Tech Talk

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.

Jump to:

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

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.

Which is what we seem to be getting on the PS5. There's still a lot of questions that need answers, but here's what we know so far.

Gran Turismo 7 debut trailer

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 need a little more time than that. Gran Turismo 7 is one of many games that have been delayed. It is expected to release sometime in 2022.

Typically, Sony takes what feels like an absolute age to get a new Gran Turismo game out. There were six years between 4 and 5 and four years between Gran Turismo 6 and GT Sport. The shortest time between main releases on the PlayStation consoles has been three years.

Gran Turismo 7 Resolution and frame rate

Again, this is currently unknown, but resolution and frame rate are already big talking points for the next-gen consoles. It wouldn't be at all unlikely for Gran Turismo 7 to support both native 4K and 60 FPS. Other titles have already been confirmed with this magic combination, and you'd hope Sony would be swinging for that mark with one of its crown jewels.

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 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 support for PlayStation VR on the PS5, so there's nothing concrete to go on in terms of which games hit the device. However, GT Sport supports the current incarnation, albeit in a limited fashion, so assuming there's a future for Sony's VR platform, you'd likely assume Gran Turismo 7 is to be part of the 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.

The return of a fan favorite circuit

With only a three-minute trailer to go on, actual details are scarce. But one bombshell was dropped immediately: Trial Mountain is back! Something of a fan favorite, the fictional circuit didn't make the cut for GT Sport but is clearly back for the next full sequel.

It seems as though it won't be quite as remembered. Nevertheless, long-time fans of the series will be delighted to see the return of the mountain.

Trial Mountain is also joined by circuits that we know of so far, such as Northern Isle Speedway, Willow Springs, and one of the fastest speedways on earth, Daytona.

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. Since the new release will be a full sequel, you'd anticipate a total on the higher side.

Obviously, the full list is still some way off being released, but the first trailer 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 Gran Turismo games is all present and correct. This should be a piece of serious eye candy on the PS5.

Gran Turismo 7 Features

A couple of things are immediately noticeable from the first trailer. For one, 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.

More importantly for fans of the series is the fact it looks like fully tuning and customizing cars is back on the table. One of the areas of focus right out of the gate has been the parts shop, with 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.

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 PS5, Gran Turismo 7 will indeed make its way to PlayStation 4, as is the case with 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 and frame rate, along with the absence of ray tracing.

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 stills 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 the 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 can not be redeemed for anything at the moment because they appear to be placeholders.