Everything we know so far about Gran Turismo 7

One of Sony's biggest franchises will indeed be making a full return on PS5. Here's what we know so far.

Gran Turismo has been one of Sony's biggest franchises since the days of the very first PlayStation. The tagline, "the real driving simulator," has always cut straight to the core of what Gran Turismo is all about, and generally speaking, has received much praise over the years.

But it's also hard to believe that the PS4 has gone by entirely without a new, full Gran Turismo game. Gran Turismo 6 launched on the PS3, and while PS4 owners have at least had GT Sport, it's fair to say the reaction has been mixed at times, and it's not quite the same as a full sequel.

That's what we seem to be getting on the PS5 and PS4 this year. Here's everything we know about Gran Turismo 7.

Jump to:

• When does it release?
• Resolution and frame rate
• Will it support PSVR?
• What circuits will be present?
• What cars will it include?
• What are its features?
• Will it be on PS4?
• Gran Turismo esports and Getty Images
• Gran Turismo 7 beta

Racing simGran Turismo 7

$70 at Amazon$70 at Best Buy$70 at Walmart

Coming to PS5 and PS4

Gran Turismo 7 promises to be the next big leap in the racing franchise. With fan-favorite circuits returning along with new ones and hundreds of cars to choose from, it's sure to be a blast when it launches.

Gran Turismo 7 Release date

Gran Turismo 7 debuted during Sony's first PS5 games event with no release date, leading some to speculate that it could be 2021 when it launched. As it turns out, the developers needed a little more time than that. Gran Turismo 7 is one of many games that have been delayed. It now has a release date of March 4, 2022 for PS5 and PS4.

Gran Turismo 7 Resolution and frame rate

Gran Turismo 7 is aiming to hit 60FPS with 4K resolution, ray tracing, and HDR support on PS5. While the PS4 is less powerful, it will still run the game at 60FPS, and still promises to deliver fantastic resolution.

GT Sport hit a native 1800p with upscaling to 4K on the PS4 Pro, and while it didn't manage a constant 60 FPS, it certainly hit the mark. Racing titles don't suffer as badly as something like a first-person shooter would with a lower frame rate, but it will need to be consistent.

Gran Turismo 7 and PlayStation VR

So far, there's been little news on upcoming Playstation VR2 games, so there's nothing concrete to go on in terms of which games hit the device. However, GT Sport supports the original PSVR, albeit in a limited fashion, so it's fair to assume Gran Turismo 7 is to be part of Sony's future VR plans.

Even though it's limited in scope, the GT Sport implementation of VR is excellent. Hopefully, it gets expanded upon with Gran Turismo 7.

Gran Turismo 7 Circuits

Something that fans immediately picked up on in its initial trailer is that Trial Mountain is back. A fan favorite, the fictional circuit didn't make the cut for GT Sport but is clearly back for the next full sequel.

Trial Mountain is just one of at least 90 layouts in 34 locations around the world, and is joined by circuits such as Northern Isle Speedway, Willow Springs, High-Speed Ring, and one of the fastest speedways on earth, Daytona. Series producer Kazunori Yamauchi also recently stated that all content from GT Sport would be present in the new title, so we know many of the tracks that we will be able to play at launch.

The circuits and locations will be enhanced by new features, such as country specific weather mapping, and meteorological data to accurately map the stars as seen from a specific place in real life. In the event of wet weather, tracks dry during the race, affecting handling in different places on the circuit due to the racing line drying first.

Gran Turismo 7 Cars

Gran Turismo 6 had over 1,000 cars in its garage, while GT Sport launched with a more focused catalog of under 200. GT7 will launch with over 420 cars, a step up from GT sport's offering, but nowhere near the previous full release.

Obviously, the full list is still some way off being released, but the first trailer and recent State of Play presentation does at least show off some of the horsepower we'll be able to tame. Returning is the Mazda RX-Vision GT3 from GT Sport, and it will be joined by such cars as the BAC Mono, Aston Martin DB11, and Lamborghini Diablo.

Already we can see that the meticulous detail put into the cars in the upcoming game is all present and correct, which also explains why the number of cars is lower than the less graphically demanding roster in GT6. This should be a piece of serious eye candy on the PS5 however, with ray tracing giving each car a brilliant shine.

