The Official F1 Games Explained: Career, My Team and How Releases Work
How Codemasters' official F1 games work: Driver Career, My Team, Braking Point, F1 World, assists, setups, and why 2026 arrived as an F1 25 expansion.
For more than a decade, the official Formula 1 game has been one of the most predictable releases in racing: a new edition every year, built around the current season’s cars, drivers and calendar. Then, in November 2025, EA Sports broke the pattern. Instead of an “F1 26,” the 2026 season arrived as a paid expansion for F1 25, with the next full game planned for 2027. This guide explains what the official F1 games offer, how the main modes work, how assists and setups fit in, and how the release model has changed, with status phrased as of October 2026.
Who Makes the Official F1 Games
The modern official F1 series belongs to Codemasters, the British company that obtained the Formula 1 licensing rights in 2008. Its first release under the license was F1 2009 for Wii and PSP, developed by Sumo Digital with Codemasters publishing, and Codemasters has handled the series ever since. Electronic Arts acquired Codemasters, completing the purchase in February 2021, and F1 2021 became the first F1 game published under the EA Sports label. Since then, each edition has carried the EA Sports branding while Codemasters continued development.
The current base game is F1 25, released on May 30, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows. Notably, it is a current-generation-only release, with no PS4 or Xbox One version.
The Release Model: Annual Games and the 2026 Change
Until 2025, the formula was simple: each spring or early summer, a new numbered game arrived with the season’s teams, drivers and tracks. That model fit F1’s rule cycles poorly in one respect: big regulation changes, such as the 2026 overhaul of cars and power units, require enormous work, and the annual cadence leaves little time for deeper changes.
On November 18, 2025, EA announced a different approach:
- No standalone 2026 game. F1 25 would represent both the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
- A paid 2026 expansion. The 2026 content would be sold separately as a premium update for F1 25, requiring the base game.
- A new game in 2027. EA said the next full EA Sports F1 game would arrive in 2027, developed in partnership with Formula 1 and all eleven teams, and described as looking, feeling and playing differently.
The expansion, called the F1 25: 2026 Season Pack, released on June 3, 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. As of October 2026, there is no F1 26 game, and the next full title is planned for 2027.
What the 2026 Season Pack Adds
The 2026 Season Pack updates F1 25 for the new regulations. According to EA and coverage at launch, it includes:
- 2026 regulations and cars, with lighter, smaller cars and active aerodynamics. Active aero, boost and an overtake mode replace the previous DRS and ERS systems.
- New teams. Audi and Cadillac join, bringing the grid to eleven teams, along with the 2026 driver lineup.
- Madring, the new Madrid circuit, which was playable in the game before its real-world debut.
- Career support. Driver Career and My Team both support the 2026 season, though two-player career is not available for it.
A few limitations are worth knowing. EA said the fictional Konnersport and APXGP teams cannot be added to the 2026 season of Driver Career or My Team, 2025 custom teams and career saves do not transfer, and some final car models were planned for a post-launch update that requires an internet connection.
Driver Career
Driver Career is the classic single-player mode. You race as a real driver or a created one, move through seasons, develop your car through research and development, and build a reputation that affects contract offers.
Key elements include:
- Race weekends with practice, qualifying and race sessions. You can shorten or skip sessions, but practice programs help you learn tracks and earn development resources.
- Car development through upgrades that improve performance over a season.
- Teammate and rival dynamics that affect your standing within the team.
F1 2021 introduced two-player career, letting two people play as teammates or rivals in the same career. It remains part of the base game, though not for the 2026 season content.
My Team
My Team, introduced in F1 2020, lets you create, own and run an extra team on the grid. In the original version, you chose an engine supplier, recruited a teammate, designed a livery and signed sponsors, then upgraded your facilities and hired staff as the career progressed.
F1 25 overhauled the mode so that you act as a team owner, putting more emphasis on the management side of running a team. The 2026 Season Pack carries My Team into the new regulations, with your team running alongside the expanded eleven-team grid.
