With GT Sport the Polyphony team are looking to do more than just improve the graphics, physics and sound to deliver the most realistic driving simulator to date, they are looking to deliver a revolution in the way that people experience driving games, a figurative “rebirth” of motorsports.

In Gran Turismo Sport, there will be two online championships officially sanctioned by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) running simultaneously. In the Nations Cup, players will be able represent their home country. Whilst in the Manufacturers Cup, players will be driving on behalf of their favorite car manufacturer.

Players will not only be able to race as drivers themselves, they’ll also be able to root for their home country or their favorite manufacturers teams.

The winner of the championship will be awarded in the same manner as real life motorsports champions, at the FIA prize giving ceremony. This will be a historic moment, the first time a video game will officially be recognised as part of the real motoring world.

Working alongside the historic FIA, to develop a game that continues to be more realistic and authentic, the online racing championships promise to offer something new for players.

But it’s not just about online racing; the GT teams have continued to build on the games legacy of accessibility to ensure that the game is open to all to enjoy.

Beta participants will get a sneak peek at how Gran Turismo will pave the future of racing, competing in highly competitive races against other users across the country, and eventually, across the globe.

Participants will be able to choose from a select rotation of cars and tracks each day to race online against others during the Beta phases. Track and car selections will vary during this period, and we made sure to offer different race class categories and course configurations to properly test our GT fans!

This will also be the first time users will see how the Driver Profile is integrated within GT Sport. The introduction of Sportsmanship Rating (tracks a player’s behavior and manners on-track) and Driver Rating (represents the overall speed of the player and how well they perform in races) will ensure those that race online will be equally matched, naturally creating a balanced group of competitive drivers for every race.

The initial phase of the closed Beta, starting on March 17, will only be open to selected U.S. PSN IDs, so be sure to check your Messages on the PS4 dashboard to see if you’ve been invited. After this initial phase, the beta will be opened to European players.

As with most Beta programs, in order for the development team to capture data in an optimal manner, the sample size needs to be increased gradually and in stages. While we begin to roll out the Beta, we have decided that the time differences across the U.S. are best matched to the development team in Tokyo.

During the initial phase, our servers will be open for users during specific times across the day.

And for anyone who doesn’t get a chance to participate in the closed Beta, you can sign up for updates here.