As we approach the end of April, we’re still waiting for EA to reveal F1 23. With the recent closed beta announcement, an official reveal should be just around the corner.
One of the biggest questions surrounding F1 23 is whether this year’s F1 game will launch on last-gen platforms as well as PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. EA’s Need for Speed Unbound skipped PS4 and Xbox One, but the publisher has now confirmed F1 23 won’t continue this trend.
F1 23 confirmed for PS4 and Xbox One
In a Tweet encouraging players to sign up for the F1 23 closed beta, EA has confirmed F1 23 will come to PS4 and Xbox One as well as current-gen formats.
“Players across all platforms, including Xbox One and PlayStation 4, are encouraged to register interest in this Closed Beta test,” the post reads.
This is the first official confirmation that F1 23 won't abandon PS4 and Xbox One, though an Xbox game store page also listed F1 23 for Xbox One as well as Xbox Series X|S. It will come as a relief to PS4 and Xbox One players who won’t miss out on this year’s F1 game.
The PS4 and Xbox One still have strong player bases, so it makes sense to release F1 23 on older formats to maximise sales. This is nothing unusual from EA as the final games released on last-gen formats tend to be annual sports titles.
Will the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S games be compromised?
However, sticking with last-gen formats raises concerns that F1 23 will be compromised on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The original PS4 and Xbox One turn ten years old this year.
Resources poured into the last-gen games could have been used to improve F1 23’s visuals and physics and utilise current-gen hardware.
F1 23 will be the third F1 game released on current-gen formats. At this stage, Codemasters’ F1 series desperately needs an engine and physics upgrade as the graphics are starting to look dated and F1 drivers have complained about the driving physics.
With F1 23 now slated for PS4 and Xbox One, this is unlikely to happen. We may have to wait until F1 24 for the series to get a complete revamp.
Release date
We’re still waiting to find out the F1 23 release date. Codemasters’ F1 games are traditionally released in late June or early July, so we’re expecting F1 23 to follow the same pattern.
Given that F1 22 was announced on 21 April, an official F1 23 reveal could be days, or even hours, away.