Mint Virtual Reality

The Mercenaries return to Resident Evil Village with eight challenging stages. Here's how to unlock The Mercenaries with a few helpful tips to get S ranks.

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Ragnarock from France-based WanadevStudio combines a rocking Viking-metal song library with clever game mechanics for an incredible take on the rhythm genre in VR.

The game debuted on Steam early access late last year and carries more than 1,000 reviews and an “overwhelmingly positive” rating, yet, despite the positive feedback, it drifted right under our radar. It caught our attention earlier this month as the devs saw fit to graduate the title from Steam Early Access on July 15 and move on to Quest’s App Lab with confidence they’ll have an Oculus Quest release date soon. We’ll need to spend more time with Ragnarock, and specifically progress to its harder difficulties before rendering a review verdict, but we’ve played enough to wake up to this gem and let our readers know this is a rhythm title to watch.

The idea is you’re on a Viking ship and you’re pounding on four drums in front of you with two to the side that activate your boost. When you’re doing really good you can drive your team to row faster. There’s a ship full of Vikings seated in front you and watching your performance, and they’re depending on you to drive their rhythm faster. When you kick butt they even chant back at you some encouragement. The effect is perfect — you feel like you’re really encouraging them and they’re encouraging you. And because you’re anchored by this sense of a boat underneath your feet, gliding straight across the water, you feel safe. It’s an ingenious approach to avoiding simulator sickness that offers locomotion through a world while thematically attaching it to a reason for being in that world.

The environments are drawn from nordic mythology and the devs plan to add more over time. It’s some really clever thinking to find this great mesh between different things being done in rhythm games. At one end of the rhythm game spectrum you’ve got Pistol Whip, where you’re drawn down a straight line and the developers change the environments around you to tell a story as you move through the world. On the other end of the spectrum you’ve got what Beat Saber is doing where you’re completely stationary, you don’t actually move, and you’ve got things moving past you. There’s of course variations on all this because there’s just so many rhythm games, but Ragnarock’s approach is the most satisfying I’ve played since 2019’s release of Pistol Whip.

Part of that is likely due to my sheltered American English-only ears finding an unexpected sense of joy rocking out with this largely incomprehensible song library, including songs from groups I’ve never heard of like Paddy and the Rats, Sons Of O’Flaherty, GloryHammer, and Alestorm. I know nothing, Jon Snow, but it rocks nonetheless. I went through three or so songs on easy and then, by the fourth, I enjoyed it enough to try it again and fight for a silver medal. On the second ride through there was another ship beside me — the ghost of my last performance gliding alongside and trying to out-drum me. Ragnarock layers on cross-platform multiplayer this same way, lining up ships to your flanks. You know that scene in Mad Max: Fury Road where the cars are coming out after the good guys and they start drumming and rocking on the front of this war vehicle? That’s this whole game — every song is you feeling like you’re out there getting your crew to go faster and it’s just brilliant.

One thing I’ll note is because of the mechanics of drumming, Ragnarock has a slightly different way of driving your body’s movements as compared with some other rhythm games. You may want to do lunges, for example, while keeping your arms in the same position to hit two notes in sync on either side of you. So this may strain certain muscle groups more frequently and repetitively compared with widely varying slices in a game like Beat Saber. An FAQ for the game says there’s beta support for “custom songs” on both PC and Quest.

Ragnarock is on App Lab on Oculus Quest and it is out of early access on Steam. We’ll keep drumming away at this one and try to come back with a full review as soon as we’ve attacked some higher difficulties and played with more of the options.

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When it came to online virtual presentations in 2020 one of the best was Venice VR Expanded, part of the annual Venice International Film Festival. Now in its 78th edition, the prestigious film event returns in September in both physical and virtual form, with the virtual reality (VR) showcase once again being held within the social app VRChat.

This year Venice VR Expanded will feature a total of 37 immersive projects from 21 countries, with guests able to preview the official selection through VRChat. If you’re an accredited guest you’ll also be invited to “Meet the Creator” sessions, opening and closing parties, and other performances. Just like the 2020 edition, the Venice VR virtual world has been designed with the technical support of VRrOOm with a virtual version of Venice and the in-real-life VR Island Lazzaretto Vecchio.

