Gran Turismo World Series
The Gran Turismo World Series (also referred to as the GTWS) is a series of professional Gran Turismo world championship esports tournaments, managed directly by Japanese game development studio Polyphony Digital. The championship contains two series that are held concurrently throughout the year: the Nations Cup (entrants from their respective countries will represent them) and the Manufacturers Cup (entrants will race for and represent their chosen manufacturer). The series uses Polyphony Digital's latest racing video game Gran Turismo 7.
| Current season, competition or edition: 2023 GTWS season | |
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| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder | Kazunori Yamauchi |
| First season | 2018 |
| Owner(s) | Polyphony Digital |
| Commissioner | Kazunori Yamauchi |
| Countries | Worldwide |
| Most recent champion(s) | Toyota GR GT Cup Pol Urra Nations Cup Pol Urra Coque López José Serrano Manufacturers Cup Mateo Estevez Mehdi Hafidi Ryota Kokubun |
| Most titles | Igor Fraga (4) (1 Toyota GR GT Cup, 1 Nations, 2 Manufacturers) Takuma Miyazono (4) (1 Toyota GR GT Cup, 1 Nations, 2 Manufacturers) |
| Sponsor(s) | BBS, Brembo, Fanatec, Genesis, Mazda, Michelin, Sony Alpha, Toyota |
| Official website | Official website |
Through 2018 to 2021, the Gran Turismo World Series was previously sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Polyphony Digital's partnership with the FIA is currently on hiatus.
The Nations Cup and Manufacturers Cup trophies are laser-scanned reproductions of Italian sculptor Umberto Boccioni's 1913 bronze futurist sculpture Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, chosen by Polyphony Digital as it represents the “surprise and fascination of machines first discovered by mankind”, and also shares values held by the Gran Turismo series. Players are given a plaque for their participation in the series during live events and by the end of the year. Players who finish in the Top 3 in any series receive a gold plaque and a trophy. Players were also formerly given a TAG Heuer watch, but no longer became a prize after their partnership with Polyphony ended in 2020; a set of Sony Alpha photography equipment were given out that year, followed by a set of BBS wheels for 2021.
Toyota, Genesis, Mazda, Michelin, Brembo, Sony Alpha, BBS, and Fanatec serve as the series partners of the World Series. The series is provided with clothing by Puma and peripherals by Fanatec. All virtual races in the tournament take place in specified locations all around the globe. In addition to the live studio audiences at the specified locations, the tournaments are streamed live in YouTube through several languages. The series has since made an impact in real-world motorsport, serving as a basis for virtual players in terms of possibly starting a career in esports before jumping into real-world motorsport.