On March 20th, Supermassive Games’ The Quarry joins the service for the cloud and consoles, followed by Evil West on March 21st. March 26th sees Terra Invicta, the massive strategy title from the creators of XCOM’s Long War mod, releasing on Game Preview for PC players. Diablo 4 is perhaps the biggest release, coming to consoles and PC on March 28th.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged and Open Roads are coming on the same day and playable on cloud, consoles and PC. Finally, April 1st kicks off with the addition of Ark: Survival Ascended for cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. On April 2nd, F1 23 is playable via EA Play on the cloud while Superhot: Mind Control Delete arrives for subscribers on the cloud, consoles and PC.

The titles leaving on March 31st include Hot Wheels Unleashed and MLB The Show 23 (which makes sense considering the addition of their sequels). Infinite Guitars is also going away, though Game Pass subscribers can avail of 20 percent discounts to purchase the titles.

Sifu, which recently crossed 3 million copies sold, will be joined by EA Sports and Codemasters’ racing sim F1 23 (which is getting a follow-up in May), tinyBuild’s stealth horror title Hello Neighbor 2, and Destiny 2’s sixth expansion, The Witch Queen, which launched in 2022.

All games will become available to claim starting March 5, remaining free until April 1, and like all of the service’s free monthly offerings, will be available to subscribers of all PS Plus tiers- Essential, Extra, and Premium.

That, of course, means subscribers will have until March 4 to claim PlayStation Plus Essential’s free February offerings, which are Steelrising, Foamstars, and Rollerdrome.

Pocketpair’s survival crafting creature collector Palworld is coming January 19th, with the early access version offering over 100 Pals to collect. Roguelike twin stick shooter Go Mecha Ball will be available on January 25th, followed by roguelite arena shooter Brotato on January 30th. Persona 3 Reload goes live on February 2nd, followed by Anuchard on February 6th.

Only two titles are leaving the service on January 31st – Hitman World of Assassination and F1 2021 – so play them now while you can. They’re also available at 20 percent off for subscribers who want to own them permanently.

#10. TT ISLE OF MAN: RIDE ON THE EDGE 3

Owing to its very nature as a hardcore superbike racing sim, TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 is not, like its predecessors, a game with widespread appeal, but for fans of the sport and racing sims in general, there’s a lot to love here. Its rough production values, lack of variety in content, and less-than-stellar visuals do leave a little something to be desired, but with incredible physics and driving mechanics, a rewarding sense of challenge, and incredible sense of speed, TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 has an excellent foundation.

#9. MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS: THE OFFICIAL VIDEOGAME 6

Milestone has a grip on the bike racing simulation genre in a way no other developer in the industry does, and Monster Energy Supercross 6 was yet another feather in the developer’s cap in 2023. From significant improvements to the physics and handling systems to an impressive level of polish and attention to detail, from a solid selection of new and returning modes to a much stronger balance between authentic simulation and accessible fun, Monster Energy Supercross 6 is a promising glimpse of how the series can continue to improve with future instalments.

#8. MOTOGP 23

MotoGP 23 is a perfect example of how a game can benefit from a bevy of iterative improvements as much as it can from a smaller number of radical revolutions. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, it builds on its predecessors’ foundations by making notable improvements across the board, from the new Career mode to the introduction of more newcomer-friendly mechanics, while continuing to exhibit the same authenticity and love for bikes that Milestone’s games are so often associated with.

#7. LEGO 2K DRIVE

A Mario Kart-inspired open world arcade racer making use of the Lego license? With an elevator pitch like that, any game is bound to turn its fair share of heads, and LEGO 2K Drive mostly makes good on its promises. Though it can feel a bit shallow and repetitive, the underlying systems and design deserve credit. Maps are colourful and tightly designed, driving mechanics are tight and strike a nice balance between skill and accessibility, and vehicle building and customization in particular can offer up hours upon hours of enjoyment. It may not have been a revelation, but LEGO 2K Drive is a solid enough racer than genre fans of all ages can enjoy.

#6. RIDE 5

Yep, another Milestone-developed bike racing sim, and easily the one that impressed us most this year. The RIDE franchise has continued to push the envelope with its visuals, authenticity, and technical achievements with each new instalment, and RIDE 5 didn’t disappoint on that front either. On top of that, with notable improvements to the Career mode, the addition of new elements like Rivals and your very own HQ, the introduction of dynamic weather, a new Race Creator option, and a continued push for accessibility and approachability, RIDE 5 once again proves why Milestone’s franchise is the undisputed king of bike racing sims.

