There are growing signs that Polyphony Digital is already deep into work on the future of Gran Turismo. The PlayStation developer is currently hiring for a wide range of positions connected directly to the racing series. One important point should not be overlooked, however: neither Sony nor Polyphony Digital has officially announced a game called Gran Turismo 8. What is clear is that the studio has been planning beyond Gran Turismo 7 for quite some time.
The latest attention comes from Polyphony Digital’s extensive recruitment push.
On the studio’s official careers pages, numerous positions are currently listed for developers who would work directly on the production of Gran Turismo.
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The openings cover areas including graphics, artificial intelligence, online features, audio, user interfaces, game engines, and vehicle physics.
Polyphony is specifically hiring for Gran Turismo
Polyphony Digital makes it fairly clear what the new employees would be working on.
The studio explicitly says it is looking for staff for the production of Gran Turismo.
Open positions include roles such as Racing Game Programmer, Graphics Programmer, Game AI Programmer, Vehicle Simulation Programmer, UI Designer, CG Artist, and Technical Artist.
One of the more interesting listings is for a developer focused on vehicle simulation.
That role involves helping to further develop the simulation engine used by the Gran Turismo series and reproducing the unique technical characteristics of individual cars as realistically as possible.
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The description specifically refers to technologies such as hybrid systems and active suspension.
Taken together, the listings clearly suggest that Polyphony is doing more than simply maintaining existing content. The studio continues to invest in substantial technical development across the Gran Turismo franchise.
Gran Turismo 8 still hasn’t been officially announced
It would still be a mistake to treat the job listings as an official confirmation of Gran Turismo 8.
Sony Interactive Entertainment and Polyphony Digital have not announced a game under that name.
There are also no confirmed platforms, release date, or technical details for whatever comes next.
However, the fact that Polyphony is working toward the future of Gran Turismo is hardly new.
Back in early 2023, series creator Kazunori Yamauchi discussed what would come after Gran Turismo 7.
Asked which areas of the franchise he still wanted to develop further, Yamauchi said the team had already begun moving toward its next project.
He even revealed that there was already a basic theme in mind for the next Gran Turismo, although he wasn’t ready to share further details.
So it has been clear for years that Polyphony has been thinking about and working toward whatever comes after Gran Turismo 7.
The current job listings point to a larger project
That makes the more interesting question not whether Polyphony is working on another Gran Turismo, but how far along that project might be.
The range of positions currently being advertised certainly fits with a substantial production.
Polyphony isn’t just hiring people to create individual cars or tracks. The studio is recruiting across many of the core systems required for a modern racing game.
That includes servers and online systems, graphics, AI, driving physics, user interfaces, and the game engine itself.
None of this proves that Gran Turismo 8 is close to being revealed.
But the current hiring push is another strong indication that Polyphony is planning well beyond Gran Turismo 7.
Could the next Gran Turismo already be a PS6 game?
Another major question is the platform.
Gran Turismo 7 launched in March 2022 for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
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A full sequel would arrive significantly later, which raises the possibility that the next major Gran Turismo could overlap with Sony’s next console generation.
Whether Gran Turismo 8 will actually be developed for PlayStation 6 remains pure speculation at this point.
Still, one earlier comment from Yamauchi is interesting in that context.
In 2023, he explained that Polyphony was deliberately not creating vehicle models only with the then-current PS5 generation in mind.
Instead, the studio was already designing assets so they would also be suitable for more powerful hardware in the future.
That doesn’t automatically mean Yamauchi was specifically referring to PS6.
But it does show that Polyphony plans its technology and assets over the long term.
A racing simulation like Gran Turismo could also benefit heavily from more powerful hardware.
More advanced vehicle physics, improved ray tracing, higher frame rates, more sophisticated AI, and even greater visual detail would all be obvious areas for a future entry to expand.
Gran Turismo 7 remains the current main entry for now
Until Sony officially announces another Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo 7 remains the current main game in the series.
Polyphony Digital has continued to support the title since launch with new cars, tracks, and additional features.
That ongoing support doesn’t rule out parallel development on a successor.
In fact, it’s common for major studios to split resources, with one part of the team maintaining an existing game while other developers move on to future projects.
The latest job listings therefore add another piece to the puzzle surrounding Gran Turismo’s future.
There is still no official Gran Turismo 8 announcement.
But combined with Yamauchi’s earlier comments, it is becoming increasingly clear that Polyphony Digital has been looking beyond Gran Turismo 7 for some time.
When Sony will finally reveal the next Gran Turismo—and whether it will actually be called Gran Turismo 8—remains to be seen.
