Is GT7 Still Pay-to-Win in 2024?

No. After a year of ongoing updates and economy tuning, Gran Turismo 7 has made enough player-friendly changes to move past its controversial launch. While some work remains, Polyphony Digital has listened to feedback and taken steps to make progression, rewards, and microtransactions feel fair for all drivers. Read on for a full evaluation from a fellow fan.

Revisiting GT7‘s Rough Start

When Gran Turismo 7 first released in March 2022, critical reception saw a noticeable split between professional reviewers and players:

Critics praised its legenday attention to realistic racing physics and breadth of content. But the average player felt frustrated with two key areas:

1. Aggressive Microtransactions

• Iconic cars like the 1998 Toyota Supra RZ cost up to $40 REAL dollars
• Purchasing credits ranged from $2.49 up to $79.99
• Limited edition vehicles put behind a paywall

2. Excessive Grinding

• Multi-million credit prices on high-end cars
• Most races only awarded a few thousand credits
• Reaching top cars estimated to take 50-100 hours

Fans argued this blatantly encouraged microtransactions over reasonable progression. This crafted an early "pay-to-win" reputation rather than skill-based advancement.

Tracking Major Changes Through Patches

However, Polyphony hasn‘t stood idle for the last year. Numerous major updates addressed car pricing, race payouts, and microtransactions:

Credit Rewards

• Standard race first place prize increased from ~2k to 20k credits
• Championship bonus raised from ~5k to 100k credits
• 30-minute endurance events award ~500k credits
• Completing circuit experiences nets 300k+ credits

Car Prices

• Top supercars like the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento lowered from 20 million to 4 million credits
• Classic sports cars down to 1-2 million from 5 million+

Microtransactions

• Steep $40 brand new car cost removed from store
• Highest direct credit pack reduced from 20 mil to 10 mil credits
• Limited time invites allow earning exclusive cars through gameplay

These sweeping changes returned the ability to gain credits and top cars simply through dedicated play. The perceived requirement of real money purchases diminished as a result.

What Do Players Say In 2023?

Recent Steam and Metacritic reviews indicate general positivity around GT7‘s evolution:

"I deleted GT7 after a week. Came back after the newest update and ended up binging for hours!"

"With the increased payouts, I can bank a few million credits easily after just a good session."

"The game has problems but at its core is an authentic Gran Turismo experience."

Criticisms still acknowledge areas needing work:

"Always online requirement remains nonsense. Crashes my rural internet."

"Would be nice to have a few more customization options for personal player expression."

"Still probably the most grindy AAA racing franchise."

But most now praise Polyphony for responsively updating the game far past industry norms.

The Verdict: No Longer "Pay-to-Win"

In summary, Gran Turismo 7 faced fair accusations of predatory monetization systems on launch day in 2022. But consistent developer support over a year-long span has resulted in meaningful evolution.

• Healthy credit outputs respect player time investments
• Car prices scaled to match enhanced race rewards
• Focus shifted from microtransaction push

This comeback journey isn‘t finished, but GT7 deserves acknowledgement for correcting course. As a longtime fan, I‘m happy to declare Gran Turismo is back on track providing its signature expert racing experience.

So for those who took a break from the hassles last spring – come on back! The virtual track awaits and the pricing is fair once again!