My thoughts on the ‘F1 26’ DLC Expansion after a day to think about it…
So hopefully by now you all know that there won’t be a new F1 game in 2026. Instead, 2026 will be a DLC expansion for the F125 game and we’ll be getting a new entry in the EA Sports F1 franchise in 2027. We broke that news to you yesterday. We discussed it a little bit. My initial reaction was basically summed up with, “Oh my days, wow, what?” Uh uh. And then, you know, a little bit of deliberation, but I said to you guys in that video that I wanted to go away and kind of let it marinate a little bit and let you guys also let me know what you were thinking in the comments below of that video yesterday. So today I’m talking through all the different topics that you guys have brought up in the comment section and kind of having a little bit of a town hall here about you know just discussing how this could go scenarios where people’s heads are at and where my head is at now having had a full further day to think about this jaw-dropping news because make no mistake this is massive like since 2010 we have always had an F1 game release every single year. So that for there to not be one um it is still actually setting in, you know, in terms of as a content creator as well. It makes next year very different in a way, but also not because I think the DLC for 2026, such a big year for Formula 1. It’s such a big change that I honestly think the DLC when it comes out will have the same level of interest as if it was a new F1 game because all the cars are so different. We’ve got new teams like Audi and Cadillac coming into the grid. Um, so it’s, as I alluded to in the video yesterday, I think this is a year that it was probably the best year to do this in terms of trying to keep interest and hype of the F1 game in a year where we’re not getting a full game. But let’s get into the reactions, my thought alto, but generally speaking from your guys’ reactions in the comments of the YouTube video. I did an Instagram reel and a Tik Tok basing off all the comments I’ve seen. Generally, it seems like a lot of people are saying that this is actually a W. This is a great great thing and that what most sports titles should really do like including EAFC, Madden, NFL, other sports games where is this cycle of maybe big game year update, big game year update, giving developers more time to make that big game. Um, and I said this in yesterday’s video, this is a big departure from EA’s ethos with the FC game. So, you’ve got to commend Code Masters and EA together for pitching. I I assume maybe Code Masters pitched the idea as as the as the actual developer to EA. Uh, and then they had a bit of back and forth, but you know, kudos that they came to an agreement of letting them do this and and going forwards with this plan and announcing it this early because like I said, it’s kind of mad that we now know like a party line, a top line about the 2027 game in 2025. Um, but you know, Cody’s internally have always tried to give themselves more time. You know, to this day, I still don’t think a majority of you guys know because it kind of gets lost in a big video like this, but I’ll say it again. Since like 2019, Code Masters as a studio, they’ve actually split themselves in two and one team will work on one game and the other will work on the following game. And we’ve had that pattern since 2019. So how this works is for example the team that made F1 2021 they were not the same team that then brought F122 they were busy making F123 and vice versa the team that made 22 then came back and made 24 and so and basically that’s how we were from 2019 I believe it was so in that way they basically gave themselves an internal two-year cycle even though to us we were getting a yearly F1 game they gave themselves a year a two-year cycle but with a smaller team. Now, the way they’re going with it is, I assume, how this is working is they’re combining once again, as they used to be, and both teams are coming together, and it’s all just one big team working on this all new 2027 game entry. And whilst they’re at it, finishing off quickly, a bit quicker than usual, a DLC for 2026 with the new cars, the regulations, the physics, the teams, and the drivers. But that’s all we know right now. I think it would be very optimistic to think that we’re going to be getting any new features or modes with the DLC. I think you need to take it at face value of what they’ve said which is the cars the the teams the drivers and the sporting regular like the things that realistically they have to implement like the way the the formula or formula 1 works in next year with the battery with the active arrow but everything else I think personally I think is off the table and so don’t get your hopes up that there will still be added extra features I think you take it at face value it’s content update for the year 2026, but that means they can finish that off in a quicker time and have extra time as a two unit to make 2027. And generally speaking, it seems like all of you guys had a good reaction to that as as did I. Obviously, I