The Top Five Riveting Alternatives to Gran Turismo 7

If you’re a fan of realistic driving experiences, Gran Turismo 7 probably holds a special place in your heart. With its realistic racing gameplay, beautiful vehicle designs, and impressive graphics, it’s no wonder this game has quickly become an iconic staple in the racing game genre. But what if you want to diversify your gaming experience a bit? There are several other driving games out there that offer a unique experience worth exploring. In this article, we will explore five top alternatives to Gran Turismo 7 that offer exciting gameplay, engaging storylines, and spectacular settings.

1. Assetto Corsa

Assetto Corsa stands out among racing games for its pursuit of absolute realism. Developed by Italian company Kunos Simulazioni, this game has won the hearts of car enthusiasts who appreciate real-world physics, impressive graphics, and attention to detail.

Gameplay, Story, and Setting

Assetto Corsa prides itself on its accurate physics engine, impressive tyre modeling, and detailed data features. Unlike most racing games which focus heavily on racing events and championships, Assetto Corsa allows you to create your own custom racing events. You can choose the weather, the track, the car, and tweak the settings to ensure the racing conditions are exactly what you want. This game doesn’t have a linear campaign mode like Gran Turismo 7, but it shines in its single-player mode, where you can engage in quick races, special events, and long races. The game offers an assortment of circuits recreated from laser-scanned tracks, offering an incredibly realistic and immersive experience. The garage includes a wide range of cars from everyday drive models to iconic, vintage cars meticulously reconstructed to match their real-world counterparts.

2. Forza Motorsport 7

Forza Motorsport 7 is a popular racing game developed by Turn 10 Studios. As the biggest rival to Gran Turismo 7, it delivers an interactive, realistic racing experience.

Gameplay, Story, and Setting

The gameplay in Forza Motorsport 7 is robust and deceptively deep. With a vast collection of more than 700 cars and multiple weather conditions and time of day settings, it offers an unmatched level of variety. The driving physics are excellent, with each car handling differently. Although there isn’t a traditional storyline, Forza Motorsport 7's single-player campaign mode - the Forza Driver’s Cup, is structured and engaging. Players compete in series of races to earn points. As for the setting, the game includes over 30 environments, each beautifully rendered and meticulously detailed to ensure a lifelike, immersive experience.

3. Project CARS 2

Developed by Slightly Mad Studios, Project CARS 2 is a superb racing simulator that appeals to all types of racing enthusiasts with its incredible variety and depth.

Gameplay, Story, and Setting

Project CARS 2 takes the genre’s obsession with realism to new levels. Its dynamic weather system can switch from sunny to cloudy to rainy during a single race, and the racing circuits emulate real-world season changes. These weather and environmental changes significantly alter the handling and performance of the cars. The pioneering "sandbox" career mode gives gamers the freedom to choose their path through the game, whether they want to start in go-karts and work up to Formula 1 or stick strictly to GT or rallycross races. Project CARS 2 features 180 cars from 29 different brands, and all cars can be driven on any of the 53 locations (140 individual layouts), offering limitless replayability and tons of excitement.

4. Dirt Rally 2.0

If you're interested in stepping away from pavement racing, look no further than Dirt Rally 2.0. This off-road, rally-based game offers a unique alternative to Gran Turismo 7 and is developed by Codemasters.

Gameplay, Story, and Setting

Unlike most racing games, Dirt Rally 2.0 comes with the unique challenge of handling off-road conditions. Stray just inches off the optimal path, and you’ll find yourself spinning out, facing the wrong way or, in the worst case, crashing your vehicle entirely. Dirt Rally 2.0 offers an immersive campaign mode, called "My Team". Here, you manage your garage, team, and races, starting from the bottom and working your way up. The game settings span across six countries, where you race in a variety of conditions, including rainy, snowy, and dry-desert tracks. This extreme realism and diversity make Dirt Rally 2.0 a fantastically thrilling alternative to Gran Turismo 7.

5. F1 2021

F1 2021, developed by Codemasters, is the ultimate game for Formula 1 enthusiasts. It offers the most realistic Formula 1 experience, and it's not just about finishing first but managing the complex dynamics of F1 racing.

Gameplay, Story, and Setting

F1 2021 brings you closer to the real-world Formula 1 experience with intuitive gameplay mechanics that simulate the complex strategies and decision-making processes that go into a real F1 race. Tyre wear, changing weather conditions, and pit stop strategies all influence your race performance. In terms of its narrative, F1 2021 introduces a new story mode, "Braking Point". Here, you start as a rookie and experience the high-stakes drama and on-and-off-track events of a Formula 1 career journey. The game includes all the official teams, drivers, and circuits from the real-world 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship. It offers stunning, detailed recreations of iconic global race tracks, making you feel like a real F1 driver.

Bottom Line

Whether you're looking for realistic racing simulations like Assetto Corsa, thrilling sandbox-style games like Project CARS 2, or the off-road challenges of Dirt Rally 2.0, each of these five alternatives to Gran Turismo 7 offers something unique for racing enthusiasts. While Gran Turismo 7 indeed stands as an iconic title in the racing genre, diversifying your gaming library with these different but equally impressive alternatives will provide you with a comprehensive, thrilling, and diversified racing game experience. Dive into any of these immersive racing games and feed your need for speed.