New for 2021 is the Venice VRChat Worlds Gallery. This will have a selection of 35 virtual worlds “celebrating the creativity of creators using VRChat as a platform to build their own fantasy worlds.” As an additional extra, there will be five special events, including live performances, taking place across five VRChat virtual venues.

Venice VR Expanded is split into several categories, not all of which are available online. The “Competition” category has 23 projects, “Out of Competition – Best Of” is a selection of 12 VR works launched since the 2020 event; one “Out of Competition Special Event”, “Biennale College Cinema – Out of Competition” (one project), and then the VRChat Worlds Gallery. The special event and out of competition categories won’t be available online. Everything else will be, in partnership with HTC’s Viveport and Oculus.

As for what’s on show during Venice VR Expanded 2021:

• VRChat Worlds Gallery
  • A MAZE․ TRAIN STATION
  • AQUARIUS
  • ATLANTIS˸ SUPERRARE EXHIBITION
  • CLUB GUMBALL
  • CRAFTY CLIMB
  • ERS
  • CRYPT OF THE SPIRITS
  • CRYSTAL DUNES
  • CYCLE OF LIFE
  • DEEP BLUE NIGHT
  • EDEN
  • FFCR
  • FRANK
  • GUMBALL LOUNGE
  • KARAOKE CENTRA
  • LAST HOPE WATCH TOWER
  • LOST IT
  • MIRЯIM
  • MONORAIL COASTER
  • MONORAIL COASTER LITE
  • MOSCOW TRIP 1952
  • MUSEUM-OF-VRPAINTING
  • NOIR – CALL OF THE VOID (SPOOKALITY RELEASE｜TECH DEMO)
  • RAAWRS’ ELNO-THEL FOREST
  • SAPIENSTRUCT
  • SUBMERGE 2
  • SURREAL HAZARD
  • SXSW XR 2021
  • THE DEVOURING
  • THE EDGE
  • THE FORT
  • THE HALLWYL MUSEUM
  • THE JUNKYARDǃ
  • TREEHOUSE IN THE SHADE
  • UNCANNY ALLEY
  • WORLD.EXECUTE (ME)
  • VRChat Worlds Gallery – Special Events
  • BRAINDANCE
  • JEAN MICHEL JARRE CONCERT
  • M.A.S.S.
  • MYCELIA
  • SHELTER

• In Competition
  • ENGELEN VAN AMSTERDAM (ANGELS IN AMSTERDAM)
  • END OF NIGHT
  • LA PLAGE DE SABLE ÉTOILÉ (THE STARRY SAND BEACH)
  • CAVES
  • BEDLAM
  • GENESIS
  • SPIRIT OF PLACE
  • TEARLESS
  • LUN HUI (SAMSARA) COMPLETE PART 1 AND 2 VERSION
  • CLAP
  • LE BAL DE PARIS DE BLANCA LI
  • BLISS IN THE EAR OF A STORM
  • IL DUBBIO – EPISODE 2
  • ANANDALA
  • GOLIATH: PLAYING WITH REALITY
  • MONTEGELATO
  • THE SEVERANCE THEORY: WELCOME TO RESPITE
  • CONTAINER
  • BING MEI GUEI (THE SICK ROSE)
  • MYRIAD.WHERE WE CONNECT. |VR EXPERIENCE
  • THE LAST WORKER
  • EXPLORING HOME
  • YI YUAN (THE FINAL WISH)
    
• Special Event – Out of Competition
  • IN THE MIST

• Best of VR Expanded – Out of Competition
  • MASKMAKER
  • MIND VR EXPLORATION
  • KUSUNDA
  • MICRO MONSTERS WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
  • MARE
  • SPACE EXPLORERS: THE ISS EXPERIENCE – EPISODES 1-2
  • SAM & MAX: THIS TIME IT’S VIRTUAL!
  • MYST
  • KNOT: A TRILOGY
  • WRAITH: THE OBLIVION – AFTERLIFE
  • JURASSIC WORLD AFTERMATH
  • REEDUCATED

• Biennale College Cinema – Out of Competition
  • LAVRYNTHOS

Venice VR Expanded will run from 1st – 19th September 2021. If you don’t have a VR headset you can also head to these collaborating physical spaces around the world during that time period. All part of the Venice VR Expanded Satellite Programme, you’ll need to make a reservation directly with each venue. The benefit of an onsite visit is the locations will present those works not available online.

