Any new Gran Turismo game is a hot topic, even if the next one is predicted to be an improved version of the current game, as it will not be designed to run on the new PlayStation 4 console, so it will have to really push the current-gen tech to the very limit.

However, nowadays it’s about more than just the game itself, because we have the GT Academy, 2013 edition, which has been made an integral part of the experience you buy into with GT5 (and 6).

This year public qualifications kick off along with the release of the first GT6 demo, which has been announced for Tuesday, July 2. The limited-access version of the game will feature three Nissans (Leaf, 370Z and GT-R) and two track environments (the actual GT Academy and Silverstone), all of which will be tied in with the GT Academy idea. This year, the prize for the winner is the chance to get behind the wheel of an actual Nissan GT-R GT3 Nismo for an entire racing season.

In other news, pre-ordering for the game has opened in the meantime, and if you choose to opt for this purchase option, you will be rewarded with a “4 Car Pack,” featuring a BMW Z4 GT3, the aforementioned GT-R GT3, the Tesla Model S Signature Performance and the new C7 Corvette. There are even better offers out there if you preorder, and

Even better, GameStop is offering what they are calling the 15th Anniversary Edition Upgrade and that gives you 16 more cars over the “4 Car Pack”, for a total of 20. Also, if the 1,200 announced cars and “over 33 locations and 71 track layouts” are not enough, it has been announced that the game will receive monthly DLCs (downloadable content packs) which will keep increasing the number of both vehicles and venues. This is possible and made easier, as the game has been designed to be more update and upgrade-friendly, because since this is the last GT game to run on the PS3, some won’t move to the newer PS4 version when it comes out, so this particular game needs to stay fresh for longer.

If you were wondering how many of the 1,200 cars are going to be Premium and how many Standard, the answer is a bit more complicated, because sadly it’s not “no, they have done away with them completely.” What they are trying to do though is bring up the visual quality of these models, and also eliminate the associated limitations one had when playing Standard cars in GT5 (no photo mode or modification options). Regarding interior views, yes, more will be added, but no, not all cars are going to get one.

By Andrei Nedelea

Story References: GT Planet

PHOTO GALLERY

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