Gran Turismo 7: finding a new meaning for the modern day

Prior to its presentation at State of Play, we had the opportunity to get a sneak preview of what the upcoming Gran Turismo 7 will look like. Presented by the franchise legend himself, Kazunori Yamauchi, we were able to see what Polyphony Digital has in store for us. Here's everything we learned about the new experience that celebrates its 25th anniversary.

The meaning of making Gran Turismo in the modern day

Kaz began his presentation about an important topic for him and his team. How Gran Turismo 7 is being produced with an understanding of this new day and age. Kazunori Yamauchi considers a lot has changed in the 25 years since the first Gran Turismo appeared on the original PlayStation, specially from the automobile culture. “We originally created Gran Turismo from the immeasurable amount of inspiration that we received from the rich culture of automobiles,” mentioned Yamauchi. “But today, you won’t find as many people talking about car culture anymore. Less people are talking about the beauty of cars, or focused on the fun of driving.”

With this in mind, Gran Turismo 7 is not only a racing game, nor the best Gran Turismo of all time. The game is designed to celebrate all aspects of car culture, regardless of the level of experience each person has. In Kaz’s words: “To convey the culture and fascination for cars to a new generation of people.”

Gran Turismo 7: The Car Life Simulator

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The World Map will be making a comeback to Gran Turismo 7 becoming the hub for all the game’s features and content. While some old favorites were present, the presentation focused on the new features that makes this game a sandbox that simulates a life with cars that has no clear ending. This sandbox is supported by seven systems, from car physics simulator, a detailed tuning system, the time/weather/surface simulator and even the online lobbies for players to meet.

For those who need to know how many cars the game will have, the answer is over 400 available from day 1. Players will access them from 3 different locations:

We have the cars, but we need a place to race them. Gran Turismo 7 will have on Day 1 over 34 locations and over 90 layouts available. All these real live tracks -as well as some fantasy tracks- will be available from the World Circuit. Each of the tracks will host various races and activities, an important change from previous iterations. The already familiar Sunday Cup and Clubman Cup will be hosted per track, but brand new Circuit Experience will be available for the players to learn and train each of the tracks.

Looks good, sounds better

Talking about graphics, Gran Turismo 7 will present two graphic modes that will accomodate different purposes: the Frame Rate mode and the Ray Tracing mode. Frame Rate mode aims to maintain the highest frame rate possible through the game, making the game frame rate run at 60FPS. On the other hand, Ray Tracing mode will apply this technology only in specific moments of the game, such as race replays or the Photo Mode. This last mode one being a “very difficult process” according to Kaz.

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Regarding sound, The PS5 version of Gran Turismo 7 will support 3D audio, using a 3D audio expression called 3rd order Ambisonics. This means, in terms of a conventional speaker system, to have a three dimensional resolution roughly equal to having a 16-channel audio system. With this, players should be able to identify the different directions that the sounds are coming from, either they be other cars, the helicopters flying over the track or even the rain. An audio physics system will also help with how different sounds are perceived by the player.

Music sound better with you and Good vibrations

One of the aspects Gran Turismo is remembered for in its early releases is for its superb soundtrack (Gran Turismo 2 was a great showcase of artists for a whole generation). For Gran Turismo 7, we can expect over 300 tracks, becoming “the biggest library of music ever” in the franchise. The soundtrack will include various musical genres, ranging from Rock to Classical, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Electro, Lounge and more.

While music is an important aspect, the feeling has become a more important part of this new generation. Gran Tursimo 7 will take advantage of the haptics of the PlayStation 5 controller by using a frequency range that is right in between vibration and sound, where the subtle feedbacks like slight bumps on the road surface or the intermittent vibrations that occur on the road will be felt. Kaz considers that “these kind of feedback cannot be expressed adequately by sound” so it will be delivered to players through haptics.” This will not be the only way the PS5 controller will be taken advantage of. The Adaptive Trigger will also be used to indicate differences in the brake pedal between different cars, or the locking vibrations that occur when the ABS is in effect.

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New places to visit and cars to tune

The Gran Turismo Café will be the place for players to understand the Gran Turismo 7 world. This place will help players deepen their understanding by clearing assignments in the Menu Books which will explain the background and culture behind the cars involved. With over 30 quests available in the Café, players can reach an “ending” that can be considered the beginning of the game.

Finally, tuning and customization in Gran Turismo 7 have made a comeback, becoming an important part of the game. Tuning is a very technical part of the game, something that anyone would have imagined. In Kaz’s words “if you love cars, this screen will probably pique your interest.” The process is viewed like a mini game, with the testing of the different settings is considered as the most enjoyable way to play GT7.

Gran Turismo 7 will arrive on March 4, 2022 for PS4 and PS5.