Ranking Gran Turismo Games — Where Will GT7 End Up?

OK can't remember what I played first, was it 1 or 2 and didn't play the other also haven't played 5 or 6
1) 4
2) 3
3) 1/2
4) Sport. It's only online (well effectively) and the pen system doesn't encourage good gameplay.

7 should have a decent offline mode so it will pass sports easily. If they get it right it will be top and otherwise just above sport. I'm hoping it will be the best game ever, but been burnt before.
 
I arrived on the Gran Turismo scene with GT3 and a PS2, purchased at the same time (shortly before joining up here, in 2003). I never owned a PS1 or played GT1, and only played GT2 in very limited amounts.

Also, at least for Gran Turismo, I have very little interest in head-to-head online racing. Good Career mode / single-player local play is much more important to me. If I want head-to-head online, I'd much rather get involved in a more formal, curated organization like iRacing.

So those points bias my opinions a bit.

#1) - GT4. GT4 wins because it had 85% of the goodness that made GT3 so playable, with the added bonus of a bunch of great tracks (new and old) and cars. Adding Sears Point (Infineon), the 'Ring, and Le Sarthe alone would have made it the best. The triumphant return of used cars! There was a ton of other content, in all forms; some useful, some not so much. Photomode was cool. There were some miscues that kept it away from perfection, though:
  • A lot of race formats were worse than GT3. GT4 was kind of the start of Kaz's obsession with highlighting performance differences by putting cars of radically different abilities in the same race. Not as bad as it would get later, though.
  • The A-spec points system was clunky. I understood the point, but it was mildly annoying. Anybody who cared wouldn't destroy the entire game with an F1 car anyway, and anybody who didn't care didn't matter. So those of us who challenged ourselves anyway got penalized in order to punish those who wouldn't play the game on Kaz's terms.
  • AI 'rubberbanding' a little too heavy-handed (if only I knew how bad it would get later).
  • The user interface wasn't quite as good as GT3.
  • I won't call it a 'miscue', but I hardly touched B-spec at all, because...
  • They messed up some of the great enduros from GT3. Yeah, I know, 24 hours! But still. MX-5s at Apricot Hill? Sublime! MX-5s at Tsukuba for 4 hours? Drudgery.
#2) - GT3. A close second. This is actually my favorite GT title, even if it is not quite the best GT title. It's the only one I got 100% completion with all gold licenses and other stuff. This was my first GT title so I wasn't bothered by any perceived "lack of content" - it looked great, it drove great, career mode was really straightforward, yet flexible and fun. You could definitely play this game the way you wanted to. A few items that I thought were better in GT3 than in GT4:
  • As mentioned by @wagnerFAM98 above, GT3 has the best versions of Trial Mountain, Grand Valley, and Deep Forest. Add Apricot Hill to that list for me.
  • Rally handling physics was a little better in GT3 than in GT4.
  • Enduro formats were better in GT3.
#3) - GT6. A distant third. A little better than GT5 but not a patch on GT3/4. A few cool new tracks and vehicles, like the Kart Space, and a variety of interesting real world tracks were added. But overall I lost interest in this game pretty quickly.
  • Handling physics slightly better than GT5, but still pretty terrible. You couldn't even do a donut in a rear wheel drive car.
  • The race formats are horrible. This game continues Kaz's trend of putting a rabbit out in front of every field, started in GT4 and made notably worse in GT5. Catching the rabbit requires that you have to blast past the entire rest of the field as quickly as possible, and then chase the rabbit down an empty track. Actually RACING a somewhat balanced field for several laps would be much more interesting.
  • Waaaay too many 1-3 lap races. Longer races are better and more realistic.
  • The banzai-run "pass the whole field in one lap" format is just stupid and completely unlike real racing. Time Trials would have been much better than this crap.
#4) - GT5. An even more distant fourth. Some great additions - the Top Gear Test Track chief among them - but so much so wrong. I gave up on this game about halfway (?) through. It was just so frustrating and unfun. The bullet list:
  • Rubberbanding cranked up a couple of notches over GT4 levels. Yuck.
  • The handling physics SUCKS OUT LOUD. At least with a steering wheel.
  • They messed up the tire traction model fairly comprehensively. The skid physics were weird, and the 'temporary overheat' thing caused by skidding meant you pretty much had to idle along until the affected tires cooled down. None of this is anything like an accurate model of how tires behave in race conditions.
  • Seriously, the handling sucks. You couldn't even do a donut in a rear wheel drive car. Unless it was mid-engine, in which case you couldn't keep it pointing forward on the straights, or make it turn in the curves.
  • For every good track addition - Daytona, Monza - there was a serious loss - Sears Point, Apricot Hill, Midfield.
  • Cape Ring was just plain stupid.
Games not rated, because I either never played them at all, or not much:
  • GT1
  • GT2
  • GT5P
  • GTS
So, overall, my hope would be for GT7 to have single-player gameplay and race formats as good as GT3, lots of the real world tracks like GT4-6, better AI drivers than we've seen to date, and as accurate handling / traction physics as possible.

