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Freedom251 › Blog › Controller Settings

Best Controller and Display Settings for Split-Screen Racing Games (GT7 Guide for PS5 and PS4)

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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There is no single “best” setting for every split-screen racer, television and player. The dependable approach is to match the game’s image calibration to the connected display, choose responsiveness or visual detail deliberately, and let each driver use controls they can operate consistently. Gran Turismo 7 (GT7) is a useful, well-documented example: it supports local split-screen for up to four players on PS5 and up to two on PS4, includes an HDR/SDR Display Settings Assistant, and offers a frame-rate versus ray-tracing/resolution choice on PS5.

Use the procedure below as a GT7 setup guide. For another racing game, keep the decision principles but verify that game’s own player limits, display menus and control options rather than assuming GT7’s behavior is universal.

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What “best” means in a split-screen race

Split-screen puts several views on one display, so the most useful settings are those that preserve readable motion and predictable input for everyone. A bright, overexposed image can hide braking points; a dim image can bury track edges and rivals. A visually impressive graphics mode may feel less responsive than a frame-rate-focused mode. A control layout that suits one driver can be awkward for another.

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GT7’s official documentation establishes the available choices, but it does not name one universally superior steering or pedal arrangement. Treat the recommendations in this article as a starting configuration, then allow each player to make a short test adjustment before beginning a serious race.

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Check the console, game and number of players first

Start by identifying the exact game and console. In GT7, the official online manual gives the following local limits:

Platform Maximum local split-screen players What that means for setup
PlayStation 5 Four Plan for one compatible controller for every participating driver and enough seating and screen visibility for all four views.
PlayStation 4 Two Only two local drivers are supported in the documented GT7 split-screen mode.

The GT7 product information advertises local four-player split-screen, while the manual provides the more precise PS5/PS4 breakdown above. Use the manual’s platform-specific limits when planning a session.

Before-you-start checklist

  • Confirm whether the console is a PS5 or PS4 and check the game’s own local-player limit.
  • Prepare one console-compatible controller for each driver. Polyphony Digital’s manual states: “Each player must have their own controller to enjoy this feature.”
  • Turn on the display and console before calibration so the game can detect the actual output path.
  • Have the person who will sit in the central viewing position run the display calibration prompts.
  • Agree on the priority for the session: the smoothest response, the richest visual effects, or a compromise.

If an extra controller is needed, buy only a model that is compatible with the console generation in use. The documented requirement is compatibility and one controller per player; it does not establish a particular brand or model as necessary.

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Calibrate the display instead of copying someone else’s values

GT7 includes a Display Settings Assistant. Run it for the television or monitor actually being used, with the player facing the center of the screen. The assistant follows the console’s HDR or SDR output and the connected display’s capabilities, then guides exposure and saturation. In SDR mode it also presents bright-section and dark-section corrections.

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GT7 display-calibration procedure

  1. Set the console’s output to the mode supported by the display. Do not select HDR solely because another setup uses it; the game’s behavior follows the console output and display capability.
  2. Launch GT7 and open the Display Settings Assistant.
  3. Have the person facing the center of the display complete the exposure and saturation prompts while seated in the normal racing position.
  4. If using SDR, complete both the bright and dark correction stages. Check that white details remain visible without turning the whole image gray, and that shadowed track areas retain enough detail to distinguish the racing line.
  5. Leave the assistant and inspect an actual split-screen race. Because several smaller views share the panel, verify that braking boards, kerbs and car outlines remain readable in the player’s assigned area.

Calibration values from another television, room or viewing angle are not reliable substitutes. HDR and SDR can look very different even when the numerical slider positions match, so the console-display combination should determine the final result.

HDR versus SDR in a shared room

Use HDR when the console and display are configured for HDR and the result remains comfortable for every player. Use SDR when the display does not support HDR or when the HDR output is visibly inconsistent with the console configuration. GT7’s assistant is designed to guide the adjustment; it does not promise that one format is intrinsically better for every panel.

