Codemasters' F1 Games ranked from worst to best

 

  Codemasters have held the Formula 1 video game license from 2009 all the way to the present day. 

  An F1 fan's equivalent of the FIFA or NBA 2K games, Codemasters and now EA are expected to deliver a good Formula 1 game year in and year out. The standard for that being immersive and useful features, a good handling model that will mimic how the real life drivers feel when they drive the car while at the same time not driving casual players away, as well as a fun experience to race with friends or alone in single player modes like career.

 Codies have had some F1 games which have hit the mark, while some have been catastrophic and were met with negativity from players.

  Here are the F1 games released from Codemasters, and EA, ranked from worst to best:

16. F1 2009

  This game was Codies' first go at making an F1 game, and it shows. Very blatantly. 

  Only released on the Nintendo Wii and Playstation Portable, the graphics of this game feel like you're playing a game from 2000. Wacky handling and physics where turning the car is overkill half of the time. You won't know if the grip will be there with you on all corners or not because you won't be able to tell and the AI aren't really that great.

  Though it could be excused for being on consoles that are not ideal for gaming, other games released on the same consoles that year would prove otherwise. Gran Turismo and PES 2009 were both also released on the Playstation Portable and are generally more well received and liked by players of that time.

  

  Thankfully, no other game from the franchise will come as worse as this.

15. F1 2014

  After the highs of F1 2012 and F1 2013, Codemasters had momentum to carry over to 2014. With the new regulations and console gens with the Xbox One and Playstation 4 opening up potential to revamp the game from its handling model, menus, graphics, or features. 

  It would be a challenge to do that, and they showed that they couldn't take it on. Not instantly.

  What fans got however, was a copy paste of F1 2013. Same menus, same career mode, same gameplay and everything. The only difference were the cars and engine sounds that can only be compared to rubbing a balloon while scratching your nails on a chalkboard. Even the handling wasn't that great, with a generally wonky feeling and not a pleasant game to play.

  All in all, a bland and uninspiring ripoff of their own game with major step ups needed to be done for the following year.

14. F1 2015

  All the revamps that were hoped for 2014 were done for 2015. Though for some reason, it removed a lot of the game's features.

  Career mode, a core mode in any sports game regardless of year or console gen is not in this game. With no multi season modes even with the real drivers, the most players could experience was a single-player championship season.

  Multiplayer would prove to be no better, with this installment being notorious and commonly laughed at for having a lot of bugs. Don't believe me? Just go onto YouTube and search "F1 2015 Glitches" and there will be hours of content to delve into.

  The bugs and glitches wouldn't be the funniest part of this game. With the real funny part being that they knew that F1 2014 wasn't really a particularly good game that they just introduced a 2014 season mode into the game. So really, this game is F1 2014/15.

  The only positives were that the graphics received a step up, as well as the fact that it gave fans the iconic and nostalgic F1 YouTuber Championship series, though that didn't have much to do with the game itself.

  Another positive is that the immersion is worked on, with a new broadcast feature playing before and after races with some animations on the post-race podium still being used to this day. Though, that could be a testament to how it's barely been worked on since.

  Overall, F1 2015 was a trainwreck that made players go back and play F1 2013, or even 2014 due to the core elements of any sports game being absent.

13. F1 22

- Handling was a nightmare that people would cheat on the game for the cars to feel driveable

- Supercars sucked, didnt feel real

- bug-filled

- even some cars weren't right for a few months like red bull colour.. how do they mess it up

  There's a common theme with new regulations in the real-life Formula 1 season correlating to an underwhelming F1 game.

  With the real 2022 cars bringing more downforce and heavier cars which results in more grip, F1 22 brought the opposite. Players would find themselves with massive wheelspin even in 4th gear, which is usually a gear where it's safe to just go full throttle.