will be completely candid. Initially, I have that split second of oh my god. Because obviously my job is to make videos on the F1 game. So, not having a new game is a little bit of a panic mode initially, but then really thinking about it for the long term, this is definitely the better play. And like I said, I for one think the DLC because it’s based on such a big new year of F1 with the regulations. I think the DLC dropping will be just as big as a new F126 game would have been if they had made a full game knowing that they want to do such a big thing for 27. Like realistically, if they had made F126 as a game, it would have been the same as F1 2014 coming out compared to 2013. As in F1204 was clearly just F1 2013 skinned with new car models and a very quick together physics of that car because they were ramping up ready for F1 2015. I don’t think the game they’ll have in 2027 is going to be anything like the mess 2015 was because it’s a very different thing. We’re not moving console generation. They’re simply just combining teams and getting themselves more resources and time to make a bigger impact and maybe redesigning the game as we know it. But it’s not like moving console generations. And it’s not like I don’t know. Uh, obviously we’re going to have to see what they say about the engine and all that jazz, but I I I can’t picture it being as messy as 2015 was. And thankfully, they’re not leaving us with a mess of a halfbaked new game, and they’re just kind of being very frank. It’s just going to be a DLC, which is which is fairs. Now, on the note of it being a DLC, obviously price is a big question that people had or I saw some people were being very unreasonable and just honestly a bit thick really kind of being like, “Oh, of course it’s EA. They’re going to price it at full price.” I just don’t think they will. It It’s going to be It’s safe to assume it’ll be less than a full game. We don’t know what the price point will be. They have said they will announce that next year. Um, so they need to gauge that. I I would say I think it’s in their best interest to make it a very competitive price point and not going on the higher side of a DLC like this where it does change quite a lot of the actual content itself um of of the game in terms of the cars and stuff. You know what f what the next year’s regulations are to this game in comparison to like other genres with DLCs and stuff. But yeah, I I think it’s silly to think that it’ll be a full price. It’ll definitely be lower. And I will say, I mentioned this a little bit in LA in in yesterday’s video, F-125 now is looking like a better prospect in terms of a platform and maybe something to get. Remember, F125 will go through further sales than it already has done. There’s Christmas sales coming up into the new year. Generally, when the new season starts, they put a sale on for the last year’s F1 game. So, if you’re wanting to wait out and you haven’t got F125 yet and and you’re, you know, obviously worried about the price point of everything, I would honestly wait till a a good sale comes next year, early next year, and get it then. And then I assume basically by the time the DLC comes, which I don’t know when it will be, we have no idea, but when it comes out, I assume by that point F125 will be the cheapest it’s been in the entire cycle. Plus that plus that plus the DLC price. I would hope is going to be a pretty competitive price point for essentially a whole game plus extra content for the next year, which is pretty exciting. So, I I I think it’s going to be a reasonable I would like to think it’s going to be a reasonable thing uh that they’re going to do because they they know that it’s not a full game, so they can’t it’s just silly to think they would price it like that. Now, I saw plenty of people maybe being a bit rash going, “Ah, this is the wrong year for DLC.” And on face value, I would kind of agree of like, oh, you know, I was, you know, as a creator especially, I was very excited and anticipating a whole new game for a new regulation era. Like that would have been such a big hit of hype and, you know, a big impact really. But when you really deep it further, like I said about the whole, you know, if they had done this plan earlier, you know, let’s say 2023, be real. Be real, you wouldn’t have been as excited for the DLC of like, let’s say, 2024 DLC on F123 as you are going to be for 2026 DLC because it’s such a big change. And now we know in hindsight l literally nothing changed like in terms of like the drivers like what there was literally that season I think you think it literally was 2024 there was not a single driver transfer so that would have been an awful DLC to have to not have a single driver transfer in that DLC and then the car liveries hardly changed the car shapes did not change because it was such a similar uh regulation set. So really, it this is actually when you deep it more actually a really good year to do a DLC like this. And obviously having done content for so many years, I know, and you can say otherwise in the comments, but