Which is the best Codemasters F1 game ever?

Which is the best Codemasters F1 game ever?

Oct 23, 2020 1 Min Read Posted by Maik Jahn
RANK 12 F1 2014 F1 2014 marked the first game of the V6 hybrid era in Formula 1, but also the all-time low of the Codemasters franchise. Not only did the developer remove fan-favorite features of previous games like classic cars, but the F1 vehicles almost felt as if they were swimming around the track, having no downforce or proper handling at all. The game was nowhere near a good simulation and even today is the most disliked game of the franchise, having a Metacritic score of only 62%. RANK 11 F1 2015 After the huge criticism towards its predecessor, Codemasters built F1 2015 almost from scratch. The new EGO game engine laid the foundation for a reinvented handling model which today's F1 games are still based on. The first F1 game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One also rebuilt the AI system which, however, still took a lot of questionable decisions in form of divebombs or unnecessary crashes. The biggest flaw of F1 2015 was the removal of the career mode. Players were only able to drive Grands Prix, but no full season. Even the improved gameplay could not distract players from this fact. RANK 10 F1 2012 F1 2012 added a lot of unique game modes that were never found in other F1 games again. In Champion Mode, the six world champions competing in the 2012 season appeared as "end bosses" which players had to defeat in challenge races. Young Driver Test mode was kind of an extended tutorial, aiming to make the game more accessible for newcomers to the scene. But even though these features were quite funny, F1 2012 was nothing really special. The gameplay did not really change compared to the previous game. Therefore, for the first time, a new Codemasters F1 title felt a bit like a half-hearted update rather than an exciting new game. RANK 9 F1 2011 In 2011, Codemasters used the great foundation which was F1 2010 and added more realistic features into their new game. F1 2011 introduced the safety car, KERS and DRS to the franchise. Also, it was a fun title for multiplayer action by adding the split-screen season and an online co-op championship. However, the cars did not feel very natural and a buggy online mode curbed the multiplayer joy a little bit. Also, the perfect setup would give drivers an advantage of almost 2 seconds per lap compared to the default one, which was a bit too overpowered. Still, F1 2011 was a very popular title, selling more than 3.5 million units worldwide. RANK 8 F1 2009 The first F1 game ever by Codemasters was only released on Nintendo Wii and PlayStation Portable. Therefore, the handling was not even close to realistic, but F1 2009 was still very fun to play. Even though the AI would sometimes try the craziest overtakes and crash you off the track to do so. A unique feature was the Challenge Mode, in which drivers would take on 70 mini-game-style challenges. Overall, F1 2009 aimed to be a fun arcade racer and it delivered. Until this day, it is considered to be one of the best racing games ever to be released for both consoles. RANK 7 F1 2016 F1 2016 celebrated the return of the career mode, which was also extended to a record-braking ten possible seasons. Also included was the introduction of the R&D system, in which career players have to use in-game credits to improve their cars during the seasons. With F1 2016, Codemasters started to push the franchise more into the simulation genre again. They re-added the safety car with revisited mechanics. And for the first time, players experienced the Virtual Safety Car, formation laps and manual starts. The game was a great comeback after two very disappointing predecessors. RANK 6 F1 2013 F1 2013 marks an important spot in the history of Codemasters' F1 games. After two solid, but not overall convincing games, the developer finally delivered an all-round exciting racer again. The handling and graphics made a big step forward that year and also online mode felt less buggy than before. The most outstanding feature was the introduction of classic cars. But as the only game of the franchise, F1 2013 would also feature four classic tracks which were not part of the calendar in that year. Until today, F1 enthusiasts return to F1 2013 to race at Brands Hatch, Imola, Estoril and Jerez. RANK 5 F1 2018 The first game of the halo-era focused less on new game modes, but more on improving the overall gameplay. A revised handling model for wheel users made the behavior of the car more realistic but thus harder to control. At the same time, handling for gamepad players was made a little bit more accessible to make them more competitive in multiplayer lobbies. Speaking of which, Codemasters introduced online leagues that year in which you would win or lose trophies depending on your results in online races. ERS was added and created another skill gap that would separate casual drivers from upcoming talents. F1 2018 thus marked another step to make the franchise ready for competitive esports racing. RANK 4 F1 2017 F1 2017 possibly marks the biggest step in the franchise. Codemasters threw a lot of effort into making the game more realistic than ever and delivered. Not only did the handling and feelings of the cars get far more natural. The British developer also added the R&D tree as well as engine and gearbox wear, making the career a lot more challenging. And to put the cherry on the cake, classic cars finally came back as well. With F1 2017, the franchise also became the platform of the F1 Esports Series and crowned Brendon Leigh as the first official F1 Esports World Champion. RANK 3 F1 2019 It's not just the updated visuals and HUD that brought F1 2019 to the podium of our ranking. The introduction of Formula 2 cars brought a whole new dimension into the game. To be honest, the "story" of the career mode did not really deserve its name. But being able to work your way to the premier class through Formula 2 was super fun. Gameplay-wise, Codemasters used the good foundations of their previous games and fine-tuned them in F1 2019, making it the most complete simulation of the franchise to that point. RANK 2 F1 2010 The first Codemasters F1 game for PC, Xbox and PlayStation was a banger straight ahead. F1 2010 felt natural, the cars sounded awesome and the dynamic weather system was a novelty for F1 games. The gameplay was right on point, both for wheel and gamepad users. Overall, F1 2010 was just way ahead of its time. By including driver interviews, Codemasters also managed to give the career mode more depth and built the foundation for all following iterations of the game mode. For multiplayer action, online lobbies also worked quite well and better than in most of the game's successors. RANK 1 F1 2020 It might seem boring to crown the latest game the best, but in this case there is no doubt. F1 games have never been closer to reality than F1 2020. The game was even developed using feedback from real F1 race engineers. With My Team, Codemasters introduced possibly the most popular game mode ever featured in an F1 game. In combination with driver ratings, F2 drivers and a volatile driver market, F1 2020 offers the most extensive career mode ever. The game is also the best-rated F1 game by the public, reaching a Metascore of 88%. F1 2020 truly is the pinnacle of Codemasters' franchise.

From releases for Nintendo Wii to proper racing simulations. We rank all Codemasters F1 games!

Photo credit: Codemasters / Steam

Codemasters has released twelve iterations of F1 games since purchasing the license in 2009. The series clearly had its ups and downs. But what were the most disappointing games released by the British developer? Which games still spark joy today? Find out in our ranking gallery:

Which F1 game by Codemasters is your favorite? Tweet us your opinion @overtake_gg!

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Maik Jahn
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Born and raised close to the Nürburgring.