EA to bypass F1 26 entirely as it works on a major 2027 reboot of the series

EA is officially bypassing the F1 26 game entirely.

Instead, it is set to release an expansion of the current F1 25 video game.

The news comes as a major surprise for fans of the sport.

But the games company is reportedly working on a 2027 reboot of the series.

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EA confirms that F126 will not be a standalone game

EA Sports has just made a very interesting announcement.

It is the sports division of one of the world’s largest video game companies.

Among others, it is responsible for the official F1 video game franchise.

Like almost every other sporting series, such as Madden or EA FC, F1 normally gets a new video game every year.

It’s reflective of the annual nature of the sporting calendar.

🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

EA SPORTS will release a paid expansion for #F125 in 2026, with the current game serving as the foundation for the 2026 season.

Additionally, 2027 will see the release of a new, reimagined EA SPORTS F1 title, that looks, feels, and plays differently.

📕 Read… pic.twitter.com/Rk8hOmT1Yw

— EA SPORTS F1 (@EASPORTSF1) November 18, 2025

But the studio has now confirmed that there won’t be a new game for the 2026 season.

The studio instead plans to release a ‘paid 2026 season expansion’.

This essentially means that fans will get all the updates that a new game would normally provide.

But it will look and feel exactly the same as this year’s current game – as it will be a DLC extension.

Making the announcement in an official blog post, EA had this to say.

“Since launch, EA Sports F1 25 has received praise from players, media, content creators, F1 drivers, and more,” the company said.

“Now looking forward, players in F1 25 will be able to expand their experience next year with the full 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship.”

“The premium content update will bring players closer to the sport’s major changes for 2026 that include new cars, sporting regulations, teams, and drivers.” 

Completely new experience coming for 2027

Thankfully for fans, this appears to be a one-off move.

And that is because Electronic Arts has teased a completely new experience for F127.

“The refreshed experience will expand on what long-time players have loved from the franchise, and celebrate the passion of Formula 1 through a game that immerses both new and long-time players in the modern era of the sport,” the company said.

Since F1 22, the studio and Codemasters have supported PC VR (Virtual Reality) in its games.

Codemasters senior creative director Lee Mather commented on the update.

He confirmed that the studio is still ‘fully committed to the EA Sports F1 franchise’, saying the decision to release a DLC update for 2026 allows for ‘the perfect time for us to look ahead and build for the future’.

One thing that is also currently unknown is the release date of F1 26.

The 2026 Formula 1 season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix on March 8th.

But this is no guarantee that the game will be released on that date.

Since 2021, new releases in the series have often come between May and July.

Another detail that is also currently unknown is the price.

Given that F1 26 will simply be a paid extension, we don’t know if that will affect the price or not.

But we are certainly excited to see what updates follow from Electronic Arts.