I know how F1 game audiences work. This is actually the better move. There is going to be more hype for this DLC than would have been for 2024 DLC on a 23 game or even earlier like 22 DLC for whatever, you know, like I think this is a good year to do this actually. And also if we look back at their track record of F120415, F122, you know, big era changes, generally it was a challenge, wasn’t it, to get the physics right like 2014 was awful and 2015 was leaved a lot to be desired and was pretty awful as well in that new era of Formula 1. And then F122 going from such a strong game of 2021 at the handling of 22 was really really tough to take at the start of the game. improved a bit, but generally it’s tough. It’s clearly tough to code a game for a new era because really no one knows how the cars handle right now. Even the drivers don’t know. They might have some simulated uh inklings, but they don’t really know. And so, how can Cody’s in EA know? So, in a way, going into a new era, just doing DLC, giving yourselves kind of, you know, kind of like it’s just DLC. So, don’t expect a lot from the physics and whatnot and expect more and actually a coherent, you know, simulation of the new era in 2027. I think it’s I think the better way to go because we’ve we’ve had two new eras of Formula 1 come and go on the F1 game. And neither of them, if you really deep it, went well in terms of the physics and the handling. It took a few years after for them to nail down a better feeling car. So in that respect, I think uh in that regard, it’s also a good year to do it. Now, implementation is going to be key for this DLC. Like, you know, the UI, you know, we saw on the job postings, they’ve been hiring new UI engineers. Is it is it for this DLC? Maybe. So, how’s it going to work? You know, that’s where my mind goes to. Is it going to be like F the F2 DLC? Like, it’s just going to be a a thing you switch like in the in Grand Prix mode. It’s just another tile of F1 2026 content. How is it going to work for my team in career mode? Will it just simply be like in F1 2015 when they gave us 2014 and 15 in the same game? Is it going to be at the start of the game you just swap what year it is and then my team in career is just separated like that or will they be able to implement it where you can do one year of 25 and then switch to 26 and then from that point it’s 26? That would be pretty cool. But is it too much work for for a DLC at you know personally speaking if I if you ask me would I rather them spend time more time on 27 and not implement a thing where they go 25 26 play 26 from that onwards in career I would rather them focus on 27 I can live with okay basically just treat it like a new game where the career doesn’t blend over between cars between eras because that is a bit of work to make sure it implements properly. You’ve got also the question mark of transfers because after season one of career you have driver transfers but you want the 26 content with the official lineups. It doesn’t, you know, it starts to become a bit disjointed. So honestly, I’d rather them just don’t do anything fancy. Just give us the cars, give us the drivers and focus on 2027 um in terms of where I would rather them put their re because if you’re going to do this plan, put put the resources where it matters that new game. Don’t don’t faffer around with trying to do too make it too fancy because if you’re going to do this plan do it right for 27 because as we’ve said the pressure is on for 27 and so I’d rather them do that. But I will say alongside this DLC I think they need to take feedback on of fixing some patching some things in time for the DLC or if you’re going to leave us hanging at least patch stuff with the the DLC. And what I mean by that is the big glaring issues of slipstream not really working as it should and dirtier air in tandem as well. It’s been a big thing the League Race and esports players have been saying. But at the same time, even as a career mode player, once you point it out, I’ve started to notice it a lot more now is yeah, the slipstream just doesn’t work as it should. Like basically the slipstream v like the value of how much slipstream you get is the same no matter the distance. And really in theory, it should be the closer you get to the car ahead, the near the quicker your car is going because of that slipstream because you’re getting closer and you’re getting more of that fresh air that’s being punched in by the car ahead. But it just doesn’t work like that right now. And basing off what modders have done with like handling mods, it seems like there’s also some RNG and funny business with how the plank works underneath the car, etc. And maybe low speed still needs tweaking. So, I think that I think it would be a disservice if they weren’t going to address those issues in a big patch into next year. Like, let’s say the new 2026 season begins and they just go, “Right, we’re anticipating the DLC.” Uh, but before that, here’s a big patch to solve some glaring issues that you guys, the community, have voiced in time then to set this game up now very nicely for the DLC. I think that’s crucial to take on community feedback on what still needs to be patched on F125 to then make it an enjoyable base platform for when the DLC comes out basically. Now on to the elephant in the room. Obviously Madrid is going to be coming to F1 next year and there definitely probably won’t be a Madrid track in the DLC content. Like if you are thinking that you are expecting far too much far far too much. