F1 23 has finally been announced, but what will F1 23 multiplayer hold for racers everywhere?
Codemasters has had a long and successful run with their annual F1 titles, but that slowed last year as F1 22 rather let down players.
Its similarity to previous years and lack of development left players a bit let down. Luckily, it looks like F1 23 will shake things up with an expanded multiplayer mode and a new safety system to encourage clean racing.
Here's everything we know so far about F1 23 multiplayer.
Latest news - F1 World revealed
Thanks to the latest F1 23 Deep Dive, we got an in-depth look at this year's F1 23 multiplayer. F1 World serves as a central hub where players can access multiplayer and single-player modes, view daily, weekly and seasonal events and unlock car upgrades.
We also got a closer look at how your decisions will affect the Braking Point 2 storyline.
F1 23 multiplayer
As always, F1 23 is expected to have a thriving multiplayer experience.
While the quality of your opposition is never assured in open lobbies, F1’s ranked lobbies can usually keep you away from the chaos once you make it through the early tiers.
F1 23's multiplayer will see some significant changes to improve the experience.
New safety rating system
F1 23 introduces a new safety rating system known as License Levels. Similar to iRacing, this will encourage clean racing while also matching you with like-minded players for more competitive online racing.
Clean racing in offline and online events will see you advance through ranks A-D. Higher ranks open more realistic race styles. For example, collisions with other drivers in multiplayer are disabled in Rank D, but Rank A races will have full damage enabled.
License Levels can be switched off in custom multiplayer games, or you can restrict online events to particular license levels.
F1 World
F1 22 introduced F1 Life, an online multiplayer hub where you can visit other players' hubs and show off your supercar collection to other players.
F1 23 will expand on F1 Life with a new mode called F1 World. Inspired by the real-world calendar, this new hub incorporates multiple game modes including Time Trial and Grand Prix. Within F1 World, you can compete in the F1 Esports series as well as F1 23's revamped ranked multiplayer mode.
Revamped ranked multiplayer introduces new division system
F1 World also incorporates a revamped ranked multiplayer mode with a new division-based system new to F1 23.
Similar to FIFA's Ultimate Team, drivers are paired into groups of 100. At the end of each week, players at the top of the leaderboard will be promoted to the next division, working their way up to the Elite Division. Conversely, players who fall behind may get demoted to the division below.
The Elite Division acts as a global leaderboard showcasing the top 100 F1 players in the world. The higher the division you’re in, the better rewards you’ll receive for each event. The most notable perk is a Podium Pass XP bonus, with players in the Elite Division receiving a 20% boost.
Crossplay
F1 22 introduced crossplay multiplayer for the first time in the series. This meant players could race together across last- and current-gen consoles.
Codemasters has confirmed that F1 23 will also have crossplay, but it's not clear if it will be available at launch or in a post-release update like last year.
Crossplay is enabled when matchmaking, but division groups are made up of drivers on your chosen platform. In the Elite division, you can compare player rankings on the global crossplay leaderboard as well as your platform.
New events
F1 22 experimented somewhat with a limited-time event called the Elimination Event. This race didn’t utilise penalties applied after the race.
Instead, it slowed drivers down automatically for penalties, while every 40 seconds the car in last place was cut from the field like a racing version of Squid Game.
It was a chaotic and thrilling mode that was a true breath of fresh air to the online experience and it is one we hope Codemasters makes permanent for F1 23.
Lobby stability
For the last few years, F1 games have launched in a less-than-stable condition for multiplayer racers.
This has been a huge frustration for leagues in particular, and this is where we want to see some big improvements.
As Formula 1 grows in popularity, so does F1 Esports and elite leagues like PSGL. Watching desyncs and lobby crashes in front of thousands of viewers is a miserable experience for everyone in the F1 community, and having this fixed ought to be a priority for Codemasters, EA, and even F1.
League support
Speaking of leagues, it would be great to see more tools provided in-game for leagues to operate. In-game calendar and standings for your league would be a terrific touch for managers and drivers alike.
Further support and tools for players here, along with visibility for those that want to leave open lobbies behind, would be a wonderful addition to the game and cater to the players that pour hours of time into the F1 game both on and off track.
Release date
F1 23's release date is now confirmed. Players who get the Standard Edition can go racing on 16 June. This is earlier than usual, as previous Codemasters F1 games arrived in late June or early July.
Pre-ordering the Champions Edition will get you on the grid three days earlier on 13 June.
As for platforms, F1 23 is launching on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC via EA App, Epic Games Store, and Steam.