Gran Turismo 7 gets a huge free update as Autumn Ring and Shuffle Race return

Spec IV arrives in two major waves

Polyphony Digital unveiled Spec IV on 3 September and is tying it to Gran Turismo’s upcoming 30th anniversary. The first Gran Turismo was released in Japan in 1997, meaning the series reaches this major milestone in 2027. Spec IV is effectively the prelude to the anniversary year.

The update is split into two parts. October brings Sportsland SUGO, six new cars, a new opening video, Vintage, Car Concierge, Experience and Car Viewer, while the Collector Level cap will be raised.

December brings a second batch of six cars, Autumn Ring, Family, Shuffle Race, Online Drift Trial, a further development of Gran Turismo Sophy and a new higher difficulty level for Power Pack. In total, that means 12 cars and two circuits.

Polyphony calls Spec IV one of Gran Turismo 7’s biggest updates. That is not entirely empty marketing language. The 2025 Spec III update added eight cars and two circuits at once, so Spec IV surpasses it at least in terms of the number of cars and new game modes.

Sportsland SUGO fills a significant gap in GT7’s circuit selection

The biggest circuit news for October is Sportsland SUGO. This is not a Polyphony fantasy circuit, but a technical racing venue in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture, particularly familiar to Super GT followers.

Polyphony highlights the circuit’s elevation changes and technical nature. SUGO feels almost too obvious a fit for Gran Turismo 7, which makes it more surprising that it is only arriving in the game now.

It is also an important addition from a car enthusiast’s perspective. Gran Turismo’s strength has never been solely its hundreds of cars, but the ability to take Japanese road and racing cars to circuits where their real-world counterparts have competed for decades. Adding SUGO makes using Super GT machinery, for example, considerably more authentic.

Autumn Ring returns after a long absence

Things get more nostalgic in December. Autumn Ring is back.

The fictional circuit is one of Gran Turismo’s classics, but it was absent from both Gran Turismo Sport and Gran Turismo 7 until now. It was last driveable in Gran Turismo 6.

Polyphony is not simply restoring the old circuit at a higher resolution. Alongside the familiar original layout, Spec IV includes a new, significantly extended version of the circuit.

This is the right approach. Gran Turismo’s original circuits work best when Polyphony preserves their recognisable character while using the modern game’s physics and graphics to develop them further. Grand Valley and Trial Mountain have already shown that the studio is not content to act as a museum curator for its old circuits.

12 cars, but Polyphony has yet to reveal them all

Spec IV adds 12 cars in total, with six arriving in October and six in December. Polyphony has not yet revealed the complete official list.

However, it is possible to identify some of the October cars from the teaser. They appear to include the BMW M5 E60, Citroën 2CV, Honda Stepwgn and Honda Mugen Motul Civic Si race car. The Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Concept and Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo concept can also be seen. Polyphony is still keeping the remaining six cars under wraps.

It is worth keeping official information separate from identifications based on the trailer. Polyphony has confirmed that 12 cars will be added, but the complete model list has not yet been officially released.

This also means there is little value in speculation at present. Polyphony promises more information about Spec IV during the third round of the Gran Turismo World Series in Singapore on 3 October.

Shuffle Race solves a problem that more cars cannot

The most interesting addition may not be a car or a circuit at all. Shuffle Race returns in December.

The idea, which became known in Gran Turismo 5, assigns players randomly selected cars. Its appeal lies in one simple fact: not everyone arrives on the grid with an optimal setup found online and exactly the same meta car.

Randomness forces adaptation. In one race, a player may get a car whose behaviour they know extremely well; in the next, they may have to tame something entirely different.

Spec IV also adds Online Drift Trial, allowing drift results to be compared with those of other players. Family heads in the opposite direction, offering an easier entry point for children and beginners, although Polyphony promises activities for experienced players too.

These additions matter more to Gran Turismo 7’s longevity than another batch of cars. A game can have hundreds of machines, but without reasons to use them, the garage becomes little more than a digital collection.

Car Concierge changes the hunt for used cars

October adds Vintage, which groups models that can no longer be bought new under their respective manufacturers. Linked to this is Car Concierge, through which cars in the Used Cars and Legend Cars selections can be ordered.

The exact restrictions and pricing logic still require clarification from Polyphony, but the idea could solve one of Gran Turismo 7’s more frustrating quirks. Currently, buying some older cars depends on when the desired machine appears in the game’s rotating sales selection.

Experience, where players can complete driving challenges linked to specific car brands, is also being added, along with Car Viewer for a more detailed look at cars in the player’s garage. The Collector Level cap is being raised again, although Polyphony has not yet disclosed the new maximum level.

Sophy receives another development

For December, Polyphony also promises “the next evolution of Gran Turismo Sophy”. The studio has not yet explained exactly what that means.

Sophy is an AI racing system developed through a collaboration between Sony AI and Polyphony, designed to offer driving that is more human-like and competitive than a conventional scripted in-game opponent.

This could be one of Spec IV’s most important long-term changes. A circuit and a car add content, but a better opponent changes the experience of using every existing circuit and car. If Sophy reaches more of the game and can deliver close racing without the usual train-like AI, the value of GT7’s single-player experience will increase considerably.

Gran Turismo 7 refuses to grow old

Gran Turismo 7 was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in March 2022. By the end of 2026, the game will therefore be nearly five years old, yet Polyphony is still developing it like an active flagship product.

Spec III added eight cars, Yas Marina and Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve'i, as well as Data Logger, in December 2025. As recently as version 1.71 in August 2026, Caterham Seven Superlight R500, Hyundai Ioniq 6 N, Toyota Chaser Tourer V and Toyota Mark II Tourer V were added.

Spec IV shows that development has not yet entered maintenance mode. Instead, Polyphony is using GT7 as a platform on which to build new features until the series’ 30th anniversary.

For car enthusiasts, that is considerably more valuable than 12 new models in isolation. The BMW M5 may add one attractive line to the garage, but SUGO, Shuffle Race, Sophy’s development and the new challenges provide a reason to actually drive that M5.