Gran Turismo 6 confirmed for launch: full details here

Sony has announced that its latest racing simulator game, Gran Turismo 6, will go sale in this November with more cars, expandability and even more impressive realism than before. Gran Turismo, which launched in 1998, is the most successful Sony franchise with sales of more than 70 million games sold in in its 15-year history.

Gran Turismo 6 will debut with 1200 cars, 200 more than GT5, and 33 tracks – including Silverstone for the first time – seven more than before. The game will also in constant development and offer greater levels of car customisation, while the number of cars and tracks can be increased with more offered for download during the games lifespan, making GT6 the most in-depth installment of Gran Turismo to date.

Gran Turismo creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, said that the focus of GT6 is responsiveness for gamers when they’re behind the wheel, as well as more natural movement and flow of vehicles under loads, such as during in cornering and heavy braking. “We’re cleaning it up and making it smoother,” says Yamauchi, “which will also allow more expandability for the future.” To increase the ‘dynamic range’, a new physics engine will be used to enable more realistic suspension and aerodynamic modeling, with partnerships extending beyond a host of manufacturers to include suspension and tyre companies.

A unique collaboration with Toyota sees the new ‘CAN-ECU’, in which owners of the Toyota GT86 can have their real-life track day data downloaded and converted into Gran Turismo six to watch and race their ‘real’ selves, as well as analysing true-to-life driving technique.

Gamers will also be able to create more of bespoke track layouts than before, with 19 more than currently offer in GT5, for a total of 71. Gran Turismo 6 will also deliver greater opportunities for networking, with the ability for the first time to create clubs, communities and championships online.

Gran Turismo 6 will debut on PlayStation 3 and not the PlayStation 4 console, which will hit stores in 2014, with Sony Europe president and CEO Jim Ray explaining that the additional millions to develop GT6 for the PS4 was not as attractive as the existing PS3 platform, which he says offers ”unfinished business”.

“Look at the difference between GT and GT2, and then GT3 and GT4, the change is not incremental – it’s absolutely massive,” says Ryan. “When the game ships for Christmas 2013, we’re confident that you’ll see the same step change between Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6.”

By Damion Smy