#5. THE CREW MOTORFEST

After two instalments in the mainland United States, with The Crew Motorfest, Ubisoft’s open world racing franchise took players to the island of Oahu, and it turned out to be absolutely the right decision. Courtesy of a much more varied, vibrant, and colourful world that is teeming with gorgeous vistas to take in, The Crew Motorfest benefits from excellent festive vibes that make it a much more engaging experience, while a smart, new structure for the main content and improvements to the driving mechanics also make for more enjoyable racing mechanics. It might not be the competitor to Forza Horizon’s throne that it was perhaps being positioned as, but it’s still a hell of a racer that fans of the genre will enjoy.

#4. F1 23

Codemasters’ annual F1 franchise has been one of the best racing sim experiences around for a long time now, and 2023’s instalment was another predictably excellent one. With its loot-driven F1 World experience, F1 23 offers a different flavour of content than most of its predecessors have been known for, while the return of F1 21’s story mode, Braking Point, also proves to be a triumphant one. That, combined with improvements to the underlying driving mechanics made for an excellent all-around package, even if the game does still feel a bit stagnant where its visuals and Career mode are concerned.

#3. EA SPORTS WRC

The WRC license switched lanes to Codemasters and EA Sports this year, and the former leveraged its expertise with rally racing simulators to deliver another excellent outing for the licensed series. EA Sports WRC captures the adrenaline-fueled thrill of rally racing better than most other games have managed in the past, while it also offers a smattering of contents across its many modes, tracks, vehicles, and more. Admittedly, the experience can be dragged down at times by issues such as bugs and a few modes that feel a little undercooked, but by and large, EA Sports WRC has laid down an excellent foundation for Codemasters to build on with future instalments in the years to come.

#2. HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED 2: TURBOCHARGED

The fourth Milestone-developed game to earn a place on this list, and without a shadow of doubt, the best of the lot. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is an excellent evolution of its already solid predecessor. That sense of speed and arcadey thrill that the first game boasted is not only present and accounted for here, but shining brighter than ever before, while also touting stunning visuals, incredible track design, a vast array of customization options, and new driving and movement options like jumps, dashes, and more. Ultimately, it’s an iterative improvement rather than a radical one, and the single player offerings do leave a little something to be desired, but the final product is one that improves on the first game in some key ways.

#1. FORZA MOTORSPORT

The Forza Motorsport franchise had been dormant for longer than most would have expected, but in 2023, it finally made its comeback with what was billed as a reboot. Whether or not it turned out to be the undisputed king of racing sims might still be up for debate, thanks in large part to a divisive new structure for its campaign, but there’s so much else here that we can’t help but be impressed with. New weather effects, a healthy offering of content (especially in the multiplayer department), stunning visuals and attention to detail of the sort that only this franchise can manage, crucial improvements and tweaks to the moment-to-moment mechanics- the list goes on and on. Even though it doesn’t hit the highs that many of its predecessors are remembered for, Forza Motorsport is still a triumphant return for Turn 10’s long-running franchise.

Forza Motorsport

Developer Turn10 has established itself as one of the best names when it comes to delivering racing games that are not only realistic in a visual sense but also from a functional viewpoint. The latest Forza Motorsport is emblematic of those strengths, and this simulation racer improves upon what came before in all the right ways. Right from the visual presentation to the new dynamic daytime systems to the carefully recreated cars, Forza Motorsport is a consistently impressive experience that can take up dozens upon dozens of hours.

Let’s look at the 15 best-looking games of the year so far and what makes them so.

Resident Evil 4 Remake

The RE Engine doesn’t just allow for impeccable character models and environments, but there’s meticulous attention to detail, stellar lighting quality and shadows, and refined animations. The dark tone is pulled off incredibly well as Resident Evil 4 Remake’s presentation is on another level.

Dead Space Remake

There was a bit of backlash over the visual changes to Dead Space with the remake, but to say it looks so much better would be an understatement. The changes to atmospherics and the alpha effects, let alone the model quality, facial animations and environments, are very good. The new Peeling system makes it even more compelling, with realistic damage for enemy limbs as you tear through them with weapons.

