On 2 February, Sony Interactive Entertainment offered a comprehensive overview of the upcoming 'Gran Turismo 7' during their latest ‘State of Play’.

25 years since the release of the first 'Gran Turismo', widely known around the world for its love of cars and respect of the automobile culture, GT7 will be available on 4 March as the culmination of the series' evolution.

We invite our players to take a look into the world of GT7 as revealed by Series Producer Kazunori Yamauchi.

Below is an overview of what has been revealed during the ‘State of Play.’

Over 400 cars from more than 60 automotive brands around the world

Driving a huge selection of cars, from production models to more rare and legendary cars, has always been the DNA of the series, and GT7 is no exception. In this latest chapter, over 400 cars from more than 60 automotive manufacturers have been included, and will continue to be added via future updates.

Tracks from 34 locations with 97 layouts

The list of tracks that serve as the stage for all the racing action feature the usual mix of real-life circuits and original courses, taking players to 34 different locations for a total of 97 unique layouts. Classic series circuits such as 'Trial Mountain', 'Deep Forest,' and 'High Speed Ring' are making a comeback, updated to the latest technology. In the same manner as cars, additional tracks are also planned to be added with future updates.

Venture into a car-themed resort

The fan-favourite World Map is coming back to the series with GT7. This time it's taking the form of a resort, where players can enjoy their car life, and serves as a menu that will give direct access to the various features of the game. The first thing that players will do in this world is to buy a compact car with their initial credits. Building on from there, they will take on races and various events so that they can switch to faster cars received as a reward from those events, or tune and upgrade their old ones to become faster as they progress through the game. Using the 'Garage' as a home base for stocking collected cars and for tuning, players can venture out into the car resort to discover the world of cars.

'Café,' a place to discover car history and culture

At the 'Café' players will receive 'Menu Books,' providing various quests that will guide them through the many locations of this car resort. The Menu Book is at the centre of the 'GT7' experience, assisting players in collecting cars; after completing a book, players can listen to a curated description of those newly acquired cars, and sometimes even meet the designers who were involved in their creation if they are around! The game is designed so that players will naturally come into contact with the history and culture behind the cars as they complete these Menu Books.

Three Car Dealerships

The Car Dealerships are where cars can be purchased in the game. In GT7, players will progress through the game while perusing three different dealerships depending on their objectives. One of these dealerships is 'Brand Central,' where new cars produced in or after 2001 can be found. There are roughly 300 cars available, and in the dedicated 'Museum' section within a brand, players can learn more about their history.

At the 'Used Car Dealership,' players can of course purchase used cars at a more reasonable price than new ones. But there are some models, such as the Japanese sports cars from the ‘90s, that command a premium, costing well beyond their starting price. The used cars lineup is planned to be updated every day.

Finally, there is also the ‘Legendary Car Dealership,’ offering rare and iconic cars with high historical value.

‘World Circuits,’ where tracks around the world can be visited to be raced on

The ‘World Circuits’ is a location where players will have access to the various tracks included in GT7. From here they can visit various tracks and take part in races and championships hosted there, as well as other activities. There is a ‘Circuit Experience’ focused on learning all the sectors of a track, as well as ‘Custom Race’ where weather conditions, time of the day, number of laps, and rival cars can be defined freely.

’Licence Centre’ and ’Missions'

GT7 contains a variety of fun activities other than the many races that represent the core of the experience. One example is the ‘Licence Centre’: this iconic game mode since the very first title acts as a driving school: players can take on short time trial challenges with the aim of obtaining all 'Gold' by honing their skills.

‘Missions' present a variety of events that are different from your ordinary race or time trial. Here, players can try their hand at ‘Drag Racing’, aiming to be the fastest in a straight line, or ‘Drift Trials,’ accumulating points by showing off their drifting skills.

’Multiplayer’ to enjoy racing with family and friends

There are lots of features for enjoying races with other players as well. There is a 2-Player split screen option where players can enjoy racing against family and friends in their living room, as well as 'Lobby' where the fun can be taken online, and a ‘Sport' mode for real competitive racing. New to the series, there are also ‘Meeting Places’ that offer a more casual form of lobbies.

’Tuning Shop,’ ’GT Auto,’ and ’Livery Editor’ to personalise your cars

The ‘Tuning Shop,’ where you can purchase and install high performance parts to increase the performance of your car, returns in GT7. There are over 60 tuning parts prepared for each car in the game.

