August is turning out to be a stellar month for virtual reality (VR) releases, especially when it comes to AAA videogame support from non-VR developers. Yesterday saw Codemasters suddenly surprise everyone by rolling out VR support for DiRT Rally 2.0 – after staying quiet for months – and next week is going to be a corker as well. There are five titles arriving by Friday 16th, covering a range of platforms and genres.
While five videogames may not seem like a lot, there are some rich pickings to be had. From old favourites coming to new platforms to entirely new experiences to be had in VR, if you’re not already engrossed in a VR experience of some sort you soon will be.
No Man’s Sky: Beyond – Hello Games
This is the most high profile launch of next week, with Hello Games updating this sci-fi epic to version 1.7, adding VR support. No Man’s Sky: Beyond will join the likes of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, Fallout 4 VR, Doom VFR and Borderlands 2 VR, big-name videogames making the leap to support VR. Originally released in 2016, No Man’s Sky: Beyond will be more immersive than ever, as well as social, with the update also including the Nexus, a social space in this massive procedural universe.
- Supported platforms: PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index
- Launch date: 14th August 2019
Red Matter – Vertical Robot
Originally an Oculus Rift title released in 2018, developer Vertical Robot will be bringing this sci-fi puzzler to Oculus Quest. Red Matter is set in a dystopian alternate future where an ongoing cold war ensues between two superpowers; the Atlantic Union and the People’s Republic of Volgravia. You play an astronaut dispatched to an abandoned base on Rhea, one of Saturn’s moons. Your mission is to recover top-secret information that could end the war.
- Supported platforms: Oculus Quest
- Launch date: 15th August 2019
Pinball FX2 VR – Zen Studios
Another one for Oculus Quest, this is another port from VR’s past, 2016 in fact. Pinball FX 2 was one of the more surprising titles to feature on Oculus Rift’s launch day, demonstrating how a pastime like pinball can work really well in VR. Proving to be very addictive, the title achieved a full five-stars in VRFocus‘original review: “Zen Studios has created some remarkable digital recreations of pinball and yet every other version now seems redundant: Pinball FX 2 VR is the way digital pinball is meant to be played.”
- Supported platforms: Oculus Quest
- Launch date: 15th August 2019
Time Stall – Force Field Entertainment
From the developer behind Term1nal for Samsung Gear VR and Landfall for Oculus Rift comes Time Stall, the only properly new videogame on this list. Loosely inspired by Quicksilver’s classic Pentagon kitchen scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past, the gameplay involves time manipulation and puzzles, freezing moments in time to complete challenges in order to save all the guests onboard a luxury spaceship.
- Supported platforms: Oculus Quest
- Launch date: 15th August 2019
Sairento VR – Mixed Realms
For the last videogame on the list, VRFocus has Sairento VR for PlayStation VR. Yes, Sairento VR has been available for over a month now via PlayStation Store and on retail shelves in Europe but next Tuesday Perp Games will be launching the title in physical form in North America. A badass combat experience filled with guns and swords, the main hook in Sairento VR is the free range of movement because you’re a deadly ninja who can effortlessly kill opponents whilst performing somersaults, triple jumps, side flips, wall runs, and power slides.
- Supported platforms: PlayStation VR – North American retail stores
- Launch date: 13th August 2019
via Mint VR