F1 22 screenshot

F1 22 game introduces ‘F1 Life’ mode, supercars, adaptive AI and PC VR

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The official Formula 1 game, ‘F1 22’ will be released on July 1st 2022, publishers EA Sports have announced.

The latest edition of the long-running officially licensed F1 game developed by Codemasters will be the first to be produced fully under the ownership of EA Sports, after EA purchased Codemasters last year. The game will be released on PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X and PC via Steam and the Epic Game Store.

The new F1 game will include a new customisable hub mode called ‘F1 Life’ allowing players to buy and earn supercars to drive in the game as well as clothing and accessories.

MyTeam will return, with players given the opportunity to select from three budget options when forming their own constructor. The story mode ‘Braking Point’ will not return from F1 2021.

All 2022 circuits will be included in their current configurations at launch, including the new Miami Grand Prix circuit which makes its debut in two weeks’ time. Recent track modifications to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Yas Marina Circuit and the Albert Park circuit are all included in F1 22.

New to the series is PC VR functionality, with players able to race in VR using Oculus Rift or HTC Vive VR headsets.

EA say a new adaptive AI feature will actively tailor the speed of AI cars between races and circuits to help keep new players in competitive positions from race-to-race.

New options will allow players to choose from ‘broadcast’ or ‘immersive’ race day experience choices, affecting gameplay during formation laps, Safety Car periods and pit stops.

Series director Lee Mather said the car handling in F1 22 will be more authentic than previous editions.

“We look forward to welcoming our players to the new era of Formula 1,” said Mather. “Alongside the real-world changes, we have updated the physics to accommodate the new aero rules and re-worked the tyre model, making the handling more true to life.

“With new and updated circuits, Adaptive AI, F1 Life, and expanded gameplay options, there has never been a better time for players to take their seats and live the life of an F1 driver.”

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F1 22 teaser trailer

F1 22 screenshots

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    Will Wood
    Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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    30 comments on “F1 22 game introduces ‘F1 Life’ mode, supercars, adaptive AI and PC VR”

    1. The Ferrari doesn’t have the pointy nose..

      1. @melthom All cars in the screenshots are generic 2022 placeholders with their current liveries.

        The released game will include accurate car models for all teams.

        1. looks like fom’s mock-up. Such an ugly design.

    2. About bloody time it got VR support, I’d say. In the meantime I’ve become accustomed to much better racing sims, but I might get tempted if there’s a very good sale. Without VR it was an automatic no-go.

      1. I’ve done it a few times with vorpx, it worked sufficiently. I was super keen to see how the halo worked and the drivers are right, you hardly notice it, especially when cornering.

        There’s something about sitting at eye level in an F1 car that only really works in VR. The depth perception makes a huge difference with such a limited vertical FOV.

        1. Yeah, I’ve been driving the awesome RSS Formula Hybrids in Assetto Corsa in VR quite a bit, and since you’re viewing in “stereo” like in real life you kinda look around the halo. It’s not a problem at all.

          And I agree with the VR racing experience in general. Since getting VR myself I’ve been racing a lot in games like Assetto Corsa, Dirt Rally 1+2 and now also Assetto Corsa Competizione. The immersion with racing in VR is unbeatable with everything being in natural 3D. And if you want to see who’s racing next to you or check your mirrors, you just turn your head as naturally as you would in a real car.

      2. It’s just a shame they’re using old technologies for the connection. The Oculus Rift was discontinued nearly 18 months ago.

        1. Old technologies? They’re using the SteamVR standard which is open source and supports a wide variety of headsets, not just the Vive and Rift

        2. No matter the initial press release, I think we can safely assume it will support all current VR HMDs.

      3. To fit the new 2022 guidelines, it’d be nice of them to add proper triple screen support too, to somehow give the driver being overtaken a miniscule chance to somehow see whether the overtaking car on the inside has their front tyres alongside the driver’s rear tyres… Hmm, maybe 7 screen support is needed… :)

    3. “allowing players to buy and earn supercars to drive in the game as well as clothing and accessories”

      So the key innovation for F1 2023 will be loot crates, then :)

    4. Series director Lee Mather said the car handling in F1 22 will be more authentic than previous editions.

      I like this. More simulation is better.

