Announced in June 2020 as the first intergenerational game for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 within the series, the Polyphony Digital studio decided to delay its launch until 2022 due to the impact COVID-19 was having on its development.
With the title already released, the game has been worth the wait, and specialised press (the PS5 version has a score of 88 on the Metacritic portal) and fans alike have proven more than satisfied.
Following Gran Turismo Sport, an unexpected venture into the world of e-sports, the Japanese developer seemed aware that they needed to return to the most successful roots of their flagship series.
Not even its Online Mode, which was certified by the FIA (International Automobile Federation) and aimed to break into the competitive scene, saved GT Sport from being one of the most heavily criticised instalments.
Games such as Gran Turismo 4 and Gran Turismo 5 (the third and second most sold instalments, respectively) remained etched in players' memories on a scale never before seen in the genre.
In terms of the numbers, Gran Turismo is also the most successful PlayStation video game franchise, with over 70 million copies sold within the main series alone.
Since Gran Turismo 4, the number of cars has continued to grow, its garage with hundreds of cars the main selling point for a project that has promised to provide a complete driving game since the start.
Beyond the content, other features that have always characterised the series are its attention to detail with regard to graphics and its promise to make a console-friendly game in a simulation genre more suited to a computer.
Since the start, Gran Turismo has consisted of a series of innovative titles, with additions such as using the DualShock function as a control system or its study of cars' visual, sound and mechanical behaviours.
Gran Turismo 7 could not fall short in these aspects, and in its PlayStation 5 version in particular, it includes characteristics such as ray-tracing or haptic control of the controllers to provide an incredible unique experience.
This most recent iteration also brings back the dynamic effects used for the passing of time and the weather, which were missing from Gran Turismo 6 and which will definitely provide more colour to this multiplayer game.
However, and as has become standard for the series, Gran Turismo 7 is mostly focused on the single-player experience, offering a campaign with endless content and Lewis Hamilton as a special protagonist.
Seeking a balance for this latest instalment which focuses on everything they have learned up until now, Kazunori Yamauchi announced that Gran Turismo 7 would combine the franchise's past, present and future.
First impressions have confirmed this claim, and the vast number of cars and circuits, both real and fictional, as well as the care taken with the graphics and gameplay, seem to have resulted in the best Gran Turismo yet.
Gran Turismo 7, which is the latest instalment in the Gran Turismo series, developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, was released on 4th March for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
