In what many fans would call “better late than never,” EA and Codemasters have confirmed that there won’t be an F1 26 game to replace F1 25 next year. The studio is hitting pause on its annual release schedule, something it hasn’t done since 2009, calling it “a strategic reset for the F1 franchise,” which makes sense given how stagnant and troubled the series has gotten. Now, instead of rolling out a brand-new game, EA announced via a blog post that F1 25 will be getting a paid DLC expansion in 2026, billing it as a “premium content update” that’ll “align with the sport’s major changes for the 2026 season, bringing fans new cars, sporting regulations, teams, and drivers.” The publisher is promising that the next full-fledged F1 racing game will be a “reimagined” experience, slated to release sometime in 2027.
Last year, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) announced huge regulation changes for Formula 1 starting in 2026 and the new “Nimble Car” concept is the big headline this time around. The overall goal of the regulation overhaul is to bring racing “closer” and more competitive, and a lot is changing to get there. The FIA is phasing out DRS, reworking the ICE and hybrid setups, completely redesigning aerodynamics, mandating 2026 cars to run on 100% sustainable fuel and revising almost everything else. With those updates on the way, the 2026 paid expansion for F1 25 will likely bring all of these changes to the game. However, considering the 2026 regulation means new cars, it will be interesting to see how Codemasters is going to overhaul the gameplay engine as they’ll need to mimic the active aero and the difference in battery vs ICE output. For now, though, EA has yet to share the pricing or a release window for the 2026 F1 25 DLC.
As for the F1 27 game, EA is staying tight-lipped about how it plans to evolve the series. The publisher did (vaguely) tease, however, that the next entry will be “a deeply authentic and innovative representation of the action and thrill of Formula 1, reimagined into a more expansive experience with new ways to play for fans around the world.”
Lee Mather, Senior Creative Director at Codemasters, talked a bit about the studio’s long-term strategy, explaining, “F1 25 has been an incredible success, fueled by the passion of fans and the energy of the sport. With Formula 1’s momentum on and off the track, now is the perfect time for us to look ahead and build for the future. We’re fully committed to the EA SPORTS F1 franchise. Our multi-year plan extends this year’s excitement with the 2026 expansion and reimagines the F1 experience for 2027 to deliver even more for players at every level around the world.”
