Gran Turismo 7 Daytona Autopilot Script

Summary

This script is the digital equivalent of using a rubber-band on your controller. It will hold down the gas and steer slightly right during the race and will navigate the menu to restart in between races.

Reasons For

• It's a clear text bash script.
• It uses only common, open-source linux tools: chiaki, wmctrl, xdotool.
• It can make your grind time more productive and more hands-off.
• It yields 85,200 credits at a time in ~10 minute increments, making it easier to stop without losing progress.
• It is very stable. It has been recorded to successfully loop over 50 times in a single run before the test was stopped.
• There is no need to adjust the AI racing difficulty.
• You might feel that using a sophisticated autonomous driving script is too close to cheating, but that using a digital rubber-band is okay.

Reasons Against

• It requires a Debian-based linux OS or VM.
• By design, it's very basic compared to other driving scripts; it can only handle oval tracks.
• You can make more money using input-recorded driving scripts to complete higher-reward races.
• You might feel that even this much automation is a form of cheating.

Preface

• The strategy defined below is taken from RAKIN8R's guide Daytona AFK Grind Setup on reddit. Please refer to this post and this post for questions and clarifications.
  • He recommends an engine-swapped Honda Beat but the script can work for any car.
• To maximize rewards, create the race while using a low-PP tune and then switch to a high-PP tune once the race has been created.
  • Race rewards are determined by the difference between your PP and the opponents' PP but are not recalculated when you change car tunes inside the race-start menu.

Setup

• Install Chiaki
  • Install from your favorite software manager or from the terminal with sudo apt install chiaki or sudo snap install chiaki.
  • You must pair Chiaki with your Playstation before using the script.
  • Pairing is not hard per-se but it's a multi-step process that's worth using a guide for the first time.
• Download the script. Give it execution permission if needed.
  • The first time you run, it will prompt you to install the necessary software if it doesn't exist.
• Create a custom race at Daytona (make sure to save your settings)
  • Track: Daytona Tri-Oval
  • Race Type: Lap
  • Number of Laps: 10
  • Number of Cars: 20
  • Starting Grid: 20
  • Staring Type, Interval: Rolling Start, 50ft
  • Mechanical Damage: None
  • Tire/Fuel: Off
  • Grip Reduction: Low
  • Weather: Preset, S01, Midnight
  • Rivals: Select from garage
    • Set all opponents to the same VGT car, something with extremely high PP but cripple the VGT car's top speed beforehand with a transmission modification
  • Rivals Difficulty: Professional Level
  • Penalties: All Off
  • Correct Vehicle Course After Wall Collision: Off
• Set up the Honda Beat as described in the guide above with one exception
  • Because the script's steering creates friction with the wall, it needs a more aggressive gearing than the guide recommends
  • Set transmission top speed: 350 kph

Configuration

• You will need to set the RACE_TIME variable according to your vehicle speed.
  • If you're not sure, start with the time it takes to rubber-band the race.
• If you use a different car or setup, tweak the reward amount by modifying the RACE_PRIZE variable.

Directions

• Start your Playstation and start Gran Turismo 7.
• Start Chiaki and connect to your Playstation.
• With your low PP tune selected, start a custom race at Daytona and load the custom race settings.
• Enter the race itself. Switch to your high PP tune.
• With the arrow on the Start button, start the script.
• When you're done, exit the script by pressing CTRL+C.

For best results

• At first, you should monitor the script and tweak the RACE_TIME variable until the "Race Ending" message is shown the moment you cross the finish line.
  • Use a stopwatch to time between when the script says "Race ending" and when you cross the finish line (or vice versa) to know how much to adjust RACE_TIME.
• You will also need to increase RACE_TIME periodically as your engine condition decreases over time, but keep your "peak" time written down because that's what you will set it back to once you do an engine overhaul.

Changelog

• Initial Release
• Updated for xdotool 3.2 and re-timed for GT7 Update 1.63

License & Thanks

• Gran Turismo 7 Daytona Autopilot Script © 2025 by Jason Lonsberry is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
• If you find this script useful, feel free to buy me coffee.