F1 25 is the latest entry in EA Sports’ Formula 1 series, arriving with the usual mix of updated grid, refreshed career systems, and a narrative mode that has become the series’ signature. Reviewers describe a game that plays it safer than a full reinvention, polishing the handling and presentation the franchise has built over several years rather than tearing it up. For a fan who wants the current F1 season on their console or PC with a story mode wrapped around it, that steady approach is the point. For a driver chasing a hardcore open wheel simulation, the series has always sat closer to the accessible end of the spectrum.

This review covers what F1 25 offers on track and off, how the handling model compares to earlier entries, and who is better served by a different sim entirely. We compared editorial coverage with recurring player and community feedback rather than claiming seat time we do not have, and you can read how we review.

What F1 25 is and who makes it

F1 25 comes from Codemasters, operating under the EA Sports banner, continuing a license the studio has held since it took over the Formula 1 franchise. The game carries the 2025 Formula 1 grid, teams, and calendar under official license, alongside Formula 2 as a feeder series. Rather than release an F1 26, EA added the 2026 season to F1 25 as a paid 2026 Season Pack, with the next full game planned for 2027. The headline addition is another chapter of Braking Point, the scripted narrative mode built around fictional drivers and teams that sits apart from the career and multiplayer modes built for players who want to race the season as themselves.

Driving model and content

Reviewers generally describe the handling as an incremental refinement rather than a rebuild, with tire behavior and braking stability tuned to feel more predictable than in earlier entries without sacrificing the sense that these are high downforce open wheel cars. Players moving up from a controller or a lower end wheel tend to find the assists forgiving enough to be competitive quickly, while sim racers on force feedback wheels describe useful, if not class leading, detail coming through the wheel. On content, the career mode carries over My Team ownership options and a full season structure, and reviewers treat Braking Point as the mode most likely to divide opinion: strong production values for players who enjoy the story framing, and a skip for anyone who bought the game purely to race a season as themselves.

Who it suits

F1 25 suits a Formula 1 fan who wants the current season, teams, and drivers on console or PC without a steep setup process, along with players who enjoy a scripted career alongside their racing. It also works well as a shared entry point for a household split between controller and wheel players, since the assist range covers both comfortably. Reviewers are less enthusiastic about it as a destination for drivers who already race other open wheel sims and want every lap to feel physically demanding rather than approachable.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

  • Official season grid, teams, and Formula 2 support, with the 2026 season available as a paid Season Pack
  • Handling reviewers describe as more predictable and consistent than earlier entries
  • Braking Point offers a produced narrative option alongside the standard career
  • Assist range makes it accessible for controller and gamepad players as well as wheel owners

Weaknesses

  • Year over year changes are evolutionary, which can feel thin for returning players
  • Force feedback detail is described as solid rather than class leading next to dedicated open wheel sims
  • Braking Point’s fictional story framing is not for players who only want a real season career
  • Annual release cadence means some systems carry over largely unchanged

Who should look elsewhere

F1 25 is a poor fit for a driver who wants the most demanding open wheel physics available and does not care about official branding, since dedicated open wheel platforms push further into that territory. It is also not the right pick for a player who dislikes narrative padding and just wants a clean season career, since Braking Point takes up a meaningful share of the marketing and content. For a broader look at where this fits among other sims, our best sim racing games for PC roundup covers the wider field, and our best wheel for F1 25 guide can help pair the right hardware with it. Drivers who want a deeper endurance alternative in the same open cockpit spirit should also see our Le Mans Ultimate review.