The PS4-exclusive racing game has slipped gear a few times, but now the Gran Turismo Sport release date is final. Apparently.
In recent years, the venerable Gran Turismo series has lost a lot of ground.
Its last outing – Gran Turismo 6 – was released for the PS3 back in December 2013, and the PS4-based version, known as Gran Turismo Sport, has been delayed several times. Originally, it was expected to launch within “a year or two” of GT6 on the same engine, but since then has drifted through 2016, with a 2017 release date promised to be final.
In the intervening period, the Gran Turismo marque has found a lot of stiff competition, new and old. While the core Forza Motorsport series continued down the same road as GT, of the serious (and seriously-pretty) realistic simulator – joined by the likes of Project Cars, Drive Club and Assetto Corsa – Forza Horizon has instead carved a glorious open-world path, producing some of the best and most interesting racing games we’ve ever seen.
Gran Turismo Sport then, could be a bit of a worry. It’s at least a couple of laps down on the competition, has a lot of catching up to do, and – without being able to see under the hood – is possibly trying to do it with last year’s engine. It’s a racing metaphor. Formula One, or something.
But finally, we now know the final release date. Finally.
Gran Turismo Sport release date
- North America – October 17, 2017
- Europe – October 18, 2017
- Japan – October 19, 2017
It’s good to see Sony’s flagship racing series back in action, but the grid’s a lot more packed – with much sterner competition – than it was in 1997, when the original Gran Turismo launched for the original PlayStation.
We’ll see how it turns out this October.
