The free-to-play My First Gran Turismo comes to PS4 and PS5 on December 6

There’s a huge gap between serious racers like Gran Turismo and arcade-style stuff like Mario Kart. That’s where the soon-to-be-released My First Gran Turismo comes in. This is a streamlined version of the iconic Sony racing game that’s intended “for those who have yet to experience Gran Turismo.” The free-to-play title launches for both PS4 and PS5 on December 6.

Sony promises that the game is perfect for anyone aged “7 to 77.” I’m not sure what my 78-year-old dad would say about that, but whatever. There’s a trailer to help folks get the gist, which shows off a selection of real-world vehicles and graphics that don’t stray too far from the mainline games. It looks pretty fun.

All told, there are 18 cars to choose from and three tracks to race around. For comparison, the most-recent entry Gran Turismo 7 includes more than 400 vehicles and around 40 dedicated tracks. It’s also a full-priced game, though likely on sale for the holidays, whereas My First Gran Turismo is free as a bird.

The cars in this kid-friendly version have Mario Kart-style charts to show off various specs and there’s a nifty game mode called Music Rally. This makes players race along to the beat of a song. Other modes include time trials and license tests.

Finally, there’s PSVR 2 support for PS5, bringing the whole experience into virtual reality. Racing in VR is super fun, but remember to take copious breaks to avoid the dreaded nausea fairy.

This launch is part of PlayStation’s wider 30th anniversary celebration. The company released some retro-looking hardware, which sold out in no time, and digital themes from past console iterations.