The first State of Play of 2022 was all about Gran Turismo 7 and if you’re even mildly excited about Polyphony Digital’s upcoming simulation racer, this showcase is a must-watch. Not only does it showcase some of the bleeding-edge graphics the Gran Turismo series is known for, but it reveals that GT7 is much more than just a racing game.
Of course, it is absolutely still a racing game first and foremost but if competitive racing isn’t your jam, GT7 seems jam-packed with other things for you to do and enjoy.
“Over its 25-year history, the Gran Turismo series has demonstrated a serious love and respect for cars,” GT7 producer Kazunori Yamauchi said at the top of the showcase. “What’s more, Gran Turismo 7 represents the 25th anniversary of the series. Gran Turismo 7 will represent the pinnacle of our journey. We have designed GT7 so that those who have never come into automotive culture until now can really get to know the deep, rich world of cars.”
This State of Play touched on that easy introduction into the world of cars for newcomers, too. Let’s break down everything show in it:
World Map
This is the main hub of Gran Turismo 7 and it’s where you’ll access the game’s 400 cars, 34 racing locations, and 97 layouts. Yamauchi says more cars and layouts will be added in future online updates, too. The world map is essentially a birds-eye view of the smaller hubs within GT7 such as the Used Car Dealer, the Cafe, Legendary Cars, and more.
When you begin the game, you’ll receive some in-game credits to purchase a compact car and from there, you’ll progress through the campaign by completing races, unlocking new cars, and tuning vehicles for better performance – all from the world map.
“It’s the classic GT campaign mode, but GT7 has even more to offer,” PlayStation said during the show.
Cafe
This is the center of the world map and it’s where the campaign seems to exist. Here, you’ll be given a car collection menu. You must complete each menu by winning races and championships. As you do, you’ll learn more about each car on the menu, with surprise appearances by the vehicles’ original designers.
Brand Central
This is a shopping mall where you can purchase new cars. You’ll find roughly 300 cars from 2001 and later here from over 50 different worldwide brands like Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, and more. Not only will you find showrooms for purchasing vehicles here, but you’ll find a museum for each manufacturer, too. You can learn about the history of the different car manufacturer brands in GT7 here.
Used Car Dealer
As the name implies, it’s here that you can buy used vehicles at a more affordable price. However, Yamauchi warns that some older cars will sell for even more than their original selling price based on the current car market. For example, 1990s Japanese vehicles are on the rise and the prices will reflect that. The used car lineup will be updated and changed slightly every day.
Legendary Cars
Iconic cars from history’s past will be here, as you’d expect. Not much was revealed but we expect the most expensive (and most exciting) vehicles in the game to be purchasable here.
World Circuits
At launch, there will be 34 locations and 97 layouts to race through. This includes both real-world circuits and fantasy circuits. Yamauchi says fantasy tracks from GT’s past such as Trial Mountain and Deep Forest will be in the game and reimagined under a modern lens on the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. You can create personalized circuits here, too, which allows you to make races with differing weather conditions and more.
Stepping away from the world map, the State of Play dug a little deeper into the more intricate systems of Gran Turismo 7, starting with the return of Licensed Tests.
Licensed Tests
Returning to the GT series, Licensed Tests allow you to learn new and old driving techniques to take with you into circuits and other races. They’re comprised of short minigame-like races that will teach you these skills. You can earn a gold trophy, silver, or bronze, just like in previous GT games.
Mission Races
These are unique events beyond the typical races and time trials seen throughout GT7. For example, you’ll find drag racing and drift trials under the Mission Races hub.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer is featured in GT7, of course. Not only can you race against other players from around the world online, but you can also race against your friends using the game’s two-player couch co-op.
Music Replay
This has been created for GT7 to go alongside the conventional replay feature. In Music Replay, the camera will dynamically shift to the tune of music and it does so through random generation. So, every time you do a Music Replay, the cameras used to capture the race will be different.
Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers
GT7 features both haptic feedback and adaptive triggers on the PlayStation 5. The adaptive triggers will let you feel the vibrations of a tire’s lock state while breaking, according to PlayStation, and if you go into a corner too fast, you’ll feel the front tires attempting to correct on the steering wheel via the haptic feedback. Yamauchi says it will feel like you’re holding a car when using a DualSense, with the track beneath you.
Settings
This one’s for all the car nerds out there – there are over 60 types of performance parts per car. The tuning menu shown during the State of Play is wild. Overwhelming if you’re a newcomer for sure, but fans of the series are likely to feel a smile stretch across their face when they see these menus. Yamauchi says there are more than 650 aerodynamic parts, 130 types of wheels, and 1200 colors of measured paint data. Plus, you can still get your car washed and your oil changed when needed as well.
Photography
One exciting addition to GT7 is the new Scrapes. These are essentially high-def HDR photos that you can place any of your cars into. From there, you can tinker with loads of photo settings to get the perfect shot. This goes hand-in-hand with the GT7 photo mode, which from the looks of it, might be PlayStation’s most advanced photo mode in any game ever.
The State of Play ends with a couple of minutes of a new Music Rally mode, which isn’t discussed too much but it seems to be based on the beats of a song, and the Music Replay mode. If you’re looking for a stretch of PlayStation 5 GT7 gameplay, the end of the State of Play is for you.
Gran Turismo 7 will hit PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on March 4. While waiting for its release, read about GT7’s original announcement back in 2020, and then check out this GT7 trailer that shows off the game’s detailed customization and photo mode. Watch the latest GT7 trailer, which features a race around Daytona, after that.
Are you excited about Gran Turismo 7? Let us know in the comments below!