I really don't care if I can see the windshield wiper retaining clips in the car models if the racing action is poor. Graphics might be flashy, but I'd much rather the resources be spent making the game play much better than the most recent editions.
 
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Started with GT3 as a 5 year old, didn't like it. For me personally Gran Turismo didn't find itself until Gran Turismo 5.
 
I’m sure it has a lot to do with age, but to me GT5 is where GT lost itself.
What? You mean experience and leveling that introduced compusery repeats of the same events to earn the experience to do the next event and events you couldn't do at all unless something appropriate showing up in the used cars section? Seems like Stella game design to me! :crazy:

The trouble was online. That meant they couldn't spent the time and effort in GT-Mode because they though everyone wants online.....
 
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Also the step up to HD graphics was something they didn't handle well. Other studios recognised the huge increase in work to create assets and in turn the need to either expand or outsource. PD did neither, insisting on keeping their small in house team to do everything. An approach they kept with until only recently with the last game.
 
I've posted in a thread like this one before, so I won't elaborate on my rankings here. I have not played GT1 or GT2.
1: GT4
2: GT3
3: GT5
4: GT Sport
5: GT6
If GT7 is half as good as GT4, I'd put it above GT3 but I'm not expecting it to be much better than GT5 to be honest. So it would probably go third in my ranking if that's the case.
 
1. GT3
2. GT4
4. GT6
5. GT5

I started with GT3 so it holds a special place in my heart. Never played 1, 2 or Sport.

I'd like to see GT7 pip GT3 to the post, but of course recent revelations have me concerned...
 
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1. GT3
2. GT4
4. GT6
5. GT5

I started with GT3 so it holds a special place in my heart. Never played 1, 2 or Sport.

I'd like to see GT7 pip GT3 to the post, but of course recent revelations have me concerned...

We still get a good chance to have the best GT ever made with GT7, but maybe on the new gen version only. The ps4 version would only be a downgrade of everything we got on the true ps5 game version
 
We still get a good chance to have the best GT ever made with GT7, but maybe on the new gen version only. The ps4 version would only be a downgrade of everything we got on the true ps5 game version
If GT7 gets held back by the PS4 that won't be possible.
 
GT5 (The most mindblowing and probably the most adavanced racing game in terms of features at the time)
GT4 (probably the most perfect GT)
GT Sport (the sport mode basically set the standard for the online on console. It is addicting)
GT6 (In some areas was better than GT5 such as the physics but overall i feel that GT5 was a better game)
GT2 (i played when i was very young so i haven't many memories of it that's why im putting it in the last place)

Never played GT1 and GT3.

I hope that GT7 will have the same impact that GT5 an GT4 had on me but with this cross gen stuff i have lowered my expectations
 
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On console absolutely set the standard in terms of online (obviously im talking about the racing game genre)
Im not so sure as with all the ramming, complains etc it feels like the usual experiance we had for years only a bit more official .
 
Im not so sure as with all the ramming, complains etc it feels like the usual experiance we had for years only a bit more official .
Maybe you haven't played other racing games on the consoles where literally it is impossible to have a normal race (at least tht's my experience), GTS it's the only racing game on console where i can actually race against other people in a decent way (especially on the higher ranks where people have learned the braking points,racecraft etc.)
 
