Since launching in 1997, the legendary driving simulator series created by Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital has set the benchmark for automotive gaming. Dubbed "The Real Driving Simulator," this iconic franchise turned car passion into virtual art across multiple console generations.
With millions of copies sold worldwide, every entry has brought new features, graphical breakthroughs, and physics refinements. However, not every release achieved perfection. Below is the definitive ranking of the major entries in the franchise, from the weakest titles to the absolute peak of the series.
10. Ranking the Real Driving Simulator Series
Evaluating this franchise requires weighing innovation, car rosters, career mode depth, handling physics, and historical impact. Here is how the titles stack up.
10. Gran Turismo PSP
Released in 2009 for Sony's handheld console, Gran Turismo PSP was a technical miracle for its time. It delivered 60 frames-per-second racing and featured over 800 cars and 35 tracks on portable hardware.
Unfortunately, the game lacked a traditional single-player career mode. Without license tests, structured championship cups, or meaningful progression, the portable entry felt more like a tech demo than a full campaign. While driving physics were surprisingly sharp for a handheld, the absence of a core campaign places Gran Turismo PSP at the bottom of the list.
9. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
Serving as a paid preview before the full launch of Gran Turismo 5, this 2007 PlayStation 3 title showcased breathtaking high-definition graphics, interior cockpit views, and 16-player online racing for the first time in series history.
While impressive visually, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue offered limited content with only around 70 cars and six tracks. It was a glorified preview meant to satisfy eager fans during a lengthy development cycle, making it hard to rank higher than fully fleshed-out main entries.
8. Gran Turismo 6
Released in late 2013 right around the launch of the PlayStation 4, Gran Turismo 6 suffered primarily from bad timing. Pushing the PlayStation 3 to its absolute limits, it featured over 1,200 vehicles, expanded track options, and improved tire physics developed alongside Yokohama.
Despite its massive content list, many vehicle models were low-detail recycled "standard" cars from the PS2 era. The campaign structure felt repetitive, and performance drops on PS3 hardware held it back. While ambitious, Gran Turismo 6 felt more like an incremental update to its predecessor rather than a true leap forward.
7. Gran Turismo Sport
When Gran Turismo Sport debuted on PlayStation 4 in 2017, it marked a controversial shift in focus. Polyphony Digital sidelined the classic single-player career in favor of competitive, FIA-sanctioned esports and online multiplayer rankings.
At launch, content was lean and single-player options were bare. However, through years of free updates, Polyphony Digital transformed Gran Turismo Sport into an exceptional online racer with refined physics, stunning visual fidelity, and a robust GT League mode. It proved essential for the franchise's evolution into modern esports, even if launch day left single-player fans feeling alienated.
6. Gran Turismo 5
After five years of development, Gran Turismo 5 arrived on PS3 in 2010 with monumental hype. It introduced dynamic weather, night racing, visual damage modeling, track creation tools, and NASCAR and WRC licenses.
The title was a chaotic blend of incredible highs and frustrating flaws. Out of 1,000 cars, only about 200 were high-detail "Premium" models featuring interior cockpits, while the remainder were ported directly from PS2 titles with jagged textures. Despite these inconsistencies, Gran Turismo 5 offered unmatched ambition and hundreds of hours of entertainment.
5. Gran Turismo 7
Returning to the franchise's traditional roots, Gran Turismo 7 launched on PS4 and PS5 as a love letter to automotive culture. It combined the deep single-player structure of vintage titles with the polished online infrastructure built during Gran Turismo Sport.
With exquisite DualSense haptic feedback on PS5, realistic dynamic weather simulations, and gorgeous visual fidelity, the moment-to-moment driving experience is arguably the best in the series. While microtransaction controversies and the mandatory online connection dragged down its initial reputation, post-launch updates continuously elevated Gran Turismo 7 into a top-tier modern simulator.
4. Gran Turismo
The 1997 original on PlayStation was nothing short of a revolution. Before Gran Turismo, console racing games were predominantly arcade-style speedsters. Polyphony Digital introduced realistic weight transfer, authentic tuning options, and a structured Gran Turismo Mode that rewarded patient driving and license progression.
Featuring 140 cars and a soundtrack that defined an era, the original Gran Turismo established a genre blueprint that competitors spent decades trying to copy.
3. Gran Turismo 2
Arriving in 1999, Gran Turismo 2 expanded upon everything that made the original brilliant. Polyphony Digital nearly quadrupled the vehicle selection to nearly 650 cars and included dozens of real-world tracks like Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
It introduced rally racing on dirt tracks, specialized race modifications, and a massive variety of manufacturer events. Despite minor bugs on its initial disc printing, Gran Turismo 2 stands as one of the greatest sequel upgrades in PlayStation history.
2. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
When Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec launched on PlayStation 2 in 2001, it was the ultimate graphical showcase for console hardware. The leap in visual detail—heat haze rising from asphalt, reflective car body paint, dynamic lighting—left gamers completely stunned.
Though the car count was scaled back to roughly 180 vehicles to ensure high graphical fidelity, the handling physics were radically improved. The career progression was tight, challenging, and deeply addictive, making Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec one of the best-selling racing games of all time.
1. Gran Turismo 4
Taking the top spot is Gran Turismo 4, widely considered the absolute pinnacle of the series and one of the finest driving games ever crafted. Released in 2004 for PlayStation 2, it pushed the hardware past its limits, even outputting in 1080i resolution on supported displays.
Featuring over 700 painstakingly recreated vehicles, 51 tracks, detailed photo modes, B-Spec management modes, and grueling endurance races on classic circuits like Nürburgring Nordschleife, Gran Turismo 4 achieved a golden balance of depth, accessibility, automotive reverence, and performance.
Comparison Overview
| Game Title | Release Year | Original Platform | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo | 1997 | PlayStation | Revolutionary physics, introduced GT mode. |
| Gran Turismo 2 | 1999 | PlayStation | Huge car list expansion, introduced rally racing. |
| Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | 2001 | PlayStation 2 | Massive graphical leap, incredible handling model. |
| Gran Turismo 4 | 2004 | PlayStation 2 | Masterclass balance, over 700 cars, legendary circuits. |
| Gran Turismo 5 | 2010 | PlayStation 3 | Dynamic weather, 16-player online, interior views. |
| Gran Turismo 6 | 2013 | PlayStation 3 | Refined tire physics, updated track roster. |
| Gran Turismo Sport | 2017 | PlayStation 4 | Pioneered esports competition, clean visuals. |
| Gran Turismo 7 | 2022 | PlayStation 4 / PS5 | Haptic feedback integration, return to classic career. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Gran Turismo game sold the most copies?
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec holds the record as the highest-selling entry in the entire franchise, with over 14.8 million copies sold worldwide on PlayStation 2.
What is the highest-rated Gran Turismo game on Metacritic?
Gran Turismo (1997) and Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec hold the top critical scores in the franchise, both sitting at a 95/100 meta score rating.
Can you play old Gran Turismo games on PlayStation 5?
Currently, only Gran Turismo 7 is natively playable on PlayStation 5. Earlier titles from the PS1, PS2, and PS3 eras require original hardware or backward-compatible PS3 systems due to vehicle licensing restrictions preventing simple digital re-releases.
Final Thoughts
The Gran Turismo series has continuously elevated virtual motorsport for over two decades. Whether you prefer the retro nostalgia of Gran Turismo 2, the unmatched depth of Gran Turismo 4, or the technical wizardry of Gran Turismo 7, Polyphony Digital's commitment to car culture remains unmatched in gaming history.
