Top 10 best Gran Turismo tracks

Gran Turismo is a series that’s been around for most of my life. It’s a series that’s graced my PsOne, blessed my PS2, disappointed my PSP, and rose like a phoenix for my PS3 nearly 2 years later. It’s a series that has seen spick and span for nearly 15 years and throughout, it’s had several rivals grow from the success. Despite the rise of Forza and a plethora of PC simulators that have brought the series down, Gran Turismo will still be a favorite for me. Why? Because the team behind the GT series knows how to make a damn good race track, and here are 10 of them. Now, when it comes to picking a favorite, I didn’t just go by the longest or the most difficult, or ones that have seen every single title in the series. I’m judging it by how it impacts me and my personal taste in track. Whether it’s the steppes section of Seattle Circuit, the wide and long first bend of High Speed Ring or the feeling of relentless speed with Special Stage Route X, the list can go on. So, looking back on 15 years of success, what would make my list of the best tracks from one of the biggest names in racing games? Let’s find out.

10.) Tahiti Road: This classic comes straight from GT2, which was not only the first race in the Sunday Cup, but also one of the first tracks in the arcade mode. Keep in mind, as a kid who never grew up with a memory card, I could never experience the game beyond the starter cars and tracks. That doesn’t mean that this is only on the list due to nostalgia, but that doesn’t mean it’s not memorable. This track, to me, evoked a sense of adventure, much like the previous rally tracks do, but in a different way. I don’t feel like I’m lost and trying to understand where I am. This track feels like, and always felt like, home to me. The sense of the open air, combined with the wide streets and twisting roads really give off a vacation-like feel. The idea of a calm drive along the coast is everywhere throughout this relatively short track, because this track has one of the best color palettes in franchise history, along with Tahiti Maze. The reason, however, why Road is better than Maze is simply because Road is a lot easier, yet is strangely is a lot more inviting. It pushes you to go further, but never yells at you. It may not make sense. Maybe the only reason why I love this track isn’t because of any smart and technical corners, but because of the overall sense of emotions this track gives off. It all feels poetic to me. It’s only at #10 because it’s a track that I personally love because of how inviting it all feels, despite it not having any thrills, or memorable moments. This is the race track equivalent of those chill beats you can look up on YouTube to calm you (Joji is a great example BTW, look him up). Overall, this track is simple, short, and beautiful fun.

9.) Cathedral Rocks: Imagine a fun, narrow and long rally course with blistering fast sections, tight corners popping out of nowhere and all behind the back drop of El Capitan. Sounds fun, right? Now, take all this and then throw in a section of the El Capitan race track from GT4, and that’s just icing on the cake. The biggest reason why this isn’t higher is because it’s not really long, it can get kind of repetitive, and has a rather bland color palette. The entire race track feels like a clean mix of greys, whites and pale greens, and it kind of ruins the experience, because while the backdrop of the mountains has depth, it lacks the visual soul of tracks like the Swiss Alps, Tahiti Road or Maze, or the Grand Canyon. Other than that, it’s a fun and simple dirt track, with some great twists and an epic tarmac section.

8.) Route 246: It was a classic and sure-fire way of selling the graphical prowess of the PS2, back in the day. The gifs of people, engulfing you as your 400 horsepower Miata screams towards turn one, was electrifying. The mechanical dance of following your groove through each corner, hitting each without jumping the curbs, and the initial charge through the park back into the city was all great fun. It’s a course that wrote itself back in 2002. It’s a track that tries to carry the weight of the hype behind GT3 all the way to the release of GT6 nearly 10 years later. The problem, however, is that it doesn’t carry all of it anymore. The overall design of the track is to blame. It’s still quite fun, don’t get me wrong here. The problem is that it lacks some of the track design of previous courses. The lack of elevation changes is one of the drawbacks here. The only truly interesting bits come from the last half of the track, when it dips and bends into the ground, creating more of a challenge. The first 1/2, while pretty, isn’t as fun, or varying. This first half is what drags the track down a notch, on top of having a kind of bland color palette. It sounds strange to critique a race track for this (it sure did when I mentioned it before on Cathedral Rocks), but to me, it’s important for setting the stage. This track has a definite increase in color from Cathedral Rocks, with ribbons of green gracing the back stretch, and the use of red and grey on the road in the last half is what helps add to the overall setting. The problem is that there just isn’t enough of it. This is also where having a weather system and day/night cycle could’ve come into play for GT5, but they never bothered. It’s a shame, because that would’ve helped taken a good circuit and made it great.

