Our test of Gran Turismo 7: a hymn to the automobile

This year, the Gran Turismo series celebrates its 25th anniversary and more than 80 million copies sold around the world. It was in 1998 that players first discovered this title which ended up impacting an entire generation of players. And which still marks them. Because Gran Turismo is not a racing game like any other and this seventh part confirms it. On the program: a journey through the history of the automobile with more than 420 cars, legendary routes, the destiny of great manufacturers... but not only that. Before even going any further, know that GT7 is for everyone. Whether you are an experienced player or a beginner, different modes allow you to adjust the gameplay and the AI ​​level of your opponents. But to fully understand how the title works, we must separate two elements: campaign mode and sport mode.

A journey through time

In the campaign mode, you race in a series of races behind the wheel of different cars that you have purchased or won. In each event, you must finish in the top three to win a new car. The goal is to unlock three cars in each challenge. For example: European sports hatchbacks. As you progress, you obtain new circuits and game modes. To participate in these events, you must pass different permits to progress. Those who know GT will therefore not be surprised… But for others, you will see that obtaining all the gold cups is not necessarily simple. In fact, for each permit, you must achieve at least bronze to continue. But gold allows you to earn more cars. The objective is therefore clear! As you progress, all the game modes will unlock... and there are a lot of them!

A real challenge for those aiming for the golden cup, permits are part of the DNA of the Gran Turismo license. Here, you will learn to negotiate turns, follow curves, brake, all with a compulsory car. For the “super license”, you have to do a complete lap without mistakes and at high speed. Be careful, without the permits, your progress in the game will not be possible.

In GT7, you can: participate in races against the AI, against the clock, take on different challenges (mission mode), take photos (with a very powerful mode integrated into the game), redo the liveries of all your cars ( 1200 paint colors), buy used ones but also legendary bodies, do tuning (add a spoiler, change the rims among the 650 aerodynamic parts and 130 types of wheels, etc.), prepare your cars (change your brakes, add a turbo, lighten the bodywork, put on a competition kit etc.), share all that with other players... in short, enough to spend hours playing the game.

The architecture of the countryside means that you are accompanied at every stage so that you can discover all the possibilities available to you. As an AUTOhebdo reader, you obviously love cars… well GT7 will teach you even more! Want to know the history of the BMW M3? Once you have acquired the car, go to the café to find out more about this legendary model. You have understood, Gran Turismo 7 is much more than just a game and to obtain all the models and all the circuits, you will have to drive.

GT7 is not just a game about driving. You will learn a lot about brands, but also about different competitions around the world.

On track !

Now that we have toured the owner, it is time to move on to the track, and therefore to the actual driving. In addition to all the single-player game modes that we have mentioned, it is time to rub shoulders with other pilots on the planet in the different online modes. The first is a classic online mode where you create your racing room and play with friends or strangers. It is possible to configure the number of laps, the car category, the track, the weather, in short, do whatever you want. The second is sports mode. There, every 15 minutes you take part in a race against other real players. There are 3 shows and 3 categories represented. You must own the car (won or purchased during your campaign) corresponding to each category to participate. GT7 here takes up the principle of GT Sport with its licensing system. Depending on your level of driving and your fair play on the track, you will line up with drivers of the same level as you. The goal is to have the A+ and S license, which means that you are one of the best. This allows you to participate in the FIA ​​GT World Championship, the final of which generally takes place in Monaco.

But before getting there, you will have to master all types of cars on all tracks! Just like GT Sport, GT7 is a “simarcade” game. It's not a pure simulation like rFactor 2 or iRacing. However, it will still take a good turn of the wheel to rank at the top of the leaderboards. The real novelty of this opus? Weather changes and day/night cycles. It is not uncommon to start a race in the dry and finish it in the rain. It's up to you to judge which strategy to adopt in these conditions. In the same vein, the game also manages the places where the track will dry more quickly and those where puddles will persist throughout the event. On your dashboard, you have a radar allowing you to anticipate, as much as possible, weather changes. For the record, the sky in Japan changes… like in Japan and the sky in California changes… like in California!

Graphically the game is sublime. On PS5 you have the choice between two display modes. Priority to frame rate for driving and ray tracing for photos.

The steering on GT7 is finer than that of GT Sport but it remains in the same register. We regret, however, that the Polyphony teams did not pay more attention to the interior view, which remains a major downside of this game. Indeed, in the car, it is difficult to understand the correct trajectories because the camera tends to to move. It is also impossible to remove the steering wheel and the hands of the “virtual” driver if you are equipped and already have a “real” steering wheel in your hands. Still regarding this view, no FOV (Field of view – angle of view) adjustment and the impossibility of moving the seat forward and in height very freely force you to change cameras most of the time. to ride. It’s a shame as the quality of the interior modeling is striking! The fact remains that GT7 is immersive and the pleasure of driving is still there.

Verdict: 9/10

We spent many hours on the game before giving you our impressions. Regulars will not be surprised by this new Gran Turismo and newcomers will fall under its spell. GT7 is a hymn to the automobile, accessible to all and graphically sublime. Whether at the controller or behind the wheel, you can go! Of course, it has flaws but as far as we are concerned, the magic has worked once again and that is the main thing.

Our configuration for the test

To carry out this test, we wanted to use the official steering wheel of the game which has just been released, namely the GT DD Pro from Fanatec. It's an excellent Direct Drive and above all the only one with the DD1 which will not only allow you to have fun on GT7, but also on all other racing games whether on PC, XBox or PlayStation. As a reminder, with a Direct Drive, the steering wheel rim is fixed directly on the motor axis, no losses due to friction, and therefore a more responsive steering wheel. Look no further if you want to invest in a steering wheel/pedal set. The GT DD Pro is the best available at this price today. On your PlayStation, you will be amazed as the steering wheel is so realistic, and on PC, you will be able to enjoy a very convincing Direct Drive to which it is possible to add all the peripherals. Fanatec has quite simply opened up to console players, and more particularly to GT7 players, a new dimension of driving previously reserved only for PCists.
Price: from €700 to €970 depending on the configuration.

For the cockpit, we installed an F-GT Lite from Next Level Racing at €299. The objective was to find an inexpensive cockpit and, above all, to make it possible to store it. It will only take you half an hour to assemble it and a few minutes to fold it up. Against all expectations, even with a Direct Drive like the GT DD Pro (you should not use a bigger one), the cockpit is comfortable and supports the FFB (force feedback) of the steering wheel without any problem. On the other hand, on the pedal side, we did not want to put one capable of taking 70 kg of load on the brake, we would have folded the chassis! However, with the original GT DD Pro crankset, it's perfect. It is possible to put it either in position F1, either in GT position or Rally. So yes, it's not as rigid as a cockpit made of aluminum profiles (far from it), but how practical it is! An excellent idea not only to get started on GT7, but also and above all to get a taste for driving in a suitable seat. Price: €299

Arthur Mistro