Gran Turismo 7 Features

One thing is immediately noticeable from what we've seen so far: the in-race UI looks basically the same as it does in GT Sport. That's totally fine; it may not be perfect, but it does a good job at presenting the important information and doesn't necessarily need any big changes. Outside of the racing, a hub area in the form of a world map brings a sense of exploration and interactivity that hasn't been seen in GT in some time.

More importantly for fans of the series is the fact that fully tuning and customizing cars is back on the table. GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi states that tuning is its own minigame, and it's easy to see why, with a huge amount of variation available in setting up your car. The many sliders and graphics shown off in the State of Play make it slightly less intimidating to understand the effect of your tuning, while the parts shop contains a wide range of parts to make your ride go faster. There's obviously an in-game currency system that pays for these parts, and one of the questions remaining here is whether there will be any microtransactions to help you get more.

Another feature revealed in the State of Play was Gran Turismo Cafe, an evolution of the museum feature in GT Sport. Here, players can indulge in the history of their favorite cars while completing challenges set in "menu books." The cafe looks to be a distraction designed to break up the repetitiveness of races, and is far more fleshed out than the similar offering found in GT Sport.

Music has always been an important part of Gran Turismo, and the newest entry in the franchise is no different. In GT7, players can enjoy dynamic, music-focused replays that cut between shots to the beat of a song. Music Rally is another new feature, with a twist on a traditional checkpoint race. Players will have a select number of beats on screen which tick down as the accompanying music progresses. Checkpoints replenish these beats, as you attempt to make it as far as possible. This is intended as a casual mode, to enjoy racing to music from various genres.

In the PS5 version, 3D audio, haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers will enhance the experience. Slipping tires will be felt through the Dualsense in great detail, with the State of Play explaining that it will feel as though you are holding a steering wheel. The different pedal weights will be felt in the triggers, while 3D audio will allow you to hear exactly where a car is on the track.

Will Gran Turismo 7 also be on PS4?

Yes. Though it was originally revealed during a PS5 games showcase and many believed it would be exclusive to the PS5, Gran Turismo 7 will indeed make its way to PS4, as is the case with other PlayStation exclusives like Horizon Forbidden West and the next God of War.

"Here it makes sense to develop a title for both PS4 and PS5 - for Horizon Forbidden West, the next God of War, GT7 - we'll continue looking at that," said PlayStation head Hermen Hulst. "And if PS4 owners want to play that game, then they can. If they want to go on and play the PS5 version, that game will be there for them."

It's unclear what concessions the game will have to make for its PS4 version, but it will likely feature a lower native resolution, along with the absence of ray tracing and controller enhancements.

Gran Turismo esports and Getty Images

Gran Turismo esports continues to grow, and that's not likely to slow down going into Gran Turismo 7. Sony's racer already has FIA backing, and the most recent development is that Getty Images will be providing official imagery from professional GT Sport and (presumably) Gran Turismo 7 esports events.

Per GTPlanet:

This partnership is an extension of a project we've actually already seen. Getty has provided this service throughout the 2019 FIA Online Championship World Tour season, with still images from events at the Nurburgring, New York, Salzburg, Tokyo, and Monaco. It continued in the early part of this year too, with Getty's photographers capturing in-game views at the Sydney World Tour event.

In addition to the live events, Getty Images will also take shots from online events such as the Top 16 Superstars broadcasts. This will also show off some of the inventive liveries that players can come up, and the possibilities of the game's livery editor function.

This is pretty big and just another step forward for virtual racing as it draws ever closer to the standards of its real-world counterpart.

Gran Turismo 7 beta

Nothing has been officially announced by Sony, but GTPlanet spotted a page on PlayStation's official website that indicates Gran Turismo 7 may get a beta sometime in the future. By watching the original Gran Turismo 7 launch demo through quests on the PlayStation website, people were able to access beta keys. Unfortunately, these keys cannot be redeemed for anything at the moment because they appear to be placeholders.

Racing simGran Turismo 7

$70 at Amazon$70 at Best Buy$70 at Walmart

Coming to PS5 and PS4

Gran Turismo 7 promises to be the next big leap in the racing franchise. With fan-favorite circuits returning along with new ones and hundreds of cars to choose from, it's sure to be a blast when it launches.