News PlayStation to Mark 30th Anniversary with New Gran Turismo Demo, Merch, Soundtracks

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Sony has today shared a brief look behind the curtain at its plans to celebrate the 30th anniversary of PlayStation. The PS1 released in Japan on 3rd December 1994, and 30 years later, the brand is still trucking along — and Sony wants to commemorate the occasion. Part of its plans include a new Gran Turismo demo, game soundtracks, and merchandise.

Detailed in a PlayStation Blog post, Vice President of global marketing Isabelle Tomatis said: "Your enduring support has made these past three decades possible. While PlayStation's 30th anniversary is still a few months away, today we're delighted to share some of the ways we'll be commemorating this milestone with all of you." From its first batch of party plans, the headliner is a (sort of) new Gran Turismo title called My First Gran Turismo.

This is a free trial version designed to attract players of all skill levels and ages to Gran Turismo 7, and will have "some of the favorite cars, tracks, and race events that evoke the nostalgia and excitement of the very first GT experience". It releases for PS5 and PS4 for free towards the end of the year.

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Next, from October through until January 2025, a selection of digital soundtracks from classic PlayStation franchises will be released for the first time onto streaming services like Spotify. The soundtracks are for:

• God of War (2005)
• God of War II
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta
• Twisted Metal
• Starhawk
• Unit 13

There'll also be some physical products for you to purchase to mark the 30th anniversary in the Shapes of Play collection. Made "by the team behind the design of PlayStation consoles", there's a board game, a set of magnetic blocks, and PlayStation-themed stress balls. The items are launching in December 2024 via the official PlayStation Direct website. There'll then be the usual PS Plus free online multiplayer weekends and e-sports tournaments.

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The blog post rounds off by saying: "As we celebrate 30 years of play, these upcoming activities and releases are just a taste of what's to come. Be on the lookout for more announcements in the near future!" When Jim Ryan left the company, a PS1-themed PS5 console and DualSense controller were spotted, which fans have been hoping would be made available for PlayStation's 30th anniversary. There's no word on that happening yet, but it sounds like there's more news to come between now and the big day in December.