F1 2021 Reviews
'F1 2021' continues to grow on what 2020 built. It's a technical, story driver, fast, and fun ride. It's a continuation into a franchise that has become what any F1 fan, or honestly racing fan in general has been wanting for years.
For an annual release, Codemasters manages to top themselves year over year, and this time is no different. After being bought by EA, I can only see positives by this relationship, and shows a promising future for the F1 series. The story of Braking Point is an absolute highlight, the return of fan-favorite Two Player Career mode is a delight, career mode is as fun as ever, and makes for a wonderful package. With raytracing, DLSS, and other next-generation features, F1 2021 feels truly fresh and exciting, like it hasn’t been before.
Much like the sport itself, the driving is as impressive as ever. But the worries about management's business practices endure, too. Fundamentally, F1 2021 is worth it for the handling model.
For anyone who has even the slightest interest in Formula 1 racing – and thanks to the Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive there may be many with their curiosity piqued – F1 2021 will become their new sports gaming pastime. Catering to both casual newcomers and the most exacting simulation-seekers, F1 2021 offers a mind-blowing amount of polished and entertaining content, whether your preference is to race alone or with others. With the new Braking Point single-player story and improvements and expansions to just about everything else, F1 2021 is that rare instance of an annual sports game that has managed to continue to get better with every release.
The future of the F1 series is cloudy right now. EA is the new boss, but its influence probably won’t be seen until next year’s game. F1 2021 adds a few new fixins to the strong foundation of last year’s game, along with the misfire that is Braking Point. Having the option to add dynamic dramatic events to the existing Career mode would be preferable to bland pre-rendered cutscenes that come with Braking Point. There's a lot of fun to be had with F1 2021, even if a true next-gen leap may not come along until next year.
An entertaining and surprisingly effective new story mode heads up an otherwise modest refresh for Codemasters' official series.
Another superlative simulation of the Formula One world, now with an enjoyable story mode too.
F1 2021 creates an experience that justifies my desire for a PS5 and Xbox Series X, and if titles are going to start hitting this level of graphical fidelity and depth, we need to buckle in because the ride is going to be an incredible one.
F1 2021 is one of the broadest depictions of the sport ever created, building on familiar cars and handling alongside returning multiplayer, esports, and My Team career modes, while the new Braking Point story gives you a taste of the teammate drama you loved to watch (and mock) in Netflix's Drive to Survive.
F1 2021 embraces next-gen unlocking performances and introducing themes consoles had never met before, such as 120fps and ray tracing. On top of that, it improves its content offer with new modes and retains its successful, nuanced simularcade driving experience - and that, despite some old flaw, makes for one of the best racing games around.
Review in Italian | Read full review
F1 2021 is the complete package. Braking Point is an excellent single-player experience, driving is perfection, and there's so much to do. It really does have everything, regardless of whether you are a fan of the sport or not.
With a bunch of smart additions, F1 2021 is a cracking simulator for both die-hard fans and newcomers. The Braking Point story mode doesn't have a particularly compelling narrative, but it's a brilliant gateway into the motorsport and a primer for the wider game. Two Player Career, the Expert driving style, Real Season Start, and more make this the most customisable and accessible iteration yet, allowing you to play how you like across the game's excellent career options. Of course, the driving itself seals the deal, and it's a winner on that front. This is a no-brainer for F1 fans, but it's also a fantastic entry for newbie drivers to start with.
F1 2021 is a great racing game, specially once you move into the car and feel the excellent handling and the great performance. Modes (specially Braking Point and classic content) could have been better, but you will feel like Hamilton and Verstappen racing each other for the victory.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
F1 2021 is the apex point of these last three editions. The simcade gameplay is refined at its best and the new game modes are solid, impressive and fun. In the best F1 year to date since long time, we have the best F1 game ever.
Review in Italian | Read full review
An excellent game on the track that presents Braking Point, its story mode, as a great novelty, and becomes the worst section of the whole title. If the idea is to keep this new mode, there is a lot of work to do. At the moment, it tastes like a precooked story, made in a hurry and without affection. Nothing to do with the rest of the proposals, which introduce us fully in the F1 world. If you come for the races, it is a spectacular videogame, but if you come for the story mode, be cautious.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
F1 2021 is, without a doubt, Codemasters’ best F1 game to date. It’s just a shame that coronavirus hasn’t made its career mode quite as accurate as some might hope it to be, and some bits here and there seem to be lacking a bit of polish. Still, if you’re open to look past such issues, you’ll find a deep, rewarding racing experience that’s highly customisable. And if you delve into Braking Point, you’ll also find a story mode that genuinely adds to the package. Whether you’re an ardent F1 fan or not, F1 2021 is likely to be a contender for the accolade of best racing game of the year, that’s for sure.
F1 developers have perfected their formula in the past 4 to 5 years and F1 2021 didn’t really need to make a lot of changes but the two player career mode is a welcomed addition but the returning story mode is not as good as the rest of the package and needs better writing and acting for future versions. The best asset here is the amount tweaks you can make to difficulty and simulation settings, making it a great choice for both causal and professional racing game fans.
Review in Persian | Read full review
F1 2021 is not the game that will convince those unsatisfied of Codemasters’ approach to the pinnacle of motorsport, as most of the changes seen in this title are iterative. Braking Point, however, is almost worth the price of admission alone, despite feeling slightly undercooked in some aspects: the narrative, the presentation and tension are truly great, and Codemasters’ first attempt at delivering an actual story mode is worthy of praise. Also, a long list of quality-of-life changes and further customizations offered to players makes F1 2021 perhaps the most accessible and complete Formula 1 experience by Codemasters thus far. The jump to the new generation of consoles isn’t particularly noticeable, aside from the 120fps mode, but Electronic Arts’ long-running expertize in sports games is starting to show its fruits on Codemasters’ 13th attempt to bring Formula 1 to consoles, after the British studio’s acquisition by the American colossus. It’s an exciting Formula 1 season, and the future of the videogame version of the sport is in excellent hands.
While Codemasters seems to have added a good amount of content to F1 2021, it still feels like the same experience at its core.
Codemasters' best Formula One game so far adds an excellent story mode, along with a raft of new tweaks and options to make it more accessible.