Gran Turismo is one of gaming's longest running racing simulator franchises, starting on the original PlayStation. With the seventh numerical entry on the way, Gran Turismo has released a timeline of all the series' releases.
If Xbox has Forza Motorsport as its flagship racing simulator franchise, then PlayStation has Gran Turismo. With every entry, Gran Turismo is a showcase of the current PlayStation hardware's capabilities, with stellar graphical prowess, impeccable attention to detail, and authentic racing experiences. While Gran Turismo 7 is a cross-gen game, the definitive way to play it will certainly be on the PS5, as that version will feature ray-tracing and "next to nothing" load times. Nonetheless, on both platforms, the game will likely look excellent and be one of the best racing titles to grace either platform.
The official Gran Turismo Twitter account has posted an official timeline of the series' game releases, prompting fans to share their own collections. Gran Turismo began in 1997 on the PS1, going on to release 12 more games in 25 years, including next year's Gran Turismo 7. "How many can you tick off?" Gran Turismo captions the timeline, listing the mainline numerical games, as well as some of its side releases. Most of the series' games dropped during the 2000s, with seven titles releasing across the PS2, PS3, and even the PSP.
One of the most peculiar aspects of Gran Turismo indicated by the timeline is that there are some pretty unconventional releases, that largely are reflective of the era of gaming they were released in. For example, following the release of Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec in 2001, came Gran Turismo Concept: 2001 Tokyo in 2002, which was essentially the original Gran Turismo 3, but with additional cars; in an era without DLC, this was the way to release additional content.
Another peculiarity comes with Gran Turismo 4: Prologue and Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, which were functionally just demos of what would become those offical releases. This was seemingly abandoned though in the 2010s, with Gran Turismo Sport being a more full-fledged release than a "Prologue" game for Gran Turismo 7.
Gran Turismo is an often forgotten part of the PlayStation brand, especially with its current success of narrative-driven games. Nonetheless, this tweet and its replies are a reminder of Gran Turismo's importance, with many passionate fans showing off their game collections, and expressing their excitement for Gran Turismo 7. Fans can pre-order Gran Turismo 7 now, which also features a special 25th Anniversay Edition, celebrating the franchise's history with a beautiful steelbook and other content. Considering how many years apart its been since Gran Turismo Sport and Gran Turismo 7, it will likely be many years before another formal Gran Turismo release.