It’s happening – for the first time in well over a year, new circuits will be added to Gran Turismo 7 alongside much-requested features.
New tracks. Actual new tracks. And a current GT3-spec race car. Initially, that seemed like the most significant elements to a Spec III update arriving this December for Gran Turismo 7.
However, dig a little deeper and several notable changes to the game’s structure will also be included, which have long been requested by players.
Stuck waiting for a car invite? Frustrated by the punitively low collector level cap? Both of these, and other frustrations, sound like they could be remedied, too.
Perhaps the most obvious change, or easiest to relate to, will be the addition of two licensed and real-world venues.
Both, as it happens, have long been rumoured, tied to prior (and possible) locations for World Series events.
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit is perhaps best known for its illuminated hotel, which shines bright at night and stretches over the layout’s final sector. Canada’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, meanwhile, includes an infamous Wall of Champions on the exit of the final chicane – so named as several world champions have crashed into it.
Both are primarily known for hosting Formula 1 races, with the former also used in different, shorter, configurations – here’s hoping they also make it into Gran Turismo 7 alongside the main route.
The last new location for the game was way back in July 2024, with the return of the Alpine Eiger Nordwand route.
There will be eight new cars to go along with the two new tracks. The full list is not yet known; however, images for half the roster have been published. From these, we can deduce:
In the January 2025 game update, the Gran Turismo F3500-A hinted at a generic late 1980s or early 1990s F1-style car. For Spec III, another fictional single-seater looks to replicate a slightly later period, reminding us at first glance of something akin to a Benetton.
Then, there’s something that many regular Sport Mode drivers have long been asking for – a contemporary GT3 race car. Well, there will be at least one, in the form of the Ferrari 296 GT3, for the Gr.3 category.
Then there are two Japanese icons. Mitusibhi’s compact coupe, the FTO, in the ‘ultimate’  Version R Aero Series trim and a 2-litre V6 engine will sit alongside a long-absent (in GT games) tuning brand – Mine’s.
The white cars, with outlandish power outputs, were last seen in Gran Turismo 6, and this fettled Skyline R34 GT-R should output nearly 600bhp before you add your own modifications.
It’s not quite clear how this will work, but it looks to be native in-game as opposed to a companion website or app. It appears players will be able to analyse their best (and worst) laps.
From the two images shared, it notes ‘Time Trial’ top left, indicating the solo game mode (as opposed to the leaderboard chasing Online Lap Challenge). Although if it did work where you could overlap your laps with those at the top of the global charts, that could be handy.
It should offer visual overlays of data on a track map per lap, and also through traditional telemetry graphics, mimicking what some third-party services offer outside of the game.
The current Collector Level system doesn’t match the live-service long-tail offering Gran Turismo 7 provides. You earn experience points each time you buy a car, and your level increases, unlocking some of the Extra Cafe Menus, for example.
But if you’re playing the game through its regular, monthly updates, the current level 50 cap is far too soon. We don’t know how high this will be raised to (presumably, previously accrued points from above 50 carry across), but at least something is being changed here.
Some cars in Brand Central, even if you have enough cash, cannot be purchased unless you have an invite to do so. And those invites are claimed via the daily miles and roulette ticket system.
This means you either get an invite for a car you already own instead of more useful cash, or you rarely receive the invite you need to complete a set. Simply, it’s a never-ending cycle of disappointment.
This should change for Spec III, due to what creator Polyphony Digital is calling “unlimited car invitations in Brand Central”. There’s also an image depicting what seems to be someone buying a Porsche from Legends Cars, in turn unlocking a matching brand invite for Brand Central.
Multiplayer is also on the change list, but this is extremely vague presently. “Improvements to online races” is all we know right now.
What we’d love to see is greater stability during lobby play and larger Sport Mode grids – fingers crossed…
It sounds as if there will be a change to how the idiosyncratic Cafe Menu Book works, with what’s touted as a “Seasonal Menu” – suggesting groups of events that are available for a limited time, perhaps cycling through as the year progresses.
Further Circuit Experiences are confirmed too, where you earn credits and set leaderboard times for new tracks, first sector by sector and then as a single full lap. Naturally, we’d expect one each for Yas Marina Circuit and Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, but could there be even more for some track layout variations currently missing?
Perhaps more important will be a change to the Weekly Challenge system. Presently, each Friday, a new set of five races is curated – four existing races and a single challenge available for one week only. Completing one, three and all five of these unlocks rewards.
Now it seems that time trial events and new Mission Challenges will also be added to the mix alongside regular race formats. Mission Challenges historically are more varied, so it could mean rising from one position to another, or even looking after your fuel level.
Now, this could simply mean newly branded tyres in the parts shop, and Dunlop logo throughout the game.
However, at the recent Berlin World Series event, the partnership (which supersedes Michelin) hinted at possible improvements to the tyre model, which, if implemented here, could dramatically change vehicle dynamics.
“Having this partnership with Dunlop, we’re hoping that they will be able to convey some of their technology to us, and at the same time, for us to provide the simulation technology that may open new worlds for the development of tyres and cars,” said Series Producer Kazunori Yamauchi.
As ever, with a Gran Turismo ‘Spec’ update, expect a new game opening movie and further Scapes photography locations. We’ll report back closer to release once all details for Spec II, which is expected to be free and for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, are confirmed.
The Spec III update for Gran Turismo 7 will be released in December 2025.
During a State of Play PlayStation presentation, it was noted that Spec III will be “available by patch v1.64.
As 1.63 was released today, 24th September 2025, this indicates that there could be no further updates between now and the larger Spec III addition.
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