How Gran Turismo Changed Racing Games Forever

The impact of the original Gran Turismo changed the trajectory of an entire genre, making it one of the most influential racing games ever made. Here's how Gran Turismo changed racing games forever.
This video was originally published on Apr 30, 2022 on IGN Games.
#IGN #Gaming

[@Hillzy_Eighty7]

Hearing the PS1 start up instantly brought a smile to my face

[@gearswitch8193]

Sony should bring it back for the ps6 that be mind blowing

[@applepieclub5012]

@@gearswitch8193 agreed. At least give people the option.

[@afaris88]

Hearing the theme makes me feel 20 years younger for a couple of seconds ☺

[@lobotomyscam1051]

NHL 98

[@djhero0071]

If you've got a PS4, Sony has a free PlayStation 20th anniversary theme.

[@justinl2009]

Man, Gran Turismo's PS1 era was great. GT2 is genuinely great fun.

[@justins21482]

How old were ya dude? Born in 82, gran turismo was life for me lol Side note, my name is Justin as well 🤣

[@Z28Gaming]

From someone who has met Kazunori Yamauchi at the World Finals. I’ll say that he loves cars and the franchise. Even the music has attention to detail and captures the beauty of car generations throughout the years.

[@blaketindle4703]

The 90’s and 2000’s had such amazing cars!

[@readmydescription5533]

Yeah☹️ industry is destroyed today

[@nomoreheroes93]

Yeah it peaked because pedestrian and crash safety rules forced the designs we have today, in part at least

[@Jinppa]

@@nomoreheroes93 It's the emissions. Damn eco-fascists.

[@applepieclub5012]

The series that made me fall in love with JDM cars.

[@AugustoV8Cesar]

goofy i3 and v4 engines , v8 always and forever!

[@Kamen_Rider_Drive]

​@@AugustoV8CesarWait What V3 And V4 Engine? never Heard That Before

[@AugustoV8Cesar]

populary called v3 and vv4 but theyre actualy I3 and I4@@Kamen_Rider_Drive and still goofy engines.

[@theninethrees8044]

Bought my 1998 Mitsubishi Lan Evo V because of Gran Turismo. GT is mainly the reason why all Japanese sports cars have shot up in value out of this planet.

[@Jay-jb2vr]

Yup

[@SSKev121]

Well the Fast and the Furious had a lot to do with it as well............

[@rayyagamer2011]

Is the evo yellow?,just kidding

[@bolttracks]

My favorite weird thing in GT1 was how the Honda NSX’ model was messed up slightly and the rear wheels would constantly clip through the trunk lid. Loved those PS1 days

[@kevincollins8620]

Yup. Still drove it even though it bothered the hell outta me even then. It's like a fast car you own with horrible panel gaps. Lol

[@wibs0n68]

Ps1 limitation

[@twitchyfingaz92]

This is the game that made me fall in love with the Subaru Impreza

[@adolfkamuzora9044]

Me too.

[@notsure1969]

Their

[@twitchyfingaz92]

@@notsure1969 supposed to be "the" since the grammar bothered u so much

[@Shallistera747]

For me, it's red suzuki escudo pikes peak

[@twitchyfingaz92]

@@Shallistera747 that was another classic whip. That wing kept it glued to the road lol

[@KingViper645]

Gran Turismo 3 is my first racing game, and it made me fall in love with cars and racing. GT3 also introduced me to my first love, the Dodge Viper.

[@Mizuno11LoL]

FOR REALLLLLL

[@McCloudJedi202]

Dude, same!

[@manasseh2577]

I'm into cars because of Gran Turismo. It's the reason why I'm a gearhead today. The PS1 era of Gran Turismo was definitely one to remember. But, GT3... the jump in graphics, smh.. You really had to be there during that time to understand how crazy that evolution was at the time.

[@Livnos]

Man this video brought back so many memory's with me , my dad and cousins would take shifts beating the 24hr races. So much fun ☺️

[@arkansasrailproductions5507]

Hearing the theme from GT2, “Losing My Favorite Game” by The Cardigans, brings back memories, not to mention driving the Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Version.

[@nurcahyakusuma1369]

This game made me realize, the best car needs the best driver too. The higher its upgrades, the harder to control. So practicing with getting license is worth that much 😅

[@miner2119]

Thanks to the series it brought me into the world of simracing and irl racing, this series will be forever in my heart

[@Rixx432]

Made our childhood awesome since GT1

[@rngfootball759]

Man the best was GT4 on the PS2. So many tracks to choose from.

[@Jh-xs1og]

Gt3 know your games 3 was iconic

[@gamefan56]

@@Jh-xs1og GT3 that lacked content in comparison to 2 nevermind 4?

