Latest Gran Turismo 7 Update Boosts Event Rewards

A little over a month after its initial release, "Gran Turismo 7" has just received a new patch, and this one is huge. New World Circuits, missions, rewards, and quality-of-life changes are being introduced as part of this update. The patch seems to address some of the issues "Gran Turismo 7" players have been having with the game and could potentially lower the grind that the title had become. Now, the big question is — can this patch still save the game, or is it too little, too late? Although "Gran Turismo 7" arrived as part of a highly successful series, this only seems to have contributed to how disappointed the fans have been with certain aspects of the game. It's true that this iteration of Polyphony Digital's racing simulator has its shortcomings. The game is riddled with microtransactions in order to progress, requires online play even when you're playing alone, and forces players to grind as opposed to feeling like a natural progression.

The fans of the game have been so disappointed that they rallied together and tanked the game's Metacritic User Score to just 1.8 (as of April 7). The Metascore, awarded by reviewers, sits at a comfy 87 — but these reviews are often based on shorter gameplay than what the fans tend to put into the game. As a response to the unhappy fans, Kazunori Yamauchi — the "Gran Turismo 7" studio director — promised that good changes were on the horizon. These changes are now officially here.

The update brings "Gran Turismo 7" up to version 1.11 and should affect the in-game economy quite a lot, possibly making it easier for players to earn credits. The patch also raises the maximum cap for in-game credits by a tremendous amount, going from 20 million to 100 million. Although the patch doesn't bring in any new cars or tracks, it's still quite heavy, ranging around the 1GB mark on both PlayStation 5 and 4. That just goes to show how many things Polyphony has packed into this update.

Three new World Circuits are being added: World Touring Car 600 Tokyo Expressway East Clockwise, World Touring Car 700 24 Heures du Mans Racing Circuit, and World Touring Car 800 Sardegna Road Track A. In addition to that, rewards in the latter portion of the World Circuit have been increased, and adjusted for Arcade and Custom races. Clearing all layouts of circuits in Gold or Bronze will now provide rewards. If you've already done that, simply go into the sector selection screen and then exit — you'll get your overdue prizes. Lobbies and Daily Races also saw an increase in rewards.

Other additions to "Grand Turismo 7" include a new mission titled "The Human Comedy." It comes with endurance races that last one hour. It will be available to players who have reached at least Collector's Level 23, and will award up to 1.2 million credits in a single event. Several events have had their rankings reset, and you will now be able to see race information more easily in the quick menu.

Players will now also be able to choose from a larger selection of used cars and legendary cars. The lineup has increased at both locations, although the patch notes do not specify how many more cars exactly are going to be available per day.

A number of changes have been added that do not alter the gameplay, but fix issues such as car physics and car settings, which should result in a smoother gaming experience. With all of these updates, the game is bound to be less grind-y and more about fun — which is what it should have been all about in the first place. You can check the full patch notes on the official "Gran Turismo" website.