Dead Island 2

Of course, it’s hard to top Dead Island 2’s FLESH system, which takes real-time enemy damage to another level. Zombie flesh melts with acid, burns with fire, is crushed with hammers or shredded cleanly with bladed weapons. That alone is enough to marvel at the fidelity. However, the rest of the game, with its character animations and detailed levels – even if they’re not too crazy in scale – is also visually impressive.

F1 23

F1 23 utilizes EGO Engine 4.0, like last year’s iteration. The improvements may seem minuscule, but there are definite improvements in the lighting, car textures, illumination and weather effects. Even the skyboxes are great, with the lighting and shadows looking more natural than in F1 22. Considering it’s one of the most realistic racing simulators on the market, the overall fidelity is something to behold.

Street Fighter 6

I’m not the biggest proponent of World Tour and its pop-in issues or lowered frame rate for NPCs at a distance. But the visuals in battles where you’ll spend 90 percent of your time? Simply incredible. Whether they pull off Critical Arts and showcase over-the-top animations or take damage, each character is expressive, and the effects channel the graffiti aesthetic with gorgeous splashes and collisions. The stages are also meticulously detailed and brought to life thanks to sharp atmospherics, lighting and textures.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

At launch, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was plagued by stuttering, HDR issues and poor performance (with PC players facing the brunt). Subsequent updates improved things, but even with those issues, the game is a visual feast. Coruscant is absolutely stunning in the opening mission with its flying vehicles and draw distance, and the characters sport incredible textures and facial animations. Later areas look better and better, presenting extensive detail without outright overpowering you in their fidelity.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores

Horizon Forbidden West was already an incredible game with its character animations, cutscene direction and texture quality, but Burning Shores up the ante. Thanks to being exclusive on PS5, there are massive cloudscapes with gorgeous weather effects, and seeing the environments from way up in the sky is an experience. The showdown with the final boss also has to be seen to be believed due to the scale and spectacle.

Forspoken

Listen, we know. We know that Forspoken’s open-world design isn’t great, its dialogue ranges from annoying to downright tragic, and even the combat – one of the better parts of the game – is average. However, its visuals, especially after numerous updates, actually look pretty good. Texture quality, especially in the environments, is sharp, and the effects from spells look spectacular. The lighting is also massively improved, leading to a more natural-looking world.

Final Fantasy 16

Everything about Final Fantasy 16 screams triple-A, whether you’re venturing through the fields of Rosaria and Sanbreque or marveling at the cutscenes and characters with their incredible animation. Lighting and texture quality are also on point, even if some areas can be too dark. Also, while it’s not always the most colorful Final Fantasy, it’s hard not to be entranced witnessing two Eikons clash in a massive battle of cataclysmic proportions.

Hi-Fi Rush

Tango Gameworks’ character-driven hack-and-slash title is a big departure from its previous work, employing cel-shaded visuals and a bombastic art style. The latter is further demonstrated through over-the-top expressions and effects, whether you’re involved in boss fights or navigating expansive environments with high-speed rails. It’s an animated feast for the eyes (and ears due to the equally awesome music).

Atomic Heart

Even with all the rumored issues, Mundfish’s Atomic Heart has come out looking amazing. The chrome on its machines, the detail on their animations, not to mention the sheer range of effects – it’s a lot to take in, especially in the heat of combat. Nevertheless, when you’re venturing through Facility 3826 in the Prologue, it’s hard not to stop and stare at how gorgeous everything looks.

Hogwarts Legacy

Say what you will about the source material, but it does have some great art direction, which Portkey Games and Avalanche Software have capably captured. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is pretty meticulously detailed, especially when viewing the Common Rooms of each House, but the surrounding environment is impressive in its scale and fidelity. It also doesn’t hurt that the characters look great, with their animations standing out amid the realistic shadows and lighting.

Layers of Fear

Layers of Fear, not to be confused with its previous name, Layers of Fears, or the 2016 original, is effectively a remake of the first two games and the Inheritance DLC with some new content. The value is up for debate, but the visual splendor can’t be denied. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, with Lumen for improved lighting and Niagara for vastly superior visual effects, the texture quality is an incredible showcase of the studio’s skills.

Diablo 4

Blizzard Entertainment’s long-awaited sequel hides much of its graphical fidelity due to the overhead camera perspective. Still, when you occasionally find a lookout spot, the overwhelming detail in the regions, combined with the lighting and effects, it feels special. Even when you’re casually roaming the world, the environmental textures and how realistically everything is illuminated are fantastic.

