, and enhanced customization for your driving style.
F1 24 also lands on a good day on the game release calendar. No other sports title is released within a month of the release date, so interested users aren’t likely to be conflicted if they need to choose a game to purchase.
