F1 25 review: A Formula One game that knows where it’s going

F1 25 is a bold and confident step forward in EA and Codemasters’ long-standing Formula 1 series — a game that captures the high-speed thrill and nuance of the motorsport better than any entry before it. With refined visuals, smarter AI, and fresh content like reverse track layouts, it feels like the perfect evolution of the series. Although it's a fantastic racing sim, a few things prevent it from reaching perfection.

As someone who began his gaming journey with Need for Speed: Most Wanted, my love for racing games runs deep. This passion naturally got me hooked on Formula One, so I have followed the F1 titles developed by Codemasters and released by EA Sports for years. After all, these developers always put great effort into blending realism with gaming.

Codemasters has been known for their excellence in motorsport simulation, and F1 25 is a clear continuation of that legacy. Where F1 24 felt like a cautious iteration, F1 25 finally breaks free from those allegations with major upgrades. It brings together the feedback fans have voiced for years and implements features that make it feel like more than just a yearly refresh.

From its LIDAR-scanned tracks, an exact recreation of the F1 car’s handling, to behind-the-scenes team dynamics, F1 25 is a game that takes you as close as motorsport without being in the paddock. Although the game revamped the My Team Career mode, those changes didn’t fully carry over to Driver Career. Despite these shortcomings, F1 25 remains the most complete and technically impressive entry in the series to date.

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F1 25 gameplay and mechanics blurred the line between realism and virtual

Driving APXGP car at Silverstone in F1 25 (Image via EA Sports || SK Gaming)

F1 25 offers players a rather seamless gameplay experience. The new LIDAR-scanned tracks make driving even more immersive, providing near-realistic track conditions and tire wear.

I have raced on the keyboard and DualSense controller and even used a force feedback sim rig, and it is clear that EA and Codemasters have put in a lot of effort behind how a player feels behind the wheel.

Each turn and braking zone offers unique vibrations and gives an immersive feeling, whether you are using a controller or a wheel. Driving over curbs will give a different haptic feedback compared to driving over sand or gravel, making the gameplay as realistic as possible. Even different weather conditions will impact the handling. It was hard to drive during the wet conditions due to rain.

Additionally, the cockpit view is great for players who wish to simulate the view of the real drivers and get as close as possible to the authentic F1 experience. Even the sounds have seen a significant improvement in F1.

Hearing the 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged hybrid engines rev through my headphones, I couldn't tell that these weren't coming from a real engine. Moreover, the lightning in the game makes the visuals even more realistic, especially with ray tracing enabled.

Compared to the previous edition, the overarching gameplay feels much more tactile and realistic. With a proper racing sim rig, it was hard to tell whether I was in a game or on an actual circuit. Maybe this is the reason that many professional drivers also rely on F1 games to prepare for the actual circuits.

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F1 25 is not only for veteran sim racing players

Playing F1 25 using a keyboard (Image via EA Sports || SK Gaming)

A lot of my friends are new F1 fans and want to play the game but don't try, thinking the series is exclusive to veterans or pro sim racing players. But that’s not the case, especially with this title. The game’s difficulty is highly customizable. Players can set the AI to assist or the competitive AI opponents to suit their taste.

Many new fans stay away from this game as they don't have a sim racing rig. With F1 25, it is not mandatory to have such a setup. I tried playing using both the keyboard and controller. Honestly, it was more easy playing with a controller. I was able to play with the keyboard, although had to rely on a few AI assist settings.

Moreover, the game didn't require top-of-the-line hardware to run this game. We not only tested it on a PC with an NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti but also with Radeon RX Vega 64. Even though I couldn't enjoy ray-tracing on the latter I constantly got over 60 FPS at High settings.

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Never asked for reverse tracks, but F1 25 proved we needed them

F1 25 introduces Red Bull Ring (Reverse) (Image via EA Sports || SK Gaming)

As a long-term F1 fan, I never wondered about reverse tracks. Even the majority of the community never thought about this. Upon EA’s announcement about F1 25 featuring a reverse version of Red Bull Ring, Silverstone, and Zandervoot, it did grab my attention, and I wondered how other fans never asked for reverse tracks.

Since following these circuits during race weekends on TV and then driving there myself in F1 games, I knew every straight and turn by heart. But when I first got on the Red Bull Ring (R), it didn’t take me long to realize it was not the same track that I knew. Although I put my car into the wall or gravel many times, I had a lot of fun racing on these tracks.

Reverse tracks definetly breathed fresh life into the game. Now, I find myself wishing every track gets a reverse version in future installments. Am I eager to drive on a reverse Circuit De Monaco? Yes, I can't imagine how challenging the already tricky Fairmont Hairpin would be in reverse.

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F1 25 Career mode made the game shine but kept it away from perfection

Driver Market in F1 25 My Team career mode (Image vis EA Sports || SK Gaming)

Like most long-time players, Career Mode is always my favorite, so I dove in right away in F1 25. The biggest change this year was that I was not an Owner-Driver anymore but a full-time team principal. I got to take the reins of an F1 team like Toto Wolff or Christian Horner, and let me tell you, the pressure is real.