      1. Well, I would like it, but it’s just a statement, not a new feature. I have to say that I don’t like or want any new feature. VR is useful to some of course, the rest is either expected as a minimum (having real tracks…) or just serves to dumb this game down another notch. Yeah, I’m looking forward to buying new clothes in F1 2022 game. Maybe, if half of my brain melts during the next heatwave in summer.

      2. I initially thought that too but then realised they say the same every year or thereabouts

        At least they don’t marker it as a full blown sim, so fair enough I guess

    5. I still wish the official games used actual team-specific steering wheel display outlooks rather than the same old default ones for all.

      1. I think they do, I might be wrong, I haven’t memorised the layout of each teams wheel in real life. But certainly Williams has the screen mounted on the front of the monocoque (still), Ferrari has the prancing horse on the rotary dial etc. @jerejj

    6. playstation361
      21st April 2022, 20:01

      I hope this game is successful and offer something new.

    7. Prashanth Ramadas
      21st April 2022, 20:03

      I hope this game is successful and offer something new.

    8. So no Spa update?

    9. I’m on the Xbox live which includes EA play so I’ll get this when it comes to that. Steam and Epic mentioned but not EA’s Origin is surprising, that would be the first port of call so to speak.

      I’ve always liked and recommended EA play, for anyone invested in their multiple franchises it’s a no-brainer. It’s good for F1 that it’s come to it. Games without doubt have the ability to broaden an audience.

    10. I hate the fact that the official F1 game is a gimmick-ridden arcade, instead of a deep and realistic simulation.

      1. Why? The audience for a deep and realistic simulation is not the same as the core gamer that you need to target to be successful commercially…

        If anything, hate the fact that more teams themselves don’t partner with proper simulators to reproduce their cars for those models. Problem is, if they did a good enough job, they would legit give away useful data to other teams so the closest you will ever get is a rough approximation, which the community nails with mods anyway.

        I hate that I can’t get the thing that I can already get… For free 🤦‍♂️

        1. iRacing is in a deal with AMG Mercedes F1 team. W12 is in, W13 promised for next year. Fair amount of current tracks to race on…
          AI is now an option. Customize roster and schedule… only one make, but modern F1 car with decent physics
          I am not even driving that. So just an info
          Macca is all over other sims, older models. AMS2, rF2

        2. @skipgamer not to mention that if it was a true simulation most people would struggle to string together a single lap, let alone be competitive in a race.

          We all think we want a true sim, but then hop on iRacing and realise the level and consistency of practice required to be even mildly competitive in a Formula Ford or Mazda and reality starts to sink in that F1 cars are actually quite difficult to drive for mortal beings.

        3. @skipgamer Jesus Chris, that’s a useless comment.
          You know, there’s a lot of middle ground between a superficial arcadey money-grabber “game”, and an actual F1 team’s simulator.

          1. Yeah, and that’s squarely where the F1 game lies… It’s only a useless comment if you just want to have your say and ignore any substance in it.

            Saying you want something deep and realistic isn’t exactly saying, I wish it leant a bit more towards realism in X or Y areas… Deep and realistic isn’t really calling for any middle ground, you’re just changing up your point now to have some sort of whitty comeback, which is falling as flat as your first comment.

            If you want superficial arcade, there are no shortage of examples to look at for that. Horizon chase turbo is what I would call an arcade game, and the F1 series is a far cry from that.

    11. Adaptive AI=rubber band AI. Happy to be proven wrong however!

    12. EA say a new adaptive AI feature will actively tailor the speed of AI cars between races and circuits to help keep new players in competitive positions from race-to-race.

      In the old days we had to work hard to get better. That was the whole fun of it – graft and gain.

    13. The EA effect taking its toll already. More focus on bringing in extra stuff they can make a fortune ripping people off with Microtransactions and gambling encouraging loot boxes, rather than fixing or improving the core gameplay. From experience of the Star Wars Battlefront games and FIFA UT I have sad hopes for the future of F1 games.

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