In the world of car games, there are distinct divisions – simulator and arcade. When it comes to the latter, Forza has dominated, as the latest iteration so ably demonstrated last year.

For the simulator category there is really only one name – Gran Turismo. The Polyphony Digital franchise has been setting the standard as far as racing simulators go for more than two decades. It has also been the game that defined racing on the PS2 and PS3, but what about the PS5 and Gran Turismo 7.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the racing game franchise, we have spent the past two weeks with Gran Turismo 7 to see whether it still is the real driving simulator and if it can conjure up all those fond memories we had with Gran Turismo 3 and 5.

The Polyphony way

We often think of developer Polyphony Digital as marching to the beat of its own drum. The studio does not not release titles lightly and the painstaking attention to detail, as well as the penchant for peculiar elements, have always defined the game.

Case in point the opening title sequence. It begins with an almost vaudevillian aesthetic touching on important moments in the car’s and motoring’s history, and curiously features shots of Elvis Presley, the Beatles and other figures in history who seemingly have nothing to do with motorsport.

There’s also a small homage to Lewis Hamilton, who the Polyphony team have dubbed “The Maestro”. We therefore have a good idea about how they feel about that infamous final lap at Abu Dhabi in 2021.

After a solid three minutes, we cut to present day and shots of what Gran Turismo 7 is all about – beautifully rendered and highly accurate cars, a wealth of tracks and shots that would make the old Top Gear production team jealous.

Needless to say it whet the appetite in anticipation for what was to come.

After this, you set you preferred driving style and difficulty level. On the PS5 and with the DualSense, there is an option to control steering by tilting the controller itself. We stuck to the analog sticks though.

Lots of tutorials

Our first race is the Music Rally. As the name suggest it is a lap of a race track behind the wheel of an old school Porsche Carrera set to classical music. Not our most immediate choice, but other music options can be unlocked/purchased down the line.

It introduces you to the driving mechanics, different racing views and the on-track directions and assists. Added to this was the induced envy as we passed by vintage and classic cars we have mentally earmarked for our garage down the line.

After all that and raring to go again in something a bit faster, we are directed to the World Map. This is the central hub where all decisions can be made in game.

Unfortunately there is quite a bit of tutorialisation as we are introduced to our in-game assistant Sarah, learn more about the garage, license centre, used car lot and cafe.

As such, many of your first few hours playing Gran Turismo 7 will be spent learning the lay of the land. That’s perfectly finely for finicky purists who wish to calibrate the stiffness of their suspension or check the integrity of their engine, but if you want that arcade-like experience, it may be best to look elsewhere.

Up to code

Early on in the game, you’ll be spending plenty of time at the license centre.

While we found it a chore initially, wanting to simply go out on the track and learn as we went, in the long run, the license centre is integral.

This as it not only shows you the different elements of racing on the tracks, showing you how to break, racing lines, where to hit apex’s and general understanding of speed, it has the added advantage of getting you hands-on time with a wide variety of cars.

Working our way up to a special class license, we got behind the wheel of everything from a Honda F1 car, a Ford Performance Mustang GT (which handled abysmally), a Mercedes-Benz concept car and all-electric Porsche Taycan.

This experience gives you an idea of how much work went into making this game, with each car handling differently, providing unique feedback from the DualSense and featuring their own native soundtrack.

The high pitched whirl of the F1 car for example immediately takes you to Sunday and the vacuum/rapid acceleration of the Taycan was quite something too.

You also get a feel of how different the handling is on vehicles. The responsiveness of a finely tuned GT car for example, which oddly is more forgiving of mistakes and can be pushed to the edge more than the small Japanese compact you get starting out the game.

As such, every car in Gran Turismo 7 feels unique, just like it should in real life.

Once you have completed your licensing requirements, which rewards you with new cars with each level by the way, you can begin entering different races and really start testing your mettle.

Final verdict

It therefore takes awhile for Gran Turismo 7 to get going. There is not an out and out campaign here, so a bit of decision fatigue can set in early, but if you continue with the grind, things become far more rewarding along the way.

There is so much to explore, with the available cars to purchase, tracks to race on and challenges to complete proving vast.

As such, Gran Turismo 7 is a game that rewards effort. It is why it may not be for everyone, but you know what that’s fine.

If you like us, are up for the challenge that Polyphony has laid down, a highly engaging, beautiful racing game that is brimming with attention to detail awaits.

At R1 369 Gran Turismo 7 does not come cheap, but at the sake of sounding elitist, this game is made with motorsport purists in mind.

FULL DISCLOSURE: GRAN TURISMO 7 WAS REVIEWED ON THE PS5 THANKS TO A CODE PROVIDED BY THE LOCAL PLAYSTATION DISTRIBUTOR.