Choose the PS5 graphics priority deliberately

On PS5, GT7 provides a graphics-priority choice. It is a trade-off, not a way to obtain every maximum setting simultaneously.

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PS5 option What the manual describes Choose it when… Trade-off to expect
Prioritize Frame Rate Favors the highest possible frame rate and can disable or simplify some effects. Quick steering response and smoother motion matter most, especially in close local races. Some visual effects may be reduced. With 120 Hz output enabled, the manual notes that resolution is lower under this frame-rate-priority option.
Prioritize Ray Tracing/Resolution Focuses on visual detail and ray-tracing effects. The manual describes ray tracing as disabled in response-sensitive race sections. Image detail and visual effects matter more than the highest possible frame rate. You should not expect the same frame-rate behavior as the frame-rate-priority choice.

A practical way to decide

  1. Start with Prioritize Frame Rate for a competitive or fast-moving split-screen session.
  2. Run a short race and ask whether the smoother motion makes steering and braking easier for everyone.
  3. If the group values reflections and image detail more, switch to Prioritize Ray Tracing/Resolution and compare the same track section.
  4. If 120 Hz output is enabled, remember that GT7 documents a lower-resolution result with frame-rate priority. Decide whether the smoother response is worth that resolution change on the actual display.

Do not describe either choice as universally best. The right selection depends on whether the group notices input smoothness or visual effects more strongly, and on the display’s size and viewing conditions.

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Use a familiar controller layout, then let every driver refine it

GT7 lists three steering control types: left stick, directional buttons and motion sensor. It lists three pedal arrangements: R2/L2, the ×/□ face buttons, or the right stick. These settings, along with other button assignments, are changed through Options > Controllers.

Control area GT7 choices documented in the manual Good starting question
Steering Left stick; directional buttons; motion sensor Can the driver make small corrections without fighting the control’s return-to-center behavior?
Accelerator and brake R2/L2; ×/□; right stick Can the driver modulate throttle and brake separately while steering?

Recommended starting point for most groups

Begin with left-stick steering and separate accelerate/brake triggers (R2/L2) because this is a familiar arrangement for many console drivers and provides an obvious separation between the two pedals. This is practical editorial advice, not a setting GT7’s manual declares to be best.

Then have each player drive a short practice lap. A driver who prefers digital inputs can try directional-button steering. Someone comfortable with motion controls can test the motion-sensor option. If a player has difficulty with trigger travel, face buttons or the right stick may feel more predictable. Keep the choice that lets that driver hold a line, brake at a repeatable point and recover from a slide without accidental inputs.

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Change controls before the race starts

  1. Open Options > Controllers.
  2. Select the player’s controller and inspect the steering and pedal assignments.
  3. Choose one steering method and one pedal method for that driver.
  4. Test acceleration, braking and steering in a low-pressure section of the game.
  5. Repeat for the other drivers instead of forcing a single layout on everyone.

The manual confirms that these schemes are available; it does not establish that every solo-play control or assist setting can be independently configured for every split-screen participant. Avoid promising parity with the full single-player menu.

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Complete GT7’s split-screen race setup in the right order

Once the image and controls are ready, Player 1 manages the documented race-start flow. The manual says Player 1 applies race settings, chooses from eligible rental or favorited garage cars, selects the course and layout, and starts the race.

  1. Confirm the number of local drivers and connect their compatible controllers.
  2. Run the Display Settings Assistant for the current console and display.
  3. On PS5, select the graphics priority that matches the group’s preference for response or visual detail.
  4. Open Options > Controllers and let each driver select and test a steering and pedal arrangement.
  5. Enter the split-screen race screen.
  6. As Player 1, apply the available race settings, choose eligible rental or favorited garage cars, select the course and layout, and start the event.
  7. Use the opening moments to check that each view is readable and that every controller produces the expected input.

The documented flow does not establish that every setting available in solo play is available independently to each split-screen player. If a menu item is missing or shared, treat that as a game-specific limitation rather than assuming a controller fault.

