A fan-favorite race track from the PlayStation 3 era is returning to the Gran Turismo series: Polyphony Digital has announced that Eiger Nordward will be released soon. GT7 in update 1.49 this month.
The update was unusually revealed today at the Gran Turismo World Series live event in Montreal between races of the Manufacturers Cup. A short trailer, similar to the ones we usually see, showed off the content and it’s fair to say it came as something of a surprise – not least because it’s the first street course added since Grand Valley in February 2023.
GTPlanet first reported on the possibility of the Eiger course being revamped for a return appearance in the series back in August 2023, when the region appeared in a Sony Creators Conference presentation. The PD crew was shown photographing the landscape from a helicopter, and the slides included a number of 3D models of buildings such as the Kleine Scheidegg train station.
The original Eiger-Nordward circuit was first created in Gran Turismo HDas the only course in the game along with its reverse variant. Although it was only a short 2.4km course, the track was tricky and offered some spectacular scenery.
After his appearance in Prologue to Gran Turismo 5the site was expanded for Gran Turismo 5 And 6 with three additional off-road courses. However, it joins so many other places in the big GT trash can (or rather ashtray), as it is excluded from the selection for Gran Turismo Sport.
For the 1.49 update, only the Eiger North Face track itself is mentioned, so it looks like we’ll only get the original, paved track and not the later rally additions. It also seems to be very close to the original layout, unlike some other classics that have been modified, although we’re not entirely sure where the pit lane is this time around.
This very welcome addition is also accompanied by one of the largest car sets in a game update since the launch of GT7, as six new vehicles are added to the roster. It’s also a roster that is heavily influenced by PS3-era nostalgia, with two cars making their series debut and one that GT fans may recognize from the GTHD Trailer, but not the game itself.
The first two are the track-bred Scuderia versions of the Ferrari F430 and the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. They are joined by another supercar in the form of the brand new Ruf RGT 4.2 from 2016 – a rare addition to the Ruf brand in the era of freely available Porsche licenses.
A long-standing gap in Gran Turismo’s car roster is being filled with an unexpected update: the 1997 E36-generation BMW M3 will be part of the update. It’s not the first time we’ve seen an E36, but it’s the first appearance of the M3 of this generation.
Finally, there are two racing cars: the 1998 version of the Subaru Impreza WRC is likely to be entered into Group B, and the expected racing version of the Genesis Vision Gran Turismo is expected to be a Gr.1 car.
- 1997
- Ferrari F430 Scuderia 2007
- Genesis Gran X Racer Vision Gran Turismo Concept
- 2008 Lamborghini Huracan
- Call RGT 4.2 2016
- Subaru Impreza WRC 1998
But that’s not all the update has to offer, as Gran Turismo Sophy’s offering is expanded to include two new race tracks: the 24-hour Nürburgring circuit and the entire Autodrome Lago Maggiore circuit.
Also touted are new tires, new wheels, and, interestingly, “new physics,” although we’ll probably have to wait a while to find out exactly what that means – aside from a likely reset of the track experience and license leaderboards and possible changes to time targets.
The update itself is scheduled to be released on Thursday, July 25, so there is plenty of time to save up for the new vehicle fleet.
You can find more articles about the game update for Gran Turismo 7 here.