REVIEW: ‘F1 24’ Is A Smooth And Familiar Experience (PC)

Formula 1 is considered by many to be the pinnacle of motorsport. High-octane races and larger-than-life personalities make it one of the most exciting sports in the world. Codemasters and EA Sports have been delivering the best way to experience this world, and F1 24 is the latest in a long line of successful games.

Codemasters has been making F1 games since 2009, and each iteration builds on previous generations. While the core game has stayed relatively the same from year to year, there are always small tweaks that help keep bringing players back. F1 24 follows that trend by making a few subtle changes that have relatively large impacts.

The first major change is found in the Driver Career mode. Driver Career has not received a significant upgrade since back in 2016. Instead of focusing on a single-player, crafted storyline like Braking Point from the last few years, F1 24 lets players forge their own path. Players can choose from any of the current F1 drivers, as well as several F2 drivers and a handful of F1 legends.

Once in the Driver Career, players have a few new things to focus on. Developing cars and winning races remains the same, but there is a new Driver Recognition system that factors into everything you do. Results on the track—and key decisions off it—affect a driver’s reputation, which is an incredibly important stat.

Driver reputation affects what teams want to hire the driver. A higher reputation means the likes of Red Bull or Ferrari might come knocking at the door for a secret contract meeting. Developing a better reputation also increases the efficiency of your research and development team. On the flip side, if a driver fails on the track, they will find their options more limited and the experience much more challenging.

This system is neat because it allows for a more realistic approach to a driver’s career. Being able to play through a career as a current driver, something that, for some reason, has not been possible until now, really enhances the player experience. It makes you feel like an actual driver on the real-life F1 grid. The reputation system is not incredibly in-depth, but it is a much-appreciated addition to the game.

Players can also tackle the new Driver Career mode in a two-player variation. It retains all of the same features as the single-player one but can be played either cooperatively as teammates or on rival teams. This opens up a whole new avenue for players to explore and create new storylines.

The last of the career mode updates is a new Challenge Career. These bite-sized challenges hold only a handful of races but give players different scenarios with real drivers and teams. These challenges are the same for every player, and there is a neat leaderboard to help you stack up against your friends and players around the globe.

All of these new career updates are well and good, but the most important and noticeable update is the new Dynamic Handling. Codemasters worked with F1 reigning champion Max Verstappen to create the most realistic handling system to date. They underwent significant changes to the modeling system to bring players an incredibly realistic car that looks and feels like the real thing.

Dynamic Handling has been a mixed bag so far. More experienced drivers with full race simulator setups have found the new handling lacking. There’s a significant difference between F1 23 and F1 24 on both a racing wheel and controller, with the latest version feeling much easier to drive. There is a larger margin for error, and tires seem to keep their grip even when they shouldn’t. This detracts a bit from the claim that this is more realistic racing, but that does not mean it is a bad thing.

Dynamic Handling makes the experience much more approachable for less experienced players. F1 24 does not require a degree in aerodynamics or a deep understanding of F1 to get a hang of it. The new system is realistic but also forgiving—something previous generations of the game have not always been.

Some changes to a few of the race circuits add to the realism. The most noticeable update is the Silverstone track, which is drastically different from F1 23 and much closer to real racing. All 24 tracks in the game feel authentic and add to the immersion of the game.

F1 24 also features in-game voice lines from real drivers as well as the current livery for each team. These are small tweaks but are important in making this the pinnacle of racing games. It would have been nice for there to be more driver lines; instead, they are limited and often repeated, but it is still a nice inclusion.

All of these updates make the game much more user-friendly for new players, but the new handling system might take some time for veterans to get the hang of. There will certainly be some balancing adjustments made in the near future, but for now, this annual update keeps the game feeling as fun as ever.

F1 24 does not reinvent the wheel, but it does bring in some changes that keep the series fresh and fun to play. The new Driver Career changes and Dynamic Handling system might not seem like massive upgrades at first, but their addition to the game makes it worth checking out.

F1 24 is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.