'A racing legend returns!' Iconic F1 game is back after YEARS away

Sim racing, 2023, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Off the Track

'A racing legend returns!' Iconic F1 game is back after YEARS away

The Geoff Crammond Racing games are returning

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 26 December 2025 08:56

A legendary F1 racing video game is set for a return in 2026, in partnership with groundbreaking computer game designer Geoff Crammond.

As the clock ticks down on 2025, we're all trying to find things to look forward to in 2026, and if you're into F1 it's set to be a pretty exciting year!

Wholesale changes are coming to the sport which will see completely redesigned power units and cars, in what may well become a title race for the ages as each team figure out the new rules at different paces.

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And while gamers will likely be saddened by the news that there will not be an F126 game this year, with F125 instead having an update that will feature the Cadillac team and the driver swaps, there is some better news on the horizon.

The Geoff Crammond Racing (GCR) gaming series was one of the most popular PC gaming series of its time, with GR1 coming out in 1991, with players able to use all of the drivers and cars from the 1991 F1 season, in the game that was first launched as Formula One Grand Prix.

It was groundbreaking in that it set the stage for a lot of features we expect in modern F1 games, including tyre wear, damage, manual or automatic gear selection, a racing line display, and options to change steering, brake, and throttle assistance.

Formula One Grand Prix 2, 3 and 4 would all later follow, exclusively on PC, and now they are all going to return, but as GCR 1, 2, 3 and 4 in order to break away from rights issues with naming a game a similar title to the modern day F1 games.

MicroProse have revealed that they have worked with Crammond to bring the games back to life, with them all set to be released on Steam in 2026, enhanced with updates and Steam Workshop support.

This means that custom tracks, cars and drivers could well be among the possibilities of the re-released games, but official liveries and sponsors are set to drop out of the games, again due to licensing issues.

How can you buy the Geoff Crammond Racing games?

There has not been an official release date given for the GCR titles, but they are available to add to your wishlist on Steam right now!

With the lack of an official F1 game for 2026, fans may well take to these GCR titles and customise the whole grid to put it in tune with the 2026 season.

That would, of course, mean swapping out Ayrton Senna for Max Verstappen, or replacing the classic Marlboro-sponsored 1991 McLaren car for a HP-embroidered Ferrari (hmm yeah not sure anyone's going to want to do that).

Alternatively, you could create a custom M.Verstappen and pit him against A.Senna at McLaren, a battle for the ages!

Either way, look out for these iconic titles in 2026, and give them a go!