Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo: two franchise juggernauts that push the technical limits of their respective platforms. As console-orientated driving simulators, they share much in common – both hand in state-of-the-art visuals, a remarkable level of fidelity, and they both target a silky-smooth 60 frames per second. With plenty of matching content in terms of cars and tracks, there are many ready-made comparison points for analysing their respective technologies. But while both Forza Motorsport 7 and Gran Turismo Sport set out with very similar objectives, the end results are often very different, underscoring a profound difference in execution – and philosophy.
Owing to Gran Turismo’s traditional extended development cycle (GTS is the first Polyphony title of the generation, compared to Turn 10’s third) it’s rare to see Forza and GT titles release within weeks of each other, and adding further spice are the arrival of PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X, upgraded consoles targeting 4K displays. We don’t tend to compare platform exclusives generally, but the more we looked at these latest cutting-edge racers, the more interesting the story became. Yes, it’s fascinating to see the different ways that two immensely talented developers have brought home two exceptionally good games, but at the same time, it’s also a great way to appreciate the sheer craftsmanship that has gone into both.
For the purposes of our analysis, we looked at Gran Turismo Sport primarily running on PlayStation 4 Pro using its higher resolution 1800p checkerboard mode, while in the case of Forza 7, the lack of Xbox One X code made us settle on the PC version with all settings maxed out and resolution set to native 4K. Aside from improved anti-aliasing and higher refresh shadows, it’s a good match for what we should expect from Microsoft’s ‘true 4K’ console.
Before going in, a crucial point worth stressing is focus – where each developer team has placed its emphasis. Forza 7 offers a huge range of circuits and track configurations, many with variable weather conditions. The environments are richly detailed with super high-resolution textures created using photogrammetry. It also features a huge selection of richly detailed cars, the number of which vastly exceeds its rival. Gran Turismo Sport, on the other hand, focuses on a limited selection of tracks and cars but presents them in a near photo-realistic manner. Turn 10 has aimed for high quality and wealth of content, whereas we feel that Polyphony’s narrower focus has led to a richer level of detail in its reduced car and track count.
The gulf in content can be vast though and shouldn’t be understated. Forza 7 delivers around 700 cars, whereas GT Sport delivers 162. Beyond raw numbers, the difference is literally in the detail. We began comparisons by looking at each title’s rendition of the classic Mazda MX-5 convertible. This open-top car allows us to use each game’s photo mode to consider modelling quality both outside and inside the vehicle. What’s apparent is that model quality on both titles borders on the insane, resolving phenomenal levels of detail that are borderline impossible to pick up on during actual gameplay.