F1 23 barely needs an introduction for Formula 1 fans. If you played the racing game’s 2022 version, you already know basically what to expect. Just as with other annual series such as FIFA, these new, full-priced releases usually only have small tweaks with each new entry – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. F1 23 is no different, though most of it is for the better – even if there really isn’t that much evolution on display.
F1 23 turns back to its simul-arcade formula that defined the series in years gone by. It’s approachable for everyone, but a dense system of assists, preferences, and customizations means you can turn it into something very like an authentic simulator if you prefer more depth.
Whatever your choice, F1 23 is as much of a pleasure to drive as ever, both with controllers and with a steering wheel. The single-seaters handle corners with impressive smoothness, and it’s so easy to feel like you’re naturally driving a real car.
While new features are, admittedly, sparse, it seems evident that Codemasters put all the feedback from the past racing season to good use. Just touching curbs with the floor of your car means you can lose control for a split second and even risk spinning out. That’s something teams and drivers learned the hard way in 2022, with a few notable examples being Schumacher’s crashes in Jeddah and Monaco.
Curbs have always been a controversial feature in F1 games, and they probably still will be in F1 23. While Codemasters has smoothed out the issue over time, there’s a strange, new phenomenon now. Go full throttle, and you’ll see your car spin out in the middle of turns – but only in what seems like pre-determined parts of certain tracks.
Codemasters told GLHF this comes as part of the new traction control system, where the default setting is equivalent to the medium setting in F1 22. Wear and compounds supposedly play a role in these interactions as well, but we’ve seen it happen even in time trials with just five percent degradation. The way you lose the rear end feels a bit too scripted as well.
In short, curbs and traction will probably be another point of contention, but the new tracks are excellent. F1 23 comes with two new tracks, Las Vegas and Qatar. The new U.S. circuit, which won’t debut until late in the season, has a central section that is vaguely reminiscent of Singapore and Miami.
All of them are designed with the new generation of Formula 1 cars in mind – lots of quick turns and fast straights as you flash across the Strip at 350km/h, and that should make overtaking much easier under DRS. It’s pretty easy to learn and master, with the exception of turns seven and eight.
Losail has been a MotoGP staple for decades. It looks a lot like Bahrain, with the three very fast turns in quick succession as the highlight. It’s got everything we love in a track: You race fast, it’s approachable, and it still requires agency.
Story mode Braking Point 2 is back after being notably absent in 2022. One standout new feature is a management component, complete with difficult choices and consequences. The game does a decent job at taking note of your decisions as well – at least until the narrative takes over.
The story evolves through multiple perspectives, giving us a look at the Formula 1 world through the lens of three characters. It’s a welcome addition that lends more variety to both the storytelling and gameplay, even though some characters – especially F1 2021‘s protagonist Aiden Jackson – end up losing some of their screen time.
Given the usual lack of narrative in simulator games such as this one, it’s nice to see how Braking Point creates a proper in-game universe, one where you get to see familiar faces return and others show themselves in a different light.
The scenario-based structure remains the same, although the difficulty feels a bit too low. You always end up completing both the main and bonus objectives with ease, which takes the urgency out of customization options. Settings to tweak difficulty would’ve been appreciated.
Elsewhere, the narrative connects that in-game universe with the real world surprisingly well. Emails and news throw in anecdotes from F1 history, for example, along with reports from the contemporary scene, and it goes a long way in making the world feel grounded and real. It’s quite rare to see an officially licensed game deal with themes such as billionaire sponsors, or the controversial legacy of motorsport, with such frankness.
We were surprised to see that Time Trial is much more than just a hub: it comes with a full package of challenges to play both in single and multiplayer mode, and it’s set up for rotating content focusing on the current Grand Prix. F1 World is based on a standalone progression, allowing you to upgrade your car and your team with unexpected depth while racing in series such as European GPs or in scenarios where you need an exciting comeback in the rain
It’s a brilliant blend of the Braking Point scenario-based experience and the management component of career mode – so much so that one could wonder if this could overshadow the two modes it draws inspiration from. On the other hand, the Hot Lap experience introduced last year is scaled down to just a playlist in F1 World.
One of the biggest issues with F1 World is it comes with way too many currencies, with different currencies for money or stuff you specifically need to upgrade parts and team members. I quickly stopped caring about the post-event screen detailing all that I had earned.
The mode comes with a huge variety of objectives, similar to bounties and challenges in a game like Destiny, and are even meant to be claimed in a dedicated menu as if you’re playing a free-to-play game. This is where the long-term engagement comes in, although some tasks might be a touch too obscure.
Licenses are borrowed from multiplayer, and almost remind me of Gran Turismo. It’s a nice progression system, even though you have to go through a FUT-like curve where you’ll be asked to spend the first few hours playing against a very weak AI. On top of that, we lost progress twice for reasons we still don’t understand. Not fun.
F1 23 has few standout innovations compared to previous games, but ot dpes come along with a genuine revolution in the sport. F1 World is good, even with its confusing range of currencies, and will only get better, while the rest of game remains a fun and authentic simul-arcade experience and a solid starting point for those willing to learn how to play with a steering wheel.
Version tested: PC
F1 23 technical breakdown
F1 23 features a warm color palette that makes cars even more vibrant and is a perfect fit for the setting, especially the night races in Vegas and Qatar. We played the PC version on an ultrawide monitor, running the game up to 144fps at a 2560x1080p resolution, and it’s as smooth as the 2022 game on a RTX 3080. Ray-tracing is a heavy lift as you’d expect, though, and it brings the framerate down to 70-80fps. It still feels consistent and smooth, so if you want the extra bells and whistles, it’s worth the compromise. Codemasters packed in more visual details than ever, including tires graining and blistering that you’ll notice with wear.
Written by Paolo Sirio on behalf of GLHF
