Gran Turismo Sport is a 2017 simulation racing video game created by Polyphony Digital and released by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It is the twelfth game in the Gran Turismo series.
A major feature of Gran Turismo Sport is online competitive racing, supported by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the international organization that sets rules for motorsports. The game serves as the platform for the FIA-Certified Gran Turismo Championships. When it was first released, the game included 168 cars and 29 tracks. Updates after its release added more content, reaching 338 cars and 82 track configurations by July 2021. These updates also introduced a traditional single-player campaign mode. The game sold 12,977,000 copies, making it the second-best-selling game in the franchise.
Gran Turismo Sport was followed by Gran Turismo 7, which was released on March 4, 2022. Online services for Gran Turismo Sport ended permanently on January 31, 2024, and all downloadable content (DLCs) were removed from the PlayStation Store on December 1, 2023.
Gameplay
Gran Turismo Sport is a racing game, similar to earlier versions in the series. It includes two game modes: "Sport Mode" and "Arcade Mode." Online racing is available, and saving progress is only possible in online mode, unlike previous games. The game has more content than earlier "Prologue" titles in the series. Unlike Gran Turismo 5 and 6, it does not include a dynamic weather system or a day-night cycle. However, players can still choose the time of day for races before starting. As of July 2021, the game includes 338 cars, 82 configurations, and 32 locations to race on.
For the first time in the series, the game includes Porsche vehicles. This happened after Electronic Arts lost the licensing rights to Porsche, which had previously used Ruf cars as a substitute.
In Sport Mode, players compete in three daily races that reset weekly. Each player receives a Driver Rating (DR), which reflects their skill, and a Sportsmanship Rating (SR), which reflects their behavior on the track, such as avoiding contact and following racing flags. The highest Driver Rating is A+, and the highest Sportsmanship Rating is S. The lowest for both is E. A player’s Driver Rating cannot be higher than their Sportsmanship Rating. A special S Driver Rating is given to the top 200 players worldwide. Balance of Performance (BoP) is used to adjust car weight and power, ensuring fair competition.
The game includes two championships: the Nations Cup, where players represent their countries, and the Manufacturers Cup, where players represent car brands. The FIA oversees these championships, just as it does with other racing series. Winners are honored at the FIA’s annual ceremony in Paris.
The first FIA GT Sport Nations Cup in 2018 was won by Igor Fraga from Brazil. Mikail Hizal from Germany placed second, and Cody Nikola Latkovski from Australia placed third. Lexus won the Manufacturers Cup, represented by drivers Tyrell Meadows, Vincent Rigaud, and Kanata Kawakami. Toyota and Aston Martin placed second and third, respectively. The World Finals in Monaco had over 3 million viewers across multiple channels.
Car categories are a new feature in Gran Turismo Sport. Cars are divided into seven groups:
- Gr. 1: LMP and Group C race cars, including some Vision Gran Turismo models
- Gr. 2: Silhouette racing cars, such as Super GT GT500 cars
- Gr. 3: GT3, GTE/GT2, and GT1 race cars, including some Vision Gran Turismo models
- Gr. 4: GT4 race cars
- Gr. B: Group B rally cars
- N Class: Real-life road cars, divided into 10 subcategories based on power output (e.g., the Mercedes-AMG GT S is in the N500 category, and the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is in the N400 category)
- Gr. X: Concept cars (including Vision Gran Turismo models) and other cars not fitting other categories (such as electric cars, safety cars, and track day cars)
Gran Turismo Sport was initially planned to support Sony’s PlayStation VR headset. However, VR support was later limited to a dedicated VR Tour Mode. A later update added the ability to play the time trial mode in VR.
Development
Series creator Kazunori Yamauchi said that Gran Turismo Sport would be released for the PlayStation 4 console, possibly "in a year or two [from 2013]." He also noted that the game would use the same physics engine as Gran Turismo 6. Yamauchi mentioned the game might be released in 2016 or 2017 and explained that the PlayStation 4’s stronger computer power would allow for more advanced gameplay compared to Gran Turismo 6 on the PlayStation 3. Gran Turismo Sport was officially announced during the 2015 Paris Games Week. Sony first said the game would be a separate entry, but Yamauchi later confirmed it is a main part of the series.