• Centre PHI, Montréal, Canada
• Sandman Studios – Sandbox Immersive Festival, Beijing and Shanghai, China
• MC2: Grenoble, Grenoble, France
• Centquatre-Paris, Paris, France
• Invr.Space, Berlin, Germany
• MEET Digital Culture Center | Fondazione Cariplo, Milan, Italy
• Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini – Laboratorio Aperto di Modena, Modena, Italy
• Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Turin, Italy
• M9 – Museum of the 20th Century, Venice Mestre, Italy
• Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Less Media Group – Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), Moscow, Russia
• Espronceda – Institute of Art & Culture, Barcelona, Spain
• Euromersive Turkey – IKSV Salon & Kolektif House (Maslak), Istanbul, Turkey
• Portland Art Museum & Northwest Film Center – Portland Art Museum, Portland, USA

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Venice VR Expanded, reporting back with the latest updates.

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Arcadia.tv fuses sports and esports to create a first-of-its-kind competition.

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Battlefield 2042 is set to be the most expansive multiplayer shooter out there when it releases in October. Here's everything we know about the game so far.

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Pokémon Unite offers several different maps, ranging from small stadiums to massive islands. Here's what you need to know about all Pokémon Unite maps.

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The weekly vendor in Destiny 2 offers some of the toughest loot to find, including exotic weapons and armor. Here's how to track down Xur.

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There's a lot to consider before buying a gaming computer, but a good place to start is with a great deal.

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Icarus was going to launch on August 11 but will instead have its first beta session on the weekend of August 28.

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The latest Fortnite challenges are live for season 7, week 8. Here, we'll go over all of the new challenges, along with guides on getting through the hard ones.

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Arcsmith’s puzzles are tricky and troubling, but it roots you in its world in fascinating ways. More in our Arcsmith review.

Don’t tell the kids at the back but Arcsmith is actually a sneaky piece of edutainment. Its bitty puzzles have the air of a shop class, and wrapping your head around voltage and heat output as you fashion crude bits of future gear restores a long-forgotten (for me at least) sensation of actually learning something.

But, for the learning-adverse (again, myself included), don’t let the math deter you; Arcsmith is more than the sum of its parts.

If you know developer Bithell Games well then you probably know what to expect here. Namely, there’s a deep emphasis on character-led story that’s fed to you between levels. In fact, the game’s approach to narrative is specifically tailored to VR. You play as a young Arcsmith — essentially a fancy future term for engineer — that’s placed aboard an isolated space station orbiting a planet. Joining you is Korith Dinn, a seasoned and galaxy-weary Arcsmith that reluctantly takes you under his wing as you’re sent circuitry jobs that range from fixing radios to heating terrariums.

First and foremost, then, the game’s an exercise in character connection. Korith’s initially cold front soon thaws as he starts to reckon with his past and opens up. He’s a lovable guy — think Sully from Monsters Inc. without the fur — and Bithell Games touches on most of the right notes with him. There’s a lot of arresting eye contact that genuinely makes you feel like you’re in the presence of another living, breathing being, and there are moments when Korith stands over you that can feel like you’re having a real, if one-sided conversation.

Ultimately, though, the script is a little too heavy on exposition (Korith has a lot to say about his past) to earn some of the emotional beats it’s gunning for, and there isn’t much range in expression as we’ve seen in other character interactions in VR. The lack of 3D audio in the game also really hurts, as Korith can stand to one side and it sounds like he’s talking from another part of the room entirely. It’s a distracting oversight.

