Gran Turismo 5/Online Features
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This is a sub-page of Gran Turismo 5.
While Gran Turismo 5 was not the first officially released game to feature online play (that title belongs to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue) or online features (that title belongs to Gran Turismo HD Concept), it was the first game which completely redefined its experience thanks to the vast online features introduced. Players were able to come together worldwide to race against one another online, but it didn't stop there. Sharing pictures, replays, custom courses made with the Course Maker, gifting items & cars, showing off custom rides (and loaning them to friends as well), purchasing rare cars from a limited-time-only dealership, and even a continuous stream of new events and challenges for players to tackle if they're still asking for more. There's no doubt that online connectivity has greatly enhanced the experience of the game for its millions of players.
After the official termination of the online services for the game on May 30th, 2014, all of this content is no longer accessible, which unfortunately changed the fate of features and content besides game modes. A huge majority of the game's obtainable items, such as custom helmets and suits for the player's avatar, special paint color chips, special cars, and much more content became inaccessible with the termination of the online services. With the use of hacking and/or modifications however, one can obtain most of this content, but features such as game modes and others have became lost forever.
This page documents any content and features that are no longer accessible due to relying on the online services for functionality. Some of this content is still obtainable offline with the use of hacking and/or modifications, and will be stated as such if possible.
Contents
Features
This section details features, such as gameplay enhancements or game modes, that relied on the online services to function.
Museum
The Museum is a feature that, when connected to the online services, allowed players to view historical images relating to car manufacturers and brands that the game features. Since the online services have been terminated, this feature is no longer available. However, the images featured as well as their descriptions are actually stored in the game's data files. Why this feature requires a connection to the online services is unknown. Perhaps the original intention was to download the data and any additional images from the game's servers?
According to in-game documentation, the Japanese version features additional Museum data for Alfa Romeo, while the Asian version completely removes access to this feature.
Open Lobby
Unlocked with Version 1.01 of the game, Open Lobby is the game's central online game mode, where players can join or create their own lobbies for playing against other players. Lobbies can be customized with various settings as well as some modifiers that can change the gameplay experience for players. As the online services have been terminated, online gameplay is no longer available.
Shuffle Race
One of the most well-received online game modes was Shuffle Race. This mode gave all players in the lobby a random car as soon as they entered the course. All of the cars would be of similar or balanced performance to one another. This randomization element proved to be a favorite for players as the outcome and experience would always be different for each race. Version 2.00 (also known as the Spec 2.0 Update) added a "Shuffle Base" setting for Shuffle Race, which allowed the host of the lobby to adjust the performance category of cars that the randomizer would give to players, with lower values selecting slower cars and higher values selecting faster cars.
Since the termination of the online services, this unique game mode is no longer accessible. Yet, it is still one of the most-requested modes of gameplay by fans wanted to make a return in a future title, but it has yet to do so.
Seasonal Events
Added in Version 1.05 of the game, Seasonal Events are challenges created by the developers that required a connection to the online services in order to access and play them. These challenges updated on a scheduled basis and often had difficult challenges with very rewarding prizes offered for players that were able to clear them. As the game received more updates, these challenges became more varied, taking place on courses made with the game's Course Maker and offering more unique prizes such as inventory items and cars.
Added in Version 2.06 was a Performance Difference Adjustment, which was a rewards multiplier that took effect depending on the Performance Points rating of the car the player used to clear the challenge. If the player used a car that had less performance than the event's maximum allowed regulations, even more Credits and experience points would be rewarded.
As the online services has been terminated, Seasonal Events are no longer available, but information regarding the events can be found archived all over the Internet.
Online Car Dealership
Added in Version 1.05 of the game, the Online Car Dealership is a special car dealer that required a connection to the online services in order to access. The cars offered here updated on a scheduled basis and often contained rare or sought-after Standard cars (including GTPSP versions of already-Premium cars) with little to no distance accumulated on their odometer. Cars such as the Formula Gran Turismo, the Chaparral 2J Race Car, and other rare vehicles that would normally take weeks of constant gameplay to finally appear in the Used Car Dealership were easily obtainable here. Sometimes, the prices of vehicles would be lower than their normal value. In any case, the Online Car Dealership offered cars which players often sought after for use with the completion of certain difficult events, or just for adding to their car collections.
As the inventory offered by the Online Car Dealership obviously relied on the online services, it is no longer available.
Remote Racing
Added in Version 1.06 of the game and found in the Community tab of the GT Mode home screen, Remote Racing is a unique game mode in which the player would take their B-Spec drivers and "send them online" to compete against their friends' B-Spec drivers that have been sent online as well. Races that occur in this game mode are completely automated; the player has no control over their own drivers, so it is up to the driver's own skillset and without any direction from the player to come out on top in an attempt to win the race. The moods and experience levels of B-Spec drivers that are sent online to compete against one another do not change while in the "online" state, so players could send in their best drivers in their best possible conditions to compete and earn as much rewards as possible.