Polyphony Digital, the game’s developer, expected Gran Turismo Sport to have better gameplay because of the PlayStation 4’s improved computer power. It was the first game in the series to support the PlayStation VR headset. A beta version was planned for the first and second quarters of 2016, with a full release on November 15, but Sony canceled the beta to avoid further delays. The game was later delayed to 2017 to allow more time for improvements. A closed beta was confirmed for March 17, 2017, for users in the United States and Europe to test the game before its release.
Kamui Kobayashi helped with technical details in the game. After Electronic Arts’ exclusive license to Porsche ended, Gran Turismo Sport became the first game in the series to include Porsche. Lewis Hamilton, a three-time Formula One world champion, was named the "maestro" of the series. His Time Trial Challenge DLC pack was released on November 28, 2019.
Online services for Gran Turismo Sport were permanently closed on January 31, 2024. Add-on items from the PlayStation Store were removed on December 1, 2023. Offline modes, including previously purchased DLC, remain playable without needing an internet connection. The game was taken off the PlayStation Store on January 1, 2024.
In 2017, the game was released on October 17 in North America. A free demo started on October 9 and lasted five days, allowing limited progress to carry over to the full game. The demo included arcade, campaign, and sport modes. PlayStation Plus members could download the demo early on October 7. The demo did not include PlayStation VR support but had a livery editor for customizing cars and a Scapes photo mode. Over a million people played the beta. The Lotus Evora was playable in the closed beta but was removed from the final game due to licensing issues.
As of January 2018, Polyphony Digital added a traditional single-player mode to Gran Turismo Sport, similar to earlier games in the series. More single-player content was added through free updates. However, many professional reviews from the game’s release did not include these updates.
Reception
Gran Turismo Sport received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.
Eurogamer's Martin Robinson described GT Sport as a change from previous games in the series, as it removed the large car collections found in earlier versions and focused more on online competitive driving. He noted that the game did not include cars like lunar rovers, 19th-century wagons, or open-wheel racers at launch. However, he praised the game for being more focused and enjoyable than previous titles from Polyphony Digital. Robinson also highlighted improvements in sound design and the addition of a livery editor, which allows players to create and share their own car designs online. Later, the website ranked the game 21st on its list of the "Top 50 Games of 2017."
IGN mentioned that GT Sport has a smaller garage and track selection compared to other racing games, a choice they found difficult to accept. However, they praised the shift to online racing, calling it serious, sensible, and well-organized. They noted that the online mode, called Sport Mode, was a major focus of the game and described it as a strong online racing environment. Luke Reilly observed the addition of a Sportsmanship Rating, which helps distinguish skilled drivers from less skilled ones by rewarding fair racing and respectful behavior.
Ray Carsillo of Electronic Gaming Monthly said the game looked visually impressive and had realistic car handling, calling this "the strongest part of the game." However, he criticized the requirement to play online to access most features, stating that players could not save the game or use many features without an internet connection. He gave the game a 6/10, noting it would disappoint fans looking for a more traditional Gran Turismo experience.
Jason Faulkner of Game Revolution also criticized the game, pointing out differences between GT Sport and other racing games. He said the cars felt more realistic than in Forza but still lacked the depth of Project Cars 2. He noted that the game had fewer cars and tracks compared to those titles, with only 17 locations available (increasing to 40 with variations). Faulkner also criticized the removal of single-player content in favor of the online mode, which requires an internet connection to use.
Justin Towell of GamesRadar gave GT Sport a 4/5, praising the game's tracks, controls, and handling of high-powered vehicles. He noted that the game still offers a single-player experience with scenarios to complete, though he called it "pedestrian" compared to Forza 7's career mode. Towell emphasized that the main attraction of GT Sport was its FIA-recognized online modes, which he said made racing against real opponents more exciting. He also mentioned that losing internet connection could cause inconvenience but believed the measure was intended to prevent cheating.
In Game Informer's Reader's Choice Best of 2017 Awards, the game placed second for "Best Racing Game." It was also nominated for the same category in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards.
Gran Turismo Sport topped the UK's all-formats physical sales charts for one week, selling nearly three times as many copies as Forza Motorsport 7. It achieved the same ranking in Japan and New Zealand and was number two in Australia. In its first week in Japan, the game sold 150,286 copies, placing it first on the all-format sales chart.
The game reached number one on Japan's download sales charts, number two in Europe, and number five in the United States.
By May 2018, the game had sold about 3.3 million copies worldwide. As of December 2018, it had around 7.5 million players worldwide. By June 2019, Gran Turismo Sport had sold an estimated eight million copies.