With Gran Turismo 7 set for release on 4th March, one of video games' most iconic racing simulators is making a triumphant return after a five-year hiatus.
The PlayStation exclusive series is one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time with gamers lauding its realistic depiction of real-world cars. But Gran Turismo has a lot more competition now than it did back in 1997. In 2022, does it still hold up as the best option for gamers looking for an authentic and immersive racing experience?
To find out, we analysed the in-game brake horsepower and weight of 15 car models from three of the most popular simulation racing game series: Gran Turismo, Forza Horizon and Need for Speed. We then compared those stats to the actual specs of real-life car models.
Continue reading, below, to find out which popular racing game has the most realistic depiction of cars.
Which racing game has the most realistic depiction of brake horsepower?
Our research found that 2021's Forza Horizon 5 has the most realistic depiction of real-life cars in video games, according to brake horsepower (bhp).
An indicator of how powerful each car is, Forza Horizon 5's max brake horsepower (bhp) stats were the closest to the actual bhp of their matching real-life models, only differing by 14 bhp on average.
Need for Speed Heat included the most amount of accurate brake horsepower depictions with over 33% of the analysed cars sharing the exact bhp of their real-life counterparts.
Gran Turismo Sport, on the other hand, had the highest average difference from real life brake horsepower. Its depiction of the BMW M3 was the most egregious example, differing by 81 from its real-life bhp.
| Car list | Actual max bhp | Gran Turismo Sport max bhp | Forza Horizon 5 max bhp | Need For Speed Heat max bhp |
| Acura NSX 17 | 493 | 562 | 573 | 573 |
| Aston Martin DB11 | 600 | 591 | 608 | 600 |
| BMW M3 | 328 | 409 | 333 | 338 |
| Ferrari 458 Italia 2009 | 562 | 555 | 562 | 570 |
| Ford Focus | 315 | 247 | 350 | 345 |
| Honda Civic Type R | 305 | 301 | 306 | 306 |
| Jaguar F-Type R Coupe | 542 | 535 | 550 | 542 |
| Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A | 280 | 288 | 280 | 276 |
| McLaren F1 | 618 | 617 | 627 | 618 |
| Mercedes Benz A45 | 354 | 350 | 355 | 355 |
| Nissan Skyline GTR 2002 | 280 | 331 | 327 | 158 |
| Pontiac Firebird | 200 | 216 | 201 | 200 |
| Porsche Cayman GT4 | 380 | 374 | 385 | 383 |
| Subaru BRZ | 197 | 195 | 200 | 197 |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 40 | 33 | 40 | 101 |
| Average difference from actual max bhp | 23 | 14 | 21 |
Which racing game has the most realistic depiction of car weight?
While Gran Turismo Sport has the least realistic brake horsepower across its car list, the 2017 racing game does have the most accurate depiction of car weight in simulation racing.
Weight affects a car's ability to accelerate, reach top speeds and brake faster - and Gran Turismo Sport only differs by 30kg, on average, from real-life car models.
Forza Horizon 5 features the heaviest cars out of the three popular racing franchises, averaging 1,462kg across the 15 analysed.
| Car list | Actual weight (kg) | Gran Turismo Sport weight (kg) | Forza Horizon 5 weight (kg) | Need For Speed Heat weight (kg) |
| Acura NSX 17 | 1,725 | 1,780 | 1,725 | 1,725 |
| Aston Martin DB11 | 1,770 | 1,770 | 1,875 | 1,870 |
| BMW M3 | 1,534 | 1,655 | 1,549 | 1,535 |
| Ferrari 458 Italia 2009 | 1,485 | 1,485 | 1,485 | 1,485 |
| Ford Focus | 1,516 | 1,462 | 1,563 | 1,362 |
| Honda Civic Type R | 1,380 | 1,380 | 1,382 | 1,382 |
| Jaguar F-Type R Coupe | 1,665 | 1,650 | 1,650 | 1,792 |
| Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A | 1,270 | 1,270 | 1,270 | 1,270 |
| McLaren F1 | 1,138 | 1,140 | 1,288 | 1,140 |
| Mercedes Benz A45 | 1,555 | 1,555 | 1,480 | 1,555 |
| Nissan Skyline GTR 2002 | 1,560 | 1,560 | 1,550 | 1,560 |
| Pontiac Firebird | 1,601 | 1,595 | 1,724 | 1,601 |
| Porsche Cayman GT4 | 1,415 | 1,300 | 1,340 | 1,320 |
| Subaru BRZ | 1,259 | 1,230 | 1,254 | 1,253 |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 725 | 780 | 798 | 800 |
| Average difference from actual weight | 30 | 46 | 38 |
Which racing game has the fastest cars?
Analysing brake horsepower and car weight is all well and good, but how do these stats affect the driving across these three racing games?
Forza Horizon 5 has the heaviest cars but also the highest average brake horsepower, resulting in the fastest speed and acceleration stats. This is most likely a design choice to cater to its open world format, giving players faster cars to traverse Mexico more efficiently.
Need for Speed Heat has the lowest base speed and acceleration stats, the result of having the lowest average bhp of all three games. Unlike the other two games, however, Need for Speed Heat has a nitrous feature that gives a boost of speed when activated, augmenting those lower base stats while racing.
| Car list | Gran Turismo Sport average speed/acceleration | Forza Horizon 5 average speed/acceleration | Need for Speed Heat average speed/acceleration |
| Acura NSX 17 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 4 |
| Aston Martin DB11 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 3.7 |
| BMW M3 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 2.3 |
| Ferrari 458 Italia 2009 | 7 | 7.1 | 4.4 |
| Ford Focus | 4.1 | 6 | 2.4 |
| Honda Civic Type R | 4.6 | 5.6 | 2 |
| Jaguar F-Type R Coupe | 6.5 | 6.4 | 3.3 |
| Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A | 5.4 | 5.8 | 2.1 |
| McLaren F1 | 7.1 | 7.6 | 5.2 |
| Mercedes Benz A45 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 2.6 |
| Nissan Skyline GTR 2002 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 1.9 |
| Pontiac Firebird | 3.4 | 4.1 | 1 |
| Porsche Cayman GT4 | 5.8 | 6.9 | 2.9 |
| Subaru BRZ | 4.3 | 5 | 1.4 |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1.1 |
| Average speed/acceleration | 5.5 | 6 | 2.7 |
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