Top 5 Formula 1 Video Games

What Are The Most Popular Formula 1 Video Games?

1. F1 2020
2. F1 2013
3. Super Monaco GP
4. Formula 1 Grand Prix
5. iRacing

1. F1 2020

The 2020 installment of Codemasters’ Formula 1 series is easily one of the best and represented a huge step forward from previous games in the series. The presentation is slick and attempts to match the feeling and speed that drivers experience in their cars. The new “My Team” mode gives gamers a realistic F1 experience of creating a team and racing through a schedule to gain glory. Players can create a driver by selecting from over 40 faces and plenty of countries. F1 2020 is also a great game to pass around between friends, with its easy-to-learn controls and quick nature. Two newer editions of the game have been released by current parent studio Electronic Arts, but F1 remains a favorite with fans as recent updates have been largely visual with few changes to gameplay.

2. F1 2013

After finding success with the engine of F1 2012, the company took yet another step in the right direction with some long-awaited additions. The gameplay itself fixed bugs that had plagued previous installments of the game. The most significant addition was the classic content the developers added. For the first time in the game series, players had the opportunity to use legendary drivers and play on tracks from the 1980s with the cars of the era. This change gave the game much more depth and a welcome change of aesthetic if desired.

3. Super Monaco GP

This Formula 1 title from Sega in 1989 truly put the series on the map of sports gaming. Super Monaco GP was one of the pioneers of the first-person camera in racing games, which is now the norm. This innovation took so long to perfect because of the number of visual stimuli that needed to fit onto the screen while still allowing drivers to have a great view of the road and scenery. Despite this game not having any partnerships with the actual racing teams, it still found great success and is legendary to this day.

4. Formula One Grand Prix

Formula One Grand Prix, released in 1991, was a huge step in the evolution of Formula 1 gaming. This game, created by MicroProse, greatly advanced the realism of racing games. The presentation of the races puts you behind the wheel with a speedometer in front of you to manage how you race. With between-race commentators and footage of pit stops, this game moved the racing genre away from arcade-style and toward true racing simulation. Unlike Super Monaco GP, this game also had sponsorships from real companies.

5. iRacing

iRacing signals a significant technological advancement in both Formula 1 and racing games in general. This platform is the most realistic and esports-ready version of simulated racing. It is also not exclusive to Formula 1, as it has other types of car racing as well. While most of the people racing today are passionate about the sport, this experience could become mainstream if the price goes down. Gamers and racers have a variety of options to choose from when deciding how to race. iRacing has controls utilizing a mouse, keyboard, virtual reality, joysticks, and even a wheel and pedal set up for the people who want the most realistic experience. Professional race car drivers use iRacing as part of their training, using advanced training rigs as controllers. While the game itself is reasonably priced, the simulator rigs needed to play the game at the highest level represent a high cost of entry.

Honorable Mentions

Grand Prix 4

Released in June of 2002, Grand Prix 4 was developed by MicroProse, in partnership with Simergy, a company owned by Geoff Crammond, the game’s primary developer. Grand Prix 4 revolutionized the F1 gaming industry with its extreme realism and was billed by its creators as a faithful recreation of the 2001 Formula 1 World Championship. The game included all 17 racecourses featured in the real-life 2001 World Championship, as well as every participating team and driver. Unfortunately, the game was shut down and left without updates soon after its launch when MicroProse was disbanded by its parent company. However, Grand Prix 4 is well-loved by F1 gaming fans due to its incredible detail and accuracy.

F1 Career Challenge

Released by EA in 2003, F1 Career Challenge (called F1 Challenge '99-'02 in its Microsoft Windows version) is a game that covers the four most recent seasons of F1 prior to its release, which occurred between the years of 1999 and 2002. Like Grand Prix 4, the game contains 17 racetracks, also offering players 14 teams and 44 different cars to choose from. The racetracks are slightly different depending upon the year the game is set to, reflecting real-life changes to the courses between 1999 and 2002. The game also offers players detailed vehicle data to help them determine which car is optimal for each course, as well as realistic driving animation, pit crews, and other vital features.   

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