The Gran Turismo World Series World Final is almost upon us, with this year’s showpiece event coming from one of the game’s two home towns: Fukuoka.
After being a fixture in Monaco for the first few years of its life (online finals notwithstanding), the World Final has been a globetrotting affair. First it was the turn of Barcelona in 2023, before Amsterdam followed on in 2024, and now it leaves Europe for the very first time to head home to a city which now hosts one of Polyphony Digital’s two Japan-based offices.
It’s the fourth of four brand-new cities to stage an event this year, with the first round coming from London, the second in Berlin, and the third a spectacular “fan fest” in Los Angeles.
This year’s event is much later in the calendar too, with previous finals coming in late-November/early-December. Many attendees — competitors and media alike — will have one eye on getting home in time for Christmas!
The unusual timing allows for the event to be held alongside — and across the road from — the Japan Mobility Show Fukuoka 2025. It’s the region’s only large motor show, and takes place at the Marine Messe Fukuoka from December 18-21. There’s 250 vehicles on display and an expected 150,000 visitors to the event across the four days.
That’ll be buoyed by attendees for the GTWS Final over the road at the Fukuoka International Congress Centre, where tickets for both days in the 1,000-seat main hall are now sold out. However the proximity of the events could imply the presentation of one or more new cars for Gran Turismo’s near future.
As for the racing, each of the two championships will have its own dedicated day, and there’s multiple rounds in each.
Saturday will bring the Manufacturers Cup championship, where Team Subaru still just leads the way despite striking out in Los Angeles. In a familiar format we’ll see each of the teams’ three drivers racing in a different race, before the trios join forces for a team final with driver changes.
On Sunday it’s every man for himself in the Nations Cup, where two Spanish drivers top the standings and are firm favorites. This event will comprise two initial races before the grand final, with Pol Urra looking to overhaul a five-point deficit to countryman Jose Serrano after victory last time out.
Each race awards World Series points — 12 for the win, 10 for second, 8 for third and then reducing by one down to tenth; all doubled for the grand final — and the overall winners will be those with the highest score across the whole season. That may mean that the difference is made up by points scored in London, Berlin, and LA earlier in the year…
Whether you’re there in person or not, there’s plenty of ways to join in and engage with the event, including special bonus events in GT7.
Two in-game campaigns allow you to pick up free cars for watching the streams during (and for some time after) the event, while guessing the overall championship winners will land you 1,000,000cr for each one you get right.
There’s also two special races you can access that mimic some of the races in this year’s events, awarding 1,000,000cr as a one-time award in each, as well as a current Daily Race and Time Trial based on the finals races that offer higher rewards than usual.
It’s all likely to be a pretty thrilling affair, and GTPlanet itself will be on the ground as usual so feel free to drop into our discussion thread to keep up and say hi. Note that the time zones will mean the event may take place on Friday/Saturday for you, with the doors opening at 0600 UTC on Saturday 20 and 0800 UTC on Sunday 21 respectively.
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