Development of Gran Turismo 5 stretched over more than five years with an estimated budget of $60 million, making it one of the most expensive racing game productions of its era. Creator Kazunori Yamauchi cited the Cell processor architecture of the PlayStation 3 as a significant technical hurdle that extended the timeline considerably. The game was first shown publicly at E3 2005 under the name Vision Gran Turismo before entering a prolonged development cycle marked by several missed release windows. Yamauchi publicly apologized via Twitter after the game missed a November 2010 production window by three days, with the final release date of November 24–25, 2010 confirmed only weeks before launch.
Gran Turismo 5 introduced a number of series firsts. It was the first main Gran Turismo entry to feature online multiplayer racing, supporting up to 16 players simultaneously, along with a full damage model that applied mechanical and visual deformation based on the speed and angle of impact. Dynamic time-of-day and weather systems appeared for the first time in the series, as did licensed content from the World Rally Championship, NASCAR, and Super GT.
The game shipped with 1,089 cars split into two tiers: premium vehicles featuring fully modeled cockpits, working headlights, windshield wipers, and detailed damage, and standard vehicles carried over at lower polygon counts from previous games in the series. Approximately 25 percent of the car roster attained premium status. Track content spanned 31 locations and 81 layouts, including real-world circuits such as Nurburgring, Circuit de la Sarthe, Monza, Daytona International Speedway, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome. A procedural course editor allowed players to generate custom circuits using selectable parameters.
Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Bugatti appeared in a main Gran Turismo release for the first time. The game also included the first licensed Formula One cars in the series — the Ferrari F2007 and Ferrari F10 — and an experimental prototype co-developed with Red Bull Racing and aerodynamicist Adrian Newey, designated the X2010 Prototype, designed without regard for real-world regulations.
Physics were substantially revised compared with Gran Turismo 4: cars exhibited realistic weight transfer under braking and cornering, and the handling model earned praise from automotive outlets including Car and Driver for its fidelity to real-world behavior.
Gran Turismo 5 served as the platform for two iterations of the GT Academy competition, a multi-phase program that used in-game time trial performance to identify and recruit amateur racing drivers. Winners received professional driver training and competition entries in real racing series. The program produced several drivers who went on to compete at professional level in endurance and GT racing.
Critics received Gran Turismo 5 favorably, praising its handling model, breadth of content, online implementation, and visual presentation particularly for premium cars under dynamic weather conditions. Common criticisms included inconsistent AI behavior described by IGN as "zombie A.I.," the visible quality gap between premium and standard vehicles, occasional frame rate drops in heavy rain or multi-car scenarios, and a damage system that initially had limited effect on car performance before a subsequent update enabled full mechanical consequences.
The game sold 6.37 million units in its first six weeks and surpassed 10 million units by March 2013, making it the best-selling PlayStation 3 exclusive until Grand Theft Auto V overtook it. Online servers and downloadable content were shut down on May 30, 2014. The game holds a record for the longest chart run achieved by a racing game. It was nominated for Racing Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack at the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and won the Golden Joystick Award for Best Racing Game in 2011.
Gran Turismo 5 represented a pivotal expansion of the franchise's scope, establishing online multiplayer, wide-ranging motorsport licenses, and weather simulation as baseline expectations for the series going forward into Gran Turismo 6 and Gran Turismo Sport.