F1 25 - Game Guide

With admittedly less than 5 hours play time on the PC version of this title, SIRA is pleasantly surprised with the driving experience in F1 25. Using a Sim Rig with Wheel and Pedals, driving and racing feels natural, immersive and very satisfying.

There are simcade touches like the gentle collision detection, and an overall feeling of 'guide-rails' to the physics - even with all assists disabled and difficulty set to maximum.

Wet-weather racing was another surprisingly enjoyable experience - and very well crafted within the game. This is likely important given the relative regular occurrence of wet races within real F1 seasons, and it is done very well here with some great wet-weather FX ; though again some feeling of the guide-rails are evident.

Audio is handled well, and includes a 'Driver' setting alongside the familiar Speakers and Heaphones options - giving a (Helmet-simulating) muffled but immersive audio result. Additionally, many of the official F1 Commentators (Natalie Pinkham, David 'Crofty' Croft and Naomi Schiff for example) provide immersive commentary or narration.

SIRA has not yet had time to play extensively through whole Championships, Career or Challenges to fully appreciate the depth of the title - and there's a lot here - but coming in as a longstanding 'pure' Sim Racer, it's always worth checking out more mainstream console/simcade games - there's plenty worthwhile here to enjoy, especially if you are a diehard F1 fan.

Wikipedia : "F1 25 is a racing video game developed by Codemasters and published by EA Sports. It is the eighteenth entry in the F1 series and holds the license for the 2025 Formula One and Formula 2 championships.

The game will be released on 30 May 2025 in both physical and digital editions on PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox Series X/S."

Release Date

May 31, 2025

Platform(s)

PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

VR Support

Yes (PlayStation 5 PSVR2, PC)

Developer / Publisher

Codemasters / EA Games

Screenshots

The good (please note SIRA playtime on PC is <5 hours)

• The most immersive and accurate F1 racing experience 'out of the box'

• Incredibly accurate race locations, cars and drivers

• Overall feeling of solidity and quality

• Some stunning FX

• A solid (if 'curated') wet weather racing experience

• Class-leading Accessibility options, from Vision impairment to Tinnitus settings

• FOV (Field of View) setting included

• AI backmarkers move out of your way

• Works great on Super Ultrawide (32:9) display - though UI and many interstitial screens are at 16:9

• 5-hour free trial with EA Play membership (also accessible with an Xbox Game Pass) - PC only

The less good

• UI not being navigable using a Mouse on PC is infuriating (especially given the efforts on the Accessibility side)

• SIRA found using a Controller to play the game challenging (this is from a Player used to a Sim Rig with Wheel and Pedals)

• UX -like many Console racing titles- is hard work to get into actual racing, eg; multiple voice-overs introducing you to multiple features per screen (though these are skippable)

• Hard to select specific locations to race out of the box

• Collision detection is gentle and somewhat 'simcade' though that does help ensure races run more smoothly

REVIEWS

• The Guardian ★★★★☆

Links

Official Website

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