What's more is that the player could log into their account from the GT5 My Home website and remotely manage over the internet the races that were taking place, hence the name of the game mode. This required the game to be running in the Remote Racing game mode, which means the game console would be left on. Results could be viewed for races that were in-progress or completed, and the next races could be scheduled ahead of time, allowing players to select which drivers would be competing against whom. Essentially, this game mode enabled players to earn rewards even when they're away from or not playing the game.
As the online services have been terminated, this game mode is no longer available.
Car Loan
Added in Version 1.06, the Car Loan System enabled players to select cars to share online and allow their friends to borrow them. This allowed players to borrow cars that they didn't have, wanted, or needed for whatever purpose, such as completing an event that requires a specific car for example. Loaned cars couldn't be saved, and once the player switches out of the loaned car to a car that they own, it would disappear, requiring them to borrow it once again. Loaned cars also could not be sold, taken to GT Auto, be resprayed a different color, have custom parts purchased, or have tuning parts purchased once borrowed by the player; that means if the car being borrowed has unique custom parts, its own colors, and tuning parts, then the car will retain these characteristics, just that the player cannot change them at all once borrowed.
This feature is no longer available as the online services have been terminated.
Online Sign-in Bonus
Added in Version 1.10, for every day that the player started GT Mode while signed-on to PlayStation Network and connected to the online services, they would receive bonus inventory items, those being helmets and suits for the player's avatar, as well as paint color chips. For the first day, the counter begins at five items each, meaning that the player would receive five avatar items and five paint color chips. For every consecutive day the bonus is obtained, this would increase by one, up to a maximum of ten, for ten avatar items and ten paint color chips received every time the player started GT Mode while signed-on.
As the online services has been terminated, this bonus is no longer available, which also means that the avatar items normally given out are no longer possible to obtain, normally anyway. Luckily, with the use of hacking and/or modifications, you can obtain these avatar items that would otherwise be impossible to obtain anymore.
Consecutive Login Bonus
Added in Version 2.00 (also known as the Spec 2.0 Update) of the game, the Consecutive Login Bonus was a rewards multiplier given to the player for every day that they started GT Mode while signed-on to PlayStation Network and connected to the online services. The multiplier would start at a base value of 110% for the 1st day, 130% for the 2nd day, 150% for the 3rd day, 170% for the 4th, and finally to a maximum of 200% for the 5th and every other day. It will decrease by a day’s percentage amount for every day that the player does not sign-on. This multiplier would multiply Credits and experience points by the percentage given across all game modes, allowing players to quickly accumulate Credits for purchasing cars and items as well as leveling up quickly, so long as they maintained the bonus.
As the online services has been terminated, this bonus is no longer available. However, this particular bonus did return for Gran Turismo 6.
Photo Stream
Added in Version 2.06, the Photo Stream service was a feature that showcased photos that players have shared online. Any photos that the player has shared online would have been viewable via the Photo Stream page on the GT My Home website, which was terminated earlier before the remaining online services did (November 29, 2013). As the online services have been terminated, this service is no longer available.
Content
This section details content, such as inventory items, cars and courses, that was originally only obtainable via online services, which includes Downloadable Content (DLC). Content that is still accessible offline with the use of hacking and/or modifications will be denoted as such.
Cars
Gran Turismo 5 was the first game in the franchise to introduce Downloadable Content (DLC). Commercial DLC was not made available until some time later with the release of the Spec 2.0 Update, Version 2.00, but pre-order bonus DLC was included depending on the retailer that the game was pre-ordered from. Cars were the primary bonus lure for customers who pre-ordered the game. There are also some cars that were only obtainable via limited-time events involving the game's online services.
Downloadable Content (DLC)
These cars required their appropriate DLC to be purchased in order to be completely accessible in the game. Since the online services as well as the sale of all DLC has been discontinued, these cars are no longer available by normal means. While these cars can still be accessed by using the game's Secret options, the cars are not able to be customized/tuned when being accessed via this method, so each car's appropriate DLC needs to be installed in order to have full access.
Additionally, some of these cars, in specific the Scion FR-S '12, the Chevrolet Corvette C7 Test Prototype, and the Chevrolet 2014 Corvette Stingray Final Prototype, were released as free DLC available to download from the PlayStation Store, but they still require the DLC to be installed to have full access.