  The grip was so bad that some pro F1 league racers would result in cheating. With a notorious case happening in the F1 Creator Series and champion Jarno Opmeer accusing fellow competitor Thomas Ronhaar of using "grip hacks" to improve his performance. Though it would be disproven next game when eSports was held on LAN which is cheat-proof and he won a race and silenced the doubters.

  A core feature is F1 life, though it wasn't particularly useful to anything. Supercars were added in the game but you couldn't do much with it, only exhibition runs and time trial laps were all you could do though most players would love to race their friends with it.

  Even some of the aesthetics weren't correct, with the Red Bull dark blue being in pale and light blue for 3 to 4 months before the sports update changed that.

  All in all, a modern bomb that Codemasters will never want to replicate again in the future and has to listen to feedback more often from players.

12. F1 Race Stars

  If I could rank this game at number 1, I would. Take this as an honourable mention. 

  A fun break from the realistic expectations of the usual yearly games, F1 Race Stars serves as a Mario Kart like game in the franchise.

  Cartoon graphics with fun gameplay features such as powers like being able to slow your competitor down or cover your screen or even giving yourself a speed boost.

  Fictional tracks with twisty turns and jumps through places you wouldn't expect to see an F1 car at, this game is a very fun game to play with friends or even against AI.

  This ranking would honestly be higher if Codemasters opted to make it a side game from the normal games, updating the countries of the tracks as well as cars and drivers to the current years so that the more casual F1 fans will be able to play it to this day. But we can't all have nice things.

  All in all, a good game to play with your friends and goof around but impossible to get unless it's from a key site as it was taken off the Steam store and really, it should make a return along with all the old titles.

11. F1 2011

  The first thing that would come to mind when you think of F1 2011 would be the iconic menu theme that lingers in all the players' minds til this day.

  A good follow-up from F1 2010 with many similarities to it's predecessor, a fun nostalgic game to play now especially to experience the iconic Istanbul circuit that many fans wish to be back as a permanent fixture on the calendar.

 Graphics wise, it's a small step down from 2010 but it still holds up well on its own.

 Overall, a neat and solid F1 game but it's too similar to 2010 that it doesn't stand well on it's own and though it's not bad, it is not necessarily better than the 10 installments above it.

10. F1 2016

  A huge step up from 2015, F1 2016 serves as a more baseline F1 game and lays all the foundations for future games to come.

  The reintroduction of career mode sees a massive overhaul. With characters like your agent Emma or head of R&D Chris, guiding you along your career and have become iconic figures in the F1 game community. 

  R&D is introduced as well as the traditional 10 season long career that we are all accustomed to playing now, F1 2016 put all the groundwork for future installments to come.

  The handling itself is also niche, rewarding confidence while also punishing overconfidence makes it a joy to play.

  All in all, F1 2016 is the first chapter of the book of the modern F1 games as many of its features would be refined and worked on for later installments.

9. F1 2017

  Further expanding on what F1 2016 built, F1 2017 was also a huge step up graphically and gameplay wise in terms of the new and wider 2017 cars. Though the handling may feel slightly sloppy and the engine sounds are not really accurate to real life.

  An exciting feature from this game is that classic cars are back! Unlike F1 2013 where it was mostly 80s cars, there are different generations of cars ranging from 80s, 90s and even 2000s.

  The wide selection of cars as well as the ability to play it multiplayer with your friends and race with different years' cars all in one race. Though it must be in the same decade which might get frustrating when the 1998 McLaren easily outclasses all of the early 90s cars.

  Career mode was also 

  All round, a fairly solid game that builds on what F1 2016 was setting up for future installments to do an looking back, it may not be as good as the current game but for it's time it was breathtaking.

8. F1 2010

  When compared to it's predecessor, F1 2010 looks like a gift from the heavens. Step ups all over the place in terms of graphics, handling, features and overall feel of the game that just makes you think that F1 2009 was just a throwaway game for them to spend time developing 2010.

  An immersive career mode means that you get to look at a paddock and hang out in the motorhome with your agent. 

