F1 22 — released July 1 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X — delivers a high-octane racing simulation experience with updated car and track physics. Codemasters – who have been at the helm of the F1 franchise for over a decade – don’t drop the ball when it comes to the core of F1 22. The new car models feel more responsive than last year, the tracks have been faithfully adapted and the cars sound enthralling whizzing around the tracks. Small tweaks were also made to My Team mode to make it more appealing to returning players.
But it’s the F1 22’s wraparound package that is such a letdown. Just like every other EA Sports game that releases with annual sequels, F1 22 also suffers from a lack of polish and any significant overhaul to its formula.
The absence of last year’s cinematic campaign – “Braking Point” – is definitely felt. Its replacement — “F1 Life” — is an uninspiring addition that only exists to justify the presence of microtransactions in the game.
The addition of supercars to F1 22 doesn’t bring anything spectacular to the game and feels poorly executed. Codemasters could have taken this opportunity to include the classic cars and tracks that fans of the franchise have been clamoring for.
F1 22 review: Gameplay and graphics
That said, things on the track are sharper than ever. The new Formula 1 season 2022 cars are apparently more responsive than last year, offering a new challenge for veteran players without being extremely difficult to master. Still, the learning curve is significant – newcomers will have to delve into several hours to get to grips with the basics of the F1 22’s driving mechanics. The AI doesn’t make things easy either. I found the AI to be extremely unforgiving in tight corners; recklessly bumping into my car if I press space.
Don’t worry! The developer of F1 22 has included a plethora of driving assists and customization settings, giving players the option to customize their racing experience. If you’re new to the game, you can increase driving assists without reducing the AI difficulty to make it even more challenging. The trusty Flashback feature is also here, allowing you to go back and pick up an earlier point in the race should you manage to crash or miss position.
In F1 22, players can now also control their car during formation laps, pit stops and safety car periods, which greatly improves immersion. The overall presentation could also have benefited from such tweaks. If you finish on the podium, you’ll see the same cutscenes showing your pre-equipped Celebration. As the novelty wore off, I was inclined to skip these monotonous scenes. Perhaps we could have manual celebrations similar to EA Sports’ FIFA titles.
Codemasters retained Ego Engine 4.0 for F1 22. Now almost seven years old, it has started to show its age. Not to say the game looks bad, but it lags significantly behind other modern racers like Dirt and Forza. Nothing stands out visually in F1 22 – effects such as rain and weather changes are handled similarly to its predecessor F1 2021. Even the car crashes look similar visually, with tires hanging comically past the car’s bodywork.
However, the positive side of the Ego Engine is that it doesn’t require a high-end PC to run smoothly at high settings. I was averaging over 60fps on Ultra High graphics settings at 1080p resolution on my PC on F1 22.
Photo credit: EA Sports/ Formula 1
F1 22 review: new additions
The first time you launch F1 22, you’ll be greeted with the newly added F1 Life feature – a kind of hub area designed to mimic the luxurious lifestyle of an F1 driver. Other players may visit your hub area, but I really don’t see F1 Life getting any form of traction with the player base.
You can select from various decorative items and unlock supercars to display. And that’s about it. Unlocking supercars isn’t even a challenge, and there aren’t many for now. I managed to unlock six of the 10 available within the first few hours. You can then take these supercars on the track for time trials or Pirelli Hot Laps. But compared to agile F1 cars, supercars don’t offer the same sense of speed that the F1 22 does. This could have been the perfect opportunity to bring back classic F1 cars – a highly requested feature by fans.
F1 22 review: career and multiplayer
Career mode is where the meat and bones of F1 22 reside. You can choose to start as a Driver in pursuit of the World Drivers’ Championship – starting in F2 and earning your place in Formula 1, or directly joining the Formula 1 starting grid. There are many options here to modify your running experience.
In F1 22’s My Team mode, things get even more interesting when you assemble your racing team to compete in the World Constructors’ Championship. This time you get three entry points – Newcomer, Challenger and Front Runner.
The Front Runner entry point allows you to hire the best drivers and expand your facilities to become a title contender instantly. It’s a great addition to returning players, in my opinion, who have already taken their teams from the middle or bottom of the pack to champions in previous games. Newcomer and Challenger in F1 22 require a little more grinding as you invest in research to improve your car and hire better drivers.
This is where F1 Department Events 22 can be your allies – they are random events that allow you to make critical decisions that affect your team’s drivers, marketing, development, sponsors and more. Each decision can give your team short-term boosts or have long-lasting effects that can even be discussed during in-game interviews. This feature adds more depth to My Team, and its potential effects keep you honest when making these decisions.
Photo credit: EA Sports/ Formula 1
All the modes you’d expect from a multiplayer racing game are here in F1 22 too. There are ranked and unranked races, weekly events and online leagues to keep you coming back. The online racing experience was relatively smooth for me. I experienced stutters and lag on some runs, even with good ping, but there was nothing game-breaking most of the time.
And I’m glad Codemasters didn’t forget split-screen mode in F1 22 – allowing two players to play on the same system. In addition, you can start a racing career with another friend, where both can join the same team or sign individual contracts with any team of your choice.
F1 22 has a solid foundation and loads of different modes to keep you coming back. Whether single player or online, you are not short on options.
F1 22 review: final verdict
Given all that, F1 22 feels more like a pit stop than a podium. “F1 Life” is simply uninspiring and the supercars feel out of place. Codemasters is apparently laying the groundwork for future titles with this game. But in itself, the game needed more content.
Despite its shortcomings, F1 22 still manages to deliver an exhilarating on-track experience that will leave any fan of racing simulation games more than satisfied. More casual players may struggle at first as they try to get to grips with the game’s mechanics.
If you already own F1 2021, then there are no cool new additions for you here – even the “Braking Point” story mode is missing. I would recommend that you wait for next year’s entry.
But if you insist on checking how new cars perform, or are simply hoping to pick up an F1 game for the first time, I think you’d be better off waiting for the game to go on sale. (Or get EA Play Pro subscription on PC). F1 22 is a solid simulation racing game – it’s just not worth the full price.
Pros:
- immersive racing simulation
- Positive updates for my team
- Improved car and track physics
- Doesn’t require high-end hardware
- Co-op and split-screen modes still present
- Accessible to new players
Cons:
- F1 Life seems meaningless
- Lack of polish in presentation
- Faulty car crashes
- Simplified microtransactions
- Supercars a missed opportunity
- No continuation of the braking point
Rating (out of 10): 7
We played F1 22 on a PC with Intel Core i5-3470 3.2 GHz, AMD RX570 8 GB and 8 GB RAM.
On PC, you can buy F1 22 on Steam and Origin starting at Rs. 2,999. F1 22 starts at Rs. 3,999 on PS4 on PS4 and Xbox One and Rs. 4,499 on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. Disc versions cost the same.
F1 22 is available as a limited trial with EA Play subscription on all platforms which costs Rs. 315 per month. EA Play Pro, PC only, costs Rs. 999 per month.