Gran Turismo 7
- March 4, 2022
- Polyphony Digital
Gran Turismo 7 is a wonderful celebration of 25 years as the top racing franchise. It looks stunning, and is filled with so much to do.
Gran Turismo 7 is a sports game that offers various racing modes, including GT Campaign, Arcade, and Driving School, as well as the return of GT Simulation Mode for solo play. The game also features GT Sport Mode for multiplayer racing, both locally with 2 players and online. With stunning visuals and diverse gameplay options, Gran Turismo 7 caters to both competitive and casual racers, car collectors, tuners, livery designers, and photographers.
Reviews
- Stunning visuals and graphics that showcase the beauty of cars and tracks.
- Excellent driving mechanics and handling, providing a realistic racing experience.
- A wealth of content and customization options, making it engaging for both newcomers and veterans.
- The game requires a constant online connection, limiting offline play and access to features.
- Progression can be slow and tedious, with some elements locked behind microtransactions.
- Some players find the campaign structure and tutorial system unhelpful and frustrating.
- graphics24 mentions
- 79 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting stunning realism, exquisite detail in vehicle design, and beautiful scenery that approaches photorealism. The visuals are complemented by excellent handling and a variety of single-player activities, making it a visually impressive and immersive experience on the PlayStation 5. While some noted a lack of significant innovation beyond updated visuals, the overall presentation and attention to detail have been praised as top-notch in the racing genre.
“I would like to thank them all for the beautiful game and the excellent content and also for giving the users (especially the ones like myself that play the game from its first installment) the chance to get a superb driving experience of many beautiful vehicles and to have this experience with even greater quality of graphic simulation!”
“The game is great, the cars are extremely detailed both in their design and their handling feel, and the scenery graphics are sublime!”
“From the incredible controller haptics to the stunning graphics, you aren't going to experience a more immersive racing game on the PlayStation 5.”
“The thing is though, yes I have enjoyed this game and am pleased it got a PS4 release, although it does mean that I have no need for a PS5, so not sure how that does for Sony... but it hasn't really done anything 'new'. It is literally just the same game from before (GT6) with some updated visuals and a new menu system - which is based off their same old menu system they introduced back in GT2.”
“[somewhat limited roster, some questionable off-track visuals]”
“[subtle and innovative use of haptic feedback, loads of options available to tailor your experience, trademark Gran Turismo visuals are on full blast, this series is still amongst the best of all racers]”
- music11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the soundtrack lacking and repetitive, particularly criticizing the "music rally" feature as tedious and uninspired. While some appreciate the audio quality and integration with gameplay, the overall sentiment leans towards disappointment, especially given the game's heavy reliance on microtransactions and a slow campaign that detracts from the experience.
“Beautiful graphics, incredible audio & soundtrack, tight controls, cafe mode is a triumphant return for single-player.”
“Beautiful visuals, super educational, music rally, very customizable.”
“Excellent driving controls, more than 400 cars, music rally, integration of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, visually impressive.”
“I mean all I am doing in this 110GB game on my hard drive is completing missions in these weird cafe menus and driving races around tracks of the world in cars that I own... but nope... all I can do is this weird rally music thing - not even sure what that is. You have to do this before you can enter the career mode, and I was like what the hell, this isn't what I spent £50+ for.”
“A downright terrible soundtrack that honestly takes away from the game.”
“Music rally is light on songs and can be tedious, locking everything behind them.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Gran Turismo 7 faces significant criticism for its aggressive monetization strategy, which includes expensive microtransactions and a grind-heavy progression system that detracts from the overall experience. Players express frustration over the forced online requirements and slow unlocks, which seem designed to push users towards spending more money. Despite its strong gameplay mechanics, the monetization model has left many feeling that the game prioritizes profit over player enjoyment.
“Gran Turismo 7 delivers some of the tightest driving a fan of the racing genre could ask for in a gorgeous package hampered by aggressive microtransactions and always online requirements.”
“However, microtransactions plague the game.”
“Expensive microtransactions are put in to counteract the forced grind placed in the game.”
“Slow unlocks and credit accumulation, car and car parts price increase to push microtransactions.”
“Many will look at the microtransactions and be instantly turned off by what’s on offer from Gran Turismo 7.”
- story7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around completing missions at a cafe, which guide players to races that reward them with cars, enhancing their garage without spending credits. While some players find this structure limiting and confusing, others appreciate it as a unique way to introduce a coherent narrative within the racing experience, complemented by stunning visuals and extensive customization options. Overall, the story serves as a framework for gameplay, though opinions on its execution vary significantly.