7.) Chamonix (GT4): Now, when it comes to dirt tracks, I’ve always loved to do the time trials. Not to practice however, but to get immersed in the location. Tracks like Chamonix are great examples of how to make a track feel like an adventure. Here, every little detail all comes together to really help describe the setting quite well, while engaging you to do better. The feeling of not being in control, while knowing exactly where you’re going is fun. It reminded me of when I would go to northern Michigan in the winter. I’d always remember explore the vast powdered fields, the long and hypnotic side roads that were always littered with packed snow, and the feeling of adventure when you’re piloting a snowmobile at 50 mph through an open trail. All of this was great fun as a kid, and even today. The thought of a packed snow trail under a big, blue and white sky is a portrait that calmed me as a kid. Speaking of the portrait, this track is a prime example of a color palette done right. The clean whites, and how they clash against the trees and the tarmac feels fresh and the use of blue in the river and the sky really help tie everything together. The whole racetrack, despite the beautiful backdrop, is still a fun blend of difficult and interesting. The hairpins and tight, winding corners still give me a thrill every time I boot it up. The small environmental pieces, like the small bridge that cuts into the twisting snow section of the track really help add to the aesthetic. Other bits like the tunnel before the first winding bend, and the hilltop overlooking the horizon is spellbinding. Overall, the track looks like a portrait and feels like a dream. The reason why it isn’t higher is that it can be a bit too difficult to race on, especially in faster cars. It’s kind of hard to enjoy the views when you keep smacking into walls and getting time penalties all the time. It’s not an easy track to get into, but by God do I think it’s pretty.

6.) Eiger Norwand: This track is special to me, as it was the first GT track ever made specifically for the PS3. It was a racetrack that graced the inner walls of my mind, and made me crave for a PS3 ever since I played the demo at Target nearly 10 years ago. It’s a fast, technical, and simple race track, with tons of beautiful moments of pure bliss. Every curve feels just right for a simple and quick rush. Now, keep in mind, when I think of this track, I don’t always think of the demo I played when I was 10. This track has a dark, and thrilling alternative dirt course, that take’s everything I mentioned about Chamonix, and Cathedral Rocks and smashes it all into one big canvas of jumps, hills, curves, and a massive downhill section which left my jaw dropped. It’s something I’d never expect from a GT game, let alone a simulator, but at the same time I’m glad they went for it. There’s nothing else I can say other than for you to check it out for yourself.

You literally drive down a mountain face.

This track really has a dark side, amidst all the beautiful HD polish, and that’s why I love it. The only concern is that the original tarmac course gives off a “Tahiti Road” feel, just without the colors. In other words, it can be a bit boring, unlike the aforementioned “dark side”. Other than that, it’s pure, straight up fun.

Here’s also the original track.

1. Grand Canyon: Take everything that I said about Chamonix, and replace the whites and blues with a warm color set radiating off the mountains. Then, smack an entire race track, with more interesting bends and parts, on top of a Cliffside. That’s Grand Canyon. The entire track feels like a western take on Chamonix, but a bit easier to get into, while being a bit more frantic. The use of color and elevation changes really help make this track come alive on screen. It also helps that this is one of the few tracks in this game that make use of interactive crowds who jump onto the path with a camera, trying to catch that perfect shot. Then jumping back to avoid your 400 horsepower Miata, which you just outfitted with a solid set of dirt tires, after winning at Route 246. It’s engaging, and thrilling to see, and is something I’ve never seen any other racing game manage to pull off like GT has. The overall track is tricky, yet inviting. It’s fast, yet technical. It can, however, feel too easy at times. Besides that, it’s a solid track for a solid game.

4.) Citta D’ Aria: Out of all the race tracks in GT4, this one really made me feel like going to Italy. Picture an action scene from a Bourne movie. Imagine being Matt Damon, trying to squeeze a tiny Mini through tight streets and neighborhoods, all in a desperate attempt to get away from the bad guys. This track captures that thrill of someone always being one step behind you and always ready to snap. It’s one of the only tracks I’ve ever played in a racing game that made me feel anxiety (besides from the Nurburgring). It’s something that I’ve played countless times and never ever felt bored. The only problem, however, comes from the tracks main strength. The tight corridors can get really frustrating, especially when you need to overtake before your opponent crosses the finish line. It also hurts when the anxiety restrains your love of the race track. It’s a double-edged sword that raises Citta d’ aria to a #4 spot, where it just stalls out. But you know what, that’s just fine with me.