Puzzles, meanwhile, are more of a mixed bag. It’s essentially Lego with voltage; every level features a handful of key parts that will require a certain amount of power and heat, and you can order power generators, radiators and a range of other parts to manage it all. Eventually, you’ll get new parts the provide power in different ways and varying requirements, like using light to power a device with solar energy, dealing with power fluctuations, or building kit within certain boundaries.

Getting a grip on the inner workings of the circuity and keeping it is tough. You’ll quickly find yourself overstuffing a device with heat and power and then watching bits fly off as you power it on to test it. This can be frustrating – the game doesn’t have a means of letting you power on the device and keep it running without disaster striking a few seconds later. On the one hand, it’s a fun representation of the taxing trial and error the job includes but, on the other, you long to just sit back and take the time you need to figure things out.

I’d often find myself making ham-fisted, bloated machines without much understanding of how to streamline the process. The puzzles are at their best when you can walk it back and talk through adding in each individual part and the consequences of doing so. Arcsmith is incredibly rewarding in these moments, but they don’t come without the sensation of being overwhelmed first.

Perhaps Arcsmith’s best qualities, though, are in its more passive aspects. The fiddly puzzles and sense of place come together to conjure a genuinely convincing scene that made me nostalgic for a job I’ve never even had. Toiling away at circuits while the radio blares its (pretty sensational) soundtrack in the background, and catching glances from Korith as he did the same over the other side of the room has a strange authenticity to it. Moreover, the incoming news updates about impending intergalactic war draws striking parallels with the helplessness we all feel listening in on bulletins in today’s news climate.  The difference and winning element in Arcsmith’s narrative, though, is the message that you do have the power to fight back in your own way.

Arcsmith Review – Final Impressions

Arcsmith is about a lot of things: the joys of tinkering with gadgetry, the power of character connection in VR and finding strength in darkness. It wrestles with these elements with mixed results. Puzzles have a trial and error charm but can be overwhelming and finicky, while the game’s dialogue leans too heavily on exposition over emotion. But it is a genuinely admirable attempt to build something specific to the platform – a game that puts immersion at the heart of both its storytelling and mechanics and the result is a rare, convincing sense of place. It’s good to know that, in an era of explosive VR action and rhythm games, we haven’t lost sight of that.

For more on how we arrived at this score, read our review guidelines. What did you make of our Arcsmith review? Let us know in the comments below!

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It's a weird year for video games as coronavirus-driven delays sweep through the industry. Here's every major date change that's been announced so far.

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We saw a half an hour of The Artful Escape in action, and it's a trippy rock-and-roll adventure.

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When it comes to the sheer amount of content available, being able to sink hours and hours into a videogame, Alta’s recent release of A Township Tale for Oculus Quest is hard to beat. It’s all about building and exploring your own world with friends and this weekend VRFocus is giving you a chance to win a copy for yourself.

A Township Tale gives you your own virtual server where you and up to seven others can team up, master professions and then go on adventures together. You can choose to become a blacksmith, woodcutter, miner, archer or warrior, each vital to the ecosystem as you recover crafting materials to make new equipment and improve your gear. 

You can try by yourself but there’s so much to do and explore that bringing a few friends along for the ride makes it a whole lot easier. From chopping wood, mining the caves or cooking up new recipes, there’s plenty to learn, all of which require vital resources, some of which are in dangerous locations. And it’s all highly interactive, whether you’re lighting a fire or making a backpack, there’s no automation here.

In VRFocus’ first impression of this massive videogame: “It’s an impressive achievement getting this massive open-world to work on Oculus Quest considering its hardware limitations. There are no loading sequences that I could find, run into a fort or go explore some dark and dingy caves and it’s all smooth and effortless, making A Township Tale truly feel immersive.” 

