F1 23: Launch date confirmed for hotly-anticipated video game

Henry Valantine
EA Sports F1 23 Standard Edition cover.

EA Sports F1 23 Standard Edition cover.

EA Sports has announced that the newest Formula 1 game, F1 23, will be released across multiple platforms on Friday 16 June.

After the cover stars were confirmed on Tuesday, with Max Verstappen headlining the Champions Edition and Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris on the cover of the Standard Edition, more details have emerged about what players can expect from this year’s edition of the game.

Headlining that is the return of the popular story mode, Braking Point, which EA Sports say “returns for a bold new chapter following the careers of young upstart Aiden Jackson, and protagonist, Devon Butler, now teammates for Konnersport Racing Team, a fledgling organisation hoping to succeed against the current real-world F1® teams and drivers.

“Adding a host of new characters, fresh rivalries, and racing challenges, both aim to take their careers to the next level, but there will be twists, turns, and pitfalls along the way.”

Alongside that, two additional circuits have been added to the game for this year in line with the Formula 1 calendar’s expansion, with the Losail International Circuit in Qatar set to be available, as well as Las Vegas making its debut.

While they do not feature on the calendar this year, three ‘legacy’ circuits have also been included in F1 23, with Circuit Paul Ricard, Shanghai International Circuit and Portimao all retaining a place in the game.

In terms of the playing experience, EA Sports say the handling experience has been upgraded on F1 23 compared to its previous editions, “allowing for more predictable behaviour, and new vehicle physics gives the cars better traction when braking, accelerating, and cornering.”

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Elsewhere in the game, red flags have now been added as a possible outcome in races to insert another strategic element into how races may play out, and following player feedback, a 35% race distance option will also be available to split the difference between the shorter and longer race options.

“The return of Braking Point allows players to immerse themselves in a racing story, which provides a unique look at F1 alongside the authentic race features our players know and love,” said Lee Mather, Senior Creative Director at Codemasters upon the announcement.

“Our close relationship with the teams has allowed us to refine our handling model, adding greater realism to pad-play, and implementing a new colour encoding system used in film and TV creates a more true-to-life experience.”

F1 23 will release across, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via EA App, Epic Games Store, and Steam on Friday 16 June.