Gran Turismo 7 will seemingly require an always-on internet connection.
Sony debuted a brand new gameplay trailer for Gran Turismo 7 last week. While players were delighted to see the return of fan-favorite features like GT Campaign mode, it was only after eagle-eyed fans scrutinized the small print on a recent post on the PlayStation Blog (thanks, Metro) did they notice that the "newly designed" mode will require an internet connection to play, as well as the Livery Editor, Scapes – the photo mode – collecting mode GT Cafe, GT Auto, and legendary circuits like Trial Mountain and High-Speed Ring, too.
Although this isn't unique to the franchise – predecessor GT Sport also required an internet connection – Sport was slightly different in that it had been positioned as a competitive racer from the outset. Gran Turismo veterans, however, may have been expecting to access the single-player campaign offline, which has not traditionally required an always-on connection.
"GT7 is both the culmination of the series which answers the expectations of GT fans throughout the years, and at the same time it is a title that marks a beginning of a difficult mission to contain the full breadth of car culture from the past into a single video game," said series creator and Polyphony Digital president, Kazunori Yamauchi.
Gran Turismo 7 will be ready to race on March 4, 2022. It's a significant slip from its original release window of 2021, but development – like so many others – was impacted and delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Sony's hoping the wait will be worth it, though; Gran Turismo 7 looks set to feature real-time shadows in line with the position of the sun courtesy of PS5 ray-tracing, incredibly detailed and hyperrealistic, weather effects, plus a diverse range of environments.
Don't forget that while it was originally only meant to release on Sony's new-gen PS5, Gran Turismo 7 now also on the way to PS4, too.
For what to play in the thankfully not-too-long wait for Gran Turismo 7, check out our up-to-date guide to the best racing games to play in 2021.
Fable 4 reportedly has Witcher 3-like combat, CDPR DNA, and a whole lot of polish for an alpha build
William Shatner 'returns' as Captain Kirk in emotional new Star Trek short film, and it might be one of the best examples of de-aging we've seen yet
Valve was "pretty close to going bankrupt" until it was saved from a pre-Half-Life 2 lawsuit by a summer intern who happened to major in Korean language studies
