How to shift gears in Gran Turismo 7

Gran Turismo 7 is finally here, and it was worth the agonisingly long wait. Thanks to the improved physics, driving in Gran Turismo has never felt better. GT7 lets you drive with automatic or manual transmissions, but how do you shift gears in Gran Turismo 7 when you’re ready to move to a manual? We’ve got everything you need to know.

Moving from automatic to manual

If GT7 is your first Gran Turismo game, we recommend using automatic gears. With automatic gears enabled, GT7's cars are much easier to drive as you don’t need to worry about shifting gears.

Gran Turismo 7 cockpit view 1
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Moving from automatic to manual gears can be daunting, but you'll have more precise control of the car

Once you’ve gained more experience, you’ll be ready to move from automatic to manual gears. First, you’ll need to change the transmission from automatic to manual in the settings. To do this, select Settings in the menu before starting an event by using the d-pad or left analogue stick and then pressing Cross.

Then go to Assist Settings, where you’ll find Gears as the first option. Press Cross to select Gears and then change the gear setting from Automatic to Manual. Press Circle when you’re done to go back to the menu and start the event.

How to shift gears in Gran Turismo 7

If you’re using a controller, press Cross to shift up a gear and Square to shift down a gear. Alternatively, you can remap the controls by going to the controller settings. On a wheel, use the paddle shifters or a separate gear shifter to change gears.

GT7 Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo 91 Scapes 02
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Practising using manual gears will help improve your driving

On the head-up display, the number at the bottom shows the currently selected gear. Next to that, the number in red tells you which gear you should be in. As a general rule, shift up a gear as the engine approaches the redline Shifting down while braking will also slow the car down faster.

If you’re used to automatic gears, adjusting to manual gears can take time. It’s worth putting in some practice though as manual gears give you more control of the car and will help improve your lap times.