Gran Turismo (series)

Gran Turismo (GT) is a series of sim racing video games developed by Polyphony Digital. Released for PlayStation systems, Gran Turismo games are intended to emulate the appearance and performance of a large selection of vehicles, most of which are licensed reproductions of real-world automobiles. Since the franchise's debut in 1997, over 100 million units have been sold worldwide, making it the highest selling video game franchise under the PlayStation brand.

Handling of the vehicles in Gran Turismo games is based on the principles of real-world physics, requiring the player to understand real race driving techniques to be competitive, although various assists are available for less experienced drivers. The series features a wide variety of vehicles, ranging from everyday cars to exotic sports cars and purpose-built racing cars, and from classics to modern cars. Various modifications can usually be made to the cars to alter their performance and appearance. The games often include numerous tracks to drive on, with both laser scanned replicas of real-world venues and fictional tracks appearing throughout the series. The series also performed as technical support for cars in the LMP1 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Nürburgring 24-hour race.

Gran Turismo games typically feature a single-player campaign with numerous races, championships, license tests and other challenges. Completing these events rewards the player with prizes such as in-game money, which can be used to purchase new vehicles or upgrade existing ones. Players generally start with slower and cheaper cars and build up a garage featuring faster and more expensive cars as they progress through the game. Newer installments in the series have also included an online multiplayer element, which features both competitive and casual play. Notable competitions held on Gran Turismo include the Gran Turismo World Series and the former GT Academy.

Gran Turismo is one of PlayStation's most successful franchises, having garnered both commercial success and critical acclaim. The first title in the series was the highest selling game for the original PlayStation, while four subsequent installments have been among the top-three best-selling games for their respective consoles. Multiple entries in the series have been ranked among the greatest video games of all time. In 2023, the series received a film adaptation, and it became a sport for the Olympic Esports with the backing of the FIA. Many car manufacturers have designed virtual concept cars specifically for the series, and it has partnerships with Brembo, Dunlop Tyres, Mazda, Toyota Gazoo Racing, and Fanatec for the Gran Turismo World Series. In 2024, Mercedes-AMG recognized Gran Turismo 7 as part of sim racing.

The Gran Turismo series is known for its accurate driving physics emulation, a large number of licensed vehicles, attention to vehicle detail, the ability to tune a car's performance, and realistic graphics. Its physics emulation includes "real-world dynamics such as weight transfer, suspension response, and understeer/oversteer characteristics". The Sim has been a flagship for the PlayStation console's graphics capabilities, and is often used to demonstrate the system's potential. It has a replay system shown with a cinematic presentation. The physics of the vehicles are based on their real-life counterparts, and they are represented in the PlayStation controllers' rumble features and in specialized racing wheels designed for Gran Turismo and sim racing.

Although Gran Turismo has an arcade mode, most gameplay derives from its simulation mode. Players start with a certain number of credits, usually 10,000, which are used to purchase vehicles from several manufacturer-specific shops, or (more likely at the beginning) from used car dealers, and then tune their car at the appropriate parts store for best performance. Certain events are open only to particular types of vehicles. In order to enter and progress through more difficult races, a license-testing system has been implemented, which guides players through skill development. Players may apply prize money won in events to upgrade their existing car or buy a new one, collecting a garage of vehicles. Gran Turismo was the first modern simulator of the 21st century to promote racing with a wheel, instead of a controller.

The series' origins can be traced back to 1992, when Kazunori Yamauchi, at the time an employee at Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, started developing the original Gran Turismo with a team named Polys Entertainment; that started with five people and eventually became seventeen. The development took five years to complete. In comparison to the era's other racing games, which had "over-simplified" arcade-style racing with exaggerated car movement, Gran Turismo is a complex racing simulator. Sony initially rejected Yamauchi's pitch for a realistic racing sim. However, his team was still working on it as a side project. After the success of the team's other arcade racing games, Motor Toon Grand Prix and Motor Toon Grand Prix 2, he pitched the idea to Sony again, and they accepted it.

The first Gran Turismo essentially has role-playing elements; players start the sim with "entry-level cars" which can be upgraded over time, and faster cars can be bought with prize money from winning races. The complexities of the simulation are taught to the player through in-sim driving tests. It has a realistic visual style which demonstrated the PlayStation's visual capabilities, and had a roster of licensed vehicles larger than any other sim at the time, at 150. The vehicles can also be customized. The game's content was accessible via icons in a hub world. The sim was released for the PlayStation in Japan in 1997, 1998 for North America, Europe, and other territories. By mid-1998, it had sold two million copies in Japan. Polyphony Digital was founded shortly after the sims's release. Gran Turismo 2 was released for the PlayStation in Japan and North America in 1999, and PAL regions in 2000. Players could now compete in rally events, and had a larger roster of cars, at 650. Seven tracks are available for racing, two of them available in reversed layouts. The size of the sim meant it had to be put onto two discs.