So onto the competition. VRFocus has several Oculus Quest codes for A Township Tale to giveaway. There are multiple ways to enter the giveaway with the standard prize draw entry rules applying: Follow us (or already be following us) on Twitter (@VRFocus) or alternatively, visit our Facebook page or YouTube channel to get an entry for each. The competition will be open until 11.59 pm BST on Monday, 2nd August 2021. The draw will be made shortly thereafter. Best of luck.

Win A Township Tale for Oculus Quest

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It’s currently raining which makes for a perfect excuse to not go outside and enjoy some virtual reality (VR) gaming instead. July has been an awesome month for new videogames, and as we welcome in August here’s a selection of titles that have caught VRFocus’ eye on the release schedule.

Everslaught – MobX

A hardcore action RPG designed for veteran VR players, Everslaught drops you in a fantasy world where you traverse an ancient city filled with randomly generating dungeons, monsters galore and an upgradable skill and weapon set to play with. It’s designed to be very fast and unrelenting, where you can mix up the combat between melee and ranged weaponry using a rather cool arm gadget.

• Supported platforms: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index
• Launch date: 31st July

Valley General Hospital: NiVR – Valley General

A hospital simulator designed for training: “Valley General simulations are accurately representative of hospital environments. We present the truest to life training scenario from the audio environment to equipment interaction and lighting to accessories. Interactions are closely modelled on the real life-saving equipment for the most accurate and available learning.”

• Supported platforms: Oculus Rift
• Launch date: 31st July

Disc Ninja – Immersion Games

Released as a Steam Early Access title in 2020, now it’s the turn of Oculus Quest players to try their hand at disc golf, in a cool Japanese Samurai setting. Offering solo or online gameplay for up to three other players, Disc Ninja has 15 courses to complete, each with its own secrets including shortcuts and hidden loot which unlocks cosmetic items.

• Supported platforms: Oculus Quest
• Launch date: 5th August

Stride – Joy Way

Another Steam Early Access videogame due to make its debut on Oculus Quest, Stride is a parkour experience all about running across rooftops, wall running and shooting bad guys. It consists of three modes Endless Mode, Time Run and Arena. Endless provides procedurally generated levels to get as far as possible, Time Run is all about being really quick and flying through the levels as smoothly as possible to score big points; whilst Arena Mode gives you the greatest freedom with challenges to complete over a wide-open area.

• Supported platforms: Oculus Quest
• Launch date: 5th August

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If you're planning to purchase a new gaming laptop or gaming desktop, Dell is currently offering discounts on the Alienware m15 R3 and Alienware Aurora R12.

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Drums Rock combines VR drumming, heavy rock music and demon-destroying action on Oculus Quest in late 2021.

As anyone with a VR headset will know, there’s no shortage of rhythm games available on the platform. However, recently we’ve seen a particular uptick in drumming rhythm games such as Smash! Drums and Ragnarock, to which Drums Rock will be the latest addition.

Drums Rock’s premise looks to be similar at its core to other physical rhythm drum games — each piece of the drum kit is assigned a color, which you have to hit at the right time similar to Guitar Hero or Rock Band. However, there’s a VR twist: the indicators that tell you when to hit each drum piece come in the form of flying demons.

That’s right, this hell-themed rock game is sending colored demons flying towards you and you’re only option to defeat them it to hit the matching-colored drum at the right time.

Developers Garage 51 say they wanted to create a rhythm game inspired by classic rock music, combining it with elements of horde mode gameplay. It will feature an original rock soundtrack, unlockable songs and cosmetics, and both a campaign and challenge mode.

There’s no word on whether Drums Rock will release on the Oculus Store or App Lab for Quest, or whether it might also make its way to PC VR or PSVR platforms either. Expect to hear more in a few month’s time.

Drums Rock will release later this year for Oculus Quest. You can learn more over at the Drums Watch website.

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For those hoping that Facebook’s next immersive piece of hardware would be an Oculus Quest Pro, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed that rather than a new virtual reality (VR) headset its smart glasses route was next. As part of Facebook’s recent Q2 earnings call this month Zuckerberg said that the company’s smart glasses collaboration with Ray-Ban would mark the next hardware arrival.