‘GT Auto’ is the place where the exterior of a car can be personalised and other maintenance jobs can be performed, such as washing the car or changing the engine oil. There are over 650 aero parts, with more than 130 wheels to choose from, as well as over 1200 real paint colours based on actual paint samples. There is a wide variety of customisation available, and, depending on the car, roll cages and even a wide body kit with overfenders can be installed.

The ‘Livery Editor’ allows players to freely edit the exterior of a car. In GT7 this feature has been improved too, giving designers the ability to apply more decals than before, and in locations once forbidden.

‘Scapes’ and ‘Race Photo’ to enjoy taking elaborated photographs

‘Scapes’ is a mode where players can enjoy travelling around the world with their favourite cars, and get into the intricate world of photography. There are over 2500 ‘Spots’ which serve as the stage for taking photographs, with each Spot captured using HDR technology. With real light expressions and various effects that provide a wide range of freedom in expression, it is now possible to take elaborated photographs that are almost impossible to take in real life.

In ‘Race Photo’ players can capture the dynamic moments of a race: by pausing the race and entering that scene, it allows players to take some incredible photographs that would be extremely difficult to take in real life.

‘Showcase,’ where players can interact with each other around the world via user generated content

Saved replays, photos, liveries, decals and paint colours can be viewed in the ‘Showcase.’ This content can be shared with other players online, and other players' creations can also be downloaded if made public. Players can enjoy interacting with other users around the world through these creations.

Ray tracing to maximise visuals, and an evolved weather simulation model

The PlayStation®5 version of GT7 will feature ray tracing, the latest trend in video games, to make cars looking more beautiful than ever. Time and weather simulation models have also greatly evolved, with the weather conditions changing on a global scale based on a vast amount of meteorological data related to a track's specific location. As a result, we have been able to recreate even the clouds and atmosphere of those regions accurately. Advancements made in starry skies, another point of focus in the past series, have also evolved. The night sky is simulated according to the time and location of each track, allowing players to stargaze to their heart's content.

More natural changes in track conditions, introduction of a rainfall radar

Variable time and weather are not just visual representations. They are now closely tied to the physics simulation model of a car, affecting surface temperatures which in turn affect tyre grip, and other conditions affecting even the engine power. During rainfall, grip is reduced in places where water is accumulated, and the track starts to dry first from the lines where the cars pass over most often, to gradually recover in grip. These types of natural condition changes are represented properly in the simulation. In order to accommodate the real weather effects, GT7 now also features a rainfall radar, allowing players to predict upcoming weather conditions on a track and supporting them in developing the strategy for those long races.

’Music Replay,’ switching cameras dynamically to match the music

The ‘Gran Turismo’ series has always placed great importance on ‘Replays’ since its first iteration. The high quality replays are still there in GT7, but have greatly evolved in the newly developed ‘Music Replay.' As opposed to the traditional replays where cameras placed on track in advance follow the cars, the Music Replay automatically generates camera positions and cuts to match the music. You can enjoy a different replay every time.

A further evolved physics simulation model

The physics simulation model of ‘Gran Turismo,’ which has now over 25 years of history, has advanced even further in this new chapter. The simulation has been tuned through feedback from various sources including our advisor Lewis Hamilton, our technical partner and global tyre manufacturer Michelin, and the best drivers of the FIA GT Championships. The lap times are not only accurate, but the simulation model also pursues how well the driving feel matches the human senses. In addition, aerodynamics have greatly evolved as well, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to recreate changes in downforce due to front to rear height changes, as well as effects to handling due to wind direction and air turbulence.

A sense of immersion only possible on PlayStation®5

The PlayStation®5 version of GT7 makes full use of the Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers of the DualSense controller. When the tyres lock, or when the front tyres start sliding in a corner and the car is understeering, a vibration frequency matching the situation will be conveyed to the players. As a result, the player is able to more accurately sense the conditions of the car and road surfaces through the controller.

The PlayStation®5 version of GT7 also supports 3D Audio. Using this technology, it accurately recreates the direction of sounds coming at the players.

‘Music Rally’, a new mode to enjoy driving at the sound of music

As a new challenge, GT7 includes a ‘Music Rally’ mode where players can enjoy driving while listening to music. Players must drive so as to not run out of 'beats' that deplete according to the rhythm of the track, and the session completes when the entire music track has been played. Players earn a prize according to the distance driven. Look forward to discovering a new world in ‘Gran Turismo’, where music and gameplay truly integrate and mix.

*Internet connection required for game progression and to access most vehicles, races, modes and tuning features.