Your Three Favorite Fantasy Gran Turismo Tracks

  • Thread starter Scaff
  • 82 comments
  • 7,433 views
Scaff

Scaff

Moderator
29,038
United Kingdom
He/Him
ScaffUK
In the lead-up to GT7 I've been thinking a lot about the fantasy tracks we've had over the years, most have been great, some (Cape Ring) have been terrible, but what were my three favorites.

To make it harder I forced myself to pick only one for each of three categories.

  • 'Real' circuit - a track that, while fantasy, is clearly modeled to be a 'real track'
  • City Circuit - self-explanatory, we've had loads over the years, some at night, some during the day
  • Dirt/Snow/Other - GT's rally-style locations or the oddballs, tracks that 'may' overlap the above categories, but are not your run of the mill, easily defined locations


My favorites are as follows:

'Real' Circuit - Apricot Hill
This one for me, while the toughest category overall, is the track that I find flows best for me and also would most easily convert into a real circuit. It's one that it looks like we will be getting in GT7 and I also love the mod version we have for AC as well.

City Circuit - Tokyo R246
Loved this one from the moment I first drove it, while clearly a city circuit it doesn't flow or feel like a typical one. I love the mix of long straights, with neverending long corners and the final technical third of the track under the overpasses.

Dirt/Snow/Other - Citta di Aria
This circuit and I use that term very loosely, blew me away the moment I drove it in GT4 Prologue. The series had never had anything like it before and hasn't since. It's both absurdly tight and technical, yet fast, with a number of buttock clenching moments. It's rubbish for racing and will never return to the series I fear because it's just not suited to the 'Sport' mode racing that locations really need to support now. Yet it remains to this day my favorite GT fantasy track.

So those are my three, what are yours?
 
Last edited:
The "real" circuit would be Trial Mountain. I really liked the section that was running through the forest, also I remember often trying to roll my car over on the last chicane as a kid. Of course I never succeeded. :lol: As for the city circuit - that would be Seattle Circuit. I have fond memories with this one. For the other circuit I'd pick Citta di Aria - it was truly something special with those tight roads.
 
Last edited:
‘Real’ Circuit: Grand Valley.
Because it’s great. It was the second track I ever raced on, with a C2 Corvette. Fond memories racing here with the guy who introduced me to GT bsck in 1998, we used to challenge eachother driving in manual gear and using the stick to accel/brake. Yes, even then I drove with the sticks. No buttons for me.

City Circuit: Clubman/Special Stage Route 5.
Because it was the very first track I drove on, with a purple R33 Skyline. I remembering thinking the game(Gran Turismo 1) was looking incredibly good. I fell in love with every aspect of the game.

Dirt/Snow/Other: Swiss Alps.
I don’t know. I just thought it was a great track back in GT3, a lot of sliding around. Had lots of fun here with the Impreza Rally Car Prototype.

Do I want these tracks in GT7? Yes!
 
Last edited:
Real circuit - Grand Valley Speedway
It's the ultimate race circuit in Gran Turismo for me, it's fast, flows beautifully, looks amazing. Even has multiple layouts to boot and is fun in just about any car.o

Honourable mentions, Trial Mountain, Autumn Ring, Apricot Hill

City circuit - Rome (GT2/3)
Really hard choice for city circuit because there are some real classics. But this one is the one that comes straight to mind when thinking of them, particularly in GT3, it was sublime, had some really great corners which needed full commitment.

Honourable mentions, Rome Night, Opera Paris, Hong Kong.

Dirt/snow/other - Eiger Nordwand
This is another very tough call, but Eiger gets it. From the first time driving it on GTHD on the short tarmac circuit to the 7+km K trail, just a joy to test drive cars on and a very form favourite of mine.

Honourable mentions, Citta Di Aria, Costa Amalfi and Grand Canyon.
 
Last edited:
"Real" circuit - a very tough one. A large part of me wants to say Grand Valley without hesitation but Apricot Hill may well be a better choice as it's more realistic. It's a "cut in parts and glue in a different order" Suzuka after all and you can never go wrong with Suzuka. Even if Grand Valley itself very much resembles a similarly reorganized Watkins Glen.

