The opening rounds of the 2022 F1 season have shown how revolutionary this year's cars are. Now, we're finally able to play them in the official F1 22 game! You can see what RacingGames.GG thinks of the new game in their full review.
But what do you need to know about F1 22 before buying? Here's everything you need to know!
Latest news - F1 22 review
F1 22 was revealed in April, marking a new era for the officially licensed F1 game series. F1 22 will launch on 1st July for all players, but those who pre-ordered the Champions Edition have access right now.
To see another viewpoint on F1 22, we at RealSport have also reviewed the game, which you can check out here:
Not only does F1 22 reflect the new rule changes in the 2022 F1 season, but it's also the first F1 game developed wholly under EA's influence.
With a bigger budget, new hybrid cars, and new modes, Codemasters and EA describe F1 22 as the "biggest shake-up for over a decade" for the series.
Guides and Tutorials
The team over at Racinggames is committed to helping gamers out with the new 2022 F1 cars. They'll be bringing you dry and wet setup guides for every circuit, as well as tutorials on how to drive without certain assists.
This list is constantly being expanded, so be sure to check back here regularly for more content!
Setup guides
- Bahrain
- Jeddah
- Australia
- Imola
- Miami
- Spain
- Monaco
- Azerbaijan
- Canada
- Britain
- Austria
- France
- Hungary
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Italy
- Singapore
- Japan
- USA
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Abu Dhabi
Tutorials
- How to drive without ABS
- How to drive without Traction Control
- Changing difficulty
- Get the perfect start
Platforms
As for platforms, F1 22 is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
F1 22 is also fully VR compatible for PC players. This means those lucky enough to own an Occulus Quest 2, HTC Vive, etc can now enjoy F1 cars in VR.
There are no plans for PSVR support, however.
New cars and new regs
2022 has brought in sweeping changes to the Formula 1 regulations. These new rules are designed to promote overtaking and bring the cars closer together in terms of performance.
The new regs have certainly made a difference. For a start, Mercedes are no longer top dogs, with Ferrari taking their place and being challenged by Red Bull.
This is in part thanks to the cars having less downforce generated by the wings and the addition of ground effect airfoils underneath the cars. This means the 2022 cars will be faster in quick corners and slower in slow corners.
Let's not forget about the new tyres either, which are much larger at 18 inches in size. In F1 22, the 2022 cars will be vastly different to drive, but both more challenging and rewarding than previous years.
Codemasters has updated the physics to reflect the new aero rules and reworked the tyre model, making the handling more realistic.
Adaptive AI
Netflix's Drive to Survive series and the drama of the 2021 season brought millions of new fans to F1. With that in mind, Codemasters wants to make F1 22 accessible to players who are new to F1.
Adaptive AI will let players race against "AI racers tailored to match their skill level." There are also new customisation options, with new 'immersive' and 'broadcast' race day options.
My Team & Career Mode
While online multiplayer has become a more important aspect to the F1 games, it's single player where it really shines. In particular My Team, which is one of the most enjoyable and in-depth Career Modes you'll find in racing gaming.
Of course, the vehicle performance index and driver ratings will get an update. The same is true for the Formula 2 drivers, although we won't see the 2022 field until around November time like in 2021.
It's the specifics of car and team development that we're really interested in though. Due to the cost cap measures which have been brought in this year, you may be limited in how much you can spend in a season.
It's not clear how Codemasters will implement these measures, but it'll be very interesting to see how they handle it. What we could see more effort towards though is the media outside of races, where it could be more like what we see from Formula 1's actual media outlets.
Codemasters has confirmed the fan-favourite My Team mode is returning in F1 22. This time, players will choose a starting budget and three entry scenarios: Newcomer, Challenger, and Front Runner.
Online multiplayer
As expected, two-player split-screen and online multiplayer will return in F1 22.
Codemasters and EA have confirmed F1 22 will feature cross-gen multiplayer, meaning PS4 and PS5 players can race together online. Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One players will also be able to compete against each other online.
There are also rumours that F1 22 will finally get crossplay in a post-launch update, but this is yet to be confirmed.