We're only a month away from the release of Gran Turismo 7 (GT7), which is one of the most highly-anticipated racing games of this year. As the first major numeric entry since Gran Turismo 6 (GT6), Polyphony Digital has revealed a huge list of exciting features for its latest sim racing video game at the recent State of Play event.

While the Gran Turismo Sport (GT Sport) was mainly focused on esports, the GT7 is a welcome return to what the series was mainly known for. Kazunori Yamauchi says that GT7 is a "Car Life Simulator", and he has the numbers to back that up. Expect more than 400 cars out of the box, along with 90 track layouts in 34 different locations. Licenses will also make their return in GT7.

Gran Turismo 7 will mark the return of the World Map, which was a staple of Gran Turismo 4 (GT4) back in Playstation 2. This time around, it's taking the form of a "car-themed resort", which enables players to enjoy their car life in a relaxing fashion.

Over 400 Cars, Three Types Of Dealerships

The Garage will be your home base, and you can fill this up with cars from three car dealerships. Brand Central is where new cars from 2001 and up are sold. Some of the modern cars that have been featured include the Ferrari F8 Tributo, FK8 Honda Civic Type R, Porsche Taycan, and the Mercedes-AMG GT R.}

Next is the Used Car Dealership, and this is where you can buy modern cars for a lower price or the legendary Japanese '90s sports cars such as a Skyline GT-R R34 that are being sold at above MSRP.} Geez, even in video games expensive used cars are a thing, huh? Lastly, The Legendary Car Dealership sells extremely rare cars with high historical value.

Tune To Your Heart's Content

Also making a comeback is GT Auto, which last made its appearance in a simplified form in Gran Turismo 6. This is where I'm very excited about since GT Auto has been comprehensively reworked to now feature over 650 aero parts, more than 130 wheels, more than 1,200 real-life paint colors, a host of aftermarket performance parts, including Brembo (which is the game's technical partner), and even a wide body kit on compatible vehicles. Lastly, GT Auto also has a livery editor, which has now become a staple in recent Gran Turismo games.

A Different Take On Cars And Coffee

New for the series is called GT Café, in which players receive "Menu Books" providing them quests around the car resort. This will assist players in collecting cars, along with bringing them in-depth into the car's history and even the design involved in the vehicles. It's a great way to introduce newbies into the world of Gran Turismo and car collecting.

Picture Perfection

Just as with past versions, GT7 will feature 'Scapes', while new for GT7 is 'Race Photo'. Scapes, as with previous versions, enable players to take extremely life-like photos of their vehicles in beautiful locations around the world, which is now more than 2,500 in the case of GT7. Race Photo, on the other hand, now lets you pause your race and take photos while you drive on track.

And, if you're proud of your visual work, you can share this via 'Showcase'. This is also where you can share your liveries, paint colors, just to name a few, all of which you can allow other players to download your work.

A New Way To Enjoy In-Game Music

GT7 also introduces a new game mode called 'Music Rally'. This mode is where players can enjoy driving while listening to music. Players must drive in a way that they won't run out of "beats" that deplete according to the rhythm of the track, and the session completes when the entire music track has been played. Players earn a prize according to the distance driven.

Narrowing The Gap Between Real And Virtual

As with every up-and-coming Gran Turismo game, Polyphony Digital implements a host of improvements to the series' realism. Gran Turismo 7 will mark the return of variable time and weather conditions. Unlike before, the time and weather can now affect the vehicle. Colder mornings will affect tire grip, while rain will introduce water accumulation in key areas. These areas also take a longer time to dry up, just like in real life, and this will also affect tire grip.

The developers were even able to recreate the track's racing line, wherein these sections are the quickest to dry. Just like in real-life races such as Formula 1, players now have access to a rainfall radar, which will let them strategize whether to change tires or not. Lastly, through the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the developers have been able to recreate wind and humidity, which will affect the car's aerodynamics and engine performance.

All of this was achieved through feedback from various sources including their advisor Lewis Hamilton, along with tire manufacturer Michelin and the best drivers of the FIA GT Championships.

Taking Advantage Of The PS5's Power

While GT7 will be released both on PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation 5 (PS5), GT7 will definitely be best experienced in the newer gaming console. GT7 will take advantage of the PS5's ray tracing. The developers were even able to recreate the clouds and atmosphere of the regions where the tracks are located accurately. Advancements were also made in the starry skies, which are simulated based on the time and location of the track. Polyphony Digital even says that the sky looks so good, players can stargaze to their heart's content.

Get Yours Beginning On March 4

Gran Turismo 7 will hit retailers on March 4. However, pre-orders have already been opened. Three versions will be sold: Launch Edition, 25th Anniversary Edition, and a 25th Anniversary Digital Deluxe Edition.

The Launch Edition retails for $59.99 for the PS4 and $69.99 for the PS5. Getting this edition comes with 100,000 in-game credits and a 3-car pack that contains a Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Concept (Stealth Model), a Porsche 917 Living Legend, and a Gran Turismo staple--the 1997 Toyota Supra GT500 in (Castrol TOM's Livery)

The second version is called the 25th Anniversary Edition, and it's only available for the PS5. Retailing for $89.99, this edition comes with 1,000,000 in-game credits, an in-game Toyota GR Yaris with country-specific liveries, PSN Avatars, an official Gran Turismo 7 soundtrack disc, and a SteelBook case. These items come on top of the aforementioned items from the Launch Edition.

Lastly, the 25th Anniversary Digital Delux Edition is available for both the PS4 and PS5 and is on sale for $89.99. In lieu of the 25th Anniversary Edition's SteelBook case is 1,500,000 in-game credits for this digital version along with a digital copy of the official Gran Turismo 7 soundtrack. The rest of the package is basically the same as the physical 25th Anniversary Edition.