F1 23 puts Devon Butler back in the car, and then it takes him out of it. The story mode is the reason to play this 2023 entry.
Trailer, via EA SPORTS F1.
Braking Point 2 Returns With Devon Butler
F1 23 is the sixteenth game in Codemasters’ F1 series and carries the official licence for the 2023 Formula One and Formula 2 championships. It came out on 16 June 2023 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Buyers who pre-ordered the Champions Edition got in three days early, on 13 June.
The headline addition is Braking Point 2, the sequel to the story mode from F1 2021. Aiden Jackson and Devon Butler, the protagonist and antagonist of the first story, are now teammates at the fictional Konnersport Butler Global Racing Team. Casper Akkerman, the retired veteran, returns as Callie Mayer’s mentor in the 2022 F2 season and becomes Konnersport’s team principal in 2023.
Callie Mayer is the new lead. She wins the 2021 F2 championship with Trident and becomes the first woman to take the title. Emer Kenny voices her. Jamie Chadwick, a three-time W Series champion and Williams development driver, worked with the writing team on Mayer’s story, as Codemasters detailed in a 22 May 2023 deep dive.
A Tinnitus Diagnosis Ends Devon Butler’s Season
The plot earns its place. Butler ignores team orders in Hungary, loses focus, and crashes into the barriers at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. He quits Konnersport and retires on the spot. Akkerman then reveals Butler was diagnosed with tinnitus before the season and hid it. Davidoff Butler, Devon and Callie’s father and the CEO of sponsor Butler Global, threatens to pull funding unless the team finishes fifth or higher. Akkerman signs Callie as Devon’s replacement.
That is a real arc, not a cutscene reel.
On track, F1 23 overhauls the driving physics and adds a 35% race distance option. Red flags return for the first time since F1 2014. The UI has been rebuilt to match how a modern race broadcast looks. F1 World expands the F1 Life feature from F1 22 and ties ranked, esports, offline and online modes together.
Nigel Mansell and Jamie Chadwick Join the Icons Pack
The My Team Icons pack adds 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell, Chadwick, former Williams driver Pastor Maldonado and former Sauber and Caterham driver Kamui Kobayashi. Pre-ordering also unlocked Braking Point 2 characters as icons.
The roster churn is worth noting. Nyck de Vries shipped in the initial game and was removed after Daniel Ricciardo replaced him. Liam Lawson, who deputised for Ricciardo for five races after Ricciardo broke his hand at the Dutch Grand Prix, does not appear at all.
What F1 23 Gets Right
Braking Point 2 is the part that matters. Codemasters built a story about a driver hiding an illness, a sister taking his seat, and a sponsor holding the team hostage, and it lands because the racing around it is solid. The 35% distance option is the quiet win. It makes a full season reachable for players who do not have ninety minutes per race.
The de Vries and Lawson situation is noise. Roster updates are a licensing chore, not a design choice, and no one should judge the game on them.
F1 23 is the best the series has been.
KEY FACTS BOX
- Release date: 16 June 2023 (13 June with Champions Edition pre-order)
- Developer: Codemasters
- Publisher: EA Sports
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
- Series: Sixteenth F1 entry
- Score: 8.8/10 (IGDB critic aggregate from 5 outlets)
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