Gran Turismo 7: PS5 racing sim delayed to 2022 thanks to Covid-19 complications

Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo franchise was one of the world’s biggest racing names during the dawn of 3D gaming, but it has faded into obscurity with the arrival of rivals such as Forza Motorsport. 

It remains a name with plenty of prestige, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue it holds the same sway it did all those years ago. It appears that Sony hopes to change this perception with the arrival of Gran Turismo 7, which will seemingly act as a flagship exclusive for the PS5. 

This isn’t a fanciful spin-off in the same vein as Gran Turismo Sport, aiming to make that clear with the return of classic modes, gorgeous visuals and a dedicated approach to racing simulation that will rival the best in the business. Trusted Reviews has compiled everything you need to know. 

Gran Turismo 7 release date – When is it coming out?

Sony has confirmed that Gran Turismo 7 will now launch in 2022 due to development complications arising due to Covid-19: “GT7 has been impacted by Covid-related production challenges and therefore will shift from 2021 to 2022. With the ongoing pandemic, it’s a dynamic and changing situation and some critical aspects of game production have been slowed over the past several months. We’ll share more specifics on GT7’s release date when available,” it told GQ. 

Gran Turismo 7 trailer – How does it look?

You can check out the debut trailer for Gran Turismo 7 below: 

Gran Turismo 7 gameplay – How does it play?

We’ve only experienced limited gameplay for Gran Turismo 7 thus far, but already have a decent idea of how it will expand upon the series formula and make creative use of the PS5’s features. 

First, it will incorporate the DualSense adaptive triggers and haptic feedback into the driving experience, giving the feel of being in the driver’s seat with realistic vibrations and context-sensitive trigger actions that reflect the act of driving a real vehicle. Ray tracing and 3D audio are also confirmed, which will likely make the experience even more immersive. 

Polyphony Digital has also confirmed that Gran Turismo 7 will run at a 4K resolution with 60 frames per second performance. It’s unclear if it will support both simultaneously, or will offer a selection of performance modes such as Demon’s Souls or Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Even super-powerful gaming PCs have trouble hitting 60fps with ray tracing enabled, so the latter is definitely more likely.

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The user interface will be similar to that of Gran Turismo 4, offering a more streamlined and accessible approach for a wider audience. GT Simulation mode will return for the first time since Gran Turismo 6, which is essentially a single-player campaign that many players have been hoping would return. Many modes and features from Gran Turismo Sport will be incorporated, so fans of the last entry won’t feel cheated.

Gran Turismo 7 wishlist

A more realistic damage model

Despite being a realistic simulator, Gran Turismo has never adopted a damage model representative of how it’d actually be if you crashed a fancy Ferrari into a brick wall. Of course, you need to take some liberties so the vehicles still remain playable after a bit of damage, but seeing it reflected in some form of aesthetic or mechanical manner would be great.

Gran Turismo has a huge variety of different cars so this model would reflect differently on whatever you choose. For example, a super-car might be hindered far easier than a formidable Range Rover designed to take some punishment. For purists, an option to switch off such a feature could also be included.

Dynamic weather system

One of the finest things about PS4 exclusive Driveclub was its absolutely gorgeous weather system. It remains of the best-looking things on Sony’s console and is a joy to witness. This made the absence of something similar in Gran Turismo Sport a bitter pill to swallow.

Despite possessing lovingly crafted car models , they lacked a sense of life when driving through bland environments. Gran Turismo 7 is in a perfect position to implement such a system, and we’re sure it’ll look gorgeous on PS5.

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A bigger, more meaningful campaign

Gran Turismo 7 should have a solo campaign that’s more than just a sequence of generic events with little flavour or variety. There was an ample number of them available in GT Sport and beating them was incredibly satisfying, but they all felt relatively similar in the end.

What about a meaningful narrative or progression system alongside the usual simulator fare. It has the potential to provide a series that has maintained the same tone for almost two decades with something new and exciting.

Let us beep the horns!

This is a bit of a silly complaint, but not being able to beep our precious horns in Gran Turismo Sport was a gaming tragedy. You can pop on your indicators and all that good stuff but it seems Polyphony Digital frown upon a cheeky horn or two.

We really want this feature to return so we can bug our friends both on the sofa and online.

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What’s on your wishlist for Gran Turismo 7? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter @trustedreviews.