Gran Turismo 7 will continue the series' tradition of being a celebration of car culture, and part of that is providing players with a look at the automotive industry's history. A recent State of Play provided a gameplay deep dive, where Gran Turismo 7's PS5 ray tracing was shown and a wide variety of in-game mechanics were revealed. Among these is the ability to get a crash course in specific manufacturers' history, some of which date back to the very beginning of the automobile age.
Gran Turismo has long been PlayStation's flagship racing series. Though initially revealed alongside the PlayStation 5 in June 2020, GT7 is also releasing cross-generationally on the PlayStation 4, sans the aforementioned ray tracing and features exclusive to the PS5's DualSense controller. GT7 is expected to be something of a return to form, bringing back the comprehensive single-player campaign that was missing from the last entry, 2017's Gran Turismo Sport. Making big strides in the series' multiplayer, Sport established Gran Turismo's connection to real international racing circuits, but many longtime fans are excited for the return of a dedicated single player experience.
GT7 is hoping to capture a wider audience than just its dedicated player base, though, and will attempt to show newcomers not only the fun of car collecting and racing, but its history as well. Every manufacturer will have a dedicated Museum screen, where players can scroll through a brief presentation on its origins and exploits. A series of historical photographs accompany contextualizing paragraphs, while a timeline at the bottom of the screen shows important cultural developments outside the automotive industry from the same year.
Gran Turismo 7 was always expected to have plenty of individual car models and racing opportunities, but the State of Play deep dive illuminated just how thorough the game is in bringing car culture to a digital format. In-depth tuning and livery painting will let players create vehicles unique to them, while replays and a robust photo mode will promote the undying appreciation for automotive aesthetics. Players can browse historical automotive icons in GT7's car dealership, which offers over 300 purchasable cars from 2001 onward, promoting the connection between modern cars and the industry's pioneers.
It's been nine years since Gran Turismo 6 released, and GT7 appears to be making up for lost time by making nearly all of its features comprehensive. Even racing will have more depth than ever, with a dynamic weather system that can affect different parts of the track, like having localized rainfall on larger circuits for instance. Gran Turismo 7's historical education doesn't appear to be incredibly detailed, but it's an impressive addition for those who get hooked into car culture through the game.
