Formula 1 fans are loving the start of the new season, and with that excitement comes anticipation for the F1 2022 game.
While new cars, a calendar shake-up, and new drivers have fans excited, we are already getting hyped for the F1 2022 game because of one simple reason... Crossplay.
GRID Legends holds the key
F1 fans have long wanted crossplay in the title. While FPS titles like Warzone keep lobbies busy by combining the players on every platform into one enormous pool.
That doesn't happen for racing games, and so multiplayer lobbies can quickly become empty even in super popular games like the Formula 1 titles.
This is perhaps why Codemasters is bringing crossplay to its next release, GRID Legends. With Day 1 multiplayer availability between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC players it should knit players together nicely and ensure that there is always a race players can jump into.
This will be the first Codemasters game to launch with crossplay, after DIRT 5 added it in a post-release update. Hopefully it's a signal of things to come for their big annual release, F1 2022 which is expected next summer.
Will F1 crossplay happen
The fact that Codemasters is continually exploring crossplay with its titles is massive, and one that hopefully will continue with F1 2022.
There are barriers to this of course. Not only does it need the approval of Formula 1 themselves but also PlayStation and Microsoft. While crossplay on smaller titles is allowed, would a flagship annual franchise be allowed to let players connect?
There's also some discrepancy in performance between PC and console. PC players tend to benefit from a pace advantage over those on console due to higher levels of traction and of course the possibility for higher framerates. This is something Codemasters would have to solve for if they were to put all their players into a single pool.
Of course, things like F1 Esports would remain a PC-only competition, but crossplay could allow leagues like PSGL to bring their elite tiers together and allow beginners to more easily find clean and newbie-friendly races.
With co-op career also adding to the multiplayer layers of the F1 game, crossplay is becoming more and more of a necessity for the franchise. Of course that doesn't mean it will happen, but we are very positive that it could be on its way.
F1 2022 release date
While unconfirmed just yet, we do know F1 2022 will be coming.
Codemasters usually aims for an early-mid July release date for their F1 games, giving them a chance to get real-life data to create team performance and update their handling models. It also gives F1 fans something to fill the summer break with.