There’s still nothing quite like Gran Turismo

At any given point in time, a Gran Turismo game may or may not have the best graphics, the most cars, or the most accurate physics of any console racing game. It will never compete on the same terms as hardcore racing simulations on the PC. The most Gran Turismo game will always be.

The latest game in the series is a celebration of that vibe. Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi is a man who knows what he likes: smooth jazz, precise typography, gorgeous travel photography, and informative explanations of the history of automotive sport. The focus is back on this unmistakable aesthetic, and it is all the better for it.

This is the eighth game in the series and it feels like the first one in a long time that hones in on the early games. Gran Turismo Sport for the PS4 was a good game, but it focused on competitive online racing more than the single-player experience. Many lower-quality car models that had been lifted directly from the PS2 games were included in Gran Turismo 5 and 6.

These problems are immediately rectified by Gran Turismo 7. You are told to visit a cafe after a lengthy and self-indulgent opening sequence. You'll get a menu book that tells you to collect stamps and cars to get a free coffee. If you place high in the races, you can move onto a new menu book, learn more about your new cars, and work on your driving, but you will need to tune your vehicles, grind races to buy more, or just work on your driving. License tests are a way to help you with the latter, but they can also help you with more events once you pass enough of them.

The original Gran Turismo was based on a cafe theme. This classic structure isn't exactly everyone's cup of coffee, like a game that has you fighting rats in the sewer for several hours before you get to take on a dragon.

There are no packed race tracks in the world that can host the dramatic battles between Honda Fit drivers, but that's part of Gran Turismo's fantasy. Everyone in Gran Turismo is a race driver, even if they own a McLaren or a Mini.

That relatability is important to Gran Turismo's appeal. You will start in the career mode racing and upgrading vehicles that you could own yourself, learn more about them along the way, and appreciate the achievements in design, handling, and performance when you are able to drive something more advanced. I am not a car enthusiast, but I have experience driving a rented Toyota Aquas on the Tokyo Expressway, which is recreated in Gran Turismo 7, to gorgeous effect. I need a baseline relationship with driving to feel rewarding and aspirational in Gran Turismo 7.

You don't have to have driven a car before to appreciate the attention to detail. It isn't going to convert fans of more detailed sims like iRacing or Assetto Corsa, but it does a wonderful job of feeling realistic and accessible at the same time. If it is raining, you can feel the difference in traction when you drive through a puddle or exit from a tunnel.

The PS5's dualsense controller has a remarkable implementation of haptic feedback. A wheel and pedals will always be the best way to play a game like Gran Turismo, but this is by far the most satisfying controller experience I have had with a vaguely realistic racing game. The controller does a convincing job of simulating various surfaces, conditions, and degrees of traction, while the triggers increase resistance based on your vehicle's capabilities. The pressure release in anti-lock brake systems can be felt.

The PS5's internal hardware makes the most of Gran Turismo 7. You get crisp 4K visuals and 60 frames per second, with an optional 30 frames per second ray-tracing mode for replays. I was impressed with the graphics but more so with the load times, which are virtually non-existent, moving around the menus is extremely responsive, loading a new track takes just a few seconds, and restarting a race or license test is instantaneous, with the smoothness only marred by It's a big change from earlier Gran Turismo games, which often looked equally sleek on the surface but didn't have the performance to back it up.

It will not be for everyone. Polyphony continues to refuse to add user-friendly options like the rewind system from Forza Motorsport, so you might find the structure to be plodding and grindy, or wonder why the game design is conservative. Not everyone likes coffee and jazz. This is a great Gran Turismo if you vibe with it.

Racing games don't get the attention they used to. I was recently talking to a colleague who is considerably less advanced in years than me and didn't realize that new Gran Turismo games used to be genuine blockbuster events. It felt like a monumental advancement in racing games when I got the original PS1 release along with the new dual-Shock controller for my birthday.

Gran Turismo 7 is the most fun I have had with the series since that moment because it plays to its traditional strengths, improves those where it can, and ignores everything else.

On March 4th, PS5 and PS4 will get Gran Turismo 7.