Earlier this week, the folks at ComputerBild published a feature on tracks in Forza Motorsport 7. Featuring a discussion with Turn 10 Studios creative director Dan Greenawalt, the article pointed out the many cutting-edge systems that Turn 10 uses to bring the tracks to life with new weather scenarios and alternate times of day that literally cast the tracks of Forza Motorsport 7 in a brand-new light. If you haven’t already done so, check out the article now.

Suzuka Circuit, Completely Rebuilt

It’s one thing to read about the changes coming to tracks in Forza Motorsport 7 but it’s a very different thing to see them for yourself. Suzuka is a prime example; like all of the real-world tracks in Forza Motorsport 7, Suzuka is officially licensed and completely rebuilt with High Res assets designed to look fantastic at native 4K and on the entire family of Xbox consoles. Not only is the track completely rebuilt and updated, Suzuka also features wet weather conditions for the first time in Forza history. Imagine tackling the “S Curves” at full speed, or barreling around the harrowing 130R, only this time battling the dynamic puddles that line the edges of the circuit, and the blinding spray of the cars in front of you. The same challenge that real-world drivers face at Suzuka lap-after-lap, will now be your challenge as well.

Returning Fan-Favorite, Maple Valley

I might be wrong, but I could swear I heard an audible gasp of excitement on the Interwebz back at E3 when we confirmed that Maple Valley would be returning with Forza Motorsport 7. Is there a more lauded, more beloved track in the Forza universe? Whether you’re looking to test your sideways skills on one of Forza’s best drifting tracks, or you want to push the edges of speed on its sweeping corners, Maple Valley is a masterpiece in every respect. Like Suzuka, it will also feature wet weather conditions as well – also a first in Forza history.

I want to make sure that you all understand what I mean when referring to conditions like weather and time of day. In Forza Motorsport 7, we’ve built tracks with a central goal in mind: Making every time you return to a track a unique experience. That goal manifests itself in a variety of ways.

Rapidly Changing Dynamic Weather

There’s no such thing as a simple “rain” setting in Forza Motorsport 7. Not for Sebring or the Nürburgring, or Brands Hatch, or any other track where wet conditions are available. Instead, the team has created a system that can smoothly transition through multiple weather conditions per track, and those conditions can (and often will) change throughout a race. You might start off with gray skies and fog on a track like Sebring, only to find yourself in the middle of a thunderstorm two laps later. The lights might go green at Silverstone during a light rain, only to find drivers in dry conditions by the end of Lap 2. As in the real world, conditions change and sometimes change quickly, and its up to drivers to react to those changes.

Bringing Time of Day to Life

Those dynamic conditions extend to time of day too. Turn 10 is building on the sky technology that was first seen in Forza Horizon 3, capturing real skies that bring life, motion, and color to every track in the game. Check out the screenshot of the observation tower at the Circuit of the Americas against a darkening sky – one glance is all it takes to recognize a Texas sky at dusk. Even Laguna Seca – a track that has been in Forza Motorsport since the very first game; a track that all of us have driven hundreds, if not thousands of laps on – feels completely new in Forza Motorsport 7.

Whether you’re talking time of day or the weather you’re driving in, it all comes back to thatcentral goal: every race should feel unique. When you’re playing through the Forza Driver’s Cup single player campaign, you’ll experience that first-hand. Take a race at a track like Silverstone as an example. Maybe the first time you play it, you’ll battle the elements in a typical British downpour. Go back and revisit that same race in campaign, your conditions may be completely different; in fact, you may not encounter rain at all. The developers at Turn 10 have introduced probability into the various race conditions scenarios; meaning that there is a percentage chance that the weather conditions might (or might not) change. One race, things will go from bad to worse; the next time around, conditions might stay in your favor. It’s that element of chance – and the need to prepare for whatever the race throws at you – that promises to make racing in Forza Motorsport 7 so exciting.

For me, weather and time of day are a game-changer. It will add the kind of variety and challenge that was only hinted at in previous versions of the game. The unpredictable conditions you drive in will affect your race more than ever before, and all of it runs at the rock-solid 60 fps that Forza Motorsport fans expect.

See below for all 32 tracks available to play in Forza Motorsport 7, and as always, stay tuned to ForzaMotorsport.net for more Forza Motorsport 7 goodness as we draw closer to launch, and don’t forget to pre-order Ultimate Edition for early access on Sept. 29.

Brands Hatch

Circuit of the Americas

Daytona International Speedway

Dubai Circuit

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Maple Valley Raceway

Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello

Nürburgring

Rio de Janeiro

Sebring International Raceway

Silverstone Racing Circuit

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Suzuka Circuit

Virginia International Raceway

Yas Marina Circuit

Bernese Alps

Mount Panorama Circuit

Circuit de Catalunya

Hockenheim-Ring

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Sonoma Raceway

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe

Lime Rock

Long Beach

Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Test Track Airfield

Prague

Road America

Road Atlanta

Top Gear

Watkins Glen