City Circuit - I'm probably the only one who ever liked the GT5/GT6 Madrid, especially in reverse. It just clicked with me somehow. All the old night time Special Stage Routes have been great and the new Tokyo Expressway East carries their torch well but they're too highway-like to really fit in the category, Madrid is what comes to mind immediately when actual city circuits are mentioned.

Dirt/Snow/Other - Cathedral Rocks I from GT4. The stupidly high speed passage from tarmac back to gravel was a real make or break spot. The honourable mention goes to the GT4 version of Chamonix.
 
MagpieRacer
Real circuit - Grand Valley Speedway
It's the ultimate race circuit in Gran Turismo for me, it's fast, flows beautifully, looks amazing. Even has multiple layouts to boot and is fun in just about any car.o

Honourable mentions, Trial Mountain, Autumn Ring, Apricot Hill

City circuit - Rome (GT2/3)
Really hard choice for city circuit because there are some real classics. But this one is the one that comes straight to mind when thinking of them, particularly in GT3, it was sublime, had some really great corners which needed full commitment.

Honourable mentions, Rome Night, Opera Paris, Hong Kong.

Dirt/snow/other - Eiger Nordwand
This is another very tough call, but Eiger gets it. From the first time driving it on GTHD on the short tarmac circuit to the 7+km K trail, just a joy to test drive cars on and a very form favourite of mine.

Honourable mentions, Citta Di Aria, Costa Amalfi and Grand Canyon.
Click to expand...
You picked my 3!
 
'Real': Dragon Trail and Maggiore. I genuinely believed Maggiore was real at first. It was almost too good to be real, and that's when I realised it wasn't real. And as for Dragon Trail I fell in love with Seaside during the GT Sport open beta and Gardens two years later. Slightly less realistic, which allows it to be a little more less serious than Maggiore. Some of my favourite GT Sport memories have been on the Dragon Trail tracks.

City: New York. I was obsessed with the city of New York as a kid. I don't remember why. Big buildings and flashy lights, I guess. Now imagine getting to race there in your favourite game.

Dirt/Snow: Old Chamonix. Through the tunnel, into the snow, through the forest, up the mountain, back down, and onto the asphalt again. In my opinion the only fun rally track in GT.
 
Wow that's a hard question.

For the real track I'd probably say Autumn Ring or Grand Valley. As much as Trial Mountain (in it's old layout) is my favorite original track or all time I just can't really say it's a track that could exist irl. I actually miss Autumn Ring quite a bit as I remember having some fantastic online races with friends there and I have a small hope it'll return to GT7; given that it's not as fantady as TM or DF it might even get the GT7-treatment without much of a butchering :nervous:

Regarding city track I have to go with Tokyo R246, what an amazing track that was, GTS' Tokyo Layouts are a terrible replacement for it and the also awesome SSR/CMR tracks :crazy:

And finally, dirt/oddball tracks, I think this category deserves two "winners", one for each type. My most liked dirt track would be Tahiti Maze, what a blast it is to trash a Delta or Impreza through those hairpins :D
Apart from TM (doesn't really fit this category either) I have to give my award here to Costa Amalfi, which we'll probably - like Citta di Aria - sadly never see again as it's basically impossible to be used for competitive online racing. It'd be a wonderful map for photomode tho, just let us drive there without any opponents in full ray-traced glory :drool:
 
Last edited:
Real circuit: Dragon trail - The GT series has a great history of great fantasy tracks and I thought by the 7th entry they would surely not hit it out of the park again but both Maggiore and this were amazing and provided me with some of the best online racing I've had to date. Dragon trail just nicks it due to the beautiful scenery.

City: Tokyo R246 - a city track with felt great to use with both low and high power vehicles, which they would bring this back.

