F1 2016 officially announced; races onto PS4, Xbox One & PC this summer

Codemasters has officially announced F1 2016, the next instalment in its high-speed racing series heading to PS4, Xbox One and PC this summer.

This year’s game promises to include “the most immersive career mode ever featured in the franchise”, allowing players to select an avatar and sign a contract with any F1 team before working their way up the racing ladder. Based on their performance, players will be able to sign new contracts with different teams, or develop their favourite team “into a championship contender”.

The Safety Car is being re-introduced, too, with the Virtual Safety Car also set to make its debut. A new street circuit set in Baku, Azerbaijan will make its first appearance too, as will a new ‘Time of Day Editor’ which Codemasters says will let players “dramatically customise the visuals of the race experience”.

A day one Limited Edition, meanwhile, will offer an exclusive “Career Booster” DLC pack, although details on that have yet to be revealed. You can check out the game’s box art below, or take a look at the first screenshots of F1 2016 through here.

“F1 2016 is a massive step forward for the franchise,” said Codemasters’ principal games designer Lee Mather. “The new career mode sits at the heart of the game and allows gamers to create their own legend over a career that can span for up to a massive ten seasons.

“Beyond improving upon the fastest and most thrilling on-track racing experience in gaming, F1 2016 uniquely offers the drama and vehicle development that goes on behind the scenes. A rich car upgrade system is fully integrated into a new and deep practice development programme which mirrors the tests carried out by the teams in real life.” 

Details on the upgrade system have yet to be revealed, although Codemasters says that the game’s “hospitality areas”, which function as the game’s hub, will let players “work with their Research and Development Engineer and Player Agent to develop their progress both on and off the track”.

“The career mode, together with the re-introduction of the Safety Car, the first inclusion of the Virtual Safety Car and a number of other unannounced improvements means that F1 2016 will have more new features than any other year of the franchise,” Mather adds.

A release date for F1 2016 has yet to be confirmed, but expect to see it race into stores later this summer.

Source: Codemasters