Gran Turismo 7 deep dive reveals new features | FOS Future Lab | GRR

A full HD car list

“The history of cars is long. For GT7, we have prepared over 400 cars from automobile brands around the world,” Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi explains. While this does fall some way below four-figure lists of releases gone by, Gran Turismo 7 will present all 400+ cars from all corners of motoring and motorsport in stunning detail, exercising to the best of present capabilities the 60FPS and ray-tracing power of the PS5. A visual journey that started with Gran Turismo 5 and its limited number of ‘Premium’ cars in 2007 is close to coming full circle. As is Gran Turismo custom, that car list will be sure to grow over the years-long life of the game.

Tuning, modifying and maintenance

There was once a time when the Need For Speed series had mod-hungry kids cornered with a game that offered customisation on cars. In 2022, Gran Turismo 7 will present us with 60 types of performance parts for each car in the game. There are 650 distinct and modular aero parts, with things like swappable wing endplates and 130 different wheel options. There are widebody kits, roll cages and even engine swaps on the menu, evidenced in the Volkswagen Beetle lap battle with a standard car facing off against a 996 911-swapped car. The vinyl system returns with more freedom than ever before – data imports from GT Sport are all but confirmed – as well as a selection of 1,200 colours to choose from. GT Auto also revives the good old oil changes and car washes. We wonder if clean cars are still faster?

Crazy used car prices 

And now a feature you might find as depressing as it is delightful. Yes, we’ve known the used car auction house has been due to make a return for a while. What we now know is that it will contain around a quarter of the cars on the game. More importantly, we also now know that prices will reflect real-world numbers. Meaning? Well, in Gran Turismo 7, a clean twin-turbo Mk4 Supra with a manual gearbox might just set you back more from the used car lot than a new one from a dealer, as it would in real life.

“At the Used Car Dealer, players can purchase cars for more affordable prices” Yamauchi continues.

“However, some very popular used cars may be sold at an even higher price, than when they originally came out.”

If you think about it, this is nothing new. The Ferrari 250 GTO wasn’t tens of millions of dollars when new, as it has been on many games for the last few years. But a used car dealer that reflects the real world as completely as GT7 seems to, we’ve not yet seen. It could prove very interesting indeed.

Speaking of the 250 GTO, it and cars of this ilk aren’t exactly “used car dealer” fodder. As such, on GT7, you’ll find it in the Legendary Car Dealership alongside other “certain iconic cars” that “have marked their names in the history books”. Everything from the Willys Jeep, to the Porsche 917 and Mercedes CLK LM are visible in this section.

From the racetrack to road – 34 locations, 97 layouts

There will be plenty of places to enjoy these cars and ways to enjoy them too, with 34 locations quoted, available in a total of 97 layouts. These locations are divided into ten in the Americas, 15 in Europe and nine in Asia/Oceania. From Le Mans to Tsukuba, to the highways of Tokyo, the banking of Daytona and to the sweepers and crests of our own Goodwood Motor Circuit. 

So-called ‘Fantasy’ tracks are in amongst these too, with fan favourites from past GT titles returning including Trial Mountain, Deep Forest and High Speed Ring. “More tracks and cars will be added in future online updates”, Kazunori also confirms.

Dynamic weather and driving conditions

Dynamic weather systems have been evolving in racing games for the last few years, with Gran Turismo 7 sure to be the latest and greatest iteration. Clouds evolve from track to track, even lap to lap. Skies will reflect the locations, with even the stars accurate to real night time vistas. Climate data that includes temperatures, air pressure and humidity informs the nature of the weather at different locations. Larger locations like the Nürburgring, which are notorious for their patchwork of weather depending on where you are on the track, will feature those sporadic and changeable conditions in GT7.

Water-pooling on track and dry lines that develop as laps wear on are nothing new but as you’d expect, it’s taken to the next level in GT7. A more gradual progression of surface conditions joins the evolving atmospheric composition in affecting grip, as well as how slipstreaming helps and even engine power. 

From Licence tests to custom races, Music Rally and multiplayer

“There are various races and championships hosted at each track,” Kazunori explains, which sort of goes without saying. GT7 brings in the Circuit Experience mode to help you learn them, while also bringing back the legendary licence tests to help you hone your driving, a nod given by Kazunori in the footage, to those of us who spent hours fighting for gold scores. Mission races will also give you a selection of challenges and competitions beyond those of traditional circuit racing. These include drifting and drag racing and of course, you can build your car especially for each discipline. There’s also Custom Race mode to help you craft the race of your choice, from the venue to the weather conditions, to the competing cars.

Split-screen makes a return – refreshing in the era where online play dominates all. Of course, the online element will be enormous in itself, with causal and more serious Sport mode lobbies. Perhaps the coolest new mode is Music Rally, which sounds a bit like a Forza Horizon feature. It puts car and driver on a track with checkpoint placements dictated by the song that’s playing, with the driver tasked with reaching those checkpoints in time to keep the music playing.

With such an enormous insight into GT7 we can be sure that A) it really is coming out in a month and B) that there will be stuff we’ve missed in there. Gran Turismo has always been about those delicious, hard-to-spot details that when you see them, you’re oh-so-thankful for. What are you most excited about for the game and has this Deep Dive convinced you to get a pre-order in? If only PlayStation 5s were in stock anywhere.