Gran Turismo 7 vs. Forza Motorsport, Which One Looks Best?

Especially Xbox 1st party games that, for the past three years, have been on the top of this unfortunate list. The best part is that you don't need to cough up 70 bucks for the game on Xbox and PC because you can play it at no additional cost on the Game Pass subscription service, which also includes dozens of other games.

Now, back to our neck of the graphical woods, let's see which of the two so-called racing sims looks prettier. John Linneman from Digital Foundry, the incredibly technical YouTube channel that breaks down video game graphics like none other, made an hour-long in-depth visual comparison between Polyphony Digital's and Turn 10's latest entries.

The premise of the analysis involves playing each game at every graphical setting on PS5 and Xbox Series X. John compared every little detail he could think of, including but not limited to tracks during different times of day, car exteriors and interiors, along with appropriate elements or other small details.

When driving the Toyota GR Supra on the Circuit de Spa from Belgium in the wee hours of the morning, the global illumination and color scheme between the two games is roughly the same. Upon closer inspection, we'll notice that in the shadows, GT7 has a more apparent cold blue tint, whereas Motorsport looks more grayish.

But when exposed to the morning sun, it's hard to tell them apart from a 3rd person perspective. In cockpit view, however, the photorealism award would go to GT7 because it has motion blur turned on, which conveys a greater sense of speed to the player. On Xbox Series X, however, this option is automatically turned off for some reason.

Next, when comparing the Chevy Corvette ZR1 in Photo Mode with ray tracing turned on, the clear winner is Gran Turismo 7 on account that the paint flakes look stunning upon closer inspection. Meanwhile, Forza Motorsport looks bland and lifeless, like it's from the Xbox 360 era. This isn't necessarily an efficient test because it's only related to photo mode, not during actual gameplay.

Still on the Circuit de Spa, Gran Turismo 7 wins again when it comes to overall track graphics. The crowd casts shadows in GT7, giving it a more realistic feel, but more importantly, the tarmac, ground, and grass look more advanced than in Motorsport by quite a margin. However, when it comes to physical track interaction, Forza comes out on top. This comparison is a close one, each with its own pros and cons.

While comparing a BMW M3 in Photo Mode again, some more pluses and minus creep up from each game. For example, in some situations, GT7 has more realistic lighting with better reflections, but some elements from Motorsport, like the wheels, have better geometry, making suspension of disbelief easier. This is another case of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Now for an exciting test: the car damage model comparison. While the level of car deformation is lightyears behind what "BeamNG.drive" offers with its soft-body physics simulation, we do have a clear winner between GT7 and Forza Motorsport.

The top spot goes to the latter game with a superior physics system, paint damage layering system, and more visible crumpling. When you crash a car into a wall at 150 mph in Motorsport, you feel your stomach shrinking while you brace for impact, but in GT7, it feels shallow in comparison, honestly. Granted, it's a design choice, but that doesn't change anything.

Regarding particles and physics of this sort, it's a draw. Gran Turismo 7 has better blade grass destruction, while Turn 10's game is better at kicking up dust particles.

No matter what anyone says, 2014's Driveclub is still the undisputed champion when it comes to weather systems. Nine years later, it's still taking these two to school when it comes to rain, snow, wind, heavy storms, you name it. Driveclub looks absolutely gorgeous.

But between GT7 and Forza Motorsport, the more impressive visuals belong to the latter game. At the same time, Gran Turismo's weather is more bland. This being said, GT7 has some more bells and whistles to compensate, like muddy soil and motion-blur windshield wipers. But it's still not enough to make up for the flashiness of Motorsports' weather effects.

Overall, they both look great, and no one element is enough to make a substantial visual gap between the two. While my "diagnosis" concurs with John Linneman's choice, specifically GT7, as the better-looking driving game of the two competing console systems, the ultimate answer lies within the player's choice.

I played both, but I couldn't stand how Motorsport felt while driving, breaking, or cornering. I'd choose GT7 each and every time because, for me, it feels like the gameplay from Polyphony Digital's title has more soul to it. It also has better music for my ears compared to Turn 10's game.

It's also true that Gran Turismo 7 has a VR mode that can kick things into gear for more hardcore players, but personally, I'm excited for the still-unannounced PC version of GT7 that will hopefully feature ray tracing during actual gameplay.