Gran Turismo 4 is a 2004 racing video game created by Polyphony Digital and released by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth main game in the Gran Turismo series and the sixth overall. The game was first released on December 28, 2004, in Japan and Hong Kong, February 22, 2005, in North America, and March 9, 2005, in Europe. It was later re-released as part of Sony's Greatest Hits collection.

The game was originally planned to be released in 2003 but was delayed for more than a year and a half. During this time, Polyphony Digital removed the online mode from the game. Gran Turismo 4 includes over 721 cars from 80 manufacturers, ranging from the 1886 Daimler Motor Carriage to future car designs from 2022. The game also includes 51 tracks, many of which are new or updated versions of previous Gran Turismo tracks, with some real-world locations added.

The game received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. It became one of the best-selling games of 2005 and the fourth most popular game on the PlayStation 2. The versions of the game released in China, Japan, and South Korea included a 212-page driving guide and lessons about racing physics. A version of the game for the PlayStation Portable, originally called Gran Turismo Mobile, was later renamed Gran Turismo and released on October 1, 2009.

Gameplay

Players earn points by winning races in the standard first-person driving mode, called A-Spec mode. Each race event can give up to 200 A-Spec points. A win using a car that has a smaller advantage over AI opponents is worth more points. Points can only be earned once, so to earn more points from a previously won event, the player must win it again using a car with less of an advantage over the AI. There are also 34 "Driving Missions," each worth 250 points. However, A-Spec points are experience points, not currency.

The new B-Spec mode places players in the role of a racing crew chief, instructing the driver on how aggressively to drive, when to pass, and when to make pit stops (by monitoring tire wear and fuel levels). The race time can be increased up to 3×, allowing Endurance races to be completed faster than in A-Spec mode. However, the 3× speed feature must be reactivated after every pit stop because it resets to normal time. The game manual states that the player may increase B-Spec mode speed up to 5×, but this is likely a mistake. B-Spec points are given for each race completed in B-Spec mode. These points improve the AI driver’s skill in vehicle, course, and battle categories. Players can use B-Spec mode in harder races as the game progresses, but this mode cannot be used on wet, dirt, or snow courses.

A new feature called "Driving Missions" is included in the game. These missions are similar to license tests but reward completion with 250 A-Spec points and 1000 or more credits. Each mission takes place on a specific track or section of track with a given car and set of opponents. There are four types of missions: "The Pass," where the driver must overtake an opponent within a certain distance; "3 Lap Battle," where the driver must pass five opponents over three laps; "Slipstream Battle," where the driver must overtake identical opponents by drafting; and "1 Lap Magic," where the driver starts with a large time penalty but must overtake slower opponents in one lap. Completing each mission set earns the player a prize car.

A new Photo Mode is included in the game, allowing players to control a virtual camera to take pictures of their cars on the track or at specific locations, such as the Grand Canyon. The game can produce screenshots with different compression settings (Normal/Fine/SuperFine) and sizes (up to 1280×960 at 72dpi). Players can save or print these images to a supported USB device.

Compared to Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, the game’s graphics are more detailed, with improved car and track designs (despite using the same PlayStation 2 hardware). Physics are also improved, with cars now showing body movement, such as pitching (forward and backward rolling) during braking. Barriers in the game have more friction to slow cars down (to prevent "wall riding"), but there is little friction between cars. Hitting another car or the wall during a race results in a 5-second penalty, during which the car’s speed is limited to 50 km/h (31 mph) until the timer ends.

Alternate versions

Gran Turismo 4 Prologue (グランツーリスモ4 プロローグ, Guran Tsūrisumo Fō Purorōgu) is a 2003 racing simulation game created by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the fifth game in the Gran Turismo series. The game was released on December 4, 2003, in Japan and Southeast Asia, and on May 26, 2004, in Europe. It was not released in North America for unknown reasons. However, a demo disc featuring the Toyota Prius and Toyota MTRC concept car was available in the United States. People could get the demo by requesting a Toyota Prius brochure online or by visiting the Toyota booth at the 2004 New York International Auto Show. The demo included branding from Gran Turismo 4 Prologue on the title screen. This shorter version came out before the full game, Gran Turismo 4, in 2004 and was followed by Gran Turismo 5: Prologue in 2007.

In Japan, a special "Signature Edition" of the game was released before the regular version. This edition had the signature of the series producer, Kazunori Yamauchi, on the cover. The regular version was also sold with a white ceramic PlayStation 2 console in a limited edition called "PlayStation Racing Pack," released in Japan on October 13, 2002.

In Europe, the game was bundled with a promotional "Making of DVD Video." Although this was meant to be limited, the DVD was also included in the Platinum re-release. Later, the DVD was part of a limited "Special DVD Set" released in Japan on June 28, 2004. The regular edition was later replaced by Sony's "Greatest Hits" line in Japan ("PlayStation 2 the Best") on August 5, 2004, and in Europe ("Platinum"). Gran Turismo 4 was originally planned for a 2002/2003 Christmas release but was delayed. To compensate, Polyphony Digital released Gran Turismo 4: Prologue as a preview, including a documentary bonus disc in Europe.

Although the game had fewer cars and tracks than the full version, it included key features of the Gran Turismo series, such as races, time attacks, and license tests. The preview also showcased the latest technology Polyphony Digital had developed over two years. It included 50 of the 500 planned cars for Gran Turismo 4 and five tracks. This demo was designed to fill the gap until the full game was released.

The game includes a Driving School (License Tests) and early versions of some circuits, such as the New York track, which was later changed in the full version. A new official steering wheel called the Driving Force Pro (GT Force Pro in Japan), which supports force feedback, was released by Logitech to match the launch of Gran Turismo 4 Prologue. The European version of the game included extra cars, such as the BMW Concept M5 and Toyota MTRC, which were unveiled at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show.

