The September 2026 State Of Play broadcast revealed not one, but two big content updates coming to Gran Turismo 7. Both of which are part of a bigger Spec IV update.
The Gran Turismo 7 Spec IV update will be divided into two different updates. The first to be released in October 2026, and the next one to will be coming later in December.
The big new additions are the two new tracks, one new to the series and another a longtime classic.
Sportsland Sugo will be added to Gran Turismo 7 in October. A staple in various Japanese racing series including Super Formula and Super GT, the undulating track will be making its series debut.
The returning favourite is coming a little out of season, as Autumn Ring will be added to Gran Turismo 7 in December. The tight, technical track famous for its earthy colour palette thanks to the trees stuck in perpetual autumn season, this will be available in two layouts.
Like most iterations of classic GT tracks in GT7, Autumn Ring will have some tweaks made either to accommodate this game’s online racing nature (which necessitates some adjustments to promote overtaking but cut down on corner cutting) and general grid size for races (12 being the default with 20 cars maximum, as compared to six when the track debuted with the original Gran Turismo 29 years ago). It’s now described as a “larger-scale racing circuit,” which it wasn’t before, though one of the layouts will let you “race it the way you always have.”
Speaking of cars, there will be 12 new cars added as part of Gran Turismo 7 Spec IV update. No specific names are dropped, but the few b-rolls seen during the State Of Play broadcast should allow the car spotters in the community enough material to work most if not all of the new cars coming. Two of them are the Xiaomi Vision GT car and an updated version of the Mazda RX-Vision GT3.
As it’s dubbed as a Spec update, that should mean there’s more than just the usual content drop. Gran Turismo 7 is adding new features to further enrich the racing game experience. The new features revealed during the State Of Play broadcast includes the following:
- Online Drift Trials – new event type in Sport Mode’s Online Trial
- Shuffle Races – online race, but the car used is randomised from a predetermined pool (similar to an old format for the GT World Series events)
- Expanded Car Viewer – move around the car in 3D
- Concierge – order out-of-stock Vintage cars
- Family Mode – new welcoming start point to get the whole family play GT7 featuring Driving License-esque challenges plus Coffee Break events
More details on the Spec IV update will be shared during the Gran Turismo World Series event at Singapore, on October 3.
On a slightly different note, during the segments where we see series producer Kazunori Yamauchi sharing the details of the new Spec IV update, the camera shot includes a frame in the background featuring the logo of Ascari Race Resort. It’s a real-life private track that was featured once in Gran Turismo 6. Is it just random clutter inside developer Polyphony Studio’s office where the same shelve houses various awards the game series has won? Or a deliberate teaser? At this point, who knows?
When Gran Turismo 7 released the Spec III update last year, it came along with a paid DLC via the Power Pack which added more endurance races with the latest rendition of GT Sophy AI opponents. The Spec II update came with a multitude of new features, all amounting to much-needed quality-of-life for the still-living racing game.
With how much content that we know coming with the Spec IV update so far, it won’t be a surprise if there won’t be an update in November, or even for this month, as the developers get ready for the big content drop of the year.
Gran Turismo 7 was first released back in 2022, when the series celebrated its 25th anniversary. We’re now close to five years worth of post-launch support for GT7, and the series’ 30th anniversary. One may still question if it lives up to the “Real Driving Simulator” tagline, but no one can argue its staying power within car culture and gaming.
Gran Turismo 7 is out now on PS4 and PS5.