Gran Turismo 7 Review — The Gold Standard of Sim Racing, and Why Polyphony Digital Is Already Building the Next One

1. Gran Turismo 7 Review — The Best Sim Racer on PlayStation

Gran Turismo 7 launched on March 4, 2022, with a deliberate return to the franchise's roots after the more esports-focused Gran Turismo Sport. It brought back a proper single-player career mode — the GT Café menu book structure — alongside the largest car roster in the series, fully persistent car saves, a livery editor, and one of the most sonically accurate audio engines in any racing game. The PS5 version targets 4K at 60 fps and includes full PlayStation VR2 support across every track and car in the game.

Physics and Driving Feel

The driving model sits between hardcore simulation and accessible arcade, using Polyphony Digital's Phy Engine — refined across 25+ years of Gran Turismo development. Tire deformation, weight transfer, aerodynamic downforce, and surface grip vary meaningfully between vehicles. A standard hatchback handles nothing like a Group 3 race car, and neither feels like a shortcut to mastery. Traction control, ABS, and stability management can be dialed down individually, rewarding drivers who learn to manage throttle and braking inputs at the limit.

The addition of PSVR2 support in 2023 fundamentally changed how depth perception works in the game. Braking points become intuitive in VR in a way that no TV setup fully replicates. For PlayStation owners with a headset, GT7 is the most immersive racing experience available on any platform.

Car Roster and Authenticity

GT7 shipped with 420 cars and has grown past 500 through free monthly additions. Each car features an official scanned interior, calibrated engine sounds recorded directly from the source vehicles, and handling data developed in collaboration with manufacturers. The Car Café menus provide short histories and racing context for each acquisition, turning collecting into a form of automotive education.

Manufacturer representation spans everyday road cars, vintage classics, concept vehicles, and full race machinery across GT3, Group B, and Formula categories. Notable additions post-launch include the Ferrari 296 GT3, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo, and Porsche Vision GT concept.

Content, Career Mode, and Live Service

The GT Café mode unlocks cars through curated menus organized by era, country, and manufacturer, creating a loose narrative thread through the collection process. License tests, circuit experience events, and multiplayer Sport Mode fill the competitive layer. The game's live service calendar rotates limited-time events monthly, pairing new cars with targeted race challenges.

The primary criticism at launch centered on a controversial post-launch update that reduced credit payouts and increased car purchase costs, pushing players toward microtransactions. Polyphony partially walked this back following significant community backlash, increasing event payouts and adding high-value races. The controversy has faded for most active players, though it remains a mark on GT7's launch history.

2. Polyphony Digital Is Hiring — 18 Openings for Next Gran Turismo

On March 2, 2026, Polyphony Digital listed 18 job openings on its Greenhouse-powered careers board. Every posting specifies recruitment for “the production of Gran Turismo,” covering roles in game testing, CG art, project management, programming, UI design, and audio.

Openings target a mix of experience levels — part-time positions, new graduates, and experienced hires. Applications go through Polyphony Digital's English recruitment portal. The postings appeared alongside a message from Kazunori Yamauchi and have been linked by multiple outlets to next-gen Gran Turismo development targeting PlayStation 6.

3. Kazunori Yamauchi's Message to Prospective Hires

Above the careers listings, Polyphony Digital placed a personal statement from studio founder and Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi:

The phrase “create the future through art and technology” appears both in the body of the message and as a standalone headline above the job listings. The framing is consistent with Yamauchi's long-standing philosophy that Gran Turismo is as much an art project as a sports title — a belief that has shaped the franchise's focus on vehicular fidelity, museum-quality car histories, and real-world automotive partnerships since 1997.

4. How to Apply to Polyphony Digital

All 18 open positions are listed on Polyphony Digital's English-language careers page, powered by Greenhouse. Applications are accepted directly through the portal, which supports both Japanese and English submissions for most roles.

5. Gran Turismo Franchise History and Sales Milestones

Sales milestones: the series crossed 90 million units by December 2022 and 100 million units by June 25, 2025. Gaps between mainline releases averaged 4–5 years from GT4 onward. If that cadence holds, the next numbered title — targeting PlayStation 6 — would arrive between 2026 and 2028.

Reports from Insider Gaming and Eurogamer on March 2, 2026, directly link the 18 new job openings to next-generation Gran Turismo development. PlayStation Studios has ramped hiring across multiple teams following project cancellations elsewhere in the SIE portfolio.