At E3 2006, Polyphony released word of a next generation game for the Playstation 3. Many people though this "game" was just a demo to Gran Turismo 5, only to be played at E3. That was until Polyphony announced that not only was it a technical demo, it's an actual game. Many people would have been thrilled about this if they also hadn't put in the feature of which 90% of the game you had to buy from the Playstation store ranging from 50 cents to $5.00 dollars. So in order to unlock everything in the game, you had to pay around $500-$1000 dollars. As many people could pre-determine, fans were far from willing to pay that much. Thus hearing this, Polyphony then brought the project to a free version of the game via the Playstation Store on December 24, 2006. The current dowload version features online score recording, 10 cars that can be timed trialed and drifted, and 10 tuned versions of those cars.

As of today the Launch of Gran Turismo HD has been cancelled. Instead Polyphony decieded to make a Gran Turismo HD Concept Demo. They made a downloadable version of the game itself. The Demo features 10 cars, 1 course with 2 layouts, and two modes: Time Attack and Drift Trial. It will include the HD engine that will be used in GT5. The demo has no online support, just a network ranking.

Here is the complete car list for Gran Turismo HD:

1. Suzuki Cappuccino '95
2. Mazda Eunos Roadster '89
3. Honda Integra Type-R '04
4. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR '96
5. Infiniti G35 Coupe '06
6. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR '05
7. Lotus Elise 111R '04
8. Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II '94
9. Toyota Celica GT-FOUR Rally Car '95
10. Ferrari 599 '06

The Eiger Nordwand Circuit is the only track avalible in the Gran Turismo HD Concept demo. It is based in the Swiss Alps.

Total length: 2435.7m
Difference of elevation: 75m
Maximum straight length: 250m

Once all time trails are completed you unlock:

1. 2006 Ferrari 599
2. The reverse version of the Eiger Nordwand Circuit
3. Tuned versions of all cars including the 2006 Ferrari 599