Gran Turismo 1997

About

Gran Turismo is a racing game designed by Kazunori Yamauchi and is the first entry in the critically acclaimed simulator racing series bearing the same name. After five years of development time, it was well-received publicly and critically, shipping a total of 10.85 million copies worldwide as of March 2013, making it the best-selling PlayStation game. The game uses two different modes: Arcade Mode and Gran Turismo Mode. In the arcade mode, the player can freely choose the courses and vehicles they wish to use. Winning races unlocks additional cars and courses. However, Gran Turismo Mode requires the player to earn different levels of driver's licenses in order to qualify for events, and earn credits, trophies and prize cars by winning race championships. Gran Turismo features 140 cars and 11 race tracks (as well as their reversed versions).

What is happening now

Gran Turismo is PlayStation's flagship racing franchise, spanning a quarter-century since its 1997 debut. The series emphasizes simulation-focused driving across a vast roster of vehicles and real-world tracks. Since 2022's Gran Turismo 7, the franchise has settled into a live-service model with ongoing content updates rather than frequent new entries. Development cycles have grown substantially - the studio reportedly requires up to four years to create individual tracks, reflecting the precision demanded by the sim racing community. Sony has maintained active support for Gran Turismo 7 since launch, keeping the player base engaged with regular additions.