  The in-game HUD is also relatively clean and simple to understand. The pre-race cutscene where it flashes between different cars on the grid is just nostalgic, the vibrant and warm colour palette of this game just stands out from the rest and gives it a very good feel.

  Though some things like graphics during night-time where it just looks too dark and changing fuel from the HUD would be difficult to navigate as a beginner holds it back, it is still a very nostalgic game to play even if you've never played F1 or knew F1 during that time.

7. F1 2021

  The last game with the lightweight cars before F1 shifted into the new heavy ground effect cars of today, F1 2021 was a shaky game that has it's redeeming qualities.

  The big talking point would be the desync bugs that made the game unplayable in multiplayer and it took over a month or two to fix that famously left PSGL commentator George Morgan speechless when it happened in the middle of a competitive league race. 

  

  This bug meant that any league racing or eSports or just general racing with friends could not be done for about a third of the game's cycle. This is also a negative when multiplayer is where a good portion of the player base lies and some streamers' content revolves around playing open lobbies with viewers. A catastrophe for Codemasters and put a bad look on their game.

  One of the good factors though were the handling model that was expanded upon it's predecessor, though it wasn't really as good due to the high amount of understeer you would get. But it was still manageable and had a good feel.

  Career mode was also worked on and a subtle aspect was the simplification, yet more in-depth R&D that was easier to navigate and understand than the previous system using the tree. 

  A feature was also implemented where you could take over any of the drivers from the real season in the middle of it with the real up-to-date championship standings so that it would feel that you are jumping into the real F1 season midway through or right after the real-life race which gives more immersion and realism to the player. It was also fun to use as a predictor for the heated championship battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in real life.

  A key feature in this game would be the introduction of Braking Point, an all-new story mode revolving around the young hotshot Aiden Jackson racing with his veteran team-mate Casper Akermann who have to humble their antagonist Devon Butler, who is ironically a fan-favourite as many think he's the only one with some standout character qualities.

  All in all, F1 2021 wasn't necessarily a bad game but it wasn't standout good either with bugs holding it back. But as the standard for F1 games are increasing, Codemasters' most mediocre still holds up better than their past games.

  

6. F1 2019

  A very key game for what we know currently, F1 2019 introduced various familiar features that we are familiar with such as feeder series F2, driver transfers mid or post-season in career mode, and even custom multiplayer liveries which would be a prelude of what was to come in the next game. 

  The mini story involving the F2 season at the beginning of career mode was also a fun addition to the game as your character is set against the familiar characters such as Devon Butler and it made the game all the more immersive. Which also begs the question as to why Codemasters didn't make it so that the Braking Point story mode in future games just involve your own custom character as the protagonist.

  Overall, a very center piece of the puzzle which is the modern F1 games, F1 2019 is a modern classic that sets up what we all know and love today.

5. F1 23

  Onto the top 5 now, and I've gone with the most recent installment of this franchise.

  F1 23 is a modern classic with the redone handling model feeling refreshing from F1 22's misfire, feeling more realistic and grippy while the force feedback is as responsive as ever meaning that it is easier to detect a slide from your car and save it which gives the player more confidence to go flat out and have good fun driving.

  F1 World was also a step up from F1 Life, with single player events offering scenario modes where you are put as a real-life driver hoping to finish the race in a certain position, or hop onto a time trial event and attempt to beat a time that real-life drivers such as Verstappen, Norris and Leclerc have set at specific tracks. 

  The tempting part about that are the rewards, you are able to earn and equip helmets that were used by the drivers that you've beaten such as Verstappen's Japanese, Miami and Dutch GP helmets along with his golden championship helmet. Norris' Chrome British GP helmet and Leclerc's Italian and United States GP helmets. There were also more such as Perez's Mexican GP helmet and Magnussen's helmet.

  If that wasn't enough, you could also beat scenario events to earn real-life liveries such as the Red Bull, Alfa Romeo, McLaren and Williams special liveries from various races onto your multiplayer or MyTeam car. 

