Is Gran Turismo (PS1) Still Worth Playing in 2024?

It’s an icon that changed the way we race in the digital realm. A game that spawned dozens of imitators, few of which survive to this day. And in 1997, Gran Turismo set a new standard for console visual presentation and driving realism. It’s been nearly three decades since Polyphony Digital’s defining series raced out of the blocks, establishing a franchise that has been a tentpole for Sony consoles ever since.

TechStomper revisits the game that started it all in 2024 to ask whether this ambitious PlayStation 1 racing game still holds up. If so, why. If not, why not. We also ask if there’s an audience for Gran Turismo outside of those after a hit of nostalgia.

Lay of the Land

The sim racing genre had mostly existed in the PC realm before Gran Turismo released in late 1997. The few attempts at simulations on consoles were almost exclusively based on a specific racing series. Formula 1, NASCAR and Indy had all seen popular efforts which had erred on the sim side of the genre, in 2D and in 3D.

However, the idea of licencing hundreds of real-life machines and steeping the player in car modification culture had not been tried. After all, the undertaking was massive, getting car manufacturers on board en masse would be a huge hurdle.

Producing a convincing simulation of dozens of cars on a limited machine like the PS1 would also be a significant task. As would balancing the myriad tuning and modifications that could be done to the roster of machines. Polyphony Digital’s portfolio had thus far only contained racing titles.

Toyota Racing modification AE86 diffing drifting legend japan

However, the visually arresting Motor Toon Grand Prix and its sequel were at the other end of the scale in terms of realism. Motor Toon Grand Prix went for exaggerated visuals and mechanics. Gran Turismo would ground itself in reality.

Time Capsule

The presentation of Gran Turismo is very much a time capsule. The font, the menus, the images that provide backdrops. Everything screams 1997/1998. The UI is clean, if a little hard to navigate. The home screen of the Gran Turismo mode of Gran Turismo is particularly dated, but the style has endured.

Video Game menus UI design style modern 1990s 2000s Gran Turismo

The look of Gran Turismo is far from timeless, however, its late-90s brand of ultra modern sleekness has not aged badly. The block colours, bold sans-serif fonts, and lack of busy framing is, arguably, as artistically relevant now in 2024 as it was in 1997 and 1998.

No matter which soundtrack you are treated to, it’s very much of its time. In our PAL region, we got a dozen or so alternative and alt rock tracks from bands like Ash, Feeder and Garbage, as well as some high-tempo instrumentals. The US and EU soundtrack has aged, like the UI and menus, however the music has not quite become relevant again with time.

Gran Turismo Mode

The meat of Gran Turismo is its Gran Turismo mode. There is no ultimate prize, no singular championship to conquer. It’s just you, $10,000 and the licencing centre. You make your own auto adventure, choosing your rides, modifying and tuning to your liking, then choosing your races for the day.

But, Gran Turismo doesn’t let you loose straight away. Much like Driver, a game we talk about a lot at TechStomper, you need to prove yourself first. And much like Driver, Gran Turismo‘s career starts with a major roadblock.

Many console gamers had never before encountered something so demanding, something so precise, and Gran Turismo‘s licence test frustrated quite a few. Younger gamers, especially, spent days or weeks waiting to race their second-hand dream machine. Waiting for the chance to snake their way around the Sunday Cup.

Nowadays, the average gamer has unknowingly practiced realistic video game driving for many hours. In 2024, the average gamer will have little trouble in getting their B licence. We breeze through the B licence test, and buy our Toyota Corolla AE86 Trueno.

Visual Presentation

While the menu style and presentation has aged well, the in-game presentation has not. Generally, games that tend to aim to be as realistic as possible tend to age poorly, and Gran Turismo is no different. In 1997, the game looked incredible. In 2024, Gran Turismo just looks kinda bad.

When aiming for realism, there isn’t much wiggle room for creativity or artistry. Creativity and artistry tend to foster visuals that endure. Games like GoldenEye 007 and Medal of Honor, for example, were praised for their realism at launch, but now look like relics.

There is a charm to the early days of polygonal graphics that continues to suit certain genres. Low-poly horror, for example, is a popular artistic style that has filled a corner of YouTube.

Racing games tend to the state of the art, and it can be jarring to go back. Jarring, even for someone old enough to have marvelled at the visuals of Gran Turismo at launch.

Screen Space

One visual trick that holds up surprisingly well are the environment maps that give the cars their signature sheen. The technique draws a transparent later on top of all relevant objects, and can manipulate it as the object and its surface move.

