sadly they are free crack. no really, they are literally the pay to win element that apparently ALL ea games MUST have at this point because nothing is sacred to them. yes they do have some cosmetic elements but they also have PARTS in them, parts you would "grind" for to improve your cars... or just spend 10000$ (of real $) on these virtual scratch tickets HOPING you get lucky. i cant imagine a GT fan enjoying these games by the way, i HATE playing games that are sims with no nitro.. though i guess its possible to like both.
at this point EA is going on my no-buy list with 2k and paradox. it is one thing to do this nonsense in a"modern" fps, but racing games are supposed to be ALL about skill!