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Maybe you haven't played other racing games on the consoles where literally it is impossible to have a normal race (at least tht's my experience), GTS it's the only racing game on console where i can actually race against other people (especially on the higher ranks where people have learned the braking points,racecraft etc.)
Well at the very least your experiance is positive 👍 .
 
GT5 (The most mindblowing and probably the most adavanced racing game in terms of features at the time)

Features? Maybe. But the handling physics, tire physics, and gameplay were terrible.
 
Actually, all the things I mentioned were notably worse than they had been in both GT3 and GT4, years before. So there is that.
Maybe one can find more fun GT4 and GT3 physics but if we are talking about realism GT5 was way way better (especially the premium cars)
 
When I think about it now, GT5 Physics may be my favorite in the series. At the time, I was dissatisfied that it was a little too easy, but I enjoyed driving Physics, which is neutral and easy to drift.
 
When I think about it now, GT5 Physics may be my favorite in the series. At the time, I was dissatisfied that it was a little too easy, but I enjoyed driving Physics, which is neutral and easy to drift.

Maybe we played different games? GT5 was very difficult to drive with a wheel. I have no idea how it was with a controller, since I don't play that way.
 
Maybe we played different games? GT5 was very difficult to drive with a wheel. I have no idea how it was with a controller, since I don't play that way.
I was playing with a controller at that time, so I don't know much about the feeling of driving with wheels.
 
I'm sure i've said it before in other similar threads, but GT2 was always the pinnacle for me. Closely followed by GT4

The way GT2 ramped things up from GT has left every subsequent game seeming like it didn't live up to perceived expectations. The move from GT3 to GT4 was similarly almost beyond my expectations for it, but still didn't quite hit that plotted point on the curve on the graph that GT-to-GT2 started.

Of course the caveat is that i'm basing this on new features that were of interest to me, rather than just newly added or reintroduced features. I'd also add that as i've got older, my interest in racing games in general has declined. I think mostly based on the vicious circle that is not feeling i'm getting as much out of the game because i no longer have a wheel, with the reluctance to buying a new wheel because i don't play the game as much anymore...

There was a point, probably coinciding with GT5, where wheels became more sophisticated and the game utilised these new features to their fullest. Its at this point where using a wheel became more advantageous than using a controller (which is how it absolutely should be, BTW) and from this point onwards i've felt more and more isolated from racing games in general.
 
I'm sure i've said it before in other similar threads, but GT2 was always the pinnacle for me. Closely followed by GT4

The way GT2 ramped things up from GT has left every subsequent game seeming like it didn't live up to perceived expectations. The move from GT3 to GT4 was similarly almost beyond my expectations for it, but still didn't quite hit that plotted point on the curve on the graph that GT-to-GT2 started.

Of course the caveat is that i'm basing this on new features that were of interest to me, rather than just newly added or reintroduced features. I'd also add that as i've got older, my interest in racing games in general has declined. I think mostly based on the vicious circle that is not feeling i'm getting as much out of the game because i no longer have a wheel, with the reluctance to buying a new wheel because i don't play the game as much anymore...

There was a point, probably coinciding with GT5, where wheels became more sophisticated and the game utilised these new features to their fullest. Its at this point where using a wheel became more advantageous than using a controller (which is how it absolutely should be, BTW) and from this point onwards i've felt more and more isolated from racing games in general.


Interesting :) I hope that GT7 will be a very good game that might give you the love for racing games back again!


GT5 was fine IMHO, but unfinished and unpolished. Had they 2 more years to polish it could be the best in the series.
 
Maybe we played different games? GT5 was very difficult to drive with a wheel. I have no idea how it was with a controller, since I don't play that way.
It seemed okay with my DFGT. I got that for GT5P and I probably hadn't got all that good with it by the time GT5 came out. The only thing I remember about using a pad was how horrible it was. Couldn't use a pad in GT6 either but use it by preference in GTS.
 
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GT5 was fine IMHO, but unfinished and unpolished. Had they 2 more years to polish it could be the best in the series.