[@affliction1979]

@@Jh-xs1og Gran Turismo 4 was superior to 3 in nearly every conceivable way.

[@Jh-xs1og]

@Gary Lennon your all wrong that's why gt3 sold more than any of the gt games

[@Jh-xs1og]

@Gamefan56 gt3 is the highest selling in the series it did not lack content

[@Smokedship]

Would love to see more such videos by IGN.

[@robsolf]

LOVED this game. Funny how bad it looks now compared to how it seemed to look, then. Almost seemed photorealistic, especially in comparison to what was out at the time.

[@TCR_PILOT]

Yeah but most of us had either 19 or 21 inch TV screens. Looks terrible on a 55"

[@MetsMania15]

@@TCR_PILOT that’s because running it on a 55 inch attempts to upscale the resolution, it’s not necessarily about the size of the picture itself. if you ran it through an emulator on a 55 inch, it would look fantastic. 21 inch TVs from two decades ago maximized their output at 480p. today’s 55 inchers get 4K resolution, and in some instances more.

[@Jaka.Ellinsworth]

Because back then you played it on CRT screen, You know what make them photorealistic? They know how to deal with the scanlines, every pixel games does it, Gran Turismo is no different.

[@robsolf]

@@Jaka.Ellinsworth That's a whole other thread, but yeah, absolutely valid. When you have to render

[@alsayedfakhri4597]

Still the pinnacle of racing in a game imo. Perfect balance of arcade / sim racing.

[@Jh-xs1og]

There is zero arcade were you not watching the same video this is not a simcade you actually have to apply breaks, physics, understeer, oversteer, weight, tires, road conditions, weather, traction control, fuel levels, etc. None of that is in arcade racing making it a sim with zero arcade balance. There is not a single race where these things don't apply nor is there a way to turn these things off.

[@tewbs]

@@Jh-xs1og it is a simcade though, the best one out there but still is

[@jurekgadzinowski2895]

@@Jh-xs1og But not pure sim, a few things are a bit different compared to how it should be in the strict simulator. Still closer to sim than to arcade, and with definitely challenging driving model, hard to master, with a lot of potential. Esports game.

[@leejones4768]

Mitsubishi GTO, always been my favourite Gran Turismo car and probably always will be!

[@kevincollins8620]

Fortunately it's in the new Gran Turismo7 and can be decked out the same way and is still quite potent. One of the best things I've seen and messed with this year. Brought a tear to my eye bro. It could be used to grind too... like old times. Pure.

[@ahmadrosli207]

GT1. Mitsubishi GTO. High Speed Ring. Perfection

[@kevincollins8620]

@@ahmadrosli207 hahaha!!

[@IndependantMind168]

That was deff the car. It was a monster.

[@MaxiZamac]

Best racing game ever.

[@mrfake675]

Star Wars Racer for me. Speed freak with beautiful levels

[@chrisd6736]

GT1 absolutely blew my mind back in the day. Still playing those games 25 years later lol.

[@TheOrisya]

7:38 you definitely missing out the Japan version of the game compose by Masahiro Andoh. the soundtrack and music theme are just in a class of its own.

[@blakelip3]

No T Square or Casiopea??

[@blueelectric05]

​​@@blakelip3 Masahiro Andoh is a member (leader) of T-Square

[@coolguyponus]

I'm glad this dude has basically become THE racing game reviewer for IGN.

[@zedtv0078]

This video makes me want to start Gran Turismo from the beginning

[@redohealer2]

Classic is where it's at for me. And that's even though I've never actually played them but watched a family member at home playing.

[@TVPIVVA]

This game cemented me as a gearhead for life! And loving GT7 and still driver a JZX100 Tourer-V !😄

[@blaketindle4703]

A damn travesty that the Gran Turismo games weren’t on the PlayStation Classic!!!

[@reillywalker195]

That's probably due to licensing. Sony would've had to have gotten all the necessary licensing to reissue the game. That's also why racing games get pulled from online stores after a while: to eliminate the need for publishers to renew licensing.

[@o5mar1]

On either gt2 or gt3 you could pause the game after it loaded and switch out the disc with whatever music disc you wanted and it would play during the race than load the disc back before the race was over, worked great for endurance races.

[@ignaciomendozagonzalez6067]

Definitely will try that

[@natyba75]

@@ignaciomendozagonzalez6067 U made this?

[@natyba75]

Any image bin/cue from cd audio disc? Serious? Wow

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

In the day you had Ridge Racer, V-Rally, Formula One and Gran Turismo. The o.g. Playstation was great. And don't forget Wing Commander...

[@ijrebuck]

Woah. That startup was instant nostalgia. Haven't heard thay in forever

[@HCHHilton23]

Has always been my favorite game and always will be! Played since GT2 and not stopping any time soon!

