Sim racing fans better fire up their PlayStations on November 2, as Gran Turismo 7’s Update 1.40, AKA “Spec II,” will bring seven new cars, a new off-road track, extra Menus, new events, a new license type, and many more changes to game.
The marquee update is the addition of an exciting collection of new cars, that run the gamut from classic American muscle to the latest EVs. The cars are: 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 426 Hemi, 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, 2010 Lexus LFA, 1991 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II, 1995 NISMO 400R, 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and the 2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance.
Polyphony Studios says that in addition to the new cars that can be found in the Brand Central, there will also be rare, limited edition manufacturer-tuned cars and ultra high-performance sports vehicles showing up in the game.
Read: Gran Turismo 7 Update Adds Honda Civic Type R, Modded Civic EX, And Mazda3 Racer
Players will be able to drive these new cars on a brand-new, original track based in the Canadian Rockies. Dubbed the Lake Louise track, it is set in a fictional ski resort setting where players can don snow tires, and play on three wintry layouts: the Lake Louise Long Track, the Lake Louise Short Track, and the Lake Louise Tri-Oval, which has just three corners.
For offline players, new events are being added to the World Circuits Pavilion. Polyphony Studios is adding five standard and two expert level races to the menu, and the “Arcade Race” mode is being rebranded at the “Quick Race” mode, which will be easier to use. It has also added a new Event Directory menu to allow players to search for and join races more easily, making it simpler to join the game’s weekly challenges. On top of that, three new challenging Cafe mode Menus have been added for Road-Going Racers, the brand Lexus, and the Red Bull X Series.
Racers playing on the PlayStation 5 will now be able to take on Gran Turismo Sophy, a prototype AI that can drive faster than even the best human sim racers. To help players pick up their pace, Gran Turismo 7 now also has a Master License that adds 50 new difficult tests to the licensing mode.
In a bit of good news for those playing against friends, the multiplayer mode will now be able to show up to four players on the same monitor or TV on the PS5 version of the game. For those playing online, the Meeting Place will now be transformed into the Paddock, where players can see each others’ cars, and communicate using emoticons and text chat.
For the photographers in the audience, a new slower shutter speed has been added to improve the sense of speed. In addition, the Polyphony Digital Tokyo Office can now be used as a background in the Scapes mode.
Among the most thorough updates to the game since it launched in March 2022, it’s not hard to understand why Polyphony Studios is calling this Gran Turismo 7 “Spec II.”