F1® 25 PC and Wheel Troubleshooting Guide

Hey racers!

Welcome to the ultimate troubleshooting guide for F1®  25 on PC! Whether you're having issues with your wheel setup or experiencing game crashes, we're here to help. Below, you'll find all the helpful information you need to get back on track.

A bunch of us CMs (Community Managers) are active on here too, and we will do our best to help, but we can't respond to everything. So, let's all rely on the community to help each other out, including in this thread.

Think of this thread as our pit crew, ready to get us all back in the race! Although we probably won't hit the sub-2 second pit stops. 😉

Firstly, let's start with a Default Setup

With hundreds of thousands of different PC hardware and software configurations, it's not always possible for us to identify the exact issue that is causing you a problem with the game. 

That being said, PC enthusiast tweaks such as undervolting or changing the clock speed of your graphics card have been known to cause undesirable performance issues with our games. 

We always recommend reverting to default hardware/software configurations when it comes to troubleshooting PC issues. This step alone may solve any issues you are facing but even if it doesn't, it ensures your PC is in a default state should we need to investigate further. 

Basic Troubleshooting Steps

1. Struggling to boot the game for the first time? Please be patient! Sometimes it can take a minute or two to open if this is your first time playing on your machine. 
2. PC System Requirements: Ensure your PC meets the game’s minimum requirements. You can find the requirements specs here: F1®  25 System Requirements
3. Graphics Troubleshooting: For any graphical issues, follow this guide on EA Help: [Troubleshooting graphics on PC].
4. F1® 25 - Keep Your Graphic Drivers Updated
5. Make sure your wheel/device is supported. Check out the list of peripherals officially supported here: Supported Devices - PC
6. If you use racing wheels, update their firmware. You can find the latest firmware and instructions on your wheel manufacturer's website, like Thrustmaster. We are also seeing some reports of crashes with Logitech devices, so we strongly recommend you update to the latest G Hub version (2024.4). Visit the Logitech G Hub site to download it.

❗Note for Thrustmaster users: If you are using a PlayStation-compatible Thrustmaster wheel on PlayStation 5, please set your wheel to 'PlayStation Mode 1' in order for it to work correctly on F1 25. This may identify your wheel as a different device. 

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

1. Verify Game Files: Sometimes, game files can get corrupted. Verify the integrity of the game files through your game launcher.
      - For EA app, go to your library --> click on the 3 dots of F1®  25 --> Repair 
      - For Steam, go to your library --> right-click on F1®  25 --> Properties > Local Files > Verify integrity of game files.
2. Check USB Connections: Ensure your wheel is properly connected to your PC. Try unplugging and re-plugging it into a different USB port. Avoid using USB hubs or extension cables.
3. Configure ingame settings: Go to the settings menu in F1 25 and configure your wheel settings. Make sure to calibrate your wheel and pedals correctly.
4. Adjust graphics settings: Lowering the graphics settings can sometimes resolve performance issues. Try reducing settings like texture quality, shadows, and anti-aliasing.
5. Disable background applications: Some background applications can interfere with the game and use up resources. Close unnecessary applications and processes through the Task Manager. You can also add the EA app or F1 to your anti-virus programs. You can find more information in this EA Help article.
6. Check for Windows updates: Ensure your Windows OS is up to date. Go to settings --> Update.

Game Booting / Anti-Cheat Issues

Sometimes AntiVirus or our EA Anti-Cheat software can block F1® 25 from booting. 

• Try adding F125.exe to your anti-virus's list of whitelisted applications. 
• Having 'Windhawk' running on your PC when loading F1® 25 will cause the game to crash every time. If you have this piece of software on your PC, please uninstall or disable this before loading up the game.
• If you experience other issues loading the game (such as a black screen), please close the game and delete your hardware settings files. This won't affect save games but will instead trigger the game to boot in default settings.
  These files can be found in C:\Users\USERID\Documents\My Games\F1 25\hardwaresettings. Delete both .xml files, and then restart your PC before loading up F1® 25.
• EA AntiCheat will report which piece of software needs to close in order for F1® 25 to run - this is shown at the top of the F1® 25 splash screen when you boot the game.
  • Some home automation or device controls may contain "Interception". A post with steps on how to remove this can be found by clicking here.
  • For DiskSoft errors, you will need to uninstall/disable DAEMON Tools, ReWASD or Astroburn.
  • More information about software that can block F1® 25 from booting can be found by clicking here. 

Game Crashing Issues

• Where is the game crashing? For example, when loading onto a specific track or when the podium cut scene plays.
• How many times has the crash happened? Can you repeat it?
• Does it crash in the same place each time?
• Does the crash only happen in one mode?
• Does the crash only happen on one track?

Upload a DxDiag file that can give us more information about your system and any issues with drivers or errors.

1. Press the Windows key and enter 'dxdiag' in the search box.
2. Select the dxdiag app.
3. When DirectX Diagnostic Tool opens, select the Run 64-bit DxDiag button.
   • If that button doesn’t appear, move to step 6.
4. While the program is gathering information, a green progress bar will appear at the bottom left of the DirectX Diagnostic Tool window.
5. When the progress bar disappears, it means your report is ready.
6. Select Save All Information.
7. Save the file to your desktop (make sure it’s saving as a text file) and give it a name you’ll remember.
8. Select Exit.
9. Attach the file here in your next post.

Remember, this thread is a guide for us to help each other out. If you encounter any technical issues, feel free to post here. Our community is knowledgeable and ready to assist. Let’s work together like a well-oiled pit crew to solve any problems and keep everyone racing!

If you found a workaround or solution that fixed your issue, feel free to share it here so it can also help others!

Keep in mind though, if you want to report a bug or issue with the game, please use the search function if a topic about it already exists or create your own thread. We've got our own guide on How to report a bug.

Also, we are unable to help with any account issues or payment issues on the forum. Please reach out to EA support instead. Here, you can find how to create a case.

Other than that, happy racing, and let's keep those wheels spinning!