[@KizzMyAbs]

GT2 was my favourite racing game ever

[@brar12zhinzai]

First play GT at my 2nd year at high school. It really made me love the game and cars so much. My books full with cars drawing

[@Matro_R]

Amazing video! Im so proud to have hoped on board for this game when it first came out!!

[@nixonhoover2]

Bandwagon fan.

[@JPIndustrie]

This game taught us the power of JDM - the magic cars like R34 , WRX, EVO , they were always the fastest and best handling in the game and we wondered what kind of wonder cars are these.

[@jurekgadzinowski2895]

MR2 and Civics too

[@illproducer]

Love Gran Turismo, made me into a gear head

[@quackman]

the upgrade screen info taught me a ton all on its own, let alone the great driving physics and licensing tests.

[@cooliomo]

GT2 will always be in my heart!

[@raithrover1976]

Best game on the ps1 imo.

[@tonkinesenchill4240]

Oh the nostalgia 🥰 I was utterly obsessed with GT1 and 2 back in the day, my first wheel was the official GT wheel with GT4 and it was fantastic! If it wasn’t for the last of us, GT2 would still be my all time favourite game regardless of genre.

[@rennes27]

My first love with Dodge Viper started from this game

[@kevincollins8620]

Slow down buddy (jokes)

[@kevinhone7526]

It doesn't matter what racing game your playing, Forza and Grand Turismo either on the Xbox or Playstation? What matters is the way you drive it?

[@mikeventura-nz]

What matters is the way you drive it.

[@kevinhone7526]

@@mikeventura-nz Thank You.

[@Josh_Exitcamper]

Damn the Nostalgia.

[@MantasKi]

Z huh?

[@Lordbaronvontexx]

My first racing game, I'll never forget it got me into cars.

[@corycampbell6406]

Incredible work for Kazunori Yamauchi the CEO of Polyphony Digital who makes all of the Gran Turismo Games

[@Wildchildinc]

This was my intro into motorsports and eventually the greater culture of early Japanese auto culture in general.

[@ibenimages]

This was the game that made me bought Playstation back in 1999. And never stopped buying the games and Sony consoles ever since

[@r0beh280]

Best video IGN have put out in a seriously long time 🙌

[@super_street_racer5094]

Best racing game franchise ever !

[@gtone339]

Love GT1 to GT7! Looking forward to Gran Turismo 8 on the PS6! 😃

[@josephapong6281]

Gran turismo is life 🙌

[@SkumleBones]

GT2 is so nostalgic for me

[@natangweiitula]

Video game documentaries are such an exiting prospect

[@pontiacGXPfan]

this is a game that started getting me into cars

[@SoloRider1997MY]

My favorite racing games! Start GT1 since childhood until GT6 since teen! Thank you Kazunori Yamaguchi!

[@GTPlanetFamine]

if you havent played gt sport and gt7 your not a real GT fan, gt6 is 9 years ago mate

[@rurimoto]

@@GTPlanetFamine ur comment seems opposite compared to your other replies

[@emlyndewar]

@@GTPlanetFamineGT Sport was a let down and GT7 is just GT Sport 2 just now… They’ve only just put in the ability to sell cars ffs. Pathetic to launch a mainline game without such a feature.

[@jurekgadzinowski2895]

@@GTPlanetFamine So a fan needs to buy every single game? So you are not a fan if you dont own GT Concept Tokyo Geneva?

[@blakelip3]

Hagerty should make a revelation video about this same subject

[@jerrymcdall]

Luke Reilly is a star

[@misterjersey5460]

GT5, GT5P, and GTPSP. Loved these games.

[@phazonruler3000]

The video mentions the licensed songs but no mention of Moon over the Castle, the main theme of Gran Turismo since the PS1. Disappointing.

[@Wizard__J]

Because Moon Over the Castle was “composed” specifically for GT. The other songs were just “radio”/hit whatever kind of songs you call them. This is like apples and oranges

[@teh201d]

It was a great game even for people who aren't super into racing stuff

[@JVenger]

GT2 is probably the best in my eyes.

[@maroon9273]

Personally favorite gt game in the series.

[@kevincollins8620]

Mine too probably. Move aside and let the man go thru

[@justinnitsuj7041]

big thumbs up for the intro (gran turismo / PSintro) nostalgia waved over me...pretty cool!!

[@Rokabur]

I'm pretty sure it even states on the back of the jewel case that this is the game that all future racing games would be judged against.

[@kevincollins8620]

Hahaha

[@kevincollins8620]

Maaan Gran Turismo 2 is from 1999. Blows my mind.

[@MrYoungHegelian]

The greatest racing series of all time.

