Gran Turismo 7 is almost here, and during a Sony State of Play video we were treated to some details on what to expect from the next racing title to hit PS4 and PS5 consoles, including how Polyphony has rendered the game’s weather effects with stunning ultra-realism.
According to the video, Gran Turismo 7 simulates its weather effects by using real-world meteorological data. This means replicating the way in which weather actually works, down to the finest details. Everything from the colour of the sky to the shape of clouds is determined by the sun’s energy coming into contact with air and moisture in the earth’s atmosphere, and these processes have been integrated into the game’s world.
But this isn’t a basic simulation. Each of Gran Turismo 7’s regions and locations will have precisely simulated weather based on what actually happens in the real-world equivalent, so as the time of day or climate on one track will be rendered differently to that of a track in another country.
This extends to the title’s day-night cycle. In Gran Turismo 7, the development team have strived for even higher quality skies – especially at night, where the graphics will draw in not just stars but planets, and even the moon will have its own rising and setting pattern. The simulation is so detailed, that even the colour of stars at night changes based upon clear or hazy atmospheric conditions.
All of these weather conditions are factored into the actual gameplay, too. If it rains, pools of water form in the parts of the track they do in real life, and when the sun comes out and the track starts to dry out, these pockets of water will be the last to fade. These circumstances also affect your car’s handling and racing ability. Adverse conditions will affect tyre grip, engine power, or just how much of a pay-off you’ll gain from slipstreaming your rival.
The racing line will also clear and dry out more quickly than other areas of the track, just as you see in real racing.
The cherry on top of all of these is that the PS5 version of Gran Turismo 7 has ray tracing to more accurately depict and show off these weather effects via lighting and reflections. With all the Gran Turismo 7 customisation features, we can only imagine how mind-blowing it’s going to look when we get behind the wheel on March 4.