F1 2016

PC, PS4, Xbox One £39.99 - £49.99

It’s taken developers Codemasters a few years to tune its engine just right, but F1 2016 finally sees its vision of the premier championship in motorsport take pole position.

There was promise in F1 2015, but the jump to the PS4 and Xbox One consoles led to merely a fine driving game lacking in some key features.

But F1 2016 has seen that yearlong pit stop pay dividends. You’ve now got a fully-featured career mode, the return of the safety card and an attention to detail that puts F1 2016 up in the top tier of licensed sports games.

With the handling refined slightly over last year’s strong effort (particularly evident when playing with a decent force feedback steering wheel such as Logitech’s G29) and the user interface offering a welcome amount of in-race info, Codemasters finally seem at home on the tarmac with F1.

It’s best realised in its practice sessions – a key part of the Formula One experience that no game prior has made feel like anything other than a formality.

F1 2016’s three-session take on the practice circuits essentially act as mini games, letting you choose from a series of challenges which will see you bag points to soup your car up should you prove successful.

It adds urgency and purpose to the sessions, which even those who will pay the sticker price in search of supreme realism alone are bound to appreciate.

It’s that newfound confidence with the licence, balancing accessibility against petrol-headed depth and beautiful on-the-track details, that makes this the best Formula One game there’s been for many years.