Gran Turismo does a great job of using the technique tastefully. This gentle approach helps hide some of the limitations of the technique and the game at large. For one, only your car has the sheen applied in general play, by keeping the effect muted this difference is less noticable.

Keeping the effect off the other cars during races also allows for the aggressive level of detail scaling that keeps the game at an acceptable frame rate.

Visual Effects on Gameplay

While the idea of playing any game at 25 or 30 frames per second nowadays is controversial, the 25fps PAL experience didn’t take us long to get used to. The frame rate is not quite solid, but burps and spooling are minimal. As a result, control is predictable.

The game runs at a low resolution of 320×240, which is just about enough to see corners as they approach. However, there are times when it’s hard to make out the bends as they approach on longer straights.

Another area where early polygon racers could see their visual limitations have an adverse effect on gameplay was in the draw distance. Gran Turismo uses level of detail scaling on its environments to push the culling far enough ahead that it’s never a distraction.

This long draw distance was notable at the time, when depth culling could see corners often appear a little too late in many racing games. In 2024, the low resolution graphics may take some time, and some squinting, to get used to, but the draw distance is never an obstacle.

iRacing

The driving physics of Gran Turismo were celebrated in 1997 and 1998. Even with sim-cade racers like Formula 1 on the console, Gran Turismo felt unlike anything before it. The array of machines, and the parts to improve them, mandated a depth to the handling to make it all feel real.

Little Red Corvette Video games Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo succeeded in convincing racers of the fifth generation that its simulation was true. Gran Turismo felt as if it were real at the time.

And while this sense of realism has faded over time as its simulation has been superseded, Gran Turismo still feels good. The considerations of weight transfer, of balance, and of limit of grip still feel predictable. Racing techniques, fundamental and advanced, still work.

Aston Martin DB7 Volante James Bond Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo still manages to deliver a particular sense of speed that only the best racing and driving games manage. That is, knowing when you have blazed through a section without looking at the clock, knowing when you are going fast without looking at the speedometer.

And this form of sensing speed is timeless. Gran Turismo still imparts a sense of momentum and velocity that hooks the type of gamer who values the intrinsic reward of driving faster and faster. For that type of gamer, Gran Turismo is still gratifying and thrilling after decades.

Showroom Floor

140 cars was unheard of in 1997, and that number is still competitive in 2024. The line-up is missing some of the biggest brands in the auto industry, but as a first effort, it is impressive.

The manufacturers of the day were used to individual licencing deals for games based around one car or one brand. Never before had they allowed their brands to compete alongside over a dozen other brands while allowing players to buy their least exciting models. But, Gran Turismo managed to haul huge names in the industry, in particular from its homeland of Japan, to the table.

The line-up of Gran Turismo covers the spectrum of family runarounds, ‘first wheels’, and poster machines of their era. And, this variety benefits Gran Turismo in several ways.

Video Game menus UI design style modern 1990s 2000s

Having a wide range of machines gave the game more longevity. After all, the climb to the monster machines of the end game is greater.

Having a greater number of machines in any category meant better races with fewer duplicates on the starting grid. And, finally, some of PlayStation 1’s older fans could have the thrill of racing their current car, or their first, around a circuit.

For a 2024 gamer who has played a dozen or so Gran Turismo titles across all Sony consoles, bar PS Vita, 140 is still enough to give plenty of depth to the career mode. It’s enough to keep the climb sufficiently steep.

Roadblocks

The limits of the line-up are more readily visible to 2024 eyes. There will be many races in certain categories where you will be racing duplicates. There will also many races where you are racing impossible specced machines, hastily created to fill gaps in the starting grid.

Worse still, there will be races where the competition would be practically unraceable, were it not for another trait more readily visible to modern eyes – rubber banding.

Rubber banding is a technique to keep races interesting where opponent AI is too primitive to compete. Basically, opponents in a given racing game slow down to allow the player to catch up, or speed up to catch up to the player. Rubber banding was used in racing games for decades until more sophisticated opponents could be programmed.

Gran Turismo‘s rubber banding is infuriating, if understandable. With so many cars and upgrades, it would have been incredibly difficult to programme fair opponents for each permutation.

That said, the tightness of the rubber banding is hard to ignore in 2024. Very often, we qualified seven seconds ahead or behind everyone else only to finish the race within two seconds of each other. This obvious artificiality can dash the immersion, but doesn’t actually affect the gameplay.

Gran Turismo ps1 still good licence license test

However, once we hit the middle section of the campaign, the AI constantly buzzing around us during the races became frustrating. This does affect the gameplay, and ultimately enjoyment. Especially once the lack of reward for skilled driving (and vice versa) becomes grating.