Dirt/snow/other: None i personally hate them all and think they have no place in a GT game, but for the sake of completing the list i will go with Special stage route 5 wet from GT3 (I believe), I spent countless hours just admiring the wet surface at night, ming blowing graphics of the time which still holds up well today.
This still counts as it was chosen from the rally section/special events section ;)
 
Midfield Raceway
Nurb' F1 track
Not fussed on the rally/ice tracks but Chamonix was okay.
Honourable mentions go to Fuji 90's,Monza,Apricot Hill,HSR and SSR5,SSR11 and Tokyo R246.
 
Last edited:
Good to see Tokyo R246 getting a lot of love.

Are you listening PD?

Rob192005
Midfield Raceway
Nurb' F1 track
Not fussed on the rally/ice tracks but Chamonix was okay.
Honourable mentions go to Fuji 90's,Monza,Apricot Hill,HSR and SSR5 and 11 and Tokyo R246.
Click to expand...
Um, the question was about fantasy tracks, Nurburgring, Fuji, and Monza are all very real (and one I've confirmed in person).
 
‘Real’ Circuit - Grand Valley Speedway
This circuit holds a special place in my heart. I vividly remember playing GT3 and seeing the ‘title card’ for the Grand Valley 300km endurance race before unlocking the Special License and thinking just how cool the track looked with the body of water off to the side and all the green. It just looked like it belonged on the F1 calendar alongside historic tracks like Monza and Spa-Francochamps.

Aside from the visuals, the circuit offers a wide variety of challenges. From that kink into the first hairpin, which can ruin your lap instantly depending on your car or tyres, all the way to the final corner which can be deceiving.

City Circuit - Tokyo R246
Tokyo is a circuit that can sort the pros from the amateurs. With each section being very distinct from one another, it can be easy to familiarise yourself with but mastering it is a whole other ballgame. Being such a high speed street circuit, your always one small mistake away from sticking it in the wall, that narrow section preceding the final corner being especially harsh. Nailing a lap on R246 is super rewarding and the track itself allows for great racing, which is why it made my list.

Dirt/Snow/Other - Grand Canyon
This category took quite some thinking, but in the end GT4’s behemoth of an off-road circuit took the top spot. It’s unlike any other of GT’s rally tracks given just how narrow it is compared to the rest we’ve seen in the game series’ history. Threading your way through the first section of tight blind corners is a great challenge and by making it through you’re rewarded by that stunning view of the canyon itself. I always enjoyed the breather the track offers you on the jumpy straight, but you had to be right on it again to mail the braking point for the sweeping S bend section coming up. And nailing those last two hairpins, getting a perfect slide and on to the start/finish line was always very fun to me.
 
Last edited:
Scaff
Good to see Tokyo R246 getting a lot of love.

Are you listening PD?


Um, the question was about fantasy tracks, Nurburgring, Fuji, and Monza are all very real (and one I've confirmed in person).
Click to expand...
I read it as 3 favourite tracks,my bad,I did post some fantasy ones too though.
 
'Real' Circuit - Midfield Raceway
Picking the favorite out of the trio of Grand Valley, Apricot Hill and Midfield is like choosing your favorite child. But being forced to pick, Midfield get the slight nod. It's a circuit that I likely find myself driving on with any kind of car on a daily basis. Fast flowing with a quick slow section near the end of lap never makes Midfield boring.

City Circuit - Seattle Circuit
Character really make a track what it is and Seattle is a perfect representative of a American street circuit that both tough and gritty. The signature jumps in the early part of the lap is what most people think of when Seattle come up. My favorite area on the other hand is the middle section after the jumps where you are constantly going over the curbs to get the most speed before getting to the backstraight. Special Stage Route 11 and Rome Night gets love too on the festival-like atmosphere both tracks seems to have.

Dirt/Snow/Other - Red Rock Valley
I'm going with a oddball pick for a oddball track. Red Rock could be described as the purest definition of a "Roval", a oval trying to be a road course. Arguably if Red Rock makes a return today, it likely be one of the most popular tracks you see in online lobbies. Grand Valley is memorable with the fans getting last second photos on track before sprinting away when a car is barreling towards them.
 
