Gran Turismo 7

Gran Turismo 7 received a free update shortly after the launch of PlayStation VR2 that added a full-fledged VR mode to the extensive racing simulation, with no need to buy a separate game. The player sits in the cockpit of one of several hundred licensed cars and, for the first time on console, can genuinely look around the track, turn their head into a corner, or catch oncoming rivals out of the corner of their eye. The core of the game remains the same as in the regular mode — collecting and tuning cars, the career mode, the GT Café with gradually unlocked challenges, and online races — VR mode primarily concerns the driving itself, where the sense of speed and spatial depth increases dramatically.

Technically, this is one of the most demanding VR titles on PSVR2, because Polyphony Digital had to adapt the finely detailed cars and tracks from the regular game to stereoscopic rendering and the high frame rate needed for comfortable VR driving. The reward is an unusually strong sense of presence in the cockpit — the dashboard, rearview mirrors, and steering movements all feel convincing, and together with support for wheels and pedals it creates one of the most realistic racing experiences on the market. The engine sound and surrounding traffic, heightened by the headset's spatial audio, give even well-known tracks a new dimension.

Gran Turismo 7's VR mode was received at launch as one of the strongest arguments for buying a PSVR2, because it combines the content depth of a full racing game with the immediate feeling of driving from a first-person perspective. Reviewers and players frequently noted that this mode was the first time they truly felt the real scale of the track and the speed of driving in a way a flat screen never could, even though longer VR sessions can be limited for more sensitive players by eye strain. Even with the passage of time, this mode remains valued as an example of how well an existing, extensive game can be complemented with VR without any compromise to content, and it ranks among the titles recommended to new headset owners as a first stop.

Why play it: For racing fans craving the feeling of real speed and track scale from a first-person perspective — the content depth of a full game with no compromises, even though longer sessions can tire the eyes of more sensitive players.