Two circuits, twelve cars and a December Family Mode in Gran Turismo 7's free Spec IV update

A racing game is going to get bigger twice before the year is out. Kazunori Yamauchi, president of Polyphony Digital and the creator of the Gran Turismo series, wrote on PlayStation.Blog on September 3, 2026 that the Spec IV update for Gran Turismo 7 will arrive in two parts, one in October and one in December [1]. All of it is free. No paid item appears anywhere in the post.

Gran Turismo 7 is Sony’s racing game, the kind that models real cars on real circuits rather than inventing either. The series turns 30 in 2027, and the post places these two updates on the road to that anniversary [1]. The announcement came out of the State of Play broadcast the same day [2]. As of September 3, 2026 that is the whole of it; the rest has been pushed a month down the calendar.

SUGO in October, Autumn Ring in December

Each half carries one circuit. October brings Sportsland SUGO in Japan, which the post describes by its elevation changes, its flowing layout and the familiar Dunlop bridge [1].

December brings back Autumn Ring, a course that first appeared in the original Gran Turismo and which the post calls deeply connected to the history of the series [1]. For anyone who played that first game the name does the explaining. For everyone else it is a chance to see what a series approaching its thirtieth year decides to pull forward from its own first release.

Twelve cars with no names attached

Twelve cars will be added across both updates. That sentence is the entire disclosure. Which cars, and how they divide between October and December, is not stated [1].

Two new ways to play did get names. Online Drift Trials put drift scoring into an online competition, and Shuffle Races run under randomized conditions. Alongside them the post lists new Driving Experiences, an expanded Car Viewer, new progression elements, and a concierge feature that helps with buying cars [1]. None of these are assigned to a specific month.

A December mode for people who have never driven a lap

One item belongs to the December half alone: Family Mode, new to the game. The post describes it as a welcoming starting point for players with different levels of driving experience [1]. Racing simulation is a genre where the braking point decides the finishing order, which makes the first hour steep for a newcomer, and this mode is aimed at that first hour. What it actually changes, in assists or in how many people can sit down together, is not in the post.

The blanks that October 3 in Singapore fills

One date can go on the calendar right now. On October 3 in Singapore, Gran Turismo World Series Round 3 takes place, and the post commits to revealing there what each of the two updates contains [1]. Gran Turismo World Series is the game’s official competition, and Round 3 is the season’s third meeting.

Which leaves nothing to do in September. There is no pre-order, no sign-up, no deadline in the announcement. If you already own Gran Turismo 7, October and December arrive at no cost. If you do not, waiting for the October 3 presentation costs nothing either.

Three questions stay open: which twelve cars, which days in October and December, and which hardware. The last one stands out, because the post names neither PS5 nor PS4 anywhere in its text [1].

Sources

[1] Sony Interactive Entertainment. Gran Turismo 7 Spec IV update launching in two parts later this year. PlayStation.Blog, September 3, 2026.

[2] Sony Interactive Entertainment. State of Play & State of Play Japan: all announcements & trailers. PlayStation.Blog, September 3, 2026.