“The solo campaign comes back in full fold, with the cafe being an excellent way to introduce an actual story, one that makes sense. Tons of track variations, scrapes, and car customization. One of the best visuals in a racer to date; the amount of detail found on and in vehicles as well as environments makes this one photorealistic game.”
“The only difference in this game is that you have a cafe where you get missions to complete, like obtaining 3 cars from Europe that are 4-wheel drive. The game will point you to the races that offer these as reward cars, and you can do them. You don't have to do them, but it's a great way to increase your garage with cars you are more than likely going to need to complete future races, without spending your credits.”
“[Stunning visuals, variety of single-player activities thanks to the likes of missions, more customization than a mere mortal could possibly understand, excellent handling, Trial Mountain is back, PS5 loading times are speedy.]”
“I mean all I am doing in this 110GB game on my hard drive is completing missions in these weird cafe menus and driving races around tracks of the world in cars that I own. But nope... all I can do is this weird rally music thing - not even sure what that is. You have to do this before you can enter the career mode, and I was like, what the hell? This isn't what I spent £50+ for, but alright, I see it through. I can't access the second-hand store, I can't access the actual stores for new cars, I can't even access the 'photo mode', I can't maintain my cars.”
“I didn't really know this, so I bought a 1960s Mini Cooper from the second-hand market because I wanted one, only to be rewarded one in the next mission. Now I have two, because for some reason, unlike in previous GT games, you can no longer sell your old cars, which is weird.”
“The only difference in this game is that you have a cafe where you get missions to complete, like obtaining three cars from Europe that are four-wheel drive or something. Then the game will point you to the races that offer these as reward cars, and you do them. You don't have to do them, but it's a great way to increase your garage with cars you are more than likely going to need to complete future races, without spending your credits.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that Gran Turismo 7's optimization is hindered by its reliance on online access for unlocking additional content, which frustrates players. While the game successfully blends classic elements with a focus on competitive online racing, this requirement detracts from the overall experience.
“Mixing the original GT's trendsetting format with GT Sport's stern but very successful focus on competitive online racing, Gran Turismo 7 makes a few errors but is a potent podium performance from developer Polyphony Digital.”
“Very frustrated that the only way to access any of the extra cars, performance upgrades, tracks, and credits is by playing online.”
“Gran Turismo 7 makes a few errors in mixing the original GT's trendsetting format with GT Sport's focus on competitive online racing.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Gameplay in Gran Turismo 7 is praised for its excellence, positioning it as a leader in the racing genre, despite some minor quirks that may detract from the overall experience. However, the requirement for a constant internet connection, even for single-player mode, has drawn significant criticism, especially given past promises from Sony regarding offline play.
“While some off-track quirks diminish the experience somewhat, Gran Turismo 7’s excellent gameplay places it firmly ahead of most of the racing game genre.”
“It is an absolute joke that an internet connection is required all the time, even for single-player gameplay. This was the whole unique selling point that Sony blasted Microsoft for during the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One, claiming you wouldn't need to authenticate your games online to be able to play them, which is what gave Sony the edge over this generation.”
“The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks any real innovation, making it hard to stay engaged for long periods.”
“The controls are clunky and unresponsive, which significantly detracts from the overall experience.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the developers' passion but criticize the grinding aspect for its slow and tedious progression, which is often hindered by microtransaction prompts and a lack of effective tutorials. Additionally, some feel that content is overly locked behind grinding, detracting from the overall experience.
“While you can feel the sheer passion the developers have for the subject, it does come with some flaws like very slow and tedious progression gates and persistent microtransaction prompts.”
“Grinding can be tedious and locks everything behind it; tutorials don’t teach much, and there are gross microtransactions.”
“The grinding feels excessive and often detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
Critic Reviews
Gran Turismo 7 review
Gran Turismo 7 is a wonderful celebration of 25 years as the top racing franchise. It looks stunning, and is filled with so much to do.
100%Gran Turismo 7 review
Everything that made GT Sport so good, plus everything that made early Gran Turismo games so good. A simply stunning driving game and a superb showcase for PS5.
90%Gran Turismo 7
Gran Turismo 7 seeks to ignite a passion for vehicles. From exceptional realism to the numbing amount of customization options, GT7 is an ocean of driving simulation that does its best to ensure newcomers won't drown but enthusiasts will be happily swept up.
90%