“Looking ahead here, the next product release will be the launch of our first smart glasses from Ray-Ban
in partnership with Essilor Luxottica,” Zuckerberg remarked. “The glasses have their iconic form factor, and they let you do some pretty neat things. I’m excited to get these into people’s hands and to continue to make progress on the
journey towards full augmented reality glasses in the future.”

While he does say augmented reality (AR) these Ray-Ban glasses won’t be a Facebook version of Microsoft HoloLens or even Facebook’s own research hardware Project Aria. The design will likely be much closer to Snapchat Spectacles with basic functionality geared towards taking photos. Currently, nothing has been shown of these upcoming smart glasses or what the feature set will be, just that a launch should be taking place this year.

Project Aria is the company’s main AR development revealed so far, unveiled as part of Facebook Connect in 2020. This is much closer to others in this field, providing a digital experience overlaying the real world. One which you can connect to your smartphone and then operate it completely hands-free. The eventual goal would be like current mixed reality (MR) devices for enterprise, a completely self-contained device. For consumers at the moment, devices like Rokid Air or Nreal Light are the closest they’ll get.

The Ray-Ban smart glasses will be another stepping stone towards Zuckerberg’s much talked about vision for the metaverse, a virtual world everyone can connect in no matter the hardware they own. He reiterated this in the earnings call saying: “You’re going to be able to access the metaverse from all different devices in different levels of fidelity —
from apps on phones and PCs to immersive virtual and augmented reality devices. Within the metaverse, you’re going to be able to hang out, play games with friends, work, create, and more. The defining quality of the metaverse is presence – which is this feeling that you’re really there with another person or in another place.”

As Facebook has already held its F8 developer conference in June it’s likely that Facebook Connect in September will be used to reveal the smart glasses. For further updates on those AR plans, keep reading VRFocus.

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Arcsmith, the new VR puzzler from Thomas Was Alone developer Bithell Games, is now available on Oculus Quest.

The game was announced a month ago, and will blend storytelling and puzzles together in a sci-fi setting. You’ll be solving engineering puzzles that involve assembling machines, like radio and drones, and connecting their circuitry.

To celebrate the release, the Oculus blog posted an interview with Game Director Nic Tringali talking about the development process and the goals the studio had in mind for the game. From the sound of it, the puzzles in Arcsmith won’t just have one solution. “Our starting point was wanting to do this kind of open-ended puzzle game, where the game gives you a goal but how you solve it is up to you.”

Tringali went on to cite Kerbal Space Program and Opus Magnum as big influences for the style of puzzles in Arcsmith, but said that “aesthetically it’s a blend of classic sci-fi films” and the cartoon-y look of the Disney cult classic animated film Treasure Planet.

In terms of storytelling, a lot of effort was put into the environments and animation as a form of immersive storytelling. “From the animation side as well, VR is much closer to sitting in a theater than watching something on a screen, so the animation had a lot of considerations around the player’s location and sight lines, which is a lot different from placing a camera in an environment.”

You can read the full interview with Tringali over on the Oculus blog. Arcsmith is available now for Oculus Quest for $24.99. We’ll have a full review of the game later today.

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Looking for cheap Razer deals? Here are all the latest bargains Razer laptops, gaming accessories, and more.

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Fortnite season 7, week 8 features a challenge for igniting players and/or structures. Here, we'll show you everything you'll need to know about completing it.

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Having trouble finding cameras to emote in front of in Fortnite? Here's where to find cameras across Believer Beach and Lazy Lake for the newest challenge.

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You don't have to go broke to get a good gaming machine. We've got the best gaming laptop deals right here.

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From Solar Ash's release date to new Stray details, here's everything we saw at Annapurna's digital showcase.

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A Marvel's Avengers War Table stream detailing the War for Wakanda expansion will go live on August 16.

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Looking for Coral Cove, Base Camp Golf, and Unremarkable Shack in Fortnite? Here, we'll show you how to visit all three locations for the latest challenge.

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Weird West is an upcoming RPG that gives players the freedom to choose how they survive in the wild west.