The following is a list of all cars that were sold as commercial DLC:
Introduced in Version 2.00 and made available on October 25, 2011:
- Dodge Challenger SRT8 Touring Car
- Honda CR-Z Touring Car
- Mazda Roadster Touring Car
- Mazda RX-7 Touring Car
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Touring Car
- Nissan GT-R R35 Touring Car
- Nissan SKYLINE GT-R R33 Touring Car
- Nissan SKYLINE GT-R R32 Touring Car
- Nissan SKYLINE GT-R R34 Touring Car
- Gran Turismo RACING KART Jr.
- Gran Turismo RACING KART 100
- Gran Turismo RACING KART 125
- Gran Turismo Red Bull X2011 Prototype
- Subaru IMPREZA Touring Car
- Toyota PRIUS Touring Car
Introduced in Version 2.02 and made available on December 20, 2011:
- MINI COOPER S '11
- Nissan GT-R Black edition '12
- Volkswagen Scirocco R '10
- Volkswagen Golf VI R '10
Introduced in Version 2.03 and made available on January 17, 2012:
- Aston Martin V12 Vantage '10
- Jaguar XJR-9 LM Race Car '88
- Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 '11
- MINI COOPER S Countryman '11
- Nissan Leaf G '11
- Volkswagen 1200 '66
Introduced in Version 2.04 and made available on June 26, 2012:
- Scion FR-S '12
Introduced in Version 2.08 and made available on September 25, 2012:
- Honda weider HSV-010 (SUPER GT) '11
- Nissan GT-R N24 GT Academy '12
- Subaru BRZ S '12
Introduced in Version 2.09 and made available on November 28, 2012:
- Chevrolet Corvette C7 Test Prototype
Introduced in Version 2.10 and made available on January 15, 2013:
- Chevrolet 2014 Corvette Stingray Final Prototype
Limited Edition/Exclusive DLC
These cars were released as bonuses for those who pre-ordered the game. Also, there is a single car that was released as an exclusive promotional bonus. Like the list above, these cars require the appropriate DLC installed to have full access. While these cars were never released outside of their limited edition status, they can be accessed by using the game's Secret options, but accessing them in this way means they are not able to be customized/tuned.
There is an exception to this rule, which is the 2010 Joey Logano #20 GameStop TOYOTA CAMRY '10 (Fantasy). See its appropriate page for more details on accessing that car via another method.
The following is a list of all cars that are limited edition DLC:
Signature Edition cars:
- Audi R10 TDI Stealth Model
- Honda NSX GT500 Stealth Model
- Mazda 787B Stealth Model
- McLaren F1 Stealth Model
- Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Stealth Model
- Nissan GT-R GT500 Stealth Model
Collector's Edition cars:
- Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro Chrome Line
- BMW M3 Coupé Chrome Line
- Jaguar XJ13 Chrome Line
- Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 Chrome Line
- Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé Chrome Line
- Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Chrome Line
GameStop Pre-Order Bonus:
Exclusive Promotional DLC:
DLC Purchase Bonuses
Two vehicles were given out as a bonus to players who purchased more than a single voucher of certain DLC items. These vehicles are the Gran Turismo RACING KART 125 SPL. and the Toyota FT-86 II Concept '11. See the appropriate pages concerning these two vehicles for more information.
GT Academy 2012 Bonuses
All of the cars that were featured in GT Academy 2012, a standalone build of the game used for a competition, were brought to the full game and given out as bonuses to players who participated in the competition and met the requirements for obtaining them. See the page concerning these cars for more information.
Courses
Alongside cars introduced as Downloadable Content came additional courses as well. Like the cars above, the courses required their appropriate DLC to be purchased and installed in order to be completely accessible in the game. Since the online services as well as the sale of all DLC has been discontinued, the additional courses are no longer available by normal means. While these can still be accessed by using the game's Secret options, you cannot access them in GT Mode without the appropriate DLC installed.
The following is a list of all the courses that were released as commercial DLC:
Introduced in Version 2.00 and made available on October 25, 2011:
- Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
- Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps / Weather Change
- Kart Space I
- Kart Space I / Reverse
- Kart Space II
- Kart Space II / Reverse
Introduced in Version 2.03 and made available on January 17, 2012:
- Special Stage Route X
Introduced in Version 2.06 and made available on June 26, 2012:
- Road Course - Twin Ring Motegi
- Twin Ring Motegi East Course
- Twin Ring Motegi West Course
- Super Speedway - Twin Ring Motegi
Speed Test
Added in Version 2.03 was a Speed Test game mode, which allowed players to test the maximum speed of their vehicles as well as measure other statistics. This game mode was included in the Speed Test Course Pack DLC, which includes the Special Stage Route X course in which the tests are conducted on. This mode is only accessible when the appropriate DLC is installed. However, with the use of hacking and/or modifications, one can enable the game mode by editing a specific value in their save game data.
