F1 2019 is free to play on Steam

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F1 2019 is an extremely good racing sim: "Generous, stable, and thrilling as ever," we said in our 91/100 review. But, like open-wheel racing itself, it's also kind of a niche thing. And yes, I know F1 has a major international fanbase, but when was the last time you watched a race? Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that the game is free to play on Steam until March 18.

One of the big new features in F1 2019 is the addition of Formula 2, which franchise director Paul Jeal said is "consistently been one of the most requested features from our community." F2 is sort of a feeder league for F1, with the significant difference that all F2 cars are identical, where in F1 you've got various different manufacturers and models in competition. That adds a new dimension of challenge on the track, as drivers cannot count on a mechanical advantage over their opponents.

If you like it, you can also pick it up at a pretty good discount: Until March 19, the Anniversary Edition and the Legends Edition are both available for 70 percent off, dropping them to $18/£13.50/€15 and $21/£16.50/€18 respectively. All the individual DLC is also on sale for half-price over the same duration.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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