My Team is the mode of choice for players who enjoy long-term management as much as driving. It rewards planning: balancing budget, facility upgrades and driver performance over multiple seasons.
Braking Point
Braking Point is the series’ story mode. It debuted in F1 2021, following fictional driver Aiden Jackson from the end of the 2019 Formula 2 season into Formula 1, with a rivalry involving teammate Casper Akkerman and the antagonist Devon Butler. Braking Point 2 arrived in F1 23, set across the 2022 and 2023 seasons at the fictional Konnersport team and introducing Formula 2 champion Callie Mayer. The story returned again in F1 25.
Braking Point uses scripted scenarios, such as finishing ahead of a rival or recovering from a setback, which makes it a good introduction to F1 racing for newcomers who want guidance and narrative rather than an open-ended career.
F1 World and Online Play
F1 23 introduced F1 World, a hub that connects many game modes, including ranked, esports, offline and online activities. It includes a progression pass, a safety rating for online play and a car you upgrade with parts and staff earned through gameplay.
Online play in the official F1 games also includes ranked multiplayer and online leagues, where communities run their own championships with custom settings. Leagues are popular because they allow consistent groups of drivers to race together over a season, with rules on assists, damage and race length agreed in advance.
Assists: Making F1 Accessible
Real F1 cars are notoriously hard to drive, and the games offer a wide range of assists to bridge the gap. Common options include braking assist, ABS, traction control, steering assist, automatic gearbox, a racing line display and pit assists. Each assist can be turned on, off or set to an intermediate level.
The 2026 Season Pack added new assists aimed at closer racing alongside its overtake mode, reflecting how much the 2026 rules change car behavior.
Turning assists off gradually is the best way to get faster. Our guide to driving assists explains what each one does and a sensible order to switch them off. If you are still learning where to brake and turn, the racing line guide is the place to start.
Setups and Strategy
F1 games let you adjust car setups across aerodynamics, transmission, suspension geometry, suspension, brakes and tires. Presets are available, and you do not need to touch setups to enjoy the game, but tuning can make a car more comfortable and consistent.
Strategy also matters. Tire compounds, wear, fuel and pit stop timing are all simulated, and race length settings affect how much these matter. Shorter races reduce the importance of strategy; longer races make tire management a central skill.
F1 25 also brought a revised handling model, tracks rebuilt with LiDAR scanning (including Bahrain, Miami, Melbourne, Suzuka and Imola) and, for the first time in the series, reverse-direction versions of Silverstone, Zandvoort and the Red Bull Ring.
Where F1 Games Sit on the Sim Spectrum
The official F1 games sit in the “sim-cade” space: more demanding than arcade racers, but more accessible than dedicated PC simulators. With assists on, almost anyone can complete a race; with assists off and a wheel, they are challenging. Our explainer on sim vs. arcade racing games explains where they fit compared with Gran Turismo, Forza and PC sims.
Getting Started: Which Mode First?
New players often bounce off F1 games because they jump straight into a full-length race with assists off. A gentler path works better:
- Time Trial on a familiar track. With no traffic, you can focus on braking points and the racing line. Ghost cars help you compare laps.
- Braking Point. Its scripted objectives and shorter scenarios teach race craft without the pressure of a full championship.
- A short Driver Career season. Shorter race distances and a mid-field team let you learn without expecting wins.
- My Team. Once you understand weekends, development and strategy, My Team adds the management layer.
- Online leagues. When you are consistent and clean, a league offers the best long-term racing.
Along the way, use the AI difficulty slider to keep races competitive. Winning by a minute teaches you little; finishing close to AI cars teaches racecraft, defending and overtaking.
Should You Buy F1 25 and the 2026 Season Pack?
Whether the setup makes sense depends on what you want:
- If you want the current grid, you need F1 25 plus the 2026 Season Pack, since the base game represents the 2025 season.
- If you mainly play Braking Point or 2025-season careers, the base game covers that content.
- If you can wait, EA has said the next full game is planned for 2027.
Check platform availability and requirements before buying: the expansion requires F1 25, an EA account and an internet connection for some content.