Memory Hard

In 1997, the scale and scope of Gran Turismo was unprecedented. Here was a racing game with so much content that it could be your pastime for months. Therefore, it wasn’t too big a deal that Gran Turismo‘s Gran Turismo mode takes five blocks on its own. Nor was it that replays take two to five block. Nor that car setups takes one block.

However, this can be bothersome in 2024 when memory cards are not as readily available as they were. If you are going to get the very most from Gran Turismo, you basically need a whole 15 blocks to spare.

Gran Turismo‘s replay mode has been much celebrated, and, even in 2024, remains an important part of the experience. While it was not the first game to feature lengthy replays, it was the first mainstream title to allow gamers to save their glory days at the track for later.

And this is something we take for granted in racing games in 2024. The ability to clip natively is available on most consoles these days, of course. But, in 1997 the idea that your achievements could be preserved in such a fashion was genuinely cool.

And, the replays of Gran Turismo are still appreciably well programmed, even if the graphics have aged.

AE86 Trueno in media video games GT1 GT2 GT3 GT4 GT5

Should be be sufficiently immersed in a victory to enter the replay mode, you’ll enjoy reliving your skills. Just make sure you have enough space on your memory card.

Overlooked Arcade Mode

While Gran Turismo is most famous for its Gran Turismo mode, there is also a decent arcade mode. While it’s not nearly as deep as the GT mode, the arcade challenge is a fine diversion. There are three categories of vehicle, and seven tracks on which to claim an Easy, Medium and Hard trophy.

Chevrolet in video games ps1 ps2 ps3 retro

Rather impressively, the handling in arcade mode is far less realistic than in Gran Turismo mode. Arcade mode’s handling is bouncy and allows for massive drifts at unwise speeds. It takes a little getting used to after sinking hours into the GT mode.

And even more impressively, the tracks featured in arcade mode are modified in subtle ways to make them more fun to streak around. There are notable some added jumps to launch the cars skywards, and bring some chaos to the proceedings.

Automaker

Gran Turismo is undoubtedly an important game. It launched a entire sub-genre. It launched a franchise that sells PlayStations to this very day. Gran Turismo was also a lot of fun to revisit as someone who had been there at launch.

Mazda RX7 rotary racing games PlayStation

However, casting the rose-tinted spectacles aside it’s hard to ignore two huge issues that will likely prove insurmountable obstacles for modern gamers interested in sampling some bona fide gaming history – the rubber banding and the number of tracks.

While the use of crude rubber banding is understandable due to the number of variables at play, it doesn’t make it any less frustrating. The tightness of the banding was noticeable-but-acceptable in the late 1990s, but for 2024 gamers it will prove a nuisance after a few hours.

With the improvements seen in racing AI since 1997, stepping back to a game built upon the technique might even be an instant ‘no’ to some.

There are enough machines to provide a steep hill for budding Gran Turismo racers to enjoy climbing, but the eleven tracks will wear their welcome out long before the average 2024 gamer can reach that summit. Especially when the eleven are variations on six track environments.

Nissan Skyline street racing drift urban

There are periods, especially in the early game, where grinding is practically mandatory to stay competitive. And this grinding would be much easier to handle if there were more tracks with greater variety.

GT HiFi

One of the coolest extras of Gran Turismo is its HiFi mode. By completing the arcade mode or winning the GT World Cup, you unlock this stripped back mode that runs at 50 or 60 frames per second.

There are only three tracks available in the HiFi modes, the three night courses. The background details have also been gutted in order to achieve these impressive framerates. And on top of all that, you race alone against the clock.

As a technical showcase, GT HiFi mode is excellent. It’s also a fantastic extra to reward those who stayed the course. However, there isn’t much to do inside of this novelty mode seeing as you only get the three tracks in Time Trial mode.

Gran Nostalgia

For those old enough to remember, Gran Turismo might be worth a spin with a friend, or an afternoon on the campaign. For gamers who grew up on more modern titles, Gran Turismo may be worth a few hours for historical value. And for gaming petrolheads, the array of cars and the detail put into each will be exciting to explore.

Gran Turismo HiFi mode tracks three Special r5 r7 r11

However, for everyone else, Gran Turismo will be hard to go back to for any major playtime.

As painful as it is to say about such an iconic title, Gran Turismo (1997) is probably not worth playing in 2024 unless you fit into those three aforementioned categories of gamer. And even so, it’s unlikely you will make it all the way to the top of its Gran Turismo mode.

Gran Turismo reviewed on original PlayStation 1 hardware, images captured via emulation for better quality