Gran Turismo 4 Prologue sold 1.4 million copies since its release.

Gran Turismo 4 Online Test Version (グランツーリスモ 4 オンライン実験バージョン, Guran Tsūrisumo 4 Onrain Jikken Bāshon) is a free 2006 PlayStation 2 game developed by Polyphony Digital. It is a limited edition of the 2004/2005 game Gran Turismo 4, featuring online services that were removed from the standard version due to technical issues and delays. Selecting the "Online" mode opens the "Online Home," which includes additional game modes such as "Quick Race," "Tuned Car Race," "Private Race" (which requires a password), and "Time Attack." The "News" section updates players about online events and courses with limited time availability. Public online services ended on September 1, 2006.

This test version was freely sent to 4,700 members of the gran-turismo.com website in Japan and 300 in South Korea to act as "test players." Online services ran from June 1 to September 1, 2006, and included 6-player "Competition" mode, Time Trial, chat features (mail and microphone communication), and an Internet ranking chart. Today, the game can be played online again using private servers.

This test was not meant to be a full release of Gran Turismo 4 Online but was used to develop and test online features for the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 on the PlayStation 3. In addition to the 5,000 test players, seven special guests were invited to test the game. A special event called "Top Racer Battle" was held at Polyphony Digital's headquarters on August 17, 2006. Six drivers from the JGTC Japanese championship competed in the game's online multiplayer "Competition" mode.

Motoyama won a 5-lap race on the Fuji Speedway 2005 track using JGTC GT500 cars. The actual "Top Racer Battle," a 10-lap race on the Tsukuba Circuit using a Mazda Roadster 1600 NR-A '04, was won by Ryo Michigami. From August 25 to September 5, 2006, Kazunori Yamauchi, the Gran Turismo series producer, invited two Japanese and two European professional racing drivers sponsored by PlayStation to compete in GT4OL's Time Attack mode. They either challenged Yamauchi or other guests in races or competed against five test drivers in an 8- to 10-round online competition called "trophy."

The first guest was Satoshi Motoyama, a driver from the Super GT GT500 Nissan Motul Pitwork Z team. He entered the "Motoyama Trophy," a 2-lap, 10-race online competition, and won three rounds. The second guest was Sébastien Loeb, a French driver who won the 2005 Le Mans 2005 PlayStation Pescarolo C60 Judd LMP Race Car '04 and a WRC champion. Loeb set a new Time Attack record on the 24 Hours of Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe I ("Loeb Special Attack") and defeated Yamauchi in a Time Attack duel on the same circuit (Internet rank 10th vs. 11th). The final guests were Ryo Michigami, a driver from the Super GT

Reception

Gran Turismo 4 received mostly positive reviews, according to the Metacritic website, which collects and summarizes reviews.

Jeremy Clarkson, a host on the television show Top Gear, compared real-life driving to the game in an episode. He drove the Laguna Seca Raceway in real life using an Acura NSX and completed a lap in 1 minute and 57 seconds. In the game, he used a Honda NSX-R, which is lighter, and finished the lap in 1 minute, 41 seconds, and 148 milliseconds. Clarkson needed help from a race driving instructor to understand the differences between the game and real life. The instructor explained that changing braking during a turn in a real car could cause loss of control. Clarkson also noted that in the game, he takes more risks than he would in real life, and the game’s cars do not experience brake fade. Despite these differences, Clarkson gave the game a score of three stars out of five in a column for The Sunday Times.

Karl Brauer of Edmunds.com also tested the game at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. He and two others—professional race driver A. J. Allmendinger and IGN gaming editor Justin Kaehler—compared their real-life and game times in several cars. Brauer’s best time in a Ford GT in the game was 1 minute and 38 seconds, while his real-life time was 1 minute and 52 seconds. None of the four vehicles tested could match the game’s times on the real track. Brauer explained that the main differences between the game and reality include the lack of realistic damage, the ability to take shortcuts not allowed in real life, and the cars’ limited grip. The game was also criticized for not including online play, which had been promised earlier but removed before release. Reviewers also said the game’s AI system, which controls other drivers, was not realistic. For example, virtual racers often ignored the human driver’s position. This was especially noticeable in rally races, where drivers received a 5-second penalty for hitting other cars or barriers, even if the collision was not their fault. Some critics said the B-Spec mode did not add much to the overall experience.

Some non-video-game publications gave positive reviews. Sean Cunningham of Maxim gave the game a perfect score of 10 and said, “Is GT4 more fetish than game? Probably. But if this is a fetish, then put a leather hood on us and whip us till we bleed!” Jason Hill of The Sydney Morning Herald gave it five stars and said the game’s greatest strength is its realistic handling, especially with a Driving Force Pro steering wheel. Charles Herold of The New York Times said the game aims for realism but sometimes fails, noting that other drivers act like “mindless automatons” and that cars can take too much damage without consequences. Jim Schaefer of Detroit Free Press gave the game three stars out of four, praising the game’s organization of choices on a large map, which allows players to race, shop for cars, or complete challenges.

Awards and recognition:
– E3 2003 Game Critics Awards: Best Racing Game
– IGN: 5th best PlayStation 2 game of all time

Sales figures:
By February 2005, Gran Turismo 4 sold over 1 million copies in Japan. By March 2005, it sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. It received a “Double Platinum” sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), meaning it sold at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom. By December 2005, it sold more than 611,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

By March 2016, Gran Turismo 4 had sold:
– 1.27 million copies in Japan
– 3.47 million in North America
– 6.83 million in Europe
– 180,000 in Asia

Total sales reached 11.76 million copies. It is the third best-selling game in the Gran Turismo series, behind Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, but ahead of the original Gran Turismo.

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