[@miner2119]

Hands down it changed everything for racing games their wouldn't be so many sim racers like assetto corsa and forza without gran turismo success

[@dheerajkodimala759]

Thats NFS

[@09lowkey]

@@dheerajkodimala759 Need For Speed is more of an arcade style racing game. Gran Turismo is something else.

[@Jh-xs1og]

Of all TIME!

[@NickTaylorRickPowers]

Watching this video brings back so many memories

[@korekazuki]

Greatest racing game of all time, hands down

[@walkerb392]

Gran turismo was the answer to your imagination when you're broke enough to own all your dream cars back then

[@tem0079]

"TOCA 2 Touring Cars" was my jam!

[@MrDirrrty]

Music was way better in the early games than it is now.

[@bzd-ts7bm]

"9 you can count the cars on your hands and still leaves one left over to scratch your head with your with confusion to figure out they got 150 in the game" realest line spoken from the 90s with this game

[@mikeventura-nz]

Nah, we know what the last finger is for...

[@TCR_PILOT]

GtSport and GT7 are great now. Both were released before being fully working fault free. Latest update on GT7 the best so far but still has bugs

[@VenemousXXX_Speedster]

Not anymore they don’t at least not for fun 👌👌😌

[@VenemousXXX_Speedster]

Now*

[@dracolis6465]

That Sony's opening sound ...

[@l337g0g0]

GT7 is where the series was meant to be, it is now back as the pinnacle of console racing games.

[@bradallen8909]

You've never played Forza Horizon, have you?

[@StonnyMc]

Certainly a game that left a mark, one that will never be erased.

[@gypdarin1458]

Gt1 & gt2 were amazing. Gt3 was groundbreaking. Gt4 was the polished Gt3 and my favorite. Anything beyond that is obsolete.

[@GTPlanetFamine]

GT is a joke since 2006 with GT HD, the real GT ended with GT4

[@Ramp10er]

Gran Turismo helped boost car marketing...

[@PeachyPixel28]

That Wipeout joke destroyed me 🤣

[@JasenMinus]

Imagine working for the music division of a company and creating video games

[@noobplaysleague7552]

Forgot to mention he trialed his handling models for GT in the Motor Toon games!

[@karelpipa]

11:37 not true. One disc was for arcade mode and the other for simulation mode

[@GRGCompletionist]

Too bad the recent titles are online only, franchise is dead to me because of that crap

[@andrelavandero3041]

Yeah, that’s messed up. But it’s still a great game!

[@kevincollins8620]

GT7 and I'm an O.G. fan looks and feels great but if you love certain cars... will piss you off. Still need my crx. Then I'll put the game back on my system

[@TermiCobraKid]

THIS^^^

[@christianrodriguez7478]

That PS1 intro sound, so nostalgic

[@svpracer98]

The PSP hardware is just pure magic... The amount of games that handheld can play is truely staggering.

[@FunkyGOAT]

Granpa paradox... Without Grand Turismo, there is no Forza, Assetto Corsa and many many more car games. When a studio messed up sometimes, players forget real quick WHO brought them there. Know your story gamers.

[@karelpipa]

5:45 the first game was actually Porsche Challenge

[@motoringsportsgt1777]

Gran Turismo was my bloodd&flesh since 1997

[@Birmingham_racing]

Stopped playing granturismo years ago but will always respect it

[@iEnzoTV]

im so thankful to my father that he bought me this game, my very first ps1 game. 👌💯❤️

[@adamdavis4690]

TVR Griffith was such an amazing car, my friends hated playing against it

[@matt0xx76]

Ahh the hours spent getting the a international licence getting every corner perfect , awesome times

[@NVProlog]

How the yellow evo changed peoples hearing forever

[@Ludwig1970]

I’ve been addicted to every entry in the series. They’re all different yet haven’t changed the GT formula. I’ve been there from the beginning. Has it really been 25 years?!

[@SFJPMoonGames]

Love the Mazda Demio shots lol. Anyone who played it on release knows that car.

[@heroicrockstar]

Forgot that the GT team designed the graphics for the road going Nissan GTR in car entertainment system 😜

[@evanmay7390]

Your adamant alliteration is astonishing

[@andypowell4702]

Can't say anything bad about those moon levels, those were fuckin awesome.

[@andytidbury8334]

The Mitsubishi FTO only appeared on UK roads after being seen in GT1, on personal import. No knew about it before the game.

[@lazersharkproductions5622]

Gt4 will always be PEAK Gran Turismo

[@wildmandan7565]

The intro song when loading up the game, so nostalgic

[@edsosa9954]

The little booklet with all the driving info was my bible

[@1974dodgecharger]

I’m so happy to grow up in the 90s