After weeks of teasers, leaks, and speculation, the highly anticipated “May” update for Gran Turismo Sport is finally here. It brings with it one of the world’s most popular circuits, nine new cars, new GT League events, and a flurry of other adjustments and bug-fixes.
We’ll be taking a closer look at all there is to see in this 3.6GB update over the next few days, but for now, let’s review everything new:
Circuit de la Sarthe
Headlining the 1.19 update is the legendary home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The 8.47-mile circuit provides a much-needed boost to the game’s real-world track count, following the additions of Monza and Tsukuba earlier in the year. The relatively small track selection was something we lamented in our own GT Sport review last year, so La Sarthe is certainly welcome.
Of course, adding the circuit which hosts the world’s most famous 24-hour endurance race puts a bit of an awkward spotlight on the fact that GT Sport doesn’t have dynamic time-of-day or weather changes. However, the circuit is available to be driven in one of seven different static times of day, so it won’t always look the same — and what you will see looks absolutely gorgeous, of course.
Nine New Cars
In keeping with the Le Mans theme, the big stars in this update are from the famous Group C class which raced at the track in the ’80s and early ’90s, but there’s more to be found here, too.
We’ll be taking a deep-dive with all the new cars a bit later, but for now, here’s a quick review of what’s available:
New GT League Events
In addition to the new track and cars, a batch of new events are now available in the game’s single-player GT League.
- New Event: Group 4 Cup (Beginner League)
- New Event: World Hatchback Championship (Amateur League)
- New Event: Lamborghini Cup (Professional League)
- New Rounds: Clio Cup (Beginner League)
- New Rounds: FR Challenge+ (Amateur League)
- New Rounds: F1500 Championship (Professional League)
- New Rounds: Gr.1 Prototype Endurance Series (Endurance League)
1.19 Official Release Notes
We’ve got the official release notes from Polyphony Digital below, but as always, there’s usually a few other things the developers like to sneak in. Head on over to the 1.19 “Undocumented Changes” thread in our forums for lots more analysis and discussion.
1. New Cars
- The following cars have been added:
・Fiat 500 F ’68
・Jaguar XJR-9 ’88
・Lamborghini Miura P400 Bertone Prototype CN.0706 ’67
・Mercedes-Benz Sauber Mercedes C9 ’89
・Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR ’96
・Nissan R92CP ’92
・Renault Sport Megane Trophy ’11
・Renault Sport Clio R.S. 220 EDC Trophy ’16
・Subaru BRZ S ’15
2. Tracks
- Two different layouts of the “Circuit de la Sarthe” has beenadded:
・Circuit de la Sarthe
・Circuit de la Sarthe (No Chicane)
3. Campaign Mode
- The following events have been added to the “GT League”:
・Beginner League “Group 4 Cup”
・Amateur League “World Hatchback Championship”
・Professional League “Lamborghini Cup”
・”Clio Cup” Rounds 4 and 5
・”FR Challenge+” Rounds 4 and 5
・”F1500 Championship” Rounds 4 and 5
・”Gr.1 Prototype Endurance Series” Round 2
- “Dragon Trail Gardens” has been added to the “Circuit Experience”.
4. Scapes
- Additional Scenes have been added to the special featured ‘Le Mans’ section.
5. Brand Central
- Museum has been added to Dodge;
- Additional Scapes Scenes have been added to Porsche.
6. Sport Mode
- Player’s Registration Details are now required when playing in “Sport” mode. Please fill in the registration form displayed on screen when selecting “Sport” mode. The content of the registration form is as follows:
・Contact email address (1)
・First Locale: Your State/prefecture of residence
・Second Locale: Your city/town/village of residence (2)
(1) Please enter a valid email address that we can use to contact you.
(2) Towns/villages are included in “County.” Also, depending on your region it may not be possible to select the second locale.
(The first locale information is displayed in the rankings. The rankings based on the second locale and age groups are only visible to yourself, and are not revealed to other players.)
- Local Rankings, based on your place of residence, are now displayed:
・Local Ranking (First Locale): The registered state/prefecture.
・Local Ranking (Second Locale): The registered city/town/village (towns/villages are included in “County”).
・Local Ranking (Second Locale/by Age Group): By age group in the registered city/town/village.
(Rankings by Age Group is based on the birthday registered to your PlayStation™Network account.)
- The former “World Rankings” category has been renamed “Region Rankings”.
7. Lobby
- The maximum multiplier of “Tire Wear” and “Fuel Consumption” in the [Event Settings] screen has been increased from “10x” to “30x”.
8. Arcade Mode
- In “Time Trial,” the default value for the “Shortcut Penalty” option in the [Penalty Settings] screen has been changed from “Weak” to “None”.
9. GT Menu
- The “Sport Mode Registration Information” option has been added to the [Options] menu under the “General” tab. It is possible to change your contact email address and locale information registered in Sport Mode here. (The age displayed will be based on the birthday registered on the PlayStation™Network account in use.)
Other Improvements and Adjustments:
– An issue wherein after Update 1.18 the neutral position on the Thrustmaster®TH8A shifter was not being applied properly has been fixed.
– A maximum number of 2000 cars can now be placed in the “Garage.”
– An issue wherein the volume adjustment for items such as ‘Player Engine Sound’ in [Sound Volume] was not being reflected properly has been fixed;
– Various other issues have been addressed.
See more articles on Circuit de la Sarthe, GT League, GT Sport Game Updates, and Le Mans.
