Unsurpassable peak of racing on PS2 with over 700 cars and dozens of circuits. Physics simulation is exemplary, content colossal and event variety unique. A title that pushed PS2's limits and remains an undisputed automotive benchmark.
Your verdict
Category
Racing2 players3+
Split screen
Description
The fourth Polyphony Digital Gran Turismo, released in 2004 (Japan, US) and 2005 (Europe), widely considered the absolute peak of the series on PS2. Over 700 cars, fifty-one tracks, the Photo Travel mode and TV-studio-grade presentation: an automotive universe with no real equivalent at the time.
Gran Turismo 4 review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Almost photographic reproduction of the cars, circuits modelled with a goldsmith's precision and natural light: the racing reaches an unprecedented realism. The obsessive care for mechanical detail still impresses today. This visual rigour, elegant and clinical, made the game the absolute benchmark of the genre.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Collecting hundreds of cars, fine-tuning the settings and then snatching the win to reinvest at once sets up a dizzying acquisition loop where you keep putting off the stop "after this race." Licenses, championships and photos multiply the goals. The career is sprawling and the AI timid, but this driving precision and this automotive passion stay durably gripping.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
With a garage of several hundred models and countless events, this entry pushes the driving simulation to a rare level of generosity. Passing the licences, fine-tuning your setups and collecting everything fills hundreds of hours of driving. That profusion, paired with realistic handling, founds a longevity racing fans still savour.
The culmination of Polyphony Digital's racing simulation on the console, with a colossal car roster and polished photo mode, the peak of the Gran Turismo line of the PS2 era. Still very widespread in the West, its interest lies in this completeness rather than scarcity. A prime piece for simulation fans wanting the series' vastest content on the machine.
Better with friends
A sumptuous automotive encyclopedia where you collect and tune hundreds of cars, all carried over into split-screen duels. The competition rewards knowledge of the machinery and consistency over aggression, in a razor-sharp purist rivalry. Dizzyingly rich, it pushes enthusiasts to compare their setups and challenge each other endlessly on the evening's favorite track.
