F1 2013

 PC
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. PCGamesN
    Nov 6, 2013
    70
    If you’ve been away from the F1 series for a year or longer, or just want the definitive F1 game from this hardware generation, F1 2013 is an easy pick. It is the best this series has ever been in all the ways that count, and historical cars and tracks are a wonderful bonus.
  2. Eurogamer Germany
    Oct 10, 2013
    70
    So again, there's a solid engine at work under the hood of this one, but it still gives you lots of opportunity to get really angry at it at the same time.
  3. DarkZero
    Oct 8, 2013
    70
    As it stands, F1 2013 is a great, but familiar racer that samples a fraction of the sport’s history. But as a game, you’ll only need it if you’re a diehard fan.
  5. Gamereactor Denmark
    Oct 7, 2013
    70
    Certainly the best installment of Codemasters’ F1 franchise so far, but it also feels like the series isn’t really going anywhere. It’s at a point now where only the most die-hard fans will notice most of the changes.
  6. IncGamers
    Oct 3, 2013
    70
    F1 2013 can make even the most naive neophyte feel like a legend. But if you’re already a legend of previous games, there may not be as much here to impress you.
  7. PC PowerPlay
    Nov 25, 2013
    60
    Arguably the best in the series, but also very much a retread of F1 2012. [December 2013, p.95]
    All this publication's reviews

Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Best PC Game of 2013

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 172 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 93 out of 172
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 172
  3. Negative: 40 out of 172
  1. fw190a8
    Oct 13, 2013
    3
    A beautiful looking and sounding game has once again been ruined by Codemasters' insistence on catering for the lowest common denominator. ItA beautiful looking and sounding game has once again been ruined by Codemasters' insistence on catering for the lowest common denominator. It is ruined by such terrible steering wheel controls as to make the game virtually unplayable, and feels through and through like it was designed for the console generation to be played on a controller. A massive shame that leaves this title thoroughly unimproved from the previous year.

    Watch the on-board footage from any Formula One race and watch out for any moment when the driver takes his hands away from their default "quarter to three" position. It never happens. Yet despite Codemasters providing a Logitech G25 preset for the game, thus acknowledging that players are using this wheel as a viable option, the steering is nowhere near sensitive enough. The first time you come across any corner that is more than a slight kink, let alone a hairpin, and you will find yourself turning the wheel more than a full revolution, necessitating a hand movement. Now compare this with the on-screen hands. These should match up, but far too much input is required from your wheel to get even the slightest movement on-screen in a slow speed corner.

    Now combine this with the straightening of the wheel on corner exit. Even if you instantly straighten the steering wheel, there is some "lingering" in the steering that reeks of a concession to the controller, where the game is trying to accommodate corner exits on a less than suitable control method.

    Off-road car physics is appalling and nowhere near realistic. There is far too much grip on grass and cars simply glide over gravel as though it's not there. Again, Codemasters concede and resort to the arcade mentality they are so often sucked into, as the game artificially slows the car when it's off the road, rather than relying on accurate physics.

    Another concession to the console generation is that the car has almost no warning of loss of grip. I recognise that these are 750hp monsters racing on the brink of what is possible, but as a driver with 20 years' experience with racing simulators, the game does not provide enough information through the steering wheel to correctly establish the attitude of the car, so finding that line between perfect corner exit and a slide into the barriers is more about guesswork than learning to read the car and the controls.

    It might well be that the game work beautifully on a controller (or even another steering wheel; I haven't got another) with full driving aids enabled, but that is of no interest to me. I have a keen interest in true motor racing simulation, and that is how the game was sold, yet there's the strong sense that Codemasters have tailored this game to the 13-year-old Xbox gamer who just wants a bit of light-hearted fun and knows nothing about driving physics or cornering style.

    I admit that it is possible, with a lot of trial and error, to get the Logitech G25 to a point where the car is driveable in this game, but only barely driveable and it never feels comfortable. The G25 preset should be set up to accurately provide a realistic control method, not having to yank the steering wheel through 270 degrees every time through Grand Hotel at Monaco. Default force feedback setting is OFF, even in the G25 preset. Why would I buy a £250 steering wheel and not use force feedback? More to the point, how am I supposed to tell what the car is doing without force feedback?

    On the plus side, the game looks and sounds brilliant, and there is a wide range of different events including, for the first time, cars from the sport's history. Unfortunately they are all terribly similar and there is no real feeling that you're driving something special, or even different. It's worth mentioning that Codemasters have done a money grab and sold the 90s classics (and tracks from the era) at additional cost, so the true star of the collection, the Williams FW14, is available only at a premium.

    Multiplayer is a clear "checklist" afterthought, and there are no dedicated servers. This means constant disconnections. Perplexingly, there is no ability to join a session in the middle of qualifying, and the default for voice chat is always on. This is inexcusable, and no developer should ever do this. Worse, once you're in a session there's no way to disable voice chat, so you have to quit out and permanently disable it. This is a crime as there IS a push to talk setting, but it's just not default.

    A massive missed opportunity made by developers more interested in making large profits from ignorant teens rather than a true effort at a simulation. Trying to play F1 2013 with a steering wheel is like trying to fry an egg with a cigarette lighter: it works, but you'll get mightily frustrated in the process. After the huge failure of Grid 2 this year, Codemasters need to go back to the drawing board. But as long as the ignorant masses continue to part with their money for games like this, there'll be no improvement.    … Full Review »
  2. Kuzkula
    Oct 8, 2013
    4
    I guess we can all rest easy and pretty much not play this game, unless this is your thing. I couldn't really recommend this to anyone besidesI guess we can all rest easy and pretty much not play this game, unless this is your thing. I couldn't really recommend this to anyone besides die-hard fans of the other games. It feels more like a rehash with tighter controls.

    I am uninspired.    … Full Review »
  3. echeg
    Oct 28, 2013
    3
    1 FPS BUG more FPS more speed.
    2 Online problems
    3 Cheaters in world TT 4 Random bot speed and time in wet race. 5 system of penalties    1 FPS BUG more FPS more speed.
    2 Online problems
    3 Cheaters in world TT
    4 Random bot speed and time in wet race.
    5 system of penalties and flags became even worse
    I have f1 2010, 2011, 2012. F1 2013 worst in the series.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »