Electronic Arts and Codemasters have released more details about F1 25, specifically around the many updates to the games core systems, tracks and beyond. So, let’s get to it.

There are a lot of updates to this year’s release, graphically, technically and more, but perhaps there are a few that will really matter to players, like the Decal Editor. In past games players could add decals to their cars, but the placement was quite restrictive, that is no longer the case.

The new system will let you place down you decal, but now you can move it around, rotate it and even scale it. Now there are still only a limited number of slots available for your car, so you can’t be showing every decal in the game, but now you can have more fun with how you place them. Sponsor decals are also getting slightly updated, as they will no longer be flat colours, there is again more options. You can also choose the font and colour of numbers, so if you have a bright green car, you can insert some neon purple numbers, ok maybe not that combination, but you won’t have to worry about boring black numbers messing up your look.

Players will also now be able to enjoy the special edition liveries at any time, which is very different to how they were offered in the past. There are requirements still, the liveries that are added to the game, when a real-world F1 team sports it, can only be used for that team’s car. That means you will not be able to take the Red Bull livery and apply it to your Mercedes car, just as would be the case in the real world.

Perhaps one of the weirdest enhancements is around engine noises, specifically for the My Team mode. In past games the car type determined your engine noise, which meant that every player had the same engine noise, as they all had the same car.

In F1 25, that is replaced with the noise of the engine you select, so if you have a McLaren engine, that will sound different say compared to a Ferrari engine.

It is now time to talk about the tracks, because there are a number of updates here, the first is that LIDAR scanning has been applied to 5 tracks, ensuring that each of the tracks is as authentic as you can get, until you drive on them yourself. It is so authentic that each of the LIDAR scans were taking on the same weekend as the actual Grand Prix, so many things will be in the same position, barriers are one such example.

The tracks that got the treatment this year are:

Bahrain
Imola
Melbourne
Miami
Suzuka

These include track surface shader improvements with more pronounced tyre and lock up marks, as well as physical changes based on other collected real-world data. In one instance, bumps that were present on Silverstone for F1 24, such as those on the Wellington straight and before Turn 1, have been smoothed out to better match the real-world surface.

It isn’t just about making the track have the same bumps and what not, as the LIDAR scanning also helps with everything around the racing surface. Yes, off the asphalt, LIDAR has helped make trees and foliage better match the species, placement, size, and shape of their real-life counterparts, with new additions such as cherry blossom trees added to Suzuka.

Another circuit related update this year is the addition of reverse tracks, yes F1 25 is following Mario Kart and offering the ability to drive around tracks in the opposite direction. Before you get all excited, there are only three tracks that will offer this:

Austria
Silverstone
Zandvoort

Now while Mario Kart offers a reverse mode, they just flip the track and call it a day, here it is quite different. The track is being treated as if it was an all new track, that means that the signs are going up in the right place, the driver models for AI are trained to drive on it, lights, trees and everything else are also in the right spot.

Pitlanes in particular required special attention. Now that you’ll now be entering from the exit, be sure to take care when merging on-track after making a stop. Plus, with the optimal racing line differing when racing in reverse, you’ll see that track surface wear lines and how drying lines form in the wet will have changed too.

There is a lot more to the game than what I have talked about above, there are updates to the Flashback system, path traced lighting on PC (also known as ray tracing), new cinematics, updated commentary, the ability to see your driver actually speak and more. F1 World is seeing some updates as well, in fact there is so much more, your best bet to understand it all is to read the official blog or you can check out the video below.

F1 25 is racing to release on May 31st for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. PC players can pick up the game via EA App, Steam and the Epic Game Store. For those willing to pay extra, you can get the game a few days earlier on May 28th with the Iconic Edition.