--- title: "‘My First Gran Turismo’ Free Demo Will Be a Love Letter to GT’s Past" date: "2024-09-05" modified: "2024-09-05" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/my-first-gran-turismo-free-demo-will-be-a-love-letter-to-gts-past" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "Video Games" --- # ‘My First Gran Turismo’ Free Demo Will Be a Love Letter to GT’s Past ![My First Gran Turismo teaser/title image.]() *\Sony Interactive Entertainment\* The original PlayStation launched on December 3, 1994 in Japan. That means we're months away from the 30th anniversary of Sony's wildly successful foray into the gaming business. Perhaps to celebrate its role in making PlayStation the household name it's become, *Gran Turismo* developer Polyphony Digital is preparing a "free trial version" of *[Gran Turismo 7]()* that will harken back to "the very first *GT* experience." Appropriately, it'll be called *My First GT*. Details of the upcoming release are slim at the moment, but Sony announced the title [in a blog post]() showcasing some of the ways it's celebrating three decades of PlayStation. Here's what was shared: **My First GT.** This holiday, look forward to a free trial version designed to attract a diverse players of all skill levels to the globally acclaimed Gran Turismo 7. This upcoming release will include some of the favorite cars, tracks, and race events that evoke the nostalgia and excitement of the very first GT experience. Look out for more details on My First GT, available to all PS5 and PS4 players this holiday. So here's what we know: It's free; it's "designed to attract players" to *GT7*, like a demo; its content will be inspired by the first game's; and it's releasing on both PS4 and PS5. There's a slight dichotomy between "*My* First GT" and the copy, which makes it clear that they're specifically talking about *GT1*. *Gran Turismo 7* already packs plenty of content referencing *GT1*, from tracks like High Speed Ring, Trial Mountain, Deep Forest, and Grand Valley; to cars like the Castrol Tom's Supra, Dodge Viper GTS, Subaru Impreza Rally Car, and countless '90s JDM icons. Should Polyphony want to venture into the franchise's PS2 heyday—which would be cool—there's also Laguna Seca and the Mazda 787B to consider. At any rate, we can easily predict the sort of car/track combos this release will be looking to recreate. Personally, I'm hoping the demo will showcase the music and graphic design of that first title—black backgrounds, yellow buttons, and [plenty of Isamu Ohira]() jazz. (The option to choose [Jason Page's western soundtrack]() would be the ultimate nostalgia play, but that's never happening.) We can only wait and see how Polyphony attempts to tap into the vibe. The oldest-school *GT* fans will recall creator Kazunori Yamauchi's desire to create a ["Gran Turismo for Boys"]() targeting a younger audience and, in one sense, the title *My First GT* almost sounds like the final form of that idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFHJQER_KpU *Shoot me, but "Moon Over the Castle" has nothing on the Manic Street Preachers remix featured in the intro of GT1's U.S. release.* Oh, and one more thing: A cut-down, free version of *GT7* would present the perfect opportunity for Kaz and co. to introduce *Gran Turismo* to a PC audience. This was the tack Turn 10 Studios actually took with *[Forza Motorsport]() 6: Apex*, an abbreviated PC port of *FM6* that predated *FM7's* full arrival on Windows. The big Nvidia leak of late 2021 [colloquially known as "Jensen's Prophecy"]() indicated a *GT7* PC port was in the works, and [Yamauchi himself hasn't exactly shot down the idea]() since. Alas, Sony's message here couldn't be clearer: This is a PS4- and PS5-only affair. Perhaps that's fitting, given that this is PlayStation's big 3-0, after all. I've put more than 500 hours into *GT7* since it launched two and a half years ago, and I'm still excited to see how *My First GT* pays tribute to The Real Driving Simulator's influential past. *Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()