Gran Turismo 7 is the eighth main installment and thirteenth overall in Polyphony Digital’s long-running series, and it arrives on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 carrying the weight of the entire franchise behind it. It follows Gran Turismo Sport from 2017. Sony Interactive Entertainment published it in 2022.
The game collects the best of the Real Driving Simulator into one package. Whether you race hard or casually, whether you collect, tune, design liveries or shoot photos, there is a mode built for you. GT Campaign, Arcade and Driving School all return.
Trailer, via PlayStation.
GT Simulation Mode Comes Back
The legendary GT Simulation Mode returns, and it is the spine of the single player experience. You buy, tune, race and sell your way through a solo campaign, unlocking new cars and challenges as you go. Fan-favorite tracks and vehicles come back too, along with Special Events, Championships, Driving School, the Tuning Parts Shop, the Used Cars dealership and GT Auto.
GT Sport Mode, Brand Central and Discover — now called Showcase — all stay from Gran Turismo Sport. That is a lot of machinery under one hood, and the game mostly holds it together.
Progress runs through Menu Books handed out at the GT Café. You have to clear these tasks to unlock features like multiplayer, and all tracks and cars. It is a structure that gives the campaign a shape, though it also means the game gates its own best content behind a long runway.
Dynamic time and weather effects return, last seen in Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6. They matter more than they sound. A track that dries out over a race changes how you drive it, and Gran Turismo 7 uses that well.
A Constant Connection, and Kazunori Yamauchi’s Reason
Here is the part that will decide whether you enjoy Gran Turismo 7 or resent it. Despite having a full single player campaign, the game requires a constant internet connection and a PlayStation Network account to save progress. Arcade mode is fully playable offline. Everything else is not.
Series creator Kazunori Yamauchi explains that this decision was made to prevent cheating. That is a real concern for a game with a competitive online mode and an esports scene. It is also a real cost to players whose connections drop, and the game does not soften the blow.
Whether you’re a competitive or casual racer, collector, tuner, livery designer or photographer – find your line with a staggering collection of game modes including fan-favorites like GT Campaign, Arcade and Driving School.
The PlayStation 5 version makes use of the console’s increased processing power, dedicated ray-tracing hardware, custom solid-state drive storage, Tempest Engine and DualSense controller. That buys advanced haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, real-time ray tracing, 3D spatial audio and reduced loading times. It runs at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second with high dynamic range support.
The PlayStation 4 version runs at 1080p. That is a significant gap in performance, and it is worth knowing which console you are buying for before you commit.
Virtual reality support arrives through PlayStation VR2 by way of a free in-game update. It is not a separate purchase, which is the right call.
What the Reviews and the Players Said
Gran Turismo 7 received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its graphics and gameplay. The critical aggregate sits at 8.7 out of 10 across eight outlets.
Player reception was more negative. Criticism focused on its use of microtransactions and its focus on grinding. The game was subject to intense review bombing on Metacritic, and it received the lowest Metascore for a Sony-published title.
That split is the story of Gran Turismo 7, and it is not a mystery. The critics reviewed a racing game with superb handling and a deep garage. The players reviewed an economy. Both were looking at the same product.
The microtransaction criticism is the one that sticks hardest, because it lands on the campaign structure rather than on a side mode. When Menu Books gate your access to cars and tracks, and when the cars cost what they cost, the grind stops feeling like progression and starts feeling like a toll. That is the design choice Polyphony made, and it is the design choice that drew the fire.
The connection requirement compounds it. Yamauchi’s anti-cheating rationale is legitimate, but it means a single player campaign you paid for can stop working when your internet does. Arcade mode being offline is a thin consolation.
Where the Garage Ends and the Ledger Begins
Set the economy aside and Gran Turismo 7 is the most complete Real Driving Simulator yet assembled. The return of GT Simulation Mode gives the series back its solo heart. The track list, the weather, the tuning depth and the livery tools all deliver. On PlayStation 5, the DualSense feedback and the 4K/60 performance make it the best way to play a racing game on the platform.
The PlayStation VR2 update is the detail worth watching. Free VR for an existing game is how you build goodwill, and it is the kind of move that ages well.
What holds Gran Turismo 7 back from a higher mark is not its driving. It is everything wrapped around the driving. The always-online save requirement and the microtransaction economy are decisions, not accidents, and they cost the game real points with the people who bought it. A racing sim this good should not spend so much of its time asking you to wait, pay or stay connected.
Gran Turismo 7 earns its praise for the cars. It earns its backlash for the ledger. Both are true, and the score reflects both.
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