Gran Turismo World Series 2026 came to Singapore – and it was as good as real racing

As far as esports events go, the third leg of the Gran Turismo World Series 2026 that took place in Singapore on Saturday (Oct 3) at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre was quite the experience.

Unlike your normal Dota 2 or Mobile Legends event where two teams of five battle it out with PCs or phones, the Gran Turismo World Series 2026 uses racing simulator rigs powered by Sony PlayStation PS5 Pros, and features 12 sim racers battling it out over multiple laps in the Gran Turismo 7 game.

Polyphony Digital's GT7, as it's also called, is a realistic driving game that features the ability to model track surface temperatures, dynamic weather, wind vectoring, downforce, and fuel economy. Basically, it's almost like racing in real life, and some sim racers have moved on to professional racing careers (which was also the inspiration behind 2023's Gran Turismo film starring Orlando Bloom and David Harbour).

And the one thing that sets this esports tournament apart from others? There's no massive prize pool – but they do get a cool looking trophy. Participants get to travel for free, and "drivers have the opportunity to visit many countries, such as Singapore, and to raise their profiles in the sim racing world," said a Polyphony Digital spokesperson.

The car-on-car action was easy to watch, even for laymen, since all you needed to know was which cars were in front and whether they crossed the line first. Compared with more complex team games like the aforementioned Dota 2, which usually feature multiple skills and objectives, or even shooter games like Valorant that usually feature movements that are too fast to catch for the average viewer, the Gran Turismo World Series 2026 hooks you in right from the start.

For the Gran