Dec 21, 2010 08:10 GMT  ·  By

Gran Turismo 5 has just received a hefty update, which takes it up to version 1.05 and weighs in at a rather large 608 MB.

The update adds a huge amount of new features, including Seasonal Events, an Online Dealership filled with cars that couldn't be found in the regular ones, experience that can be earned in online races, and many other things.

Check them all out below.

・Seasonal Events [Seasonal Events] have been added to the upper left side of the [GT Mode] - [GT Life] screen. From here you can participate in official online events from the Polyphony Digital team. In these events, all participants race under the same regulations, and if you complete the event, you will win rewards and experience. In Time Trials and Drift Trials, compete on the leader boards with players around the world.

・Online Dealership An [Online Dealership] has been added to the left center of the [GT Mode]-[GT Life] screen. In here you will find popular and rare used cars. You might just come across that one car you've always been looking for, that you haven't been able to find in the [Used Car Dealer]

・Online Race Rewards and Experience When you complete a race in the [Open Lobby] or [My Lounge], you will now gain rewards and experience points. Therefore if you are focused more on playing online, you'll still be able to gain rewards and levels that you need to progress in [GT Life].

・Driving Distance and Number of Wins in Online Races The driving distance and the number of wins you achieve when you complete a race in [Open Lobby] or [My Lounge] will now affect your stats in [Profile] and the [Garage]. Here again the results from your online play will cumulate within [GT Life].

・Improved Rewards The rewards for winning races in both A-Spec and B-Spec in [GT Mode]-[GT Life] have been increased for a limited time only. (This applies until the end of January 2011) This is a great chance for those who were previously having difficulties getting ahead in the game, due to a lack of funds for tuning and purchasing required cars.

・Race Information Display [Race Information Display] is now available in [Start]-[Quick Options]. (You can also see this in [Race Display] in [Options]).

・Save Data Backup You can now copy and restore your save data. For details, please refer to the in-game [Manual].

・Personal BGM (Menu) From [Options]-[Hardware]-[Audio], it is now possible to set the [Personal BGM] (Menu)]. (This can also be accessed from the [Music Library] within [GT Mode]).

・Car Name Change The official name of "Red Bull X1" has been changed to "Red Bull X2010".

・Integration with the Website The main features within [GT Mode]-[Community] can now also be accessed through the "gran-turismo.com" official website.

Gran Turismo 5 lead designer, Kazunori Yamauchi, revealed last week that Gran Turismo 5 would be on the receiving end of lots of updates, which will add features that his team at Polyphony Digital wasn't able to fit in before the release of the much-awaited racing game.

The patch will be downloaded the next time you start up GT5 and are connected to the Internet.