We’re here in Los Angeles for the latest Gran Turismo World Series event, and while the racing competition is the main event, the Yas Marina circuit in the upcoming Gran Turismo 7: Spec III update was also getting a lot of attention. We were among the first in the world to get hands-on driving time at the new track, and we have direct-capture, 4K gameplay footage to show you exactly what it’s like.
Let’s get this out of the way: Yas Marina looks spectacular. The lighting, the atmosphere, and the level of detail are best-in-class. This has the potential to be a new crown jewel for Polyphony Digital’s track artists.
The team has perfectly captured the track’s iconic details, from the W Hotel as it crosses over the circuit to the fleet of yachts in the marina. The way the light sources play off the track surface and surrounding buildings at twilight is a delight to behold.
Although this track layout is now a staple of modern Formula 1, it has its share of critics. I was familiar with the track from F1 games, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was to drive in GT7.
What truly surprised me, and what you can’t see from a video, were the subtle undulations and variations in the track surface. Driving on the provided Fanatec Gran Turuismo DD Extreme rigs at the event, the force feedback from the track surface was remarkably detailed. I don’t know if this was the result of a new physics tweak (there’s still no word on Fanatec FullForce implementation) or just a testament to the quality of the track scan, but it felt great.
Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve is also set to arrive in Spec III, but it was not available here in Los Angeles. We’re also still waiting on an official release date. According to the upcoming Polestar Time Trial, we can speculate it will likely arrive sometime in late November or December, but nothing is confirmed just yet.
Stay tuned!
