Gran Turismo (video game) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gran Turismo |
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| Genres | Sim racing |
| Developers | Polyphony Digital |
| Publishers | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Creators | Kazunori Yamauchi |
| Platforms |
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| First release | Gran Turismo December 23, 1997 |
| Latest release | Gran Turismo 7 March 4, 2022 |
Gran Turismo (often called GT) is a super popular series of racing simulation video games. These games are made by a company called Polyphony Digital.
Gran Turismo games are released on PlayStation consoles. They try to make you feel like you're really driving. The games feature tons of real-world cars. You can see how they look and how they perform.
Since the first game came out in 1997, over 90 million copies have been sold. This makes Gran Turismo the best-selling video game series on PlayStation.
Contents
About Gran Turismo Games
The Gran Turismo series is created by Polyphony Digital. The main person behind it is Kazunori Yamauchi. He started working on the first Gran Turismo game way back in 1992. It took five years to finish!
People love Gran Turismo for many reasons. The graphics are amazing. There are many real cars you can drive. The games pay close attention to car details. The way cars handle feels very real. You can also change and improve your car's performance. That's why the games are called "The Real Driving Simulator." This slogan has been used since Gran Turismo 4.
The way cars handle in the game is based on how they drive in real life. Tuning your car follows real physics rules. Even the engine sounds are recorded from actual cars. These games often show off how powerful PlayStation consoles are.
How to Play Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo has an arcade mode for quick races. But most players enjoy the simulation mode. You start with some in-game money, usually 10,000 credits. You use this money to buy cars from different car brands. Or you can buy cheaper cars from used car dealers.
After buying a car, you can tune it. You can buy parts to make it faster or handle better. Some races are only for certain types of cars. To enter harder races, you need to earn licenses. These licenses teach you new driving skills. As you win races, you earn more money. You can use this money to upgrade your car or buy new ones. Soon, you'll have a whole garage full of cool cars!
Online Racing in Gran Turismo
Online play started to become a big part of Gran Turismo with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on the PS3. This game let up to 16 players race online at the same time. Gran Turismo 4 for the PS2 was actually the first game with online features. But its online mode was only a test version.
The game Gran Turismo Sport was the first to focus mostly on online racing. Its offline mode was more limited. However, Gran Turismo Sport added new cars, tracks, and offline events for free after it launched.
Game Graphics and Cars
Kazunori Yamauchi explained how cars in the games became more detailed. Cars in the first two games were made from about 300 polygons. Polygons are tiny shapes that make up 3D objects. Cars in Gran Turismo 3 and 4 used 4,000 polygons.
In Gran Turismo 5, "premium cars" were made from 500,000 polygons! This made them look incredibly real. "Standard cars" in GT5 were improved versions of those from Gran Turismo 4.
Latest Gran Turismo Games
The newest game in the series is Gran Turismo 7. It was first shown in June 2020. This game was made for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It came out on March 4, 2022. Gran Turismo 7 is the first game in the series to launch on two different PlayStation consoles at the same time.
Gran Turismo Games Released
The Gran Turismo series has eight main games. Two were for the PlayStation, two for the PlayStation 2, two for the PlayStation 3, and two for the PlayStation 4. One of the PS4 games also came out on the PlayStation 5. There's also a game for the PlayStation Portable and other smaller releases.
Timeline of Gran Turismo Games
| 1997 | Gran Turismo |
|---|---|
| 1998 | |
| 1999 | Gran Turismo 2 |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec |
| 2002 | Gran Turismo Concept |
| 2003 | Gran Turismo 4 Prologue |
| 2004 | Gran Turismo 4 |
| 2005 | |
| 2006 | Gran Turismo HD Concept |
| 2007 | Gran Turismo 5 Prologue |
| 2008 | |
| 2009 | Gran Turismo (PSP) |
| 2010 | Gran Turismo 5 |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | Gran Turismo 6 |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | Gran Turismo Sport |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | Gran Turismo 7 |
Main Games and Their Details
| Title | Year released | Platform | Cars | Tracks | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo | 1997 | PlayStation | 140 | 11 | 10,850,000 |
| Gran Turismo 2 | 1999 | 650 | 27 | 9,370,000 | |
| Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 181 | 34 | 14,890,000 |
| Gran Turismo 4 | 2004 | 721 | 51 | 11,760,000 | |
| Gran Turismo 5 | 2010 | PlayStation 3 | 1,0741 | 813 | 11,950,000 |
| Gran Turismo 6 | 2013 | 1,2472 | 1003 | 5,220,000 | |
| Gran Turismo Sport | 2017 | PlayStation 4 | 3384 | 845 | 8,000,000 |
| Gran Turismo 7 | 2022 | PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 |
420+ | 90+ | – |
| Notes: | |||||
Other Gran Turismo Games
| Title | Year released | Platform | Cars | Tracks | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo Concept: 2001 Tokyo | 2002 | PlayStation 2 | 51 | 440,000 | |
| Gran Turismo Concept: 2002 Tokyo-Seoul | 2002 | 90,000 | |||
| Gran Turismo Concept: 2002 Tokyo-Geneva | 2002 | 100 | 5 | 1,030,000 | |
| Gran Turismo 4 Prologue | 2003 | 50 | 5 | 1,400,000 | |
| Gran Turismo 4 Online (test version) | 2006 | N/A | |||
| Gran Turismo HD Concept | 2006 | PlayStation 3 | 10 | 1 | N/A |
| Gran Turismo 5 Prologue | 2007 | 70 | 6 | 5,350,000 | |
| Gran Turismo | 2009 | PlayStation Portable | 833 | 75 | 4,670,000 |
