2 Reasons to Pre-Order F1 24 & 4 Reasons to Wait

If you’re on the fence about pre-ordering a copy of F1 24 you’re in the right place. We’ll breakdown the reasons you should, and perhaps shouldn’t, buy a copy of the game before it’s released in May.

F1 24 is headed to Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS4, PS5, and Windows in May. The official street date is May 31st, but there’s a way to play the game a little bit early.

F1 24 is up for pre-order at EA and various retailers and there are two options for prospective buyers: a standard edition and a Champions edition. Each comes with a different set of bonuses.

In this guide we’ll take you through the best reasons to pre-order F1 24 for your platform of choice right now and the best reasons to hang back and wait.

Pre-Order for Bonuses

If you love F1 video games, pre-ordering the next version might be a no-brainer. There are also a couple of other reasons to order now.

F1 24’s pre-order bonus includes 5,000 Pitcoin and the F1 World Starter Pack. The F1 World Starter Pack includes 10,000 in-game cash and F1 in-world game resources.

If you pre-order the Champions edition by May 1st, you’ll get first access to the McLaren, Williams, Alpine, & Haas 2024 liveries, plus the McLaren & Alpine F1 esports liveries immediately in Time Trial in F1 23.

You’ll also unlock the McLaren & Alpine F1 esports liveries in F1 24 when the game launches.

For more about F1 24’s editions, check out our guide.

Pre-Order to Play ASAP

If you pre-order a copy of the F1 Champions edition, you’ll get three days early access which means you can start playing on May 28th.

You can also start playing a little bit early if you buy a digital copy of F1 24. If you order digitally, you should be able to pre-load it before the game unlocks.

EA hasn’t confirmed, but the game should unlock at 12AM Eastern on May 31st which means those in western time zones should be able to play it in the evening on May 30th.

Wait for F1 24 Reviews

The previews we’ve seen look impressive, but if you’re truly on the fence about buying this year’s game, you might want to hang back and wait for reviews.

We expect details to trickle out in the buildup to the game’s release in May, but we won’t get proper feedback about the game’s gameplay and performance upgrades until late May.

F1 14 reviews will help you decide if the game is worth buying right away or if you’re better off waiting for the price to drop.

Wait for the Best Deals

If you aren’t thrilled with the price of F1 24, it’s $69.99 for last-generation consoles, hold off on a pre-order. You can’t save much on a copy right now.

While we might see some sporadic deals for the game, particularly for the PC version, we probably won’t see any major deals pre-launch.

Right now, the only deal we’ve found is the usual 10% EA Play subscribers can take off the price of a pre-order.

The best F1 24 deals will arrive after the game’s release date. If you’re on a budget, and you don’t need to play right away, you should wait.

Wait for Bug Fixes

If you can’t stand dealing with bugs and performance issues, you might want to wait for the developer to roll out a few updates before buying a copy of the game.

Codemasters usually does an admirable job, but F1 24 will have issues at launch.

The developer will roll out a steady stream of bug fixes and performance improvements in the weeks following the launch and these will help to stabilize the game and perhaps make it more enjoyable.

Keep this in mind as you try and make a decision about a pre-order.

Wait If You Own an Old PC

EA’s released the F1 24 minimum and recommended spec requirements. If your PC currently doesn’t meet the minimum requirements, hold off on a pre-order.

Here are F1 24’s PC requirements:

F1 24 Minimum PC Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit Version 21H1 or newer
• Processor: Intel Core i3-2130 | Core i5-9600k (VR) or AMD FX 4300 | Ryzen 5 2600X (VR)
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1060 (6GB) | GTX 1660Ti (VR) | RTX 2060 (RT) // AMD RX 480 (8GB) | RX 590 (VR) | 6700XT (RT) // Intel Arc A380 (VR/RT)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 100 GB available space
• Sound Card: Direct X Compatible
• VR Support: Keyboard and mouse required
• Additional Notes: GPU must support D3D_SHADER_MODEL_6_6

F1 24 Recommended PC Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit Version 21H1 or newer
• Processor: Intel Core i5-9600k or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 2070 (+VR) | RTX 3070 (RT) // AMD RX 6600XT | RX 6700XT (VR) | RX 6800 (RT) // Intel Arc A580 (VR/RT)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 100 GB available space
• Sound Card: Direct X Compatible
• VR Support: Keyboard and mouse required
• Additional Notes: GPU must support D3D_SHADER_MODEL_6_6

If your computer’s hardware is several years old, you want F1 24 to both run and look and run great, and you don’t have the money to spend on a new rig or new parts right now, you might want to hold off on a purchase until you can make some upgrades.