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British developer nDreams is doing very well at the moment, seeing success with Phantom: Covert Ops (2020), Far Cry VR, and soon its latest Fracked will arrive. Today, the studio has unveiled its latest initiative, opening a second virtual reality (VR) development studio focused on live service games, nDreams Studio Orbital.

The new studio will be helmed by Chris White who previously worked for FitXR – the VR fitness app which moved to a subscription model this year – bringing his live service experience to the team. White has also worked at Electronic Arts (The Sims Social), Glu Mobile (Project Gotham) and Space Ape Games (Transformers: Earth Wars and Samurai Siege).

“VR continues to grow at pace so it’s an incredibly exciting time to join,” said White in a statement. “There are so many awesome games out there already, but there’s still so much to discover, especially around experiences that engage players for years. I can’t wait to start building out the team and deliver something truly amazing for all the VR players out there!”

nDreams Studio Orbital hasn’t revealed any projects at this time or which direction the team plans to take down the live service route. Whatever the team decide it’ll be very different to nDreams’ usual titles which all tend to be single-player experiences.

Based in Farnborough, UK, nDreams was founded in 2006 and pivoted towards VR when the first Oculus Rift development kits (DK1) became available in 2013. The studio’s first big project was The Assembly which was followed up by Perfect, Bloody Zombies and Shooty Fruity. nDreams Studio Orbital will be fully remote and currently has several roles to fill.

It’s not just live service games nDreams is expanding into. Earlier this year the VR specialist announced a new £2 million fund which would be used to co-fund and publish VR content from other developers.

As and when nDreams Studio Orbital reveals what the team is working on, VRFocus will keep you updated.

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Whether you already game or are looking to get into gaming, we have some gaming deals to help with boredom.

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If you're looking for video game deals for the PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, here are some of the best cheap video games across various retailers.

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We've gathered some of the best PlayStation deals that are available online, including offers for games and accessories for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

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New Pokémon Snap is getting a surprise DLC that brings three courses and 20 monsters to the game.

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Here are a few PS Plus deals that will have you playing online and enjoying free monthly games right away.

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Before slipping an M.2 into your PS5, make sure it holds up to Sony's demanding specifications.

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Good news! There’s a slightly better chance you can now play Microsoft Flight Simulator in VR with your current PC specs.

Asobo’s celebrated sim this week got an update with a ton of optimizations on PC, made possible thanks to the just-released Xbox port of the game. When it was first announced the team confirmed that the patch would also enable benefits for PC VR users. When we first tried Flight Sim in VR in late 2020, the game was very messy for us running on an RTX 2060 Super and a Ryzen 9 3900x 12-core processor with default specs, and very jittery still with all graphics settings brought way down. You can watch that performance here.

Running the same specs after this week’s update resulted in a smoother experience, but still not perfect by any means. Jitter was no longer consistent and, flying over the New York skyline, there were was a lot of time spent enjoying the (admittedly blurry) scene hassle-free. But moving my head or turning the plane would still result in fairly regular hiccups – momentary screen freezes and judder as well as some strange image warping around the windows.

I’m not to most tech-savvy of PC users but I have the right kit for the game’s minimum specs, especially at the lowest levels they’re turned to. To me, it still felt like this was a few steps behind where this support needs to be to make Flight Simulator and easy recommendation for PC VR users with moderate gaming rigs.

But going beyond even that, I’m still waiting for Flight Sim to become a more seamless VR experience. It’s still a lot of hassle moving between your mouse and either a flight stick or controller with the headset on and the lack of native VR controller support makes navigating menus a real pain, not to mention it’s missing a deeper level of immersion without them. The game, as a whole, is still practically pristine and an incredible technical accomplishment, but I’m hoping Asobo is in it for the long haul when it comes to improving VR support.

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Fracked and Phantom: Covert Ops developer nDreams is opening a second VR studio dedicated to making “live games for VR.”