Special Demos and Related Games
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Gran Turismo (demo version) | Late 1998 |
| A special test version of Gran Turismo was given out with PlayStation consoles in late 1998. It let players race for 90 seconds on one track with three cars. Other test versions were available in different places. | |
| Gran Turismo 2000 | N/A |
| Gran Turismo 2000 was a demo shown at big gaming events like E3. It was meant to show off the PlayStation 2's power. The final game was later called Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. | |
| Gran Turismo 4 – Toyota Prius demo disc | Mid 2004 |
| In 2004, Toyota sent out a special demo disc of GT4 with brochures for their Prius car. It had only two cars and two tracks, with a two-minute time limit. This disc became a rare collector's item. | |
| Gran Turismo Academy Time Trial demo | December 17, 2009 |
| This demo was the first step for the 2010 GT Academy. It let players race a Nissan 370Z on the Indianapolis GP Circuit. The goal was to find the best Gran Turismo drivers to become real race car drivers. | |
| Tourist Trophy | January 26, 2006 |
| Tourist Trophy is a motorcycle racing game made by Polyphony Digital. It used a lot of the same technology as Gran Turismo 4. It had similar graphics and many of the same race tracks. | |
| Gran Turismo for Boys | Unreleased |
| A Gran Turismo game for younger players was planned in 2004. The idea was later included as a feature in Gran Turismo 5. The PlayStation Portable game Gran Turismo also used some of these ideas. | |
Cool Gran Turismo Products
Gran Turismo has inspired many real-world products.
Official Racing Gear
Polyphony Digital has worked with companies like Logitech and Sparco. Together, they've made special racing wheels and simulator kits. These let you feel even more like you're driving a real race car. The Driving Force GT is one example of these cool racing wheels.
Model Cars
In 2009, a company called HPI Racing made an official remote-control (RC) car. It looked exactly like the car on the cover of Gran Turismo 4. They plan to make more RC cars based on other Gran Turismo cover cars.
Gran Turismo Cafe
In 2009, a special cafe opened at the Twin Ring Motegi racetrack in Japan. It's a place where fans can hang out and enjoy the Gran Turismo theme.
Streets Named After Gran Turismo
In 2013, a street in Bathurst, Australia, was named Gran Turismo Drive. This was to celebrate the Mount Panorama Circuit being in Gran Turismo 6. The mayor said the game helps more people experience the famous race track.
Also in 2013, a street in Ronda, Spain, was named after Kazunori Yamauchi. It's called Paseo de Kazunori Yamauchi. The city mayor praised his work for bringing racing games to new levels of realism.
Partnerships with Car Companies
The Gran Turismo series works closely with many car companies. They sponsor racing events and teams. For example, they've sponsored the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and the 2004 Race of Champions. They also work with famous racing teams like Prost Grand Prix and Pescarolo Sport.
Gran Turismo partners with big names like Brembo (brakes) and Michelin (tires). They also team up with car makers like Mazda and Toyota Gazoo Racing.
Many car companies have worked with Gran Turismo on the Vision Gran Turismo project. They design amazing concept cars for the future, which then appear in the game. Some of these companies include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Nissan, Lamborghini, and Ferrari.
For the Esports for Gran Turismo, many car brands take part. These include Alfa Romeo, AMG, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Lexus, McLaren, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, and Volkswagen.
Exciting Competitions
GT Academy
The GT Academy was a special program that ran from 2008 to 2016. It was a partnership between PlayStation, Polyphony Digital, and Nissan Europe. The goal was to find talented Gran Turismo players and turn them into real race car drivers!
Players would compete in online races in Gran Turismo. The best players were invited to national finals. The winners from each country then went to a Race Camp in Silverstone, UK. Here, they got intense training to become professional drivers.
Winners like Lucas Ordóñez, Jordan Tresson, and Jann Mardenborough became real race car drivers. They competed in races all over the world, including the Dubai 24 Hour. These "gamer-turned-racers" showed that they could be just as skilled as drivers with years of experience.
Gran Turismo World Series
The Gran Turismo World Series is a big series of Gran Turismo tournaments. These competitions have been held around the world since 2018. Players from different countries compete to see who is the fastest.
Olympic Virtual Series
In 2021, the International Olympic Committee worked with the FIA (a motorsports group). They hosted the Olympic Virtual Series. Gran Turismo Sport was one of the games used for the motorsport event. It was an online time trial competition open to all players.
In 2023, Gran Turismo 7 was chosen for the Olympics Esports Series 2023. The motorsport event took place in Singapore. Kylian Drumont from France won the final competition.
Gran Turismo Films
Documentary Film
A documentary film called KAZ: Pushing The Virtual Divide was released in 2014. It covered the first 15 years of the Gran Turismo game series. You could watch it on Hulu.
Movie Adaptation
A movie based on Gran Turismo was announced in 2013. After some changes, a new version of the film was revealed in 2022. Neill Blomkamp was chosen to direct it. The movie was released on August 11, 2023.
The film tells the true story of Jann Mardenborough. He was a GT Academy graduate who went from being a gamer to a real race car driver. David Harbour plays Jack Salter, who teaches Jann how to drive. Archie Madekwe plays Jann Mardenborough himself. Other stars include Orlando Bloom as Danny Moore. Filming started in November 2022 in Hungary.
