Gran Turismo Sport

Gran Turismo Sport is a racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced during the 2015 Paris Games Week and is the thirteenth game overall in the Gran Turismo series and the first game to be released for the PlayStation 4. It was launched worldwide in October 2017.

A notable aspect in the game is that it is supported by the official governing body of motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). As such, they sponsor the multiplayer events found in the game.

Gameplay
Gran Turismo Sport includes two game modes: "Sports Mode" and "Arcade Mode". Online racing is also featured in the game. It has been described as different from the "Prologue" titles released in the past and features more content. Unlike Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6, the game does not feature a dynamic weather system and day-night cycle. However, players still have the option to modify the race's time of day before entering the race. There are currently 238 cars and 44 configurations of 21 locations to race on. For the first time in the series, the game features Porsche vehicles, after Electronic Arts had lost their exclusive licensing rights to the Porsche brand (previous Gran Turismo games only included RUF as a substitute).

PlayStation VR Support
Gran Turismo Sport was originally announced to be fully compatible with Sony's virtual reality headset, PlayStation VR. The experience while playing was described by series creator Kazunori Yamauchi as "very good and very natural". However, it was announced later that VR support would be limited to a special "VR Tour" Mode.

TAG Heuer Partnership
Polyphony Digital and TAG Heuer announced a partnership for the game. TAG Heuer serves as the timekeeper and watch brand for Gran Turismo Sport, where its "Live Timing Technology" is utilized to measure all in-game time. Additionally, TAG Heuer is integrated into the "museum" section of Gran Turismo Sport, showcasing the history of the Swiss watch maker.

FIA and Gran Turismo Involvement
The FIA aims to formally ratify the Gran Turismo Online Championship at the next World Motorsport Council meeting. Two championships will be held simultaneously throughout the year: the Nations Cup, where players represent their country, and the Manufacturers Cup, where players represent their favorite car manufacturer. Once ratified, the FIA will manage the series directly as they would with any of their other race series. The winners of the championships will be honored at the FIA's annual prize-giving ceremony in Paris, France.

Nations Cup
In this championship, the player will either compete and race to represent their home country or spectate and cheer for the players who are taking part of a race.

Manufacturers Cup
In similar fashion as the national cup; this cup focuses on the player's support for their favorite car maker by either driving for their manufacturer or spectate.

eSports Events
The Nations Cup and the Manufacturers Cup will have "live" components similar to the regional finals held in the GT Academy competition. Organised online events are planned to be held on a regular basis.

Campaign Mode
Campaign Mode is the main single player mode of the game, replacing the well known Simulation Mode (GT Mode in the PAL and NTSC-J versions). It is divided into four categories:
 * GT League
 * Driving School
 * Mission Challenge
 * Circuit Experience

Circuits
Main article: Gran Turismo Sport/Track List

There are currently 51  circuits in Gran Turismo Sport. 22 are real-world circuits, 19 are original courses designed by Polyphony Digital, 6 are city street circuits, set on sections of the Tokyo Expressway, and 3 are dirt rally courses.

Cars
Main article: Gran Turismo Sport/Car List

Compared to previous titles, Gran Turismo Sport features less vehicles than previous entries. However, unlike in Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6 where only select models had detailed interiors, most vehicles are now fully detailed. There are currently 271 cars in GT Sport.

Development
Polyphony Digital expected Gran Turismo Sport to have largely improved gameplay elements due to the enhanced processing power of the PlayStation 4. The game is the first in the Gran Turismo series to support the virtual reality headset PlayStation VR. A beta was scheduled to take place in the first and second quarter of 2016 before a full release on 15 November, but Sony later announced that the beta had been cancelled so as to prevent the game from being delayed to 2017. On 30 August, 2016 it had been announced that the game will be delayed to 2017 to further polish the game.

Despite the cancellation of the beta for the game in 2016, a closed beta was confirmed for 17 March, 2017 for selected users in the United States and Europe to experience the game's features prior to its release.

Updates
Main article: Gran Turismo Sport/Updates.

So far, there have been ten updates for Gran Turismo Sport, released monthly since December 2017. For the full list and details, see the link above.

Trivia

 * The racing driver Kamui Kobayashi was part of the team who provided technical assistance during development.
 * The inclusion of Porsche automobiles was announced on 11 April, 2017. Following expiration of Electronic Arts' exclusive licensing to Porsche, Gran Turismo Sport marked the first appearance of Porsche in a Gran Turismo title.