Everspace 2

Rockfish Studios’ Everspace was already very impressive when it launched, but Everspace 2 goes a step above with its fidelity. The environments, lighting, texture quality and detail are some of the sharpest while delivering solid performance. When you venture into an Ancient Rift for the first time and fully take in all the effects and phenomena, it’s a surreal experience.

Final Fantasy 16

Even with the shift to real-time action and a darker story, Final Fantasy 16 excels at the genre’s main pillars. Its story is gripping with excellent characterization and well-written dialogue; the combat is satisfying with a wealth of options and a variety of unique encounters, and the presentation is simply excellent with its visual fidelity (especially in the Eikon battles) and soundtrack. Issues with Performance Mode and some lackluster side quests aside; Final Fantasy 16 is just fantastic.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The expectations for Nintendo’s long-awaited sequel were sky-high, yet it went above and beyond those to deliver one of the greatest games ever made. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom didn’t just quench one’s thirst for adventure but gave them so many awesome tools to outright break the game. It then presented various unique puzzles and combat scenarios designed around the same, encouraging players to dig deep into the sandbox and really comb Hyrule’s depths (and Depths). However, it also offers one of the more satisfying Zelda stories. From top to bottom, Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece.

Resident Evil 4 Remake

From the new Parry mechanic to gameplay, Resident Evil 4 Remake offers new and engaging features. The gorgeous visuals, which look incredibly stunning and add to the darker atmosphere, don’t hurt either.

F1 23

After last year’s underwhelming entry, F1 23 signals a return to quality with new tracks, features like 35% Race Distance (and the return of Red Flags), and a new Braking Point campaign. F1 World expands on F1 Life, with goals to pursue across all modes, and the Safety Rating system ensures better online play. It all comes together well with the solid racing, and having the Podium Pass return on top of everything else is great.

Street Fighter 6

Capcom’s newest mainline Street Fighter casts off the shadows of its controversial predecessor with a gorgeous new presentation, the Drive system for strategic yet fast-paced mechanics, and loads of new features to make online play great. The 18 characters each feel excellent to play, while Modern Controls ensure everyone can jump in and start having a good time. World Tour isn’t the strongest part, but it’s still a fun beat ’em up-style campaign with lots of rewards to unlock.

Planet of Lana

Wishfully’s side-scrolling puzzle platformer inspired by the likes of Inside offers a gorgeous sci-fi adventure with stunning vistas and well-designed puzzles. Lana’s quest to find her older sister after aliens attack her planet is presented with confidence, featuring an excellent soundtrack and solid platforming mechanics. If only it wasn’t over so soon.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Despite severe issues at launch, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor shone through with its incredible gameplay, expanded exploration and abilities, and compelling storyline. The darker narrative explored a more desperate side of Cal Kestis while featuring new opponents to fight, Lightsaber Styles to dispatch them with, and tons of different activities and secrets to find. Though somewhat forgotten, thanks to Tears of the Kingdom launching soon after, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is still a satisfying hack-and-slash adventure.

Dredge

Fishing meets cosmic horror – what more needs to be said? Dredge sees players exploring The Marrows and catching fish while taking on different quests. However, as you unearth mysterious artifacts, horrors of the deep soon emerge, especially after dark. With over 125 fish, unique abilities, more than a few terrifying situations and great fishing mechanics, Dredge is an addictive experience.

Hi-Fi Rush

Tango Gameworks’ breakout Xbox console exclusive is just what Microsoft needed. It’s a great character action game with incredible hack-and-slash mechanics, a rocking soundtrack and perfect rhythmic gameplay. The story is also pretty fun, with protagonist Chai fighting against the evil Vandelay Technologies with over-the-top combos and assistance. With gorgeous animated visuals and incredible boss fights, Hi-Fi Rush is a must-play title for action game fans.

Dead Island 2

How fresh could slaying the undead in 2023 feel? Dambuster Studios’ answered that question very well with Dead Island 2. Taking a linear approach to its level design, it focused on the satisfaction of slaying zombies with plenty of powerful weapons and abilities, unique characters, and incredibly visceral gore. Dead Island 2 could have been a disaster following its development hell, but it rose above expectations to deliver a fun romp through HELL-A.