  These aesthetic rewards may please fans as some of the customizable helmets or liveries may look out of place when used in career mode against other drivers but with this, it just makes the player feel more at home when playing the game and would want to even use their favourite drivers' or teams' designs when racing in multiplayer.

  In multiplayer however, there have still been ongoing bugs from previous games that have not been fixed and disconnects may occur slightly more frequently, but the bugs are quite easy to get past.

  All in all, F1 23 is a relatively fun and strong game for the single-players to immerse themselves in and the cars are not at all hard to drive so it's a good game for leisure or even competitively as you would want to push the seemingly simple handling to the limit. Codemasters can use this game as good momentum to carry on over to their next installment, F1 24.

4. F1 2018

  A more polished and refined edition of 2017, F1 2018 is the first game with the new Halo but it also offers a lot more than F1 2017. The handling is better than 2017, which was not all that accurate to the real life cars and the UI and HUD have been improved to give it more of a TV broadcast feel from real life.

  In racing games, even the littlest of improvements can make a world of difference to the playing experience. And F1 2018 is just that, with further immersion added to career mode with reporter Claire asking you interview questions after every qualifying race which fans love or hate. Though that had been scrapped in recent games. But it was fun to poke fun of while it lasted with some questions being rather unfair.

  F1 2018 is one of the finest games in the franchise, with a fun handling model and a career mode that won't bore you easily. It's earned it's spot in the top 5.

  

3. F1 2012

  A major improvement over F1 2010 and F1 2011, F1 2012 serves as one of Codemasters' most well-rounded games. With a career mode that helps you immerse yourself as a driver with features such as news articles including the iconic "Can Anybody Stop Vettel?" at the start of every first season, to the young drivers' test that you have to part-take in.

  A special game mode was included in this installment, with Champions Mode. With six world champions on the grid in 2012, Codemasters took full advantage of that and implemented a game mode where each of the six champions would be a video game boss that you have to beat as their team-mate.

  Taking on Kimi at Spa, a track he is the king of, Lewis at Brazil where he snatched the title from Massa last minute and many more which is what makes the mode iconic and fun.

  A fun to drive handling model which may cater more to controller players than wheel players, F1 2012 serves as a fun nostalgic trip to one of F1's best seasons and at the time, it was enough to satisfy casual players and as esports wasn't a big thing in that day so fun was more of the focus rather than actual simulation.

2. F1 2013

  Expanding on what made F1 2012 great, F1 2013 surpasses this with a brand new side to the game that had never been seen much before and made the game better which is of course, classic cars.

  Unlike other F1 games like the new ones, the classic mode does not only consist of classic cars, but classic drivers and tracks! So you have the chance to drive around Brands Hatch, Jerez, Estoril and even the old Imola circuit with the old and new gen F1 cars, an experience that is only offered in this game.

  The career mode and normal modes are mostly the same and the praise can be carried over from F1 2012, but the amazing classic mode that also includes the iconic Murray Walker's narration in the menus is what gives it the edge over it's predecessor F1 2012.

1. F1 2020

  Imagine this, it's lockdown in 2020. You load up F1 2020 ready to play to pass a tumultuous time. You can either go for Career Mode, with an all-new and long-awaited MyTeam career mode where you take charge and create your own team! Or you could go to multiplayer and play with your friends in either the F1 cars, F2 2019 or 2020 cars, and even the various classic cars ranging from the 70s all the way to 2010.

  Feature full, good fun with friends and an amazing handling model, F1 2020 is the perfect all-round Formula 1 game that also holds fond memories to many including myself.

  F1 2020 is a perfect F1 game as it's handling is a good balance between simulation and arcade, a fan-favourite career mode, UI that does not feel like it's doing too much as well as a variety of cars across different eras of Formula 1 to choose and drive from which makes the game ever-exciting and not dull.

  Side note, it's the only Formula 1 game to release before the real season started!