We saw what they did with two more years. It was called GT5 Spec II, and it was a significant improvement. Best in the series is still probably pushing it though, as the fundamental design problems with the game remained. The physics system was never going to be flash, the standard cars were always going to be there, and the single player just turned into a bloated, unstructed pile of events instead of a ridiculously restrictive grind. Online was fun though.

I wouldn't necessarily agree personally, but I could see how someone might think that GT5 Spec II was peak Gran Turismo.
 
I can't rank GT1 as I started with 2 and haven't played it much so:

GT4 (the best UX, outstanding car and track list, it's no wonder they milked it for the next 10 years)
GT2 (the best car game that could be achieved on the PS1 and maybe the GT mode that worked the best.)
GT3 (these first three could have gone any way, GT3 is stellar!)
TT (GT4 with bikes! Not a great campaign but incredibly fun to lap in!)
GT5 (moments of greatness in the Special Events, staggeringly uneven quality though, and that's not just the graphics!)
GTC2002T-G (Pod Race!)
GT6 (Pros: Easily accessible standard cars for old time's sake, Bathurst, watching KTM springs move, the greatest night skies in a game yet. Cons: I was promised a Nike AND Jordan VGT among others, much-hyped-by-Kaz Track Editor turned out much smaller and less usable than planned, Star system and loooong rolling starts with lethargic AI made for an extremely short, very linear, unsatisfying experience)
GTS (The driving is excellent, the game...? Where'd the game go? The only returning GT original track is Route X!? Yes the PS2 Standard cars and tracks had to go, but why are there so, so many Premium cars missing? Why is newly, beautifully remodelled Midfield gone again? The mind boggles. You can make an alright race in Custom, sometimes, which makes the wasted potential all the more frustrating.)

I expect GT7 to be a better game than GT5 if it can receive as much post-launch content as Sport. If offline racing brings back grid starts and AI at least as competent as from 2/3/4 we may be looking at a return to form, and since the 2/3/4 are among the greatest racing games of all time, a return to form would be a great boon to humanity.
 
Are we making our own personal rankings?...

Right, I'll only rank the ones I played.

1. GT4 - My first GT, naturally it gains massive points for that. It introduced me to the series, made me fall in love with it, and strenghtened my love for cars at an early age. I spent an immense amount of time in that game...I have 3 copies, all died. I ended up having to emulate it on PC to play it again after all these years.

2. GT Sport - A livery editor and competitive, well organized online racing are the main selling points. So many amazing liveries, so much freedom to recreate cars from other games and feel nostalgic... ...and, unavoidably, blooming itasha culture. After putting a livery on your car, you go race online, see how good you are compared to others, and learn from the best, using ghosts in time attacks to analyze their driving styles and become faster yourself. Extra points for including the De Tomaso Pantera in the car list, a personal favorite of mine...

3. GT5 - First online experience, and, though I can't remember much else about career mode, Race Modded cars and an interesting take on B-spec. Also... The Lexus LFA!!!<3<3<3 ...ahem. 2.0 made endurace racing very interesting. I loved driving Le Mans and Green Hell for laps and laps with the time passing and weather changing at its will. It was an experience I'll never forget.

4. GT3 - I haven't played it through to the end, and...I only had the opportunity of playing it on an emulator, so...the handling physics...they feel very weird and unnatural at times, such as excessive understeer while decelerating and surprising oversteer, or rather, a sudden burst of grip on-throttle. There is a lot of content to go through, though it seems very linear compared to GT4, but...well, the obvious is obvious. It's not bad, and I'm sure I would've loved it more if I played it way-back-when, but...time has not been kind, let's just leave it at that.

5. GT6 - Bought it on day one... Spent some time online, but in the end, it lacked a certain "feel" of the previous games. The career mode felt overwhelmingly lacking in content. I can't remember any particular features worth mentioning... It...it felt like a watered-down GT5. A cash grab at the end of a console's life cycle. There, I said it...


I expect GT7 to take the #1 spot by combining the best of GT4 and GT5, coupled with Sport's livery editor and online aspect. It's what the trailer and gameplay showcase seemed to imply. If they end up unable to achieve this because of the PS4 version...I will be very disappointed.
 
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