3.) Trial Mountain: Ok, this is a classic. It’s the one race track that’s always been there for us. When we first booted up GT back in the day, to when we traded in that same Ps One for a PS2 and snatched the first copy of GT3 we saw on the shelves. Then, when the time came to trade your PS2 (after the disk drive died for the 3rd time) for a PS3, you popped in GT5 for the first time and saw how beautiful your HDTV looked. The warm lights glistening off the walls of the tunnel, heading into the forest section, where our minds were blown again by the sheer beauty of the natural tunnel, guiding us to the sharp right hander, overlooking the horizon. Poetry aside, this track was not only pretty, but also tricky and well designed. It was made to be aesthetically pleasing, while brain-teasing. The sheer amount of dips, and hills, mixed with the off-camber corners, help make this course a true classic. Despite this, there was one aspect of the final curve to the finish line that I will never forget. It was the small lip that you could hit to overtake someone. Does anyone else remember that huge hill that you’d tend to clip while blasting across the line? I sure do, on top of how many times I tried to flip my car on that section, only to them realize you can’t flip cars in GT. Small details like that, on top of the bursts of color that helped add to the atmosphere, and the amount of fantastic turns and bends, helps make Trial Mountain a true staple in the Gran Turismo series.

2.) Circuito de la Sierra: It’s long. It’s winding. It’s about 99% of everything I’d want in a race track, put together in a 16-mile package, wrapped with a bow, with a note saying “Free DLC to you from GT”. Not only does this track have literally everything you’d want in a race track, including practically every kind of bend and straight away you can imagine, but was all part of free DLC, which is basically a Gran Turismo version of Outrun on the Genesis. It’s a series of marathon races, where you have to pass slower traffic, and make each checkpoint within a set time limit. The main goal is to finish the entire 16-mile trek across each sector, and gain as many points as you can in the process by passing cars, hitting top speed, and above all else, driving like a man possessed. The sole purpose of this track is to treat each race like an adventure, which wouldn’t be hard, given that this also offers a full day/night cycle, and dynamic weather, to give a true feel of an automotive trek. But, then again, there is one thing this race track does, that kind of bugs me. You see, while racing on this beautiful ribbon of asphalt, I noticed off to my right how incredibly awful the beach front looked. It looked like something a 1st year intern would cough up in an hour. And sure, you could say “Well, you’re not supposed to drive down there, so why would you care?”. Well, you do have a point, but at the same time, it kind of kills the beauty of the road ahead when all you see is rushed, blocky, textures. The entire track feels rushed and is littered with moments where you want to stop and smell the roses, only to get a poorly detailed cluster of greens and reds that are supposed to look like flowers. There are moments where I’d like to see every detail that went into the sides of the road, and how the patches of grass look as the cars dash by with brutal grace. There are so many moments where I want to observe each segment of the road like a mural. You could argue that it’s because of how long it took to make, which makes sense. It’s a 16-mile circuit, with bends everywhere. I’m grateful of what I have, but then again, there could be a balance between quantity and quality. The Nurburgring is a great example of a race track with so many beautiful little details, sprinkled along an otherwise perfect circuit, and all of it was shown beautifully in GT5. Another example is with Special Stage Route X, with the epic backdrop, and overall great aesthetic, while being the biggest circuit in GT history, and even that’s a blast to work with in photo mode. I’m not saying Circuit de la Sierra is the ugliest track ever, far from it. Matter of fact, it has one of the best arrangements of color, that vary depending on the time of day. You can get an overall bright look in the middle of the day, while getting a crisp, warm palette during the evening, and getting an incredibly dark and actually quite scary arrangement at night. It’s great, bar none. Overall, it’s 99% of everything that I’d want in a race track, but at the same time, given what’s #1, that 1% mattered.

1.) Seattle Circuit: And this is that 1%. Seattle Circuit is my favorite course in the entire franchise. There are so many different bullet points to cover on why this track is so perfect for me. The layout combines nearly every kind of curve, and straight, and little detail from every race track in the game, and combines it all into one 2.5-mile street course. The track does all of this, while putting its own spin on them, through steep and sudden elevation changes, and incredibly short curbs around metal walls, which make you really have to double check every corner for the right apex. If you’re not careful, you could end up hitting the wall, knocking you to the side, and ruining all your momentum. It’s a circuit that always keeps you on your feet, but always keeps you smiling as you nail each corner with bliss. To me, however, the best part comes from the overall look and feel of the circuit. The whole track has this classic 70’s/80’s cop drama looks and feel, utilizing a warm color palette, which co-insides with the grittiness of the blacks and whites. It all helps give off a unique look and feel that I’ve never seen in a GT game. Tell you what, pull up YouTube, and type in the song “Gold on the ceiling” by The Black Keys, and then watch this race.

Am I the only one who thinks the song and the track just fit so well? The entire track is exactly what I’d want in a race track. Beauty, style, difficulty, and an overall sense of beautiful chaos that can only be delivered in Seattle Circuit.

Thank you for reading! This may just be the longest think I’ve posted to this app ever, and I’m glad I did. Gran Turismo is a series I’ve been passionate about for a really long time, so coming up with a definitive answer wasn’t easy. Regardless, it was really was fun going back through the years to find the best of the best. What are your favorites? Comment them down below, and if you like this extremely long post, leave a like and I’ll see you next time.