Gran Turismo Sport is preparing for a closed beta on March 17

Once the only real choice for video game drivers everywhere and the staple of Playstations 1 to 3, Gran Turismo is slowly returning to the racing track. Gran Turismo Sport will be the 13th game in the GT series, and the first one on the PS4.

Here is what Kazunori Yamauchi, the head developer of the game, has to say about the closed beta:

Participants will be able to choose from a select rotation of cars and tracks each day to race online against others during the BETA phases. Track and car selections will vary during this period, and we made sure to offer different race class categories and course configurations to properly test our Gran Turismo fans!

This will also be the first time users will see how the Driver Profile is integrated within Gran Turismo Sport. The introduction of Sportsmanship Rating (tracks a player’s behavior and manners on-track) and Driver Rating (represents the overall speed of the player and how well they perform in races) will ensure those that race online will be equally matched, naturally creating a balanced group of competitive drivers for every race.

The initial phase of the closed BETA, starting on March 17th, will only be open to selected US PSN IDs, so be sure to check your “Messages” on the PS4 dashboard to see if you’ve been invited.

As with most BETA programs, in order for the development team to capture data in an optimal manner, the sample size needs to be increased gradually and in stages.

Hopefully the beta will include other areas apart from the US relatively soon, perhaps even with an open beta as is common lately.

Prepare your racing wheels, Gran Turismo Sport will be out on PS4 and PS4 Pro some time in 2017.