I'm having a hard time finding detailed info on the non-eSports aspects of GTS (was holding trying out for the PS5 and GT7):
What's it like solo? I hear the career mode that was added in is barebones and there's very little upgrading
It's only $10 on the PSN, so that's a no-brainer, but I'd need to get a PS4 first (feels like there were better deals a year or two ago, for both new and used consoles)
Yeah it's worth your time. A 2nd-hand PS4 and a $10 copy of GTS is a good entry fee.
There are no visual upgrades apart from the livery editor and ability to change wheels.
But you can get performance upgrades by spending mileage points (which you earn by driving) on three-stage power increase and weight reduction. You are given a slider that then adjusts the percentage of each of those metrics. Elsewhere within the car setup screen you can change suspension upgrades, gearbox type, diff, etc. which will unlock the ability to adjust your suspension, gear rations, diff behaviour, all that guff.
So it's not as deep or personalised as regular GT, but you can still do what you need in order to make a few hotrods and experiment with them. But that marries up with the ranked online portion of the game being very focused on fixed-class racing where you cannot make any adjustments and it all comes down to your driving skill and, in longer races, your race strategy.
The singleplayer portion of the game has all the usual things: Arcade mode, 2-player, time trial, photo mode, drift mode, etc. There is a career mode with four tiers of difficulty that unlock as your level increases. They start with the familiar beginner races like 2-lap jaunts in the Sunday Cup, through the usual themed events such as the FR cars, mid-engined cars, exotic road cars, Nissan GT-Rs, boxer-engined cars, then up to full 1-hour races in LMP1, GT3, etc.
If you're not racing online then you're up against the AI, which is terrible as usual. To put yourself on a level playing field you could do the game of trying to find the under-powered car and matching your lap times. By now there will be plenty of hints and tips online on the best cars to use in this way.
Outside of career mode there are also driving challenges that take the place of the usual licence tests, and they have been expanded to also include mission races which can be quite fun as they put you in a situation where you need to really drive quite well (for example: start in last position and win the race within 10 laps), as well as circuit experience, which focus on teaching you each individual track. They all award a good haul of cash for spending on your garage too, so don't ignore those.
And to get the most out of the game, you HAVE to have your PS4 connected to the internet, as all of your progress in career mode and with your driver profile is saved in TEH CLOUD. Thankfully you don't need to pay for a PS+ subscription for this. But you do get access to the online livery and logo marketplace, which is also free, and essential of you're into making your own liveries like I am, as well as sharing photos and replays. The game has received a lot of updates over the initial release, so make sure you grab all of those added cars and tracks (also free) because they have been added into the career mode over time as well.
So all-in-all I recommend the game, especially at a low cost of entry. I personally think GTS is better than GT6, and the things we lost in GTS were made up for by the increased focus of the game into eSports as I have had a brilliant time in Sport mode ranked lobbies. It's the best online racing available on a console, and to do better you need to invest heavily into iRacing on PC.
Sweet, very in-depth (more useful info than the dozens of articles and videos I've come across)
You even answered questions I didn't think to ask (PS+, free cars/tracks as opposed to microtransactions, ...)
Thank you!
No worries mang. I hope I have convinced you to give it a try.
Best served with a racing wheel though.
I run in a few leagues and wheels just make it more fun.
Thanks RWA, I'm certainly convinced on getting Gran Turismo Sport, just want to find a PS5 at MSRP or a decent price on a PS4 (looked back, there definitely were much better deals last year).
Finally got GTS and a PS4.
Bunch of minor complaints (some of which would be super-easy fixes), but overall it looks great, sounds great and plays great.
Feels more like a sequel to FM6 rather than GT6.