- Gran Turismo 7’s free Spec IV update arrives in two parts this October and December.
- The expansion adds 12 cars, Sportsland SUGO, and the long-awaited return of Autumn Ring.
- Shuffle Racing returns alongside online drifting, Family Mode, and a new car-ordering Concierge.
Gran Turismo 7 is more than four years old, but Sony’s Polyphony Digital clearly isn’t ready to park it yet. In fact, with the original Gran Turismo turning 30 next year, the developer is preparing one of the game’s biggest free expansions to date. This might be one of the best examples of tech adding genuine value without any real drawbacks to a product that went on sale years ago.
Dubbed Spec IV, the update will arrive in two installments, one in October and another in December. Between them, players are getting 12 additional cars, two circuits, several new game modes, and some potentially significant changes to how GT7’s enormous collection of vehicles is accessed. For longtime fans, though, there’s one addition that probably matters more than everything else. Autumn Ring is coming back and it’s bringing extra miles with it.
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The fictional circuit appeared in the original Gran Turismo and remained a series staple through Gran Turismo 6 before disappearing. It returns in December with its familiar original configuration plus a substantially expanded new layout. That’ll make it a great addition that both provides a fun circuit for low-powered cars and expands it so that higher speeds are key as well.
October comes first and brings Sportsland SUGO, the 2.3-mile (3.7 km) Japanese circuit known for its elevation changes and technical layout. Remarkably, despite hosting series including Super GT and Super Formula, this will be SUGO’s first appearance in a Gran Turismo game. The big news for some fans will be the new additional cars.
Specifically, Spec IV will introduce 12 cars, split evenly between the two releases. Polyphony hasn’t formally published the complete lineup yet, but several cars are visible in the announcement material, including the E60 BMW M5, Honda Mugen Motul Civic race car, Citroën 2CV Charleston, Honda Stepwagon Spada, Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Evo, and Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo.
There are bigger changes happening beyond the garage, too. October introduces a Vintage section for discontinued cars, brand-specific Experience challenges, a dedicated Car Viewer, and an increased Collector Level cap. Perhaps more interesting is Car Concierge, which Polyphony describes as a service for ordering Used and Legend cars. Since GT7 currently rotates those vehicles through limited inventories, the Concierge could eliminate some of the waiting involved in finding a particular car, although exactly how it works remains unclear. Finally, let’s chat about some new modes.
In December, Shuffle Racing will return. Essentially, this is a randomized racing concept last seen in GT5. Instead of everyone arriving with their meticulously optimized weapon of choice, the game throws drivers into randomly selected cars and asks them to deal with it. That should make driver adaptability matter considerably more than garage size.
Online Drift Trials are coming too, along with an evolution of Gran Turismo Sophy, a tougher Power Pack difficulty level, and a new Family Mode intended to make GT7 approachable for players with wildly different experience levels. Polyphony is keeping plenty under wraps, including half of the cars and many specifics surrounding the new modes. More details are scheduled for the Gran Turismo World Series event in Singapore on October 3.
Photos: Polyphony Digital
