| F1 24 | |
| Developer: | Codemasters |
| Publisher: | EA Sports |
| Composer: | |
| Series: | F1 |
| Engine: | Ego Engine 4.0[1] |
| Released: | 31 May 2024 |
| Genre: | Racing |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
F1 24 is a racing video game developed by Codemasters and published by EA Sports. It is the seventeenth entry in the F1 series and holds the license for the 2024 Formula One and Formula 2 championships. The game was released on 31 May, or three days earlier for users who pre-ordered the Champions' Edition. The game features a revamped career mode, which received positive reviews from critics, though criticism has been aimed at its handling model, AI and slow-speed traction.
Similar to previous entries of the series, players drive cars using game controllers or steering wheels. A session mimics a real race weekend, starting on free practice and ending on the Grand Prix.[2] Throughout the race, players experience pit stops and various incidents, which may result in safety cars and changes to the player's super license.[3]
F1 24 introduced a new career mode, in which players play as real drivers and gain reputation throughout the season.[4] In addition to playing as any of the twenty Formula One drivers, players can play as Formula 2 and retired drivers.[5] [6] One of the new features are mid-race objectives given by team engineers and sponsors, which give players additional experience and rewards if completed.[7] "F1 World", first introduced in F1 22, also received an expansion. A new "Fanzone" mode was added, allowing players to contribute fan points to teams and drivers to compete with other fanzones.[8]
The story mode, Braking Point, which was available in F1 2021 and F1 23, was not continued.[9]
An announcement trailer was released on 27 February, on EA Sports' F1 YouTube channel. Like its predecessor, F1 24 was developed with Codemasters' Ego Engine. According to director Lee Mather, development was focused on the career mode and handling model, with little changes to AI behavior and graphics.[10] Ian Livingstone and Lapalux composed the game's soundtrack.[11] [12]
The game was released on 31 May on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S,[13] with the Champions' Edition of the game available three days earlier on 28 May. The standard edition cover art features Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, the same three drivers as featured in the previous title, alongside their respective cars, the Mercedes W15, Ferrari SF-24 and McLaren MCL38, racing down a street circuit. This marks the first title since F1 2018 that both the drivers and cars are featured on the cover art. The Champions' Edition cover art features Max Verstappen celebrating his grand chelem at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix.[14]
Review aggregator Metacritic gave F1 24 a score of 72/100, meaning "mixed or average". OpenCritic, another aggregator, gave the game a score of 61%.
Critics praised its new Career mode and the improved F1 World, though the mid-race objectives received criticism. Justin Towell from PC Gamer described the objectives as "uncharacteristically messy". The game's new physics handling model, ported from EA Sports WRC,[15] received mixed reviews. IGNs Luke Reilly described cars as "surprisingly simple to tame and get great drive out of corners", while Steve Boxer from The Guardian said that "you now must spend as much time looking after tyres as the real drivers do".
Initial responses from players were divisive of the handling model. Some players criticized the model for feeling "unnatural" and that a lot of understeer was present, especially in wet conditions.[16] Others praised the increased grip for making cars easier to control, especially under high speeds.[17] The model was revamped on 6 June with the 1.3 patch.[18]