Within the context of GTS' selection, here were my picks.

"Normal" Circuit: Maggiore - GP

City Circuit: Tokyo Expressway South

Dirt/Snow/Misc: Fisherman's Ranch
 
Last edited:
‘Real’ Circuit - Grand Valley Speedway
Feels like the kind of fictional circuit someone with loads of money (and land!!!) could actually get made in real life. It genuinely feels like a suitable F1 calendar race as it consists of a great range of low, medium and high speed corners with relatively acceptable gradient changes and plenty of speed sections. Even the middle section is very technical as too much speed sends you off into the gravel so definitely up there for this category although it wasn’t easy.

City Circuit - Special Stage Route 11
Doesn’t matter if it’s the GT1 or GT3 layout (I prefer the GT3 layout but either works), it’s a lot of technical fun this circuit. It seems like laps would take forever but in reality, it’s a fast circuit with some sharp box corners in place to remind you that you gonna crash into the barrier regardless of skill so just crash and go I guess! All (terrible) jokes aside though, I think I’d be speaking for a huge majority of the community in saying that Special Stage Route 11 would be a sensational return to Gran Turismo.

Dirt/Snow/Other - El Capitan
I was actually debating this circuit with Grindelwald from GT2 as both circuits are somewhat unique within the categorisation of tracks in Gran Turismo games. El Captain only just won it for me though - it’s fast, provides excellent views and ever changing gradients made it more challenging. Just be careful of the hill after the tunnel or you’ll be sent for a gravity-free experience that real life would say “you’ll never forget” - at least you’ll get a closer hand view of the excellent mountains!
 
Greycap
City Circuit - I'm probably the only one who ever liked the GT5/GT6 Madrid, especially in reverse. It just clicked with me somehow. All the old night time Special Stage Routes have been great and the new Tokyo Expressway East carries their torch well but they're too highway-like to really fit in the category, Madrid is what comes to mind immediately when actual city circuits are mentioned.
Click to expand...
I kind of skimmed over this before making my previous post. But I do have a lot of appreciation for the Madrid circuit, it’s criminally underrated. The little section around the fountain kind of ruins the flow a bit for me though, I wish PD would have taken some artistic liberties there and just replaced the area with a proper hairpin with some runoff. Aside from that, it’s one of the few city circuits in GT that I could imagine in the real world.
 
'Real' Circuit - Dragon Trail Gardens
It's no secret how I adore this circuit. That run from the final two corners through to turn 1 entry, is a near duplicate of Eastern Creek(Sydney Motorsport Park). A long downhill run and ease off the throttle with a bit off hard braking into turn 2 and the rest of the circuit. Love the way it equalises the field no matter the ranking.

City Circuit - Madrid
Can you all imagine if we had all the city tracks, from the franchise, in GT7? With the car list we have now? Amazingness.
Anyway, had to pull the pin. It was either Rome Night or Madrid. Love the flow of Madrid. I think Madrid is similar to Seoul, but Madrid has a bit more character. A fast lap and in either direction. Gave me a Super Touring car feel, that i crave, of a mini Macau. Have to echo, about Madrid, as probably the most underrated circuit in the franchise.

Dirt/Snow/Other - Citta di Aria
It has to be this. Take that BMW Mclaren F1 around that place. INSANE! The run from start to finish is epic. Final run up the hill, kissing the edges of the buildings, blind corners everywhere, scrubbing off speed at the downhill right-hander from the beginning stage of the circuit. Squeezing through ess of the underpass on cobbles. Love. One of the great circuits PD ever imagined.
 
GTP_reddevil
‘Real’ Circuit - Grand Valley Speedway
Feels like the kind of fictional circuit someone with loads of money (and land!!!) could actually get made in real life. It genuinely feels like a suitable F1 calendar race as it consists of a great range of low, medium and high speed corners with relatively acceptable gradient changes and plenty of speed sections. Even the middle section is very technical as too much speed sends you off into the gravel so definitely up there for this category although it wasn’t easy.

