Ten fictional race tracks we’d love to see return in Gran Turismo 7
With the return of the Autumn Ring scheduled for December, we wondered which fictional tracks we'd like to see return to Gran Turismo. Here are 10 of our favourites.
GT7 has seen reboots of a few classic tracks from the GT archives, with Grand Valley Speedway and Eiger Nordwand unveiled in post-release updates, and Trial Mountain, High Speed Ring and Deep Forest Raceway appearing as revised vanilla content (Trial Mountain and Deep Forest Raceway featuring in heavily edited form, of course).
Series figurehead Kazunori Yamauchi is clearly not against delving into the archives, then, but which tracks would we like to see return? Well, we’ve had a think…
Mid-Field Raceway is a huge miss from GT7, given how prevalent it was in earlier games. Since GT2, the figure-8 track has appeared in every mainline GT entry since (except GT5, though hidden game files suggest it was considered), and its sinewy layout makes it a fan favourite.
Another part of its popularity is how quick it is, with its 2.2-mile length made up mostly of high-speed corners. Even its hairpins can be taken quicker than you expect, thanks to slightly cambered topography and generous track width.
This made Mid-Field a great track for slow and fast cars alike: underpowered road cars could engage in epic slipstreaming battles, while racecars had space to unleash their full gamut of horsepower and aero potential. It’s like a much kinder Suzuka, which is no bad thing in the world of video games.
Yamauchi-san, if you’re going to bring back one fictional track to GT7, please make it this one…
Apricot Hill Raceway (GT2, GT3: A-Spec, GT4, GT PSP, GT6)
Apricot Hill Raceway debuted in GT2 and appeared in several editions afterwards, including Polyphony Digital’s motorcycling offshoot, Tourist Trophy.
Like Mid-Field, Apricot Hill is wide and fast, making it huge fun to drive, with the final uphill complex offering both a supreme overtaking opportunity and a great chance to cut the track.
Banked corners encourage you to carry more speed, with fast chicanes testing your car’s balance.
Tahiti Road (GT2)
Tahiti Road is a bit of an odd one, since it only ever appeared in GT2. Set in the tropical climes of French Polynesia, the track served as most players’ introduction to the game, and, in all honesty, its layout was a bit bland.
Which might explain why we’ve never seen it again…
The location lacked atmosphere, with drab greenery punctuated by electricity pylons and frequent graphical pop-in. However, its coastal location makes it a ripe candidate for a modern reboot: just imagine those emerald seas and palm trees in glorious 4K.
Another one-and-done GT series track, Grindewald also made its sole appearance in GT2. Set in the Swiss Alps, Grindewald felt more like a street circuit than a maximalist outdoor location, thanks to the walls and fences lining its route.
Huge cambers and technical turns made it a challenge to nail, but with the recent (ish) remastering of Eiger Nordwand, perhaps PD may already have enough Alp-based racing action on its hands?
For me, though, I reckon that Grindewald (originally thought to be named ‘Eiger Path’, which appeared in the game’s intro sequence) would work best as a point-to-point rally stage in the same vein as Richard Burns Rally’s Côte d’Arbroz test, featuring mountain villages, huge cuts and steep drops. Magic.
Red Rock Valley Speedway (GT2)
There’s a bit of a theme forming here. Red Rock Valley Speedway made its only appearance in GT2 and never returned, hinting that PD may have tried to shoehorn too much content into its first sequel at the expense of quality control.
However, Red Rock Valley can’t be described as shoddy – far from it – but it perhaps doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself from other tracks, most notably High Speed Ring. Long-radius banked corners and an obligatory tunnel are its main features, and many players seemed to enjoy its forgiving nature.
But its simplicity and lack of a ‘hook’ may mean it’s not an immediate candidate for a remake.
Complex String (GT3: A-Spec)
If a track was ever crying out for a modern remake, it’s Complex String. This off-the-wall circuit is a series of complicated sequences and is probably the most challenging ever to feature in the series.
At almost seven miles long, Complex String has plenty to keep drivers occupied, including fast slalom sections, ever-tightening bends and a bonkers 90-degree turn area. It was even the series’ longest track before Special Stage Route X and Circuito de la Sierra arrived on the scene.
Track files were hidden in the data for both GT PSP and GT5, so PD was clearly considering bringing Complex String back from the dead, but perhaps it’s considered too much of a novelty these days.
Circuito de la Sierra (GT6)
Set in Andalucia, Spain, Circuito de la Sierra wins the award for being the longest ‘proper’ track in GT history, if you exclude the unique nature of Special Stage Route X, that is.
At nearly 17 miles long, Sierra is even longer than the fabled Nürburgring Nordschleife, and must have been an onerous task for PD’s visual artists to complete, which may be why we’ve never seen it transfer from GT6 to GT7. Regardless, it’s a bit of a shame for all that hard work to be binned for future instalments.
Sierra’s surrounding scenery is incredible; verdant and vertiginous, with the track enclosed by Armco barriers to stop late-brakers from binning it downhill. But is there actually enough demand within the community to race on a super-long fictional layout?
Regardless, the track was added to GT6 as part of an update, and needs to be unlocked by completing the Sierra Time Rally Special Event. The extra effort is worth it, though.
Cape Ring (GT5, GT6)
Found in both GT5 and GT6, Cape Ring has strangely disappeared off PD’s radar.
Comprising five layouts: North, South, Inside, Periphery and the Full configurations, Cape Ring’s USP is its incredible helix bridge, which loops back on itself.
Although no country of origin has been identified, a conical mountain resembling Mount Kaimon can be seen in the background, pinning the location to Cape Sata on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
It also has a wealth of high-speed banked corners that seem to flow into one continuous sequence, making it a favourite with the GT community. In a formula car or sports prototype, Cape Ring is an absolute delight to drive and would top many players’ lists for a reimagining, with a quadruple-apex right-hander proving to be a severe challenge (and very much reminiscent of Istanbul Park’s Turn 8 sequence, albeit in reverse).
El Capitan (GT4, GT PSP)
Located in the USA’s Yosemite National Park, the El Capitan circuit naturally features the famous 3,000-foot-high peak.
If upscaled to 4K, the scenery would be simply glorious, but for the time, its GT4 and GT PSP versions looked pretty neat regardless (it was also released in TT, and track files are hidden away on the GT5 disc).
The track is typically twisty, too, with sharp elevation drops, blind corners, and surprisingly high speeds to give players a ‘steep’ challenge. Pun intended.
GT’s physics typically don’t handle jumps and bumps well, which may be why we haven’t seen tracks like El Capitan and Cape Ring reintroduced, but come on, PD, let’s see a few more old classics like Autumn Ring in GT7, please!
Matterhorn (GT6)
Matterhorn is another fictional Alps-based course, this time set on the border between Switzerland and Italy, and it’s a veritable rollercoaster ride of a track.
Steeply cambered corners and a tight and twisty layout give players a tough challenge, with the track’s namesake pyramidal mountain clearly visible in the background. With eight layouts, there are plenty of variations to get stuck into, but again the location is perhaps too similar to the Eiger Nordwand reboot to be considered for inclusion in GT7.
Still, it looks pretty.
Honourable mentions
There are still a few other fictional tracks that would be welcomed in GT7, including Kart Space, Gran Turismo Arena and the multi-faceted Driving Park, but we realise the chances of seeing the likes of Tahiti Road and Grindewald return are pretty slim. We can dream, though, right?!
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