In previous games, I would just sign the cheapest available driver and carry the team myself as an Owner-Driver. But in F1 25, I have to think about both seats. I constantly monitored their performances, dealt with upgrades, and figured out where to invest limited resources.

Early in My Team Career, I could only afford to develop the car for one of my drivers, which I decided based on their race performances. Eventually, I upgraded my team facilities enough to upgrade both cars simultaneously.

This added layer of management makes the game feel way more immersive. It allowed me to decide which kind of team principal I want to be, whether someone who has a clear #1 driver or someone who supports both drivers evenly.

The game also allows bringing iconic F1 legends into the mix. Who doesn’t want Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher in their team? You can also select which Icons are available in the Career Mode. Aside from the Icons and APXGP drivers, the driver pool felt very small.

I only had access to 20 drivers from the 10 official teams and a few F2 drivers, like Kush Maini. I want EA to feature a bigger pool of free-agent drivers, including former stars, like Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo.

As for the Driver Career mode, it hasn’t changed much. Aside from the small free-agent driver pool, this mode has kept F1 25 from being the perfect motorsport simulation.

EA needs to introduce more features to the Driver Career, like signing exclusive contracts with brands that can also sponsor the team, like Red Bull partnering with América Móvil, the main sponsor for Sergio Perez.

It could impact how teams approach, as they not only get a good driver but also sponsors. Moreover, the driver should be allowed to build businesses like Lando Norris’ LN Kart and Team Quadrant.

Although I was a bit disappointed after playing the Driver Career, I had a great time when played the Two-Player Mode. This career mode was further divided into two sections — Contracts and Co-Op.

In the first Two-Player model, my friend and I began our careers as teammates and then drove for rival teams. Meanwhile, the other mode always let us be teammates even after changing teams. So, we had some heated teammate rivalry, but thankfully, it wasn't as bad as Mercedes’ iconic Silver War.

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F1 25’s livery editor let me unleash my inner designer

Creating livery on the revamped Decal Editor (Image via EA Sports)

Designing liveries has always been my favorite part of these games, and F1 25 took that to another level. The game features a new revamped Decal Editor with more customizations and featues to create stunning liveries.

Sponsors are huge part of the livery design, as sometimes a sponsor’s logo color or their positioning ruins the livery's appeal. I always hated that in the past games we could only put the sponsor logos to a fixed spot on the car. That's no longer the case. I could place the sponsor logos where it best suited my livery design with the F1 25 Decal Editor.

I always loved seeing special sponsor liveries in the real world, like Red Bull’s white cars with respect to their Honda partnership. Now, I get to do something similar in-game. Once you build loyalty with a sponsor, you unlock a custom livery that reflects that partnership. Its such a small thing, but it makes the experience of managing a team more unique.

I’ve already spent hours in the livery editor, tweaking designs, colors, and decals until I create something I’m proud to race with. It adds a layer of identity and pride to the team-building experience.

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F1 25 Braking Point 3.0 was an absolute cinema

Callie Mayer drives for Konnersport in Braking Point 3.0 (Image via EA Sports || SK Gaming )

When EA first introduced the Braking Point story mode in F1 2021, I was skeptical of this addition. Upon playing the mode, I fell in love with this narrative around the Konnersport and their struggles. This story mode didn't return in F1 22, which was disappointing. However, EA Sports brought back the story revolving around Aiden Jackson and Devon Butler with the introduction of Callie Mayer.

I hoped EA would continue the story in F1 24, but they again took a hiatus. The Braking Point saga continues with F1 25, and we see Konnersport battling against the other teams on the grid for the championship. Like always, the story was full of drama, high-octane racing, and exciting challenges.

There were moments in Braking Point 3.0 when the drama-driven narrative felt like a more cinematic and in-depth version of Netflix’s Drive to Survive.

Those with the F1 25 Iconic edition will get to enjoy the story of APXGP. This is also a fictional team like Konnersport, but will feature in the upcoming Brad Pitt-starring F1 movie. There would be some in-game challenges that allowed me to enjoy some key moments of the film by blending real movie footage with F1 25 gameplay.

After experiencing both these stories in the game, fans can continue the saga of Konnersport and APXGP with the My Team mode. It was an amazing experience to write an original story for these teams beyond what you experienced in Braking Point 3.0 or the upcoming F1 movie.

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In conclusion

F1 25 is an amazing sim racing game, one that is closest to the perfect game. It had everything that I wanted from a Formula One game, from realistic visuals and physics to innovative reverse tracks and a new cinematic story mode. Moreover, the new revamped My Team career mode and Two-Player career mode elevate the game to perfection, but the Driver Career was what pulled it back.

Whether you are a veteran or a new fan, F1 25 is a go-to game for them. This game allowed me to feel what it is like to be a driver or even a team principal. Above all, what this game did was to make me immerse myself more in the world of Formula One.

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F1 25

The scorecard (Image via SK Gaming)

Reviewed on: PC (Key provided by Electronic Arts)

Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5

Developer: Codemasters

Publisher: EA Sports

Release Date: May 30, 2025