Time to slip on those racing gloves. Sony has officially announced that its eagerly awaited racing simulator will indeed ship on February 22--just 20 days from now. The PlayStation 2-exclusive driving simulator is being developed by Polyphony Digital and published in North America by Sony Computer Entertainment America. Just two days ago, the official date for the European release of Gran Turismo 4 was announced as March 9.

Before it finally launched in Japan on December 28, the much-lauded driving game had experienced delays of more than a year. Gran Turismo 4 will feature more than 700 automobiles from more than 80 manufacturers racing across new locales--including the city streets of the Big Apple and Las Vegas. Consistent with the series, drivers will compete in races to acquire various licenses and move up in the ranks. Unfortunately, the game will not include an online mode.

Gran Turismo 4 is rated E for Everyone and will retail for $49.99. For more information on GT4, drive on over to GameSpot's previous coverage, including Brian Ekberg's recent preview of the Japanese version.