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Troubleshoot the problems that matter most

The picture is too dark, too bright or washed out

  • Recheck whether the console is outputting HDR or SDR and whether the display is configured for that format.
  • Run the Display Settings Assistant again while facing the center of the screen.
  • In SDR, revisit both the bright and dark correction stages rather than changing only one slider.
  • Inspect a real split-screen race after calibration; a menu can look acceptable while smaller player views lose track detail.

The race feels less smooth than expected

  • On PS5, compare Prioritize Frame Rate with Prioritize Ray Tracing/Resolution on the same track.
  • If 120 Hz output is enabled, account for the documented lower resolution associated with frame-rate priority.
  • Do not assume that a visual-priority mode will provide the same response characteristics as the frame-rate-priority mode.

One driver cannot steer comfortably

  • Open Options > Controllers for that player’s controller.
  • Try the other documented steering choices: left stick, directional buttons or motion sensor.
  • Test a different pedal arrangement: R2/L2, ×/□ or right stick.
  • Keep the layout that produces repeatable steering and braking for that individual; the manual lists choices but does not prescribe one universal best scheme.

A fourth player cannot join

Check the platform before changing settings. GT7’s documented local limit is four players on PS5 and two on PS4. On PS4, a fourth local driver is outside the supported limit, not evidence of a display or controller configuration error.

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The wrong car, course or race option appears

Player 1 controls the documented race-start selections. GT7 allows Player 1 to choose from eligible rental or favorited garage cars and to select the course and layout. A car or option that is unavailable there may simply be outside the split-screen mode’s eligibility rules; the available documentation does not establish that every solo-play choice is exposed locally.

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How to adapt this advice to another racing game

GT7 is the strongest documented example here, not a universal specification for all split-screen racers. For another title, use this verification sequence before making claims about player count or settings:

  1. Read the game’s current manual or support page for the exact console-specific local-player limit.
  2. Confirm whether each participant needs a separate controller and whether those controllers must be paired before entering the local mode.
  3. Find the game’s display-calibration path and follow its HDR/SDR instructions for the connected screen.
  4. Check whether a frame-rate, resolution or ray-tracing preference exists, and read the stated compromises before selecting one.
  5. List the steering and pedal schemes the game actually exposes. Do not transfer GT7’s left-stick, directional-button, motion, trigger, face-button or right-stick choices to another title without confirmation.
  6. Run a short local race and evaluate readability and input comfort with the people who will actually play.

This method prevents a common mistake: turning one game’s documented behavior into a claim about every split-screen racer. Display size and seating distance, controller latency and per-player assist settings were not established by the GT7 documentation used here, so avoid numerical prescriptions for those topics unless the specific game supplies them.

A concise setup decision guide

If your group values… Start with… Then verify…
Immediate steering response and smooth motion PS5 Prioritize Frame Rate, with familiar analog controls Whether the 120 Hz/lower-resolution trade-off is acceptable on the display
Reflections, ray tracing and image detail PS5 Prioritize Ray Tracing/Resolution Whether the group prefers the resulting motion and response
Consistent visibility The Display Settings Assistant using the console’s actual HDR/SDR mode Braking boards, kerbs and shadows in a live split-screen race
Different comfort preferences Per-player steering and pedal choices in Options > Controllers Each driver’s ability to make repeatable inputs during a practice lap
A larger local group PS5 for GT7’s documented four-player limit That every player has a compatible controller

Final recommendation

For a GT7 split-screen session, connect one compatible controller per player, calibrate HDR or SDR with the Display Settings Assistant for the actual display, and start on PS5’s Prioritize Frame Rate when responsive steering is the group’s priority. Switch to Prioritize Ray Tracing/Resolution when visual detail matters more, remembering the documented 120 Hz resolution trade-off under frame-rate priority. Use left-stick steering and R2/L2 pedals as a practical starting point, but let each driver test and change their own layout in Options > Controllers. Keep the PS5 limit of four local players and PS4 limit of two in mind, and verify another game’s manual before applying any of these settings beyond GT7.

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Controller SettingsDisplay CalibrationGran Turismo 7PlayStation 4PlayStation 5Racing Gamessplit-screen gaming

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