Polyphony Digital recently showed a more in-depth look at the imminent Gran Turismo 7, the latest in a franchise with 25 years of history and acclaim behind it. It looks wonderful. All the little touches from old games that you missed in Gran Turismo Sport, the forensic eye for detail is even more evident, and the visuals look as good today as the original did next to its PS1 contemporaries – it’s just somehow shinier, more luxurious on the eye, than anything else out there. Forza Horizon 5 included.
But something significant’s happened in racing games since a Gran Turismo game with a number on the end last released (GT6 in 2013). In fact, a lot’s happened since GT Sport in 2017. In the last couple of years when much of our time’s been spent indoors, sim racing has surged in popularity, grown in legitimacy in the eyes of the motorsport world as a way into racing, and the sims people chase ghost laps in for weeks on end have an unprecedented level of – well, simulation. Can we still consider Gran Turismo 7, then, the real driving simulator?
Its chief competitors in that regard are Assetto Corsa Competizione, Automobilista 2, the evergreen iRacing, Codemasters’ F1 series, and, oddly enough, its own predecessor, GT Sport. These are titles deemed realistic and broadcast-friendly enough to form the foundation of esports tournaments like The World’s Fastest Gamer, F1 esports Series, Logitech G Challenge, and the FIA Gran Turismo Championships. They’re match-fit esports titles.
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