Parents' Guide to

Gran Turismo

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Crashes have no consequences in pricey racing sim.

Game PSP 2009
Gran Turismo Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

age 8+

ok for 6+ but 8+ is better for kids

ok

This title has:

Too much consumerism

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (6):

Gran Turismo is just OK. What's in the game is terrific -- the selection of cars is second to none and they handle splendidly -- even without the force feedback found in the console editions. However, Gran Turismo is missing some key features, like the ability to purchase upgrades and improve car performance. Even more noticeable is the absence of any sort of career mode. Without these elements, the races seem somewhat pointless. You can earn money and buy cars, but without some sort of grander aspiration -- like building up a supercar or winning a particular series of races -- it's easy to get bored and lose focus.

The most compelling reason to keep playing, it turns out, is to build up your garage so that you can transfer it over to Gran Turismo 5 for PlayStation 3 when it releases next year. But buying a full-priced game as a way to prepare for an as-yet unreleased game is a bit lame -- especially since fans of the franchise have already done this once before when they picked up Gran Turismo 5: Prologue for PlayStation 3 last year. That part is disappointing.

Game Details

  • Platform: PSP
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
  • Release date: October 1, 2009
  • Genre: Racing
  • ESRB rating: E for No Descriptors
  • Last updated: August 31, 2016

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