3. My Lounge
A Private Space for the Ultimate Track Day

In Gran Turismo 5, every player has his or her very own private racing lobby online called "My Lounge." Only people on your PlayStation®Network Friends list can enter.

In My Lounge, players can pick the track of their choice, set up custom race regulations, and hold private custom racing events with their friends. Up to 16 players can race at the same time. It's even possible to sit back and watch without having to join the race yourself, with a variety of race camera views available. People in the lounge can even do free runs around the track before the race begins.

Imagine this: You set a time for a race using the in-game messaging feature, and wait for people to gather while you do free runs around the track. Your friends start to join, with people doing laps to warm up. Once everyone has arrived, it's time to race. Anybody not racing can watch the race live and chat with everyone else there.

Watch live races via one of many different camera angles.

Monitor the lap times and best section times of friends as they race, and chat by voice or text.

Jump to a camera view like this to watch the race from the perspective of the drivers.

4. Course Maker
Make an Original Course to Share With Your Friends

Gran Turismo 5 introduces the Course Maker feature, which allows you to generate your own original tracks.

Select the environment and terrain, and then adjust a variety of parameters such as course length and corner sharpness to easily create a variety of tracks that match your taste. When you've created something you really like, share your original track with your friends online, and use them to race against your friends in My Lounge.

Course Maker adds a wealth of racing options to expand and customize your Gran Turismo experience.

Select an environment and terrain type from a variety of options.

Adjust a variety of parameters and generate an original course based on those settings.

5. Kart Racing
Discover a Whole New Dimension of Racing

Gran Turismo 5 marks the very first time kart racing has been available in a Gran Turismo game. Karts are a popular way for car enthusiasts and aspiring race car drivers to experience racing firsthand, and in the context of Gran Turismo 5 karts provide a great way to practice and master racing techniques on a smaller and safer scale.

And of course kart racing in Gran Turismo 5 won't be anything like your average kart racing game. The driving physics and dynamic characteristics have been meticulously recreated through the game's brand-new advanced physics engine, based on the kart's unique size, ride height, tires, aerodynamics and engine, making racing a kart feel just as realistic as any of the other cars in the game. Kart racing delivers a whole new layer of fun and excitement to Gran Turismo 5.