Hogwarts Legacy

While it probably could have done more with reputation systems and classes, Hogwarts Legacy is still a fun open-world action RPG. With its variety of spells and mechanics, the combat is easy to get into and offers some satisfying effects (especially when Avada Kedavara’ing an enemy into oblivion). The companion quest chains are great, and as a whole, it does a great job immersing you in the world of Hogwarts with everything there is to see and do.

Amnesia: The Bunker

Frictional Games’ Amnesia: The Bunker takes a more sandbox approach to horror as players venture through a sealed World War 1 bunker, hunted by a terrifying creature. The generator and fuel mechanics add to the horror, while the darkness is downright oppressive. Being able to approach things non-linearly with different solutions is also great, even if some of those lead to quicker deaths.

Dead Space Remake

Dead Space Remake leans further into reimagining the original sci-fi horror. It adds several new rooms and puzzles, new mechanics for some random horror, side quests that highlight certain characters more and even reworks major aspects of the story in interesting ways. Combined with the new Peeling system and revamped Zero-G, it’s a stunning display of action and terror worthy of its inspiration.

Metroid Prime Remastered

While remakes dominated the headlines, Nintendo showcased that a remaster can be just as good. Metroid Prime Remastered isn’t as straightforward, with its visuals bordering on remake-esque with their fidelity. However, it retains everything fans know and love about the classic, from the excellent level design and combat to the unique first-person mechanics and stellar bosses. A sequel is long overdue, but Metroid Prime Remastered fills that void in all the best ways.

Dave the Diver

Another top-tier ocean-related game with fishing? You bet, but Dave the Diver goes even further beyond as you venture into the Blue Hole to catch fish and use those gains to run a sushi restaurant. Interesting side quests, great humor, fun mini-games and a great art style to go with the sleek soundtrack make this a smorgasbord of incredible gameplay.

Other new releases include Bandai Namco’s Park Beyond, which debuted in a middling 38th place. Diablo 4 dropped to third place, with sales down 69 percent week-over-week. Other noteworthy changes include God of War Ragnarok going from seventh to fourth place with sales up by 38 percent.

Price promotions also helped Kirby and the Forgotten Land re-enter the charts at 20th place, with sales up 145 percent compared to the previous week. Time will tell how the charts shift when Final Fantasy 16 releases, so stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, check out Gfk’s top ten best-selling physical titles in the UK for the week ending June 17th.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s completely free of issues, especially on PC. Codemasters is releasing a patch next week, but here are a few things that may improve the visuals and fix issues.

Before that, please be advised that the following methods are to be used at the sole discretion of the system owner. GamingBolt or its staff members take no responsibility for problems or issues that may occur from trying the below. Remember that official support is always the best support.

PC Requirements

Let’s first look at the minimum and recommended requirements, starting with Windows 10 64-bit (Version 21H1 or higher) and a 64-bit CPU. DirectX 12 and 80 GB of installation space is also required, regardless of your other hardware. When using VR, a keyboard and mouse are required.

Minimum:

• CPU: Intel Core i3-2130 or AMD FX 4300. When using VR, a Core i5-9600k or Ryzen 5 2600X is needed.
• RAM: 8 GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 470. For ray tracing, an RTX 2060 or RX 6700 XT is required, while VR requires a GTX 1660 Ti or AMD RX 590.
• GPU Drivers: Nvidia 522.25 or AMD 23.2.1

Recommended:

• CPU: Intel Core i5 9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
• RAM: 16 GB
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 590. When enabling ray tracing, an RTX 3070 or RX 6800 is needed. For VR, an RTX 2070 or AMD RX 6700 XT is required.
• GPU Drivers: Nvidia 528.49 or AMD 23.2.1

Crashes

As with any game, crashes can occur due to various issues. In F1 23, they mostly seem confined to Braking Point, but some report the same when playing the game for a few minutes.

First, do the usual when encountering such issues. Validate your files on Steam by right-clicking on the game in your Library and selecting Properties. Look for the Installed Files tab and select, “Verify this game’s files are installed correctly.” If there are any missing or corrupted files, they’ll be re-downloaded.

Another option is to update drivers for your GPU (via the official sites for Nvidia and AMD or their programs, like GeForce Experience). Ensure that your Visual C++ packages are also updated when installing. You can also run the game as an Administrator. Navigate to your SteamLibrary folder, then SteamApps and Common. Open the game’s folder and look for its “.exe” file.

