When it comes to motor racing and video consoles, Sony PlayStation's (PS) Gran Turismo is one of the benchmarks in the genre. The latest generation launched just over a year ago, to run on the PS5.
For the holiday season this year, Sony is offering a free version of the game. It will of course be more limited in terms of the number of tracks and cars accessible, but it will enable some who perhaps couldn't afford the game to have access to it. And it’s never a bad idea to expand your potential audience.
My First Gran Turismo
The version, to be called My First Gran Turismo, was designed for all types of players “with no age or driving skill restrictions”.
The designer has essentially simplified the game to make it more accessible to beginners, but also more immersive. Sony wanted to give everyone the chance to master the rudiments and controls of driving by taking on various challenges, progressing through the purchase of cars and getting to know the circuits and racing techniques.
Various game modes are offered with this free version, including three race events, three time trials and three rally stages. Players have access to 18 vehicles and can drive them on the Kyoto Driving Park, Deep Forest Raceway and Trial Mountain Circuit.
Among the cars included free are a Mazda RX-7, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V and a BMW M3.
The game, which launches today December 6 at Noon, is compatible with both PlayStation 4 and 5. PS5 players will be able to play with the VR2 virtual headset.
The game comes as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations for the PlayStation, which launched on December 3, 1994. The first Gran Turismo game debuted on the console in 1997.
