Does F1 24 need EA App to play on Steam?

F1 24, the latest racing simulation title from Codemasters and EA Sports is easily the most anticipated title for many players in 2024, especially for fans of the racing genre. Although the game is built upon the same foundation as the previous F1 titles from Codemasters, it does feature plenty of improvements over its predecessors, both in terms of gameplay and the game modes on offer.

Much like the previous titles from the developers, the latest F1 title from Codemasters is getting a PC release via EA App, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Although the Epic Games Store version clearly states that it requires EA App installation for the game, the Steam version doesn't have any such disclaimer on its store page.

As such, it's natural for players to wonder whether F1 24 requires a mandatory EA App installation or not. Most of EA's games on PC require players to install their proprietary client, the EA App (formerly Origin) to play, access the friends list in multiplayer titles, and also keep track of their in-game achievements.

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Is Installing EA App mandatory for F1 24 on Steam?

Installing the EA App alongside Steam is mandatory for roughly all EA-published and developed games (including EA Sports titles). However, there are still a handful of games that don't require EA's proprietary client to function, and are native to Steam, with an EA account login being optional, and only used for multiplayer and co-op modes.

Games like Dead Space (remake), It Takes Two, Apex Legends, and Codemasters' racing titles do not require installing the EA App or Origin if you get them on Steam. And much like F1 23 and other Codemaster-developed titles, F1 24 does not require the EA App to be installed on your PC.

You do need to log in using an EA account to access F1 24's multiplayer and co-op career modes, but even that is optional if you wish to play the game's single-player career mode, exclusively. This is not only a very player-friendly thing but also something that helps reduce stress on their PC, which results in the game performing better.

Steam alone takes up plenty of CPU resources even when it's running in the background, and piling other DRMs and PC clients on top of it only results in the game's performance tanking, especially on mid to low-end systems.

EA isn't the only publisher that necessitates the installation of their proprietary client even if players purchase their games on Steam. Other big publishers like Ubisoft and Rockstar Games are also guilty of doing the same, making it mandatory for players to install Ubisoft Connect and Rockstar Games Launcher to play their games on PC.