City Circuit - Special Stage Route 11
Doesn’t matter if it’s the GT1 or GT3 layout (I prefer the GT3 layout but either works), it’s a lot of technical fun this circuit. It seems like laps would take forever but in reality, it’s a fast circuit with some sharp box corners in place to remind you that you gonna crash into the barrier regardless of skill so just crash and go I guess! All (terrible) jokes aside though, I think I’d be speaking for a huge majority of the community in saying that Special Stage Route 11 would be a sensational return to Gran Turismo.

Dirt/Snow/Other - El Capitan
I was actually debating this circuit with Grindelwald from GT2 as both circuits are somewhat unique within the categorisation of tracks in Gran Turismo games. El Captain only just won it for me though - it’s fast, provides excellent views and ever changing gradients made it more challenging. Just be careful of the hill after the tunnel or you’ll be sent for a gravity-free experience that real life would say “you’ll never forget” - at least you’ll get a closer hand view of the excellent mountains!
Click to expand...
Totally forgot about El Captitan :guilty:,add it to the list!
 
If I were asked by PD to choose one original track to be added to GT7, it would have to be El Capitan. Only because I feel Grand Valley (and even the other two tracks I mentioned) has a better shot of being added beforehand.
 
Last edited:
Ok, let's see here. Three tracks in three niches out of the multitude that have been in Gran Turismo over the years. Anything you choose will probably anger someone out there because there are just so many classics available to pick from.

First up, the "real" or "modeled to look like it's real" circuit. I'm going to have to go for Lago Maggiore, personally. Out of all of the tracks in GT Sport that were fictional, this one probably got the most driving time from me. You could show this to anyone on the street who isn't 100% familiar with all the real-world circuits and they'd probably say that this one was real as well. Easily the most well-designed fictional circuit in the series and possibly all of racing games/sims.

Secondly, the city tracks. If we're talking raceability, it has to be Tokyo R246. It honestly feels like a plausible Super GT city circuit round. The layout is really fun with fast bends and wide walls to promote good racing. Also no real spots to ride the walls either which can be problematic in other GT-series city locations.

Lastly, the "Others". I have to go with Citi di Aria for this one. I think this track is a nightmare for racing, but the layout itself is incredibly interesting. Close second for me in the "Others" category is the Sierra Time Rally course, which has a similar Italian time attack or road racing feel, but on the highway instead of the twisty innards of a city on a cliff.
 
Real: Trial Mountain (GT1-6 version)
I'm going to cheat here and put this in the real category because given enough money, anything can be built really. Still the most flowing, atmospheric and charismatic original GT track. So many memories and lore surrounding it. The monkey on the branch, Nessie in the lake, the illegal Vector M12 LM in the GT2 30 laps enduro. The sunlight rays filtering through the tree canopy on the backstraight in GT3. Gorgeous. In GT5 it was my personal test track, I drove every single car around it stock and tuned, I could drive it with my eyes closed. Still waiting for the proper return (and no, the GT7 version is a completely different track despite being called the same).

City: Special Stage Route 11 (GT1 version)
My substitute for a touge track in GT1. Very technical to drive but doesn't feel mickey mouse compared to other hyper technical tracks like Complex String. Also has the original death chicane (minus the lottery kerbs in Dragon Trail).

Other: Smokey Mountain North (GT2-3)
Those epic jumps on the front straight, and great flowing corners around the back. Not the most realistic rally track, but let's face it, GT rally physics are more Sega Rally than RBR so it fits. Gimme the 99 WRC Impreza and Smokey Mt North, that's all the rally content I need.

