Sony finally unveiled the latest entry in its flagship racing series: Gran Turismo Sport. Let’s take a look back over the series, from its humble beginnings as a PSOne racer, to hardcore racing simulator in the 21st century.
Coming November 16 exclusively on PlayStation 4, Gran Turismo Sport hopes to reignite interest in the franchise and breathe new life into the racing genre on PlayStation.
The first in the acclaimed GT series to hit PlayStation 4, early footage and details of Gran Turismo Sport have hardcore fans clamouring for more tidbits, which we’ll undoubtedly get at E3 next month.
Featuring 137 “super premium” cars, 19 locations, and 27 different track layouts, Gran Turismo Sport is undoubtedly the biggest “secondary release’ in Gran Turismo history, easily eclipsing the offerings of the Concept and Prologue series’.
Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate Gran Turismo, and take a look back at just how far the series has come since its debut in 1998.
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Gran Turismo
Release: May 8, 1998
Platform: PlayStation
Cars: 140
Tracks: 11
Sales: 10.8 million
It was in development for five years, and surely at one point during its creation someone at Sony must have questioned both the game’s marketability and legs. There wasn’t a racing simulator on the market aimed the mainstream console gamer, and as such Gran Turismo was a bit of a trailblazer. As history shows, this first entry set the tone as the franchise has gone on to be the highest rated racing series, with more than 10 sequels and spin-offs.
There’s also the fact that with a 95% GameRankings score, it’s one of if not the most critically acclaimed racing game ever released. It won multiple awards, and despite having been released many years after the launch of the first PlayStation, was considered one of the console’s killer apps.
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Gran Turismo 2
Release: December 23, 1999
Platform: PlayStation
Cars: 650
Tracks: 27
Sales: 9.3 million
PlayStation fans received the ultimate Christmas present in 1999 with the release of Gran Turismo 2. With preparations under way for the release of the PlayStation 2 in early 2000, many questioned this sequel’s ability to both out-rank and out-sell its predecessor, and while it may not have set the world on fire like the first entry, it still managed to sell roughly 9.3 million units globally.
Sony was confident of the game’s success despite its release so close to the PlayStation 2 and SEGA’s Dreamcast. Sales showed they were right, however the launch was not without its issues: many players came across glitches and bugs, namely a frustrating bug that didn’t allow players to progress past 98.2% completion.
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Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
Release: July 10, 2001
Platform: PlayStation 2
Cars: 181
Tracks: 34
Sales: 14.8 million
https://youtu.be/qR027JnNEpc
It may have been lighter on cars than GT2, but Gran Turismo 3 flew off shelves upon release in mid-2001, and was a hit with critics and gamers alike. At the time of release it was among the most successful games of all-time, but with the explosion of the AAA game, Grand Theft Auto and Call Of Duty, it has since been surpassed. Nonetheless, GT3 was an enormous success for Sony and the PS2, and it is the third highest-selling game on the console behind Vice City and San Andreas (no surprises there).
The game’s lower car count comparative to its predecessors was widely attributed to the extra work needed for graphics, detailing and statistics, particularly because it was released less than a year after the PS2’s launch. It did however introduce six actual Formula One cars, won via the infamous endurance races. It also marked appearances by Lamborghini and Porsche.
Gran Turismo Concept
Release: July 17, 2002
Platform: PlayStation 2
Cars: 100
Tracks: 5
Sales: 1.5 million (across three releases)
Concept came about as a response to the immense success of Gran Turismo 3. While not a technically a “full game”, it still had a sizeable car list of concept cars that eventually made their way into Gran Turismo 4. Three versions of the game were made: Concept: Tokyo, a Japan exclusive; Concept: Tokyo-Seoul, a Korea exclusive; and Concept Tokyo-Geneva, a Europe exclusive. Each version featured concept cars revealed at the motor shows of the three cities featured in the series.
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Gran Turismo 4
Gran Turismo 4 Prologue
Release: May 26, 2004
Platform: PlayStation 2
Cars: 50
Tracks: 5
Sales: 1.4 million
It was never released in North America, instead coming only to Japan, Europe and Australia. While it was basically a “cut down” version of the main game, acting as somewhat of a demo, it still featured main modes from the final game, including races, time attack and license tests.
