Gran Turismo 7’s State of Play 2022 preview shows ambitious new ray-tracing mode

The event focused on new GT7 content that will appear in the racing simulator

We saw 30 minutes of new gameplay (iStock/The Independent)

Playstation’s State of Play events are a great way to hear about upcoming PS4 and PS5 titles both in the calendar and unannounced. The last one we saw was in October 2021 and gave us a brief glimpse at some third-party titles such as Little Devil Inside.

Now Sony has kicked off 2022 with more information about the upcoming Gran Turismo 7. It’s not unusual for Playstation to invest so much time into one title – for example, Horizon Forbidden West received a similar treatment in May last year.

We already know a couple of things about Gran Turismo 7, namely that there will be over 420 cars appearing at the game’s launch, that we’ll be able to race over 90 tracks including some fan favourites making a return and also the grand return of its campaign mode.

Playstation delivered over half an hour of new content during the State of Play event and it gave us a much better idea of what to expect when the game hits the shelves on 4 March.

To find out how to watch the livestream and what was revealed, keep reading the article below.

Read more:

• ‘Gran Turismo 7’: Release date and everything we know so far
• ‘Horizon Forbidden West’: New story and gameplay details
• ‘Elden Ring’: How to pre-order

Everything we saw from the Gran Turismo 7 State of Play event

Gran Turismo 7 - State of Play Deep Dive 4K | PS5, PS4

Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of the Gran Turismo series, kicked things off by saying that Gran Turismo 7 will be the “pinnacle” of the series and the most complete game yet, aimed at new players as well as veterans.

Over 400 cars will be available to drive over 90 course layouts in 34 locations, with some being fictional and others based on real circuits around the world.

In the campaign mode, players will have to choose a compact car to start in before racing, tuning and upgrading to unlock new vehicles and increase your fleet. This game mode will be familiar to longtime fans of the series.

Another new feature that was announced was the Gran Turismo café, where players can select a “menu” of cars to collect. Collecting all the cars on a certain menu will unlock a dialogue option from a car designer to talk about each model.

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There are three garages to purchase cars from: The used car dealer, where players can choose from a range of secondhand cars, the legendary car dealer, where vintage cars throughout automotive history will be available for a premium, and “Brand Central” where over 300 cars manufactured from 2001 onwards can be purchased. Some secondhand cars will be discounted but others may have risen in price due to higher real-life demand.

Players can visit a museum tailored to each car manufacturer to learn more about the individual brands. One example that we saw was the history of Dr Ferdinand Porsche and how he established his firm.

License tests also make a return, where players can try and rank gold, silver and bronze on different driving techniques, such as drag racing and drifting. Tuning cars for each style will play an important role in succeeding in these trials.

There is also a confirmed split-screen two-player mode, meaning that two people can race head-to-head on the same console, as well as race online with other players around the world.

In terms of performance, Gran Turismo 7 is confirmed to have a ray-tracing mode, which will accurately simulate lighting and reflections. GT7 also promises accurate weather simulation based on air currents, altitude and track conditions in different parts of the world. A day/night cycle also accurately maps out skylines based on geographical locations. Night skies in Tokyo will appear different to those in Europe and so on.

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Gran Turismo 7 will also put the hardware of the PS5 to good use. Adaptive triggers and haptic vibrations from the dualsense controller will accurately simulate the feel of tire-lock states and driving over different terrain. The 3D audio feature, which can be felt using a PS5 compatible headset, will create a dynamic soundscape where different audio sources can be felt based on their relative position to the player, such as falling rain and overtaking vehicles.

Over 60 different types of performance parts can be customised in each car to change the driving experience. There are also over 650 aerodynamic parts as well as different wheels, body modifications and paint jobs for a combined total of several thousand customisation options. The livery editor also makes a return and has increased its sticker-placement capacity. Oil changes are also back, as well as the ability to wash your car.

A photography mode dubbed “Scapes” has also been introduced where players can place their car in one of 2,500 backdrops to take HDR photos using a wide range of photographic techniques with dynamic lighting and different effects. Photos can also be taken from race replays that you have taken part in.

A “Showcase” mode also gives players a chance to share some of their replays, photos and car designs with other players online and download them. A new racing mode was also announced, dubbed “Music Rally”, where players can drive along to one of Gran Turismo 7’s licensed songs in time with the music, as well as a music replay mode that captures replays and syncs the cuts with the songs.

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Want to find out more about Gran Turismo 7? Here’s everything we know about the upcoming racing simulator