The new studio, named nDreams Orbital, is set to operate remotely (the original nDreams team is based in Farnborough, UK), and will be lead by Chris White. White previously worked on games like The Sims Social at EA and most recently joined VR fitness company, FitXR.

All of nDreams’ VR games to date have been single-player adventures of some sort, be it the upcoming PSVR exclusive FPS, Fracked, or even older titles like The Assembly. Live games will be a new avenue for the company, suggesting it’s looking at titles that consistently offer new and fresh content, be it different kinds of in-game events or cosmetic items.

In a prepared statement, White noted that VR still has “so much to discover, especially around experiences that engage players for years.” No other details about Orbital’s first project have been released at this time.

It’s been a busy year for nDreams overall. Alongside next month’s launch of Fracked (which is our current Upload Access spotlight game), the team announced a return to VR publishing with a $2 million fund in February and launched a learning and development initiative named nDreams Academy in April.

Don’t expect to see this new title for a little bit, then, but nDreams is hiring for the studio right now.

via Mint VR

You may not remember Bithell Games’ virtual reality (VR) debut, a simple sci-fi puzzler called EarthShape. That’s probably because it arrived in 2016 as an exclusive for the now-defunct Google Daydream View, never seeing a port to any other device. The studio’s next VR project Arcsmith also happens to be a sci-fi-inspired puzzle experience but this time it ramps up the complexity and should make it in front of more eyeballs as it’s exclusive to Oculus Quest.

There’s a vast difference between the two videogames though, Arcsmith instantly showcases the type of immersive, hands-on gameplay all VR gamers love. Set on a remote space station with the grumpy master arcsmith Korith Dinn and his robotic assistant – a rolling, talking tool chest called Toolie  – you’re begrudgingly welcomed on board as an apprentice, ready to learn his engineering skills.

Arcsmith is a story-driven puzzler where you’re given an assortment of components to build all sorts of devices, all of which are orders from vessels about to engage in an intergalactic battle. As each device is built the next part of the story unfolds, learning a little bit more about Dinn’s life and why he’s in this corner of deep space.

Set up at your own little workbench each order will have specific parts which need to be combined with basic, core components that you can requisite like radiators, batteries, scaffolding and more. Arcsmith is one of the puzzle titles which is really easy to pick up and start experimenting with, with all the components magnetically snapping together like a toy set. Some can only attach at specific points but you’re given free rein to build the device however you please.

The one caveat to that process is dealing with the heat and power demands of each component, this is where Arcsmith’s complexity really ramps up. Every component has its own attributes when it comes to heat and power, so you can create a beautifully built device, test it and BOOM, one part suddenly pops out because it gets too hot.

You’re not left to blindly poke around in the dark when it comes to figuring out a solution. The active bench allows you to switch between heat and power distribution whilst a portable tablet gives you extra info such as the power output of the crystal generator. So much like an engineer sitting at their workbench solving problems, Arcsmith wants you to get comfy and take your time. There’s no rush here, think of it as good old fashioned block building, just in space, and you don’t have hands; just futuristic lasers instead.

Which makes for a very comfortable gameplay experience. Entirely seated, because you’re at a workbench there’s literally nowhere else to go, occasionally seeing spaceships fly by as the story unfolds. However, that doesn’t mean Arcsmith is a laidback, relaxing experience, because it can be incredibly frustrating at points.

The issue is to do with the magnetic coupling of components. On the earlier, simpler puzzles it’s not too noticeable. Sometimes pieces instantly snap together or they may take a couple of attempts. As Arcsmith progresses and the devices you need to build get ever more complicated, that snapping functionality becomes annoyingly erratic. Two components pulled apart abruptly rejoin whilst others at the same distance fail to. There were points where throwing the damn thing across the room felt like the best course of action, the whole process becomes more complicated than it needed to be.

Even with those frustrations, it’s hard not to quickly become fond of Arcsmith, offering the kind of classic puzzling solving Bithell Games is known for, updated for VR. The same goes for the beautiful soundtrack by Dan Le Sac and Sarah Williams White, a perfect mix of electronic beats to accompany your building exploits. It might not be perfect