Racing games are for those who want to feel the thrill of going at high speeds, and there are a lot of these games out there. From Need for Speed to Forza and Burnout, we can go on. However, one of the biggest titans in the racing game sphere is always Gran Turismo, and now, its newest entry, Gran Turismo 7 is just around the corner.
Today, let’s take a closer look at Gran Turismo 7 and see what we can expect from this upcoming game.
What Is Gran Turismo?
The Series
The Gran Turismo series is a racing sim game franchise created by Polyphony Digital for the PlayStation. The main draw for the Gran Turismo series is the game’s emphasis on emulating the performance of various vehicles. These can range from your normal cars to absolute units like Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Of course, these vehicles are licensed products.
Overall, the Gran Turismo series is one of the most popular and prolific racing game series out there.
The Latest Installment: Gran Turismo 7
After a few years of silence after Gran Turismo Sport, There’s finally a new game in the series called Gran Turismo 7. The game, unlike what the numbering says, is the eighth installment of the series.
It’s slated for release on March 4, 2022, for the PS4 and PS5.
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Gran Turismo 7 Game Preview
Here’s what we can expect from the release of Gran Turismo 7 this 2022.
Graphics
The main draw of any Gran Turismo game has got to be the graphics. In the case of Gran Turismo 7, it’s never looked better. The whole game is run in real-time ray tracing, which, for those not in the know, means that your PC/console’s GPU is simulating the way light behaves in the physical realm. This was usually thought to be a few decades away. However, there are now GPUs with the capability and power to do this.
Do note that this only applies to newer, more robust GPUs. If your GPU is a full generation behind, you’re pretty much screwed to not see Gran Turismo 7’s real-time ray tracing mode. It’s still going to look good, but it won’t be as great. Other than this, and a few additional graphical touches, the game looks as best as it could be as a Gran Turismo game.
In addition, there are also concerns by some of the fans about the PS4. Gran Turismo 7 is slated for release on both the PS5 and PS4. However, the fans doubt if the PS4 can handle the incredibly GPU-heavy Gran Turismo 7. Still, only time will tell on how the game will perform when it’s released.
Driving and Controls
The controls for Gran Turismo 7 are expected to be similar to the rest of the Gran Turismo games: left stick or left and right buttons for steering, right stick or X and Square buttons to accelerate and hit the brakes respectively. Shifting gears up and down is on the R2 and L2 buttons, while R1 and L1 are Nitrous and Rear View in that order.
Keep in mind that the game gives players the option to change the controls to their preference.
New and Returning Cars
As usual in any racing game, the one key attraction has to be the cars.
In terms of cars, Gran Turismo 7 currently has 44 manufacturers in its purview with 252 cars in the game for players to enjoy. We would not, however, place the current list of cars here. Instead, we’ll just show which manufacturers have added new cars into the game as well as returning ones.
| Alfa Romeo |
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| Alpine |
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| Aston Martin |
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| Audi |
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| BAC |
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| BMW |
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| Chaparral |
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| Chevrolet |
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| De Tomaso |
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| Ferrari |
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| Ford |
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| Genesis |
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| Jaguar |
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| Lamborghini |
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| Mercedes |
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| Mazda |
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| Mitsubishi |
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| Nissan |
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| Porsche |
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| Toyota |
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| Volkswagen |
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Racetracks
In terms of racetracks, here’s a list of some of the places that players can race their cars on in Gran Turismo 7. We’ll divide this list between racetracks that can be found in the real world, and the fictional ones:
| Real Circuits | Fictional Circuits |
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Game Modes
Gran Turismo 7 appears to bring back the game’s previously missing campaign mode. In this campaign mode, the player starts as a racing novice with only the low-powered cars available. Eventually, they’ll be able to gain access to newer, faster cars, as well as new racetracks to tackle.
There’s no information on what the campaign mode will look like specifically yet. However, License Tests are set to return, and there are leaks of the campaign’s HUD for special events, championships, missions, et cetera.
Other than the campaign mode, there’s also the game’s online multiplayer. Firstly, there’s now a dedicated multiplayer icon as well as a Gran Turismo Sport Live Icon. There are a lot of implications for this. However, these things seem to imply that there are new ways for players to not only race against each other but also keep in touch.
They can also use these tools to find out about the happenings in the world of Gran Turismo. They can learn about championships, live events, look at online rankings, et cetera.
Other Features
Other features are set to be added to Gran Turismo 7. In addition to the return of Campaign Mode, seven features need to be talked about:
- GT Auto: Allows players to do car maintenance, applying new wheels, washing, oil change, et cetera. There are also talks about adding various kits and aerodynamic parts for added immersion.
- Vehicle Tuning and Modification: Following GT Auto, this allows players to modify their cars with various car parts to increase performance.
- Livery Editor: This allows players to create their Livery to add to their cars, giving them more personality.
- Used Cars: Players can purchase old cars for less cost.
- Gran Turismo Café: This feature is new to the Gran Turismo series and seems to be something that can help players go through the game’s intricacies. What that entails isn’t known yet, but there’s a collection aspect to it.
Replayability
In terms of replayability, the game seems to be insanely good for replay value especially if you’re a racing fan. There’s a lot of stuff to do from the campaign to the multiplayer, in addition to the thrill of collecting all the cool cars, achievements, et cetera.
Overall, if you’re a fan of racing games and have a lot of time on your hands, Gran Turismo 7 will take up a lot of time.
Sound Design
The game’s various cars all sound great, which adds to the game’s realism. There are talks of using surround sound, but there’s no confirmation yet.
Gran Turismo 7 vs Previous Games
If you’re a fan of the whole Gran Turismo series, here’s how the latest game compares to the older installments.
Gran Turismo 6
The latest Gran Turismo has a lot of similar features to the sixth game, which is pretty understandable. There are a lot of things that Gran Turismo 7 took from its previous iteration, from traditional race tracks to the game’s campaign.
Their main difference is in the game’s graphics and controllers. For one, Gran Turismo 7 benefits from the newest generation console PS5, which means it has more power to give to show better graphics.
Gran Turismo Sport
The same is true for Gran Turismo Sport. The game has a lot going for it, including some cool cars and various added features. Gran Turismo 7, however, took those things and puts them in a next-gen console.
If you’re taking anything away from this, it’s that Gran Turismo 7 is expected to shine a lot in the PS5. However, Gran Turismo Sport and 6 are still incredible racing games in their own right.
Gran Turismo 7 vs Similar Games
Now that we’ve talked a bit about Gran Turismo 7, let’s talk about similar games.
Forza Horizon 5
When talking about Forza, we all have to remember one thing: the Forza games are all on Xbox. This alone should be talked about when we’re comparing this game and the upcoming Gran Turismo 7. In Forza’s case, the current entry on the series is Forza Horizon 5, and it just came out recently for the Xbox Series X/S.
Both games are the same in general. After all, they’re both racing games. However, Forza puts more emphasis on the racing aspect while Gran Turismo celebrates cars.
Need for Speed Series
Next on the list is the Need for Speed series, and it’s easier to differentiate it from Gran Turismo 7. The Need for Speed series is focused more on street and road racing rather than official racing.
In addition to this, Need for Speed implemented a lot of interesting mechanics like escaping from cops, destroying terrain, et cetera.
DiRT Rally
On the flipside, DiRT is, as you can probably tell, all about offroad racing, and this is one of its greatest strengths. Combine this with some pretty hilarious physics and you can have a really fun time when everything clicks.
Unlike Gran Turismo and Forza, though, the game doesn’t have that much in terms of car variety. This is understandable as few cars can go offroad without dealing significant damage to the car in question.
