F1 25 Review — Codemasters’ Most Realistic Racing Yet
Codemasters’ latest official Formula 1 outing, F1 25, arrives as an iterative but confident refinement of the series’ recent run. Launched on May 30, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, the game doubles down on realism and polish: tighter handling, a more convincing tyre model, and a stack of quality-of-life improvements that make driving feel weighty and authentic. If you want an F1 sim that prioritizes fidelity on the track while still giving casual players accessible options, F1 25 is presently the strongest Codemasters has shipped.
What’s new — realism, reversed tracks, and deeper team play
F1 25 doesn’t overhaul the formula so much as perfect it. The headline technical changes are the improved tyre and physics behaviour that respond more organically to temperature, wear and setup changes; veteran sim racers have called this iteration a noticeable step up from F1 24. The game also introduces a handful of fresh twists to keep familiar circuits interesting — including the option to race reverse layouts on tracks like Silverstone, Zandvoort and the Red Bull Ring — which adds a genuinely fun, disorienting replayability to classics.
Off-track, MyTeam has been reworked into MyTeam 2.0, shifting the player’s role closer to an owner-manager experience: you can still jump in as a driver, but there’s now deeper team-level decision-making, development strategy, and car management that borrow ideas from standalone management sims. The long-running story mode, Braking Point, returns with a new chapter that expands the cinematic narrative strand for players who like a story to follow between races.
Driving and physics — a tighter, truer feel
On first laps, F1 25 feels calibrated toward authentic F1 driving rather than arcade thrills. Steering weight, understeer/oversteer transitions and tyre grip dynamics all register more faithfully — consequences of a refined tyre model and physics tuning. That means braking points, trail braking technique and careful throttle modulation are rewarded; mistakes feel costly in an engaging way. While hardcore sim pilots will still prefer dedicated rig setups and peripherals, F1 25 narrows the gap between wheel and controller enough that both playstyles feel satisfying.
AI improvements help races feel more credible: field behavior, pit stop strategies and overtaking attempts produce fewer absurd moments compared to some past entries. That said, the core racing loop will feel familiar to returning players — Codemasters focused on smoothing rough edges rather than reinventing how you race.
Modes, content and presentation
F1 25 ships with the expected roster of modes: full single-player career, time trials, multiplayer, and the story-driven Braking Point. The MyTeam overhaul gives long-term players more ownership levers to experiment with, while Challenge Career mode offers bite-sized scenarios that are ideal for leaderboard chasing and short sessions. The game also leans into modern presentation touches — LIDAR-assisted track scans, improved lighting, and sharper car models — delivering a polished showpiece on next-gen hardware.
A notable cosmetic and promotional inclusion is the tie-in with the 2025 F1 film: certain scenarios, an APXGP fictional team, and film-adjacent content are included in special editions. It’s a fun, if slightly souped-up, fanservice addition that doesn’t alter the core simulation experience. WARUNGSLOT88
Performance & technical notes
Across PS5, Xbox Series X|S and high-end PCs, F1 25 runs smoothly when settings are balanced; graphical options such as uncapped framerates and ray tracing exist on PC, and day-one patches addressed a handful of platform-specific issues. Codemasters’ steady patch cadence means the title has seen post-launch stability and occasional content updates. The publisher has also signaled a strategy to extend F1 25’s lifespan with premium content updates in the coming year, rather than a full annual sequel — a shift with obvious implications for buyers thinking about longevity and value.
What could be better
F1 25’s chief critique is that it’s evolutionary rather than revolutionary. If you played F1 24 extensively, some of F1 25’s improvements will read as refinement rather than wholesale innovation. Additionally, while MyTeam 2.0 adds depth, some management systems still lack the granularity of pure management sims, and Braking Point’s narrative beats won’t satisfy players who expected a radically different storytelling approach.
Verdict — who should buy it?
Pros: Best driving fidelity in the series to date, meaningful AI and tyre model improvements, solid suite of modes, and next-gen polish.
Cons: Incremental overall changes for returning players, some systems could be deeper, special-edition tie-ins are mainly cosmetic.
If you’re a fan of Formula 1 and enjoy sims that reward precision, F1 25 is the most convincing Codemasters F1 experience yet — a finely tuned package that emphasizes realistic racing above spectacle. Newcomers will find plenty of accessibility options to get in, while longtime players will appreciate the nuanced handling and replayability brought by reverse circuits and the upgraded team mode. For 2025, if you care about on-track authenticity, F1 25 is the place to race.
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