The latest update to Gran Turismo 7 is now live, with a slew of new content and a fix for a particularly egregious gameplay element.
Gran Turismo 7 patch 1.25 adds a generous handful of new cars, events and single player menu book objectives, packing even more content into PS5’s best racing sim. But a remarkable change in the way car damage is calculated has surprised and relieved me most of all.
The full patch notes (opens in new tab) have a section at the bottom called “Physics Simulation Model” and a dot below that reads “The conditions for mechanical damage that occur from impact or contact when mechanical damage is set to light or heavy in the race settings have changed. As a result of these, cars are now less likely to take damage after hitting a rail wall or other obstacles.”
This essentially means that your car is less likely to be damaged if, for example, you accidentally scrape over a guardrail, or if a poorly behaved driver decides to chase you from behind instead of overtaking. Hopefully this change will make Gran Turismo 7’s cars feel at least a little more durable than a wet paper towel.
Boost my ride
I’m always happy to see new content being added to GT7, especially if it’s content like events or menu books fresh from the cafe. And I feel like the update couldn’t have come at a better time, especially as we’re starting to see discounts for Gran Turismo 7 25th Anniversary Edition.
But I had long since stopped visiting the game’s online Sport mode when the game’s damage model was changed to a much looser feel than it was at launch.
Previously, just like a football player, even minor bumps and scrapes tended to make your car beg for a ride to the emergency room. Damage temporarily prevents your car from driving optimally, such as swerving in one direction or hindering top speed. I assume that will still be the case, but it sounds like it will be a lot harder to get your car to that state due to the new patch.
And that’s great news. Despite the efforts of developer Polyphony Digital, some not-so-well-meaning drivers manage to slip through to the higher tiers of the Sport mode’s ranking system. And in such a highly competitive environment, even a minor breakdown in your vehicle can put you blazing seconds behind the rest of the pack.
Now it seems that such problems have been minimized to some extent. If the developer could only fine-tune its overly strict sanctioning system, I think GT7’s online lobbies will be in a good place in the coming months. At least until Forza Motorsport steps on the record next year.