"Oh go on, just one more go," screams my inner monologue as I try for what feels like the 9,000th time to rack up a gold standard time on a National A license test, "You're only 0.15 seconds off, you can do it." Once again I miss an apex, brake too late, or turn in too early, and I fall shy of the highest tier. I swear quietly and hit retry again. And probably several more times afterward. That's the joy of Gran Turismo 7: You can always do better, you'll always want to do better, and it's just a few quick button stabs away.

In the latest entry in the PlayStation's top-flight race series, perfection isn't only famed producer Kazunori Yamauchi's aim--it swiftly becomes yours. It plays as close to driving a real car as you can get on a console, and much like shaving a few seconds off your commute, or playing on your favorite road in the real world, the game draws you in with challenges, physics, and luscious visuals. The first numbered Gran Turismo since the PS3's Gran Turismo 6, GT7 marks not only nearly a decade since its predecessor, but a quarter of a century since The Real Driving Simulator got petrolheads obsessed with lap times on the PS1. While it's evolved massively since then, it's also strangely familiar--for better and for worse.

Gran Turismo's goal to be the best-looking driving sim out there hasn't been dropped. There are two display modes to choose from: Scapes mode and Frame Rate mode. On a PS5 connected to a 4K TV with Ray Tracing enabled, Scapes mode becomes a visual treat for snap-happy players and fans of custom creations. Everything looks smooth enough that you'll want to run your fingers across the glistening paint jobs. However, when you're racing you'll want to have Frame Rate mode switched on--this keeps the game at a steady 60fps, but does lose some visual flare. How much you'll care about that may be limited, as when you're racing you'll likely only have eyes for the car in front, not how accurate the reflection of the advertisements you're blitzing past is on the hood. Even without ray tracing, the hyper-detailed in-car view shows bits of the dashboard reflected in the windshield, drawing your eye. It can be a bit distracting, but that's how real cars work.