Honorable mentions:
Real: El Capitan, Grindelwald, Matterhorn, Eiger Nordwand, Sierra (PD, if you're reading, we need more technical alpine tracks instead of 4 lane highway circuits)
City: Costa di Amalfi, Citta di Aria, Rome Night, Seattle, Hong Kong
Other: Tahiti Maze, Chamonix (GT4), Grand Canyon, Kart Space

Oh, and if anyone needs some help remembering all the great oldies:
www.gtplanet.net

List of every track in Gran Turismo

Firstly, I apologise if this has been done before, but searching doesn't seem to bring up anything. Anyway, what I've been looking for for some time is a concise, accurate list of every track featured in Gran Turismo since the release of the first game all those years ago. Having been unable to...
www.gtplanet.net www.gtplanet.net
 
Last edited:
Real: Dragon Trail Seaside
Don't get me wrong, Maggiore is a good track but Dragon Trail Seaside has a lot more character and a better backdrop. The flow is excellent, the design is realistic and it suits a wide variety of cars. It's fast, unforgiving and addictive - a proper driver's circuit that requires a delicate hand, especially through the chicane of death. PD nailed this track.

City: Opera Paris
Most people say that R246 is the best city track, but the cobblestones and exquisite architecture showcased by the Opera Paris circuit was impressive. My 7 year-old brain saw it as a curiosity in distinct contrast to the modern metropolis of Tokyo. It was tight, compact and a lot of fun in small, French hatchbacks. Going there in 2010 was a dream come true and I would lose my mind if it returned to GT.

Dirt/Snow/Other: Complex String
To be honest, none of the dirt or snow tracks in GT have captured my heart. When you've played proper rally games, there's no comparison; hence why I've chosen Complex String for the third category. GT's attempt at a proving ground may look dull but it's by far the weirdest track PD have ever come up with. Shame it only appeared in GT3.
 
Last edited:
'Real' Circuit - High Speed Ring: easy track to test drive your latest ride and it's one of my favourite original GT fantasy tracks back in the GT1 days.

City Circuit - Seattle Circuit (GT2/GT3): I love the elevated streets and double-deck freeway and the backend of the track (GT3 ver) where you can glitch through it. 😆

Dirt/Snow/Other - Tahiti Maze (GT2/GT3/GT4): based on Tahiti, the rally circuit is my favourite due to the twisty turns hehe. 😁
 
Lago Maggiore - The track I’ve spent most time on I believe. Maybe the Nordshcleife in close second. It clicked with me since I’ve tried it for the first time and I always tried to set a top10 time whenever it would appear on FIA or daily races. Got a few Top1s. The one I enjoyed the most though was this one.

Seattle - This choice is mostly based of nostalgia but either way, this track is super fun. Maybe a little too jumpy for clean races but I’d love to see it come back. I’d always set a good qualifying time there to start at the front.

Circuito de La Sierra - Another one that clicked with me. I spent hours upon hours racing online around this circuit in 500 and 550 pp lobbies. It’s such a blast!


Honourable mentions: Grand Valley Speedway, Tokyo R246, Citta di Aria.
 
Last edited:
'Real' Circuit - Trial Mountain
I'm liking on how the track allows you to be technical while still not interrupting the car's pace. There's also the 2 corners that can be used to measure how well you turn, turn 8 and 9 consecutively, with how much you're entering the yellow-stripped area. Obviously there's also the yeet-y last chicane.
Honorable mention goes to Midfield Raceway and Grand Valley Speedway.

City Circuit - Seattle Circuit
Liked the layout that like Trial Mountain above, can be technical while keeping the car's pace most of the time. There's also the bumpy parts that added in the fun albeit it wouldn't be that realistic and that the track may not be able to be brought back as now Seattle has changed (but this'd be the one that makes sense the most if they changed the layout).
Honorable mention goes to Special Stage Route 11 (GT1 version, it's like the ultimate challenge provided for city circuit), Tokyo R246, Clubman/Special Stage Route 5.

Dirt/Snow/Other - Kart Space
Picking this likely due to the environment that, while not that realistic, is as much extravagant as a GT game can be (as well as being indoor) and I think that quite makes this track stand out. Though this is also selected primarily due to not being into GT's rally tracks much.
Honorable mention goes to Citta di Aria, Pikes Peak Hill Climb (one of the only sprint tracks so far).
 

Latest Posts

Back