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that they’re not going to bring Madrid. If they are, I will eat my own shoe. There’s no way they’re bringing Madrid. I saw like my fellow creator Tom say that he would like to see some new tracks that have been redone with the laser scanning. I really don’t think they’re going to do anything like that. I think it’s going to be as I as as it reads. Cars, teams, drivers, sporting regulations. That’s it. So, no Madrid track. I’m not too fast. I can live with that for one year. We’ve had years before 2020, 2021, where tracks we were watching while our own two eyes on TV weren’t in the game. We if we can live with it in those years whilst we’re all stuck at home and had nothing better to do, we can definitely live with it in the year 2026 when you can go out and touch grass at the same time to uh to distract you from having no Madrid track. Also, the Mid Madrid track is really bizarre. It looks so weird. And so I think they need some extra time to get that track right and laser scan it hopefully because also sometimes when new tracks come in, sometimes they’re not always implemented the best and they need tweaking. So I’d rather them take their time with Madrid and do it properly in 2027. Now that’s all the talk about like the DLC of 26. Let’s talk about 2027. There’s obviously a lot of pressure there. You know, what does a new game experience mean? Well, let’s actually look at the full press release cuz I think there’s some extra lines about that new experience coming for 2027 that I didn’t cover in yesterday’s video. So, this is the press release. Uh, this is basically what I went through in yesterday’s video premium content update for 2026. In 2027, we’ll deliver the next full F1 game. Also, by the way, just note they never say EA F127. Does that mean something or am I just reading into it? You know, could that mean like a new like a new experience? Could that mean they’re reimagining what the F1 game is and are they going to make it like a, you know, live service platform where every year we just get DLC updates for each year and new game mode editions and whatnot? I don’t know that this that’s just my mind running wild obviously, but uh I just found that interesting that they’ve not name dropped EA F127, but I guess also legally maybe they can’t do that or they don’t want to do that right now. But they say deeply authentic and innovative representation of the action and thrill in F1. So I like the sound of that. But they’ve said that before in previous years. I want them to really mean it. Re-imagined into a more expansive experience. Expansive. I think we’re all expecting big things. Like expansive should be like, you know, completely not what we’ve got right now and a very different take on an F1 game in new exciting ways basically. and they go into that built for a rapidly evolving and globally expanding nature of their F1 fandom. With more than a third of fans having entered the sport in the last four years, the refresh experience will expand on what longtime players have loved for the franchise. Career mode, good authentic career mode, living the life, immerse yourself in the franchise and celebrate the passion of F1 through the games that immerses both new and longtime players in the modern era of the sport. The move comes as a multi-year strategic investment uh in the EA F1 franchise with the support of both FOM and the F1 team. So F1 back them in this plan. The F1 teams are signed on to it, which is good. I I it’s very positive that they’re behind this 100%. I think this is interesting. They’ve called out the the nature of F1 growing with a third of the fans entering in the last four years and such because I maybe I I haven’t maybe addressed this before in the video. maybe now’s the time to do it. I think it’s it’s unfortunate like the real sport has grown so much, but I’m but I think it’s coincided with a lot of these newer F1 fans, maybe younger fans, um you know, maybe different to younger F1 fans from 10 years ago. I I I I get the feeling maybe not a lot of them are playing the games as much as we used to or I’m saying my generation. I my cohort of teenagers into young adults were playing the F1 game when I got into F1. Like when I got into F1 in the early 2000s and then the official F1 game came along in 2010 again. Um I really got into that. I I think a lot of newer fans maybe aren’t trying or dipping their toes into the game. And so I think that there does need to be something done to try and capture those fans and get them into the sport and kind of get that conveyor belt of new fans coming into