The racing genre has gotten plenty of permutations over the years, from the bombastic kart racing of the Mario Kart franchise to the more grounded realism of the Gran Turismo series. Both properties have had an undeniable impact on the broader gaming industry, with plenty of titles trying to replicate the success of both. The thing is, even a quarter of a century later, no one — not even the Gran Turismo developers — has been able to catch up to their biggest runaway success. Videos by ComicBook.com Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec brought the realistic racing sim series to the PlayStation 2, quickly becoming a best seller and critical darling. Still regularly considered among the best racing games of all time, the title also came to represent something more about the PlayStation 2 as a whole. 25 years since it first debuted on the global stage, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is still one of the best racing games we’ve ever gotten. How Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Took Over The World Debuting in Japan on April 28, 2001, before making its way to the rest of the world that summer, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec remains one of the gaming industry’s most successful racing titles ever. The Gran Turismo series had debuted a few years earlier, quickly earning acclaim across the industry for its tight design, strong graphics, and commitment to accurately recreating the driving experience. The first two games in the series were well received, with the debut entry still being the top-rated game in the series on Metacritic with a 96/100 cumulative score. Trailing just behind that game in terms of review scores is its more famous cousin, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, which earned similarly terrific reviews when it debuted on the PS2 in 2001 and sits just 1 point