Right-click on it, select Properties and go to the Compatibility tab. Tick the Run as Administrator option, then save and exit. There’s no official fix yet for these issues, so if these don’t work, it’s best to wait for a patch from the developer.

Blurry Visuals

Another issue that some have reported is the visuals look blurry. Disabling motion blur and changing anti-aliasing settings in-game doesn’t help either. One workaround is to change Motion Blur settings from within the Hardware Settings XML.

Go to your Documents folder and select MyGames. Click on F123 and look for the “hardwaresettings” folder, then the file “hardware_settings_config.xml.” Open it and search for the Motion Blur parameters (which should look like this: <postprocess motionBlur=”true” godRays=”true” depthOfField=”True” lensStreak=”true” lensFlare=”true” bloom=”true” motionBlurV2=”true” />).

Specify postprocess motionBlur and motionBlurV2 as false, then save and exit. You could also set the Depth of Field to false. If that doesn’t help, try setting the Post-processing in-game to “Low.” Some players have reported slight improvements, while others say there’s no difference. If none of the above works for you, wait for Codemasters’ next patch to solve the issue (hopefully).

F1 23 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4 and PC. You can check out our official review here.

Note: Given the wide range of PC hardware available, some of the fixes mentioned here may or may not work for you. However, it’s worth giving them a shot since these have worked for some players.

F1 23 is bringing back Braking Point, which was a particularly beloved addition upon its introduction in F1 2021. Was it always the plan to bring back the mode after a year’s break? Did the requirements of developing a full-fledged narrative-driven mode demand an additional development year?

Due to the way in which the development team is structured, we have two teams who work on the odd and even year titles in the franchise. The team who worked directly on F1 2021 were obviously well suited to that type of game mode. That was one of the considerations for the feature being bi-annual. Other considerations were that in order to deliver a fully featured and visually engaging story mode, we needed more time. Crafting something on the scale of Breaking Point 2 requires a significant amount of resource, both internally and externally. If you consider F1 2020 or F1 22, there wouldn’t be the requirement for the beautiful cut scenes or characters. Plus, with us having two titles in development at the same time, we plan several years ahead in order to ensure we have the right people in place to execute on our vision. Obviously we make adjustments along the way, but the overall vision for the series is in place.

What sort of improvements should players expect from Braking Point 2? For instance, how significantly will players’ choices impact the story?

Increasing player agency was at the core of the changes we wanted to make to the gameplay side of Braking Point 2. We achieved this with the inclusion of Performance and Reputation levels for the player. These are impacted by their on-track conduct as well as how they perform in media interviews or the team management decisions they make. The impact of these new elements will generate different outcomes, goals and open up rewards for players as part of the secondary narrative.

Another headlining addition in F1 23 is F1 World, a multifaceted hub of sorts that’ll be tying the whole experience together? What prompted the decision to introduce something like this in the F1 series?

We’re incredibly excited about the inclusion of F1 World. The concept behind F1 World is to be able to deliver an ever changing roster of content and gameplay to the player over the course of the entire season. Braking Point 2 offers Drive to Survive style cinematic drama, Career offers authenticity and My Team offers players authenticity and team management. We also have great game modes such as Time Trial, Grand Prix, Events and multiple ways to play online. With F1 World we wanted to take these game modes and bring them together with a new and engaging progression system which encompasses both Offline and Online play. This is where the concept of earning resources to upgrade your F1 World car is at the core of F1 World. Offering the player multiple ways to enjoy F1 content, in styles of gameplay which appeals to them, with a time commitment which they’re comfortable with is why F1 World can cater to that free half an hour you might have after dinner, all the way up to completing 100% race distances.

We also saw F1 World as a great opportunity to expand our Multiplayer experience. Alongside the existing Multiplayer Grand Prix lobby based system, players will now be able to race in Multiplayer events. We’ve also included an entirely new Ranked Multiplayer mode. Each week players will compete on a fixed roster of circuits to achieve promotion or avoid demotion between several Bronze, Silver and Gold leagues. There’s also the pinnacle of racing performance with an Elite League where the best in the world will compete.

For those who play F1 games frequently over a prolonged period, F1 World’s new progression system sounds particularly intriguing. How extensive will this system be? What level of variety should players expect from what they’ll be able to unlock through the new progression mechanics?

It’s great that you’ve identified that F1 World will deliver players new and changing experiences over the year. That’s the core of the concept, to keep delivering exciting and engaging gameplay for our players.