the game as maybe older ones age out of playing the F1 games and you know generally maybe the all older audience maybe go towards more simlike racing experience like iRacing and whatever and what have you. But I think there still needs to be attention to um F1 fans who just want to play F1 and don’t want to play iRacing, don’t want to play all that stuff basically. But I think it’s interesting they’ve called out the newer fans and maybe that that maybe that’s maybe they’re thinking about what I’ve just said that maybe the conversion rate of newer F1 fans IRL has not been converting as much as you would like to the games and they’re going to try and help that if they can. And that means hopefully I I hope putting in more fun game modes, more game modes that you know break the mold. Like you know, like I said when the new patch just came out for survival challenge, I thought for a split second they were going to take some inspiration from my survive series and do a game mode where there’s lower grip and we have to survive it. Like how cool would that be for console players? But no, it wasn’t anything like that. I think a new game experience would be something like that to you know actually allow us you know alla you know very you know the way games are going let the players decide how they want to play let them mold the building blocks of how the game works so allowing them to modify things like the grip and and stuff like that and you know making these cool uh extra modes on top of an immersive career mode in my team experience or whatever the hell they’re going to call it from you know the future. Um there’s there’s a lot of different ways to go about it, but yeah, F125 has been a success. It definitely has been a success compared to 24. That’s definitely no doubt basically. And they think now is the perfect time to commit to the future of the A Sports franchise. I like those words commit. It means that there’s Yeah, I I I it’s it’s it’s, you know, obviously uh it’s good to hear that there’s this level of commitment from EA, from Cody’s, from F1 management, from F1 because it could have been a bit shakier and it was looking shaky earlier this year when we didn’t know any news basically. And things like, you know, EA, they’ve got some new owners. They’re not owned by them yet. It’s a long process of buying a big company like this, but they will be coming in. I think I think it’s set to finish after F this 2027 game comes out. So, another take on it is is this like a one last harrah to play devil’s advocate. Is it a one last harrah or is it setting themselves up for success and negotiating a better deal maybe with FOM for a new license agreement with EA under the new owners? you know, the new owners of EA are going to include PIF, uh, the Saudi Wealth Fund, and obviously they have very big interest in Formula 1. They have a track, they have a new one maybe coming, Kadilla. So, I think having the official F1 game in their portfolio is very beneficial and I think is what they want. So I think also this is maybe strategic from EA internally to set themselves up for success with their new owners maybe as a private company as well um of having that new experience and platform to build on from the years to come ahead of uh 2027. Finally in this video I will say I just played some devil’s advocate about you know one last I’ll say could it go wrong of course it could go wrong you know it’s not going to be you know obviously there there’s always a chance there’s always a chance I think people I did see in the comments so you again town hall I did see some fair points about look at how Football Manager has gone this year they took a year out they came back with an all new experience and there was a lot of bugs a lot of people not liking the new UI high and stuff like that. But I will say it’s different because they didn’t plan that. They were trying to make 20. They were trying to make the last Football Manager and they couldn’t finish it on time and they had to delay and then cancelled the entire game and then own up to, okay, we’re going to skip the year and go to next year. F1, this is a lot more of a confident plan. We are actively planning to do DLC and do a new game in two years time. it’s a plan rather than Football Manager where that definitely wasn’t their plan and they had to make it their their backup plan. So, in that way, I see the points, but also I think it’s very different cuz this is a calculated strategic decision they’re making. Uh, there basically I also saw some murmurings about like um this is also similar to I think PEZ. I’m not very familiar with it, but I think PEZ tried to reinvent themselves a bit in 2020 or 2021. It didn’t go too well. I think I remember um you know from my flatmate that PEZ basically ended its yearly cycle. They’re trying to make a new platform or something like that. I don’t know. Uh and it didn’t go well. I think the key difference here is PEZ is in a football market where FC was the bigger picture. F1 doesn’t have that problem. The official F1 game is its own monopoly on what is F1 