BeamNG.drive adopts Gran Turismo 7 tone‑mapping technology

BeamNG GmbH announced that the latest 0.39 update of its driving simulation BeamNG.drive replaces the previous ACES tone‑mapper with the tone‑mapping and HDR system used in Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo 7. The change, supplied free to developers after a SIGGRAPH 2025 presentation, is intended to preserve physically based lighting values and deliver more consistent image quality on both SDR and HDR displays.

The update also brings a range of visual enhancements, including refined shadow rendering, reduced artefacts such as “Peter‑panning”, new volumetric clouds, a night sky based on astronomical data with a realistic Milky Way, and support for HDR via the Vulkan API. BeamNG.drive, in early access since May 2015, is slated for a full release on PC and PS5 later this year.