As I touched upon in the previous question, F1 World features a new F1 World car which the player will upgrade to increase its performance. Performance is rated by a ‘Tech Level’. Players are able to enter events with higher and lower tech level requirements to set the level of challenge they’re looking for. Playing any of the modes within F1 World will earn the player resources which can then be used to directly upgrade the car, or be used to craft further upgrades and enhancements. In F1 World the player will not only be upgrading the car itself, but also team personnel and the contract benefits which they bring.

We also wanted players to be closer to the world of F1, which is where the Compendium comes in. The Compendium acts as a sticker album which the player can fill up as they’re awarded stickers as prizes. As images are completed, the Compendium will fill up and offer players interesting and engaging content related to the world of F1.

F1 games have a reputation for their incredible attention to detail in recreation licensed circuits. What can you tell us about the two new additions in this year’s game, and what the process of designing them was like?

We love years where there are new circuits on the calendar. This year we have two circuits which couldn’t be more different from one another.

Lusail in Qatar was originally built for MotoGP back in 2004 but is a tremendous circuit to showcase the speed and downforce of a modern F1 car. The corners are fast and flowing and will offer racers some great wheel-to-wheel overtaking moments. We modeled the Lusail circuit from Formula One supplied Computer Aided Design (CAD) data, aerial imagery, height data and a high amount of photogrammetry in order to create an accurate virtual representation of this new circuit.

Las Vegas on the other hand offers a totally different prospect. Joining the calendar as the 3rd circuit in the United States, Las Vegas is an intense street circuit which takes in one of the most famous pieces of tarmac in the world, the Las Vegas boulevard. With the circuit still under construction right now, the in-game Vegas circuit will be the first time players and drivers alike get to experience the new track. The most significant challenge when creating Las Vegas was the sheer density of buildings, plus our want to ensure they’re an accurate visual representation of their real world counterparts. Vegas is also unique in that the race is taking place on the Saturday evening. This brough new lighting challenges. As anyone familiar with Las Vegas would know, the strip is a huge colorful and bright visual spectacle.

What can you tell us about the game’s physics improvement and what sort of an impact they will have on the moment-to-moment driving experience?

We’ve made significant gains across several areas of our vehicle physics. Starting with the point at which the rubber meets the road, literally, we worked on our tyre model, making changes to the relationship between longitudinal and lateral slip which had a significant impact on how the car breaks and regains traction or behaves in a slide. We also did work on the wheel and body inertia calculations which also impact how the car rotates and behaves. To further aid drivability and enhance realism we also carried out significant work on our in-gear engine torque properties. This allows for a far more controlled and realistic level of fidelity when applying the throttle and controlling wheelspin. Finally we took data supplied to us by one of the F1 teams to help us balance the relationship between aero and mechanical grip.

All of these changes have allowed us to deliver a more realistic, engaging and controllable handling model.

What will the addition of the new Precision Drive technology bring to the table?

The core concept behind Precision Driver was to give controller players an enhanced level of control and fidelity to bring them in line with wheel players. Wheel users are able to make small and accurate adjustments which aren’t as easy on a controller. Precision Drive opens up this level of control. The system also allows players to be able to effectively navigate corners of differing types. We’ve also expanded the options available to allow controller users to be able to tune the system to the rate of input which suits how they play.

F1 23 is also introducing a number of new features based on community feedback, like a new race distance and the return of red flags. What can you tell us about those changes? How much does feedback from players shape your decisions during a game’s development?

Community feedback has always played a significant role in the development of the F1 series. We maintain a backlog of conversations as well as receive regular updates from several teams within EA who monitor our social channels and forums.

The 35% race distance was a change we trialled during the F1 esports series. We found that it offered a sweet spot for time commitment, but also provided a great representation of the strategy elements of an F1 race.

Red Flags have long been a requested feature, and they’ve been on our list of features to extend authenticity in the series. The inclusion of Red Flags in F1 23 will not only reinforce the level of realism but will also play a significant impact in changing the course of a race. During a Red Flag stoppage players will be able to make minor repairs to their vehicle as well as changing tyres and strategy all of which can significantly impact the story of the race.

F1 23 is bringing back VR support on PC, though PS VR2 support won’t be featured at launch. Is that something you might look into following the game’s release?

At this stage we’re solely focused on VR support for PC. We continue to discuss it as a team, but it’s not something we’re currently working on.