gaming. You know, as much as people say, “Oh, you can play the Corsera with mods or I like iRacing. I like Lemon Ultimate. I like this stuff.” None of that’s the F1 game. As a F1 fan through and through, I enjoy from time to time playing AC with F1 mods. I enjoy playing Lemon Ultimate occasionally. Uh, I’ve maybe dabbled in iRacing here and there. I’m still always going to come back to the F1 game. I’m going to come back to the official F1 game with the official licenses. That’s the official game for F1 because that’s how much I like F1 and that’s what I want from my racing experiences. I want F1, the F1 game. I, you know, as much as yes, GT racing, other styles of racing are cool, they can be fun, I just don’t find them as fun as F1. And I like, you know, obviously what I like to do is lose myself in the world of F1 with career mode, with storylines I like to make for you guys in the content. So, you know, it’s a I I personally think it’s a different story to something like PEZ as well because F1 has that monopoly on itself on its own category. So, it’s not competing against something else that could take numbers away from it. So, yeah, could it go wrong in terms of they just don’t deliver as much as we hope it to? Sure. It can be a case of expectations are here and they come in here. Uh but we all wanting here so we don’t think it’s good. I think also that’s you know maybe people like me and their job EA as well and Cody’s I think it’s the job of us to maybe temper the expectations to make sure we don’t get overhyped for when 2027 comes out. And that’s why I’m also saying don’t get overhyped for the DLC. Don’t expect anything more than the cars the teams and sporting regulations. um you know it will be a case of trying to balance expectations and match them. It’s going to be impossible to do so and I’m sure as right now in the comments of this very video and last video there will be naysayers. There’ll be people that get just very angry very easily and they won’t be satisfied with what happens in 2027. But I choose to be a more positive person. Obviously I’ve been very negative about the F1 games last year and that was for good reason. And you know what? They listened and they actually turned it around in a nice way and they brought me back on side of like, okay, you guys do know what to do. Maybe obviously there’s still some foibless to figure out with F125, but um they actually listened to all the critiques of everyone and they learned their lessons from F124, I think. Um so yeah, I I I I I do back them because they’re making the plan two years in advance to get it done in a good way. But yeah, that that’s where my thoughts are on all these different topics that I saw you guys sounding off in the comments below. Um, you know, I want to end it with basically is this now a good time of the year to start talking about game ideas? Like we always do these game idea videos on the channel, but now more than ever with two years to go till that big groundbreaking new F1 game, I think now is the time to sound off and put up into into the public domain for Cody’s and EA to hear what we would like in this new F1 game. If you broke down all the building blocks of the current game, what would we like to see? Let me know in the comments below then, uh, if I should come back for a game ideas video. And if you have game ideas, let me know in the comments below. And please don’t just say classic cars because that’s been just rehashed a million goddamn times and not enough people played that when that was in the game. Uh but yeah, so guys, that’s been marinating and talking a bit more about this new plan for the F1 games. Hope you guys have enjoyed it. Be sure to hit the like button if you did, and I’ll catch you guys around. Goodbye.
There will NOT be a new F1 Game (F1 26 Game) in 2026. Instead there will be a 2026 Expansion DLC for F1 25 and then an all-new very different game experience in 2027!
———————————————————————————————-
●►BECOME A CHANNEL MEMBER: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-46hTnlyW3aCwjHs2acDzg/join
●►FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: https://www.instagram.com/_aarava/ & https://twitter.com/_aarava
Today, EA SPORTS™ confirms future plans for F1® 25, with the game set to represent both the 2025 and 2026 FIA Formula One World Championships. This news drops alongside an announcement for the future of EA SPORTS F1® as 2027 will see the series return and mark the start of a new and more expansive F1® experience.
Following on from F1® 25’s commercial and critical success – with praise from players, media, content creators, and F1® drivers alike – the team is building on the experience through a paid expansion. The premium content update will bring players closer to the sport’s major changes for 2026 that includes new cars, sporting regulations, teams, and drivers.
The decision to offer a premium content update for F1® 25 is part of a strategic reset for the F1® Franchise. In 2027, a new game will be released that looks, feels, and plays differently, delivering more gameplay choices.