Metacritic Games

Gran Turismo (Playstation)

Feel the power of 140 authentic sports cars! Welcome to the most advanced racing game ever created. Encounter exhilarating high-speed racing in 11 stunning environments. Feel handling agility and throttle response so convincing, the car seems to be an extension of yourself. Experience the extraordinary world of Gran Turismo! [SCEA]

Sony Computer Entertainment America
Racing, Driving
Players: 2
E (Everyone)
Developer: Polyphony Digital
Released May 12, 1998

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

96 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 Hot Games
Visually, Gran Turismo set new standards right down to the finest details including the brilliant lighting effects. And just wait till you see the replays - amazing.
100 Electric Playground
If you can get past its slightly intimidating barrier to entry (getting your license to race in this game is trickier than the real thing), you'll play Gran Turismo for months and months and never see all of its glory. This is a classic.
100 All Game Guide
Is it really that realistic? The answer to that is a plain "YES." When you have a PlayStation steering wheel, you could practice for your real-life driver's license with this game.
100 GamePro
Turismo rockets to the top with unbelievable depth, raucous arcade action, challenging sim gameplay, and more cars than a mall parking lot. It’s worth every penny.
100 Game Revolution
The amazing part is that GT takes all of this into account and represents it in the performance of your car. This includes traction, weight, load balance, gear ratios, downforce, and lots of other technical racing jargon. For example, buy a racing suspension, and before each race you can modify the car height (front and rear), spring rate, shock damping and camber angle.
100 Adrenaline Vault
Difficulty complaints aside, Gran Turismo is truly an amazing game... This is the last word in console racing games, period.
98 Absolute Playstation
I would confidently say that this is the most in-depth and enjoyable racing experience ever created on and computer or videogame system.
98 PSX Nation
Picture the most complete racer you could ever imagine, now double it. Gran Turismo is definitely the best racing game ever.
97 TotalGames.net
The biggest, best and sexiest racing game ever. What we have here is a gigantic car game that's such enormous fun to play because of three main elements: unparalleled realism, ground-breaking graphics and the chance to spend a lot of money.
96 Gamezilla!
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this may very well be the best racing game of all time. Yes, you read that correctly.
95 IGN
One of the most exquisite racers ever to hit the PlayStation. Its alluring features will keep you glued to your seat for months, if not years. In fact I haven't driven my real car in three weeks.
93 Electronic Gaming Monthly
The first installment in the best racing-game series of all time. [Jan 2004, p.188]
90 GMR Magazine
The replays had some of us doing double-takes to make sure we weren't watching real race footage. [Feb 2003, p.97]
90 Games Domain
This game requires patience and practice - this may not make this such a great game for smaller kids or people who want to just get out there and race.
90 Total Video Games
The tracks to this game can get sort of boring after awhile of playing the game (most of the tracks are the same, they just re-route them for you to go in different directions).
86 GameSpot
Before you can enter a given circuit, you must obtain certification in the form of a license. If you don't pass, you can't race. This is certainly the most controversial aspect of the game and the reason that Gran Turismo scores only an 8 in gameplay.