The official Formula One game of the 2023 season, F1 23, is less than a month away from releasing. While Codemasters and EA have announced what to expect from the game, the biggest focus is on the return of the narrative-based mode called Braking Point 2. While having a story mode will be a draw, especially if fans have watched the Netflix series that focuses on the real world sport, the other main draw is the actual racing on the track. Codemasters has introduced new facets to the handling model with an even bigger focus on players who play with a controller. We had a chance to try out an early build of F1 23 to experience these changes first hand.
F1 23 will include two new circuits (Las Vegas and Qatar), but the preview build only offered choices of Bahrain, Miami, Imola, Canada, Silverstone, Interlagos and Hungary. If you’d like to view a drive around Las Vegas, check out our articlehere. The development team also added the option for 35% race distances, which was prevalent during our testing. This was requested by the community as it aims to be the perfect sweet spot for offering a pit stop and not wasting most of your day with longer races. This allows for more realistic race strategy where tyres remain at a good durability level.
Codemasters has worked with actual Formula One teams on the handling model for this year’s game. In the past, Codemasters would get some driver feedback, but this goes beyond just a few individual drivers. While the cars are still nimble and responsive in handling and the cornering grip varies based on the tyre compounds and conditions, there’s a noticeable difference in how these cars handle in this early build. A focus on better traction has been implemented involving acceleration, cornering and braking. This has instilled confidence with whichever driving level the player is.
The biggest change is seen with removing traction control. Last year, this was extremely punishable and could even be experienced when the lights go green at the start. This is not to say that the driving ability has been relieved from the game, as it’s actually the opposite. Rather than just having the rear end come out, the cars allow for better countersteering and even for drifting. This requires the driver to maintain the composure of the car and there’s far more confidence with removing all the assists. Coming out of slow corners are much more manageable, but it takes proper throttle control to maintain traction. Kerbs also will not punish the driver and can serve as proper run off, but the car can still hop in the air and cause instability.
While the countersteering ability is great, it becomes more apparent with more tyre degradation. When grip is lost, the car tends to take corners wider and with the nimble turn-ins, drivers will need to correct more. Also, don’t expect to be throwing these cars into corners and hope they hook up, because that is not the case. It’s much more inviting to remove all the assists on these cars without playing a game of chance or luck with even launching the car from the grid.
Now what may play a part in being able to better control an unstable car is the new Precision Drive mechanic. This allows for more control, precision and finesse for players who use controllers. The aim was to build confidence for those that use a controller, and that’s exactly what was experienced with a gamepad. This controller tech rewrite will allow those players to compete online and not feel at a disadvantage to those who are using a wheel, helping level the playing field. The PS5 and adaptive triggers should make for a big advantage. The current PC build, which is what we tested, did not have adaptive triggers at this point. Both updates to the controls ultimately improve confidence and aim to improve everyone’s driving ability.
It’s also worth noting that Codemasters has implemented a new color encoding system. This system is similar to what’s seen in television and film and has not only made the cars and environments more noticeable, but the lighting as well. Players can choose different times of day to race at the tracks including sunset. The PC version also sees the return of VR that will be compatible with Valve Index, Quest 2 + Link Cable, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive and Vive Cosmos. There will not be a PSVR2 version of the game. F1 23 will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and PC on June 16. You can check out the PC system requirements below:
