He spent five years building something he hoped no one would waste their life on.
In a hidden message inside Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 in 1996, Kazunori Yamauchi quietly told players he was working on something new — a game that would pursue realism with real cars. He had been at it for four years by then, with a team of seven to fifteen people. He would later say he was home only four days a year during those five years. Gran Turismo was released in Japan two days before Christmas in 1997, a year behind schedule, and became the PlayStation's best-selling game. Years later, Yamauchi said he wanted people who play Gran Turismo not to waste their lives — that he hoped the game would give them something to grow toward: a skill, a knowledge, some part of themselves worth developing. The man who gave five years to a game was asking you to make sure the time was worth it. That is the question hiding inside any serious act of making: not how much do I have to give, but what would make the giving mean something.
— inspired by Kazunori Yamauchi
About this game
Gran Turismo (1997) is the game that invented the modern racing simulation genre for home consoles. Designed by Kazunori Yamauchi at what would become Polyphony Digital — then a small development group within Sony — it took five years to complete on a budget of roughly five million dollars and launched with over 140 licensed cars, a physics engine that modelled tyre adhesion and suspension behaviour, and a structured licence system that taught players to drive correctly before they could compete. It shipped 10.85 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling original PlayStation game, and established a franchise that has defined automotive gaming for nearly three decades.
Key Features
Over 140 licensed cars from real manufacturers — Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and others — at a time when licensed vehicles in racing games were unusual. A structured Licence system (B, A, IC, IB, IA, S) that required players to pass timed tests in specific driving techniques before accessing higher competition tiers. Simulation physics modelling tyre adhesion, weight transfer, and suspension response. An Arcade Mode for casual play and a Simulation Mode with career progression. A replay camera system that captured races from cinematic angles.
Gallery
The Story Behind
In 1997, racing games on home consoles were primarily arcade experiences: fast, accessible, designed around reflexes rather than technique. Ridge Racer and Daytona USA had demonstrated that console hardware could produce thrilling racing games; what they had not demonstrated was that a home console could simulate the physics of real driving. Kazunori Yamauchi began developing Gran Turismo in 1992 — before the PlayStation existed — motivated by his dissatisfaction with every racing game available. He wanted a game that behaved like a car, not a game that looked like a car. The development team was tiny: five people at the start, fewer than twenty by the end. The five-year timeline was itself a statement of intent — racing simulations on the PC had existed for years, but no home console had attempted the same depth. Gran Turismo's release in December 1997 in Japan, two days before Christmas, and its subsequent success in North America and Europe, established Sony as the publisher of both the most ambitious RPG of the generation (Final Fantasy VII) and the most technically rigorous racing game (Gran Turismo) — an unlikely combination that defined the PlayStation's software identity.
Tricks & Tales
Kazunori Yamauchi reportedly could not drive a car when he began developing Gran Turismo. He learned to drive in part through the process of designing the game's physics model. The Licence test system — requiring players to pass specific timed challenges before accessing advanced competition — was rejected internally by Sony executives who argued it would alienate casual players; Yamauchi fought to keep it as an essential part of the game's identity. The game's photo mode, allowing players to capture their cars in static shots, was an early example of what would become a standard feature in racing games decades later. Gran Turismo shipped more copies than any other original PlayStation title, outselling both Crash Bandicoot and Final Fantasy VII. The game's predecessor, Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 (1996), contained a hidden message: "This is actually a super-realistic racing game. I have been thoroughly pursuing realism." It was a declaration planted before Gran Turismo was finished. The first Gran Turismo shipped December 23, 1997 -- a year behind its originally planned release -- after Yamauchi spent the equivalent of nearly five full years in the office, reportedly returning home only four days per year during development. The gap between Motor Toon GP2 and Gran Turismo was not idle time: it was the distance between a promise and its proof.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The Japanese release was 23 December 1997; the North American release followed on 12 May 1998. The Japanese version (NTSC-J) is the original release and plays on Japanese PlayStation hardware and region-free modified units. Text is in Japanese. The car roster and track list are identical across all regional versions. The game's licensed vehicles are the same regardless of region.
Maintenance Tips
Gran Turismo is a two-disc set for the Simulation Mode — verify both discs are present and readable. Disc 1 contains the main simulation game; Disc 2 contains additional tracks. PlayStation disc-read errors are common on ageing hardware; a lens cleaning disc often resolves them. The game's physics engine requires sustained consistent performance from the CD-ROM drive — any degradation may cause stuttering during physics-intensive moments. Memory cards save race progress; carry a backup save where possible.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Gran Turismo copies regularly.
The disc is old — is my save at risk?
Gran Turismo holds no save on the disc itself; your progress lives on a PlayStation memory card, so the age of the disc never threatens it. What matters is the disc surface: the Simulation Mode comes as a two-disc set, so it is worth checking that both discs are present and free of deep scratches. With clean discs, it reads and plays for years.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Gran Turismo
A short checklist for buying a used PlayStation disc wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Check the disc for scratches
Deep scratches on the playing surface cause freezes and read errors. Light surface marks are usually fine.
Ask for a clear photo of the disc's underside. A seller who tested it will confirm it loads and plays through.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese PlayStation disc. The PS1 is region-locked, so a Japanese disc needs a Japanese console or a region-free setup.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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Saves use a memory card — no battery to worry about
PlayStation games save to a separate memory card, so there is no in-cartridge battery to fail.
Just make sure you have a memory card with free blocks for your saves.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what it's selling for on eBay →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Gran Turismo sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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