Gran Turismo 4
Release: February 22, 2005
Platform: PlayStation 2
Cars: 722
Tracks: 51
Sales: 11.7 million
Gran Turismo 4 really took the series to new heights, both on a quantity and quality front. It was arguably the more ambitious of the Gran Turismo games up to that point, introducing new physics, visuals and features, but it was also met with mixed thoughts from critics and gamers alike. GT4 is definitely the more polarising of the major releases, with some critics pointing at the game’s lack of rendered damage, while Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson said that game wasn’t quite as realistic as it made out to be, citing some inconsistencies with handling and braking.
Nonetheless, it was a fantastic way to see out the best console of all time ahead of the release of the PlayStation 3 a year and a half later.
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Gran Turismo 5
Gran Turismo HD
Release: December 24, 2006
Platform: PlayStation 3
Cars: 10
Tracks: 1
Gran Turismo HD was a download-only version that was intended to showcase the franchise’s progression and visuals on the new console. In essence it is more or less a more simplified version of the Concept series that appeared on the PS2.
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
Release: April 15, 2008
Platform: PlayStation 3
Cars: 70
Tracks: 6
Sales: 5.3 million
North American gamers were undoubtedly pleased that finally they were getting a chance to test out a Gran Turismo game before the release of the full game. Interestingly, GT 5 Prologue is the fifth best-selling PS3 game of all-time, and the third-best exclusive behind GT5 and The Last Of Us. It was the first mass-produced Gran Turismo game to feature online multiplayer, with up to 16 players playing online at once.
Gran Turismo 5
Release: November 24, 2010
Platform: PlayStation 3
Cars: 1,086
Tracks: 73
Sales: 11.9 million
Gran Turismo 5 was the first major entry in the series to have online races, with online support for up to 16 players. It also had a damage model that was dictated by whether the vehicle was “standard” or “premium”. It reintroduced night racing, and also featured World Rally Championship, NASCAR and Super GT licenses for the first time in Gran Turismo history.
It was met with generally positive reviews, with many critics and gamers praising the game’s realism, handling and new online component. However, it lost some points in the UI and load time stakes, something Polyphonic Digital eventually addressed with updates. It also suffered from framerate drops, and some were critical of the game’s disappointing lack of detail on some vehicles and in some environments.
Those criticisms didn’t stop the game, however, and it went on to become the second best selling PS3 game of all-time, behind only Grand Theft Auto 5‘s 20 million sales.
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Gran Turismo
Release: October 1, 2009
Platform: PSP
Cars: 833
Tracks: 75
Sales: 4.6 million
Gran Turismo on PSP was supposed to be the handheld’s killer app. The platform was revealed alongside the game back in 2004, and Sony promised a direct GT4 port for on-the-go racing action. Unfortunately, the end product didn’t quite live up to the expectations set out by its creator. It was initially intended to be released in April 2005, but multiple delays pushed it back to late 2009.
Depending on who you speak to, Gran Turismo PSP is either a beloved or despised entry in the long-running racing series. Reviews varied in the 6 to 7.5/10 range, and while most praised its handling and graphics, many bemoaned its lack of a career mode, lack of customisation options, and it’s shocking load times.
It still managed to become the second best selling game on the handheld, losing out to Monster Hunter Portable by roughly 200,000 units.
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Gran Turismo 6
Release: December 6, 2013
Platform: PlayStation 3
Cars: 1,266
Tracks: 100
Sales: 4.7 million
Gran Turismo 6 had the unfortunate task of having to compete directly with the release of the PlayStation 4. It arguably hit sales — it is the lowest selling major entry in the franchise by a far margin — but it still managed to earn plenty of awards and be among the top 10 best selling games on the PS3.
Once again the reception from critics was mostly positive, with realism and the number of collectible cars on offer the main praises. However, launch bugs and glitches, and a focus on online play and microtransactions frustrated critics and gamers alike. Some argued that it was an improvement on GT5, while others said it doesn’t improve enough. Either way, GT6 is still a solid, worthy entry in the franchise, even if it did seem to fly under the radar a bit.
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Gran Turismo Sport
Release: November 16
Platform: PlayStation 4
Cars: 137
Tracks: 27
The newest instalment features the very latest road cars recreated with unprecedented precision by the Polyphonic team. The cars will be a mix of real and concept vehicles, with all cars remodelled from GT6. It will also support PlayStation VR, which is an interesting addition, and it will work with all gameplay modes.
Gran Turismo Sport launches November 16 on PlayStation 4.