Polyphony Digital's 2022 simulator brought back the campaign, the realistic tracks and the always-online rule, and it also drew one of the sharpest backlashes in Sony's history.
Gran Turismo 7 is a 2022 sim racer from Polyphony Digital, released on 4 March 2022 for PS4 and PS5. It brought back a single-player campaign with realistic tracks, but its always-online rule drew heavy criticism. The game has since received several Spec updates.
Gran Turismo 7 is the eighth main game in Polyphony Digital's long-running racing series and the thirteenth overall. It returned the single-player campaign, realistic tracks and dynamic weather that fans had wanted, and it also brought a constant online requirement that became the focus of a fierce backlash.
What is Gran Turismo 7?
Gran Turismo 7 is a 2022 sim racing game for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Polyphony Digital made it and Sony Interactive Entertainment released it. It is the successor to Gran Turismo Sport, which came out in 2017. A free update later added support for PlayStation VR2, bringing virtual reality racing to the game.
Kazunori Yamauchi, the series creator, has shaped the franchise throughout. The game was built to feel like a classic Gran Turismo, with a focus on fine-tuning the familiar formula rather than reinventing it.
A campaign built on realistic tracks and tuning, held back by an always-online rule that many players criticised.
When was the game released?
The game was revealed at Sony's PlayStation 5 reveal stream on 11 June 2020. It was first scheduled for 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed its development into 2022. It arrived on 4 March 2022 for both consoles.
Four days later, on 9 March, Sony said it would halt sales of its games in Russia, including this one, in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Tri-Crescendo assisted with background models, and Lewis Hamilton returned as the series' Maestro, a role he had played in Gran Turismo Sport.
How does the game play?
The campaign is GT Simulation Mode, which brings back the traditional tracks and vehicles along with Special Events, Championships, a Driving School, a Used Cars dealership, the Tuning Parts Shop and GT Auto. GT Sport Mode, Brand Central and Showcase are kept from the previous game.
Players unlock multiplayer and the full set of tracks by completing tasks called Menu Books, which are accessed from the GT Cafe. Dynamic time and weather effects also return, after appearing in Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6.
Why does the game need an internet connection?
A live connection is always needed, along with a PlayStation Network account, for progress to be saved. Yamauchi said the choice was intended to stop cheating. Only Arcade mode works fully offline.
Gran Turismo World Series drivers appear as AI opponents and as License Test coaches.
What did the PS5 version add?
The PlayStation 5 version runs at 4K and 60 frames per second with high dynamic range. It uses the console's ray-tracing hardware, its solid-state drive and its DualSense controller, which provides adaptive triggers and advanced haptic feedback. The PlayStation 4 version runs at 1080p, so it gives up the higher resolution and ray tracing while keeping the core racing.
Reduced loading times and 3D spatial audio are also part of the PS5 package.
How was the car sound recorded?
The sound team tested more than 50 microphone types to capture the best car audio. Cars were recorded on hub dynamometers in Japan, Europe and North America, and additional takes were made on closed courses. Each car was miked at its intake, engine, exhaust and cabin.
Tyre noise on different surfaces was captured as well, and in-game playback uses ambisonics for realistic 3D audio. A soundtrack album, Find Your Line, was released on 7 March 2022 by Columbia Records and Sony Interactive Entertainment.
The album brought together songs recorded by artists including GoldLink, Bring Me the Horizon, Nothing but Thieves, Idris Elba, Major Lazer, Rosalia, Lil Tjay and Jawsh 685, many of them inspired by the game.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 4 March 2022 on PS4 and PS5 |
| Developer | Polyphony Digital |
| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Cars and tracks | 574 cars, 41 track environments, 121 layouts at version 1.71 |
| Japan launch week | 139,964 physical units |
| Japan by March 2023 | 300,682 physical units |
| Series total | 100 million units sold, 25 June 2025 |
| Latest announced update | Spec IV, announced 3 September 2026 |
How has the game been updated?
Polyphony supports the game with patches that add features and fix bugs. An early change reworked the economy, and the 1.29 update on 20 February 2023 brought the PS VR2 upgrade and time-limited events featuring AI Sophy. That AI adapts to the player's level and uses techniques such as drafting.
The 1.40 update, called Spec II, arrived on 2 November 2023 with four-player split-screen and Lake Louise, the game's first snowy circuit. Spec III, version 1.65, came on 4 December 2025. It added Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Yas Marina Circuit and eight new cars, including the Ferrari 296 GT3, along with a Power Pack priced at $29.99.
Spec IV was announced on 3 September 2026 during a PlayStation State of Play. It is arriving in two parts, version 1.72 in October and version 1.73 in December, adding Sportsland Sugo, Autumn Ring, twelve new cars and a family mode.
What partnerships shaped the game?
Super Formula ties carried on, and version 1.32 brought the Dallara SF23 soon after its debut in that series. The game launched with the Dallara SF19, which had also featured in Gran Turismo Sport.
The FIA tie-in spans endurance racing, simulator events and sanctioned esports titles. Ahead of the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, Polyphony added four hypercars and a Porsche safety car in a Gran Turismo livery.
How did critics and players respond?
Critics gave the game generally favourable reviews on Metacritic, with praise for its graphics, driving feel and the license tests. Ars Technica liked the balance of the tests, and The Verge called the DualSense support the best showcase of the controller so far.
Early hands-on reports of the PS VR2 support were very positive, and one editor called it the best console virtual reality experience so far.
The split between critics and players became the defining story of the launch. Players were far less kind. Review bombing began about two weeks after release, and the game received the lowest Metacritic user rating for a Sony-published title. Players pointed to aggressive microtransactions and a grind that made progress slow, with some cars priced as high as US$200.
In June 2022 the FIA chose Assetto Corsa Competizione as its platform for the 2022 Motorsport Games. The FIA had temporarily suspended its partnership with Polyphony until the platform became more stable.
Yamauchi wrote that he wanted cars to reflect real-world prices, but the statement drew criticism. After the 1.07 update caused a 30-hour outage, he apologised and promised a fairer progression plan. Players who bought the game before 25 March received one million credits, the equivalent of US$10.
How well did the game sell?
In Japan, the game sold 139,964 physical units in its first week, which made it the best-selling game of that week. It sold more than 190,000 physical units in its launch month and reached 300,682 units by 26 March 2023.
In the United States it set a franchise record for launch-month sales, despite finishing second in its debut month. It was the 13th best-selling game of 2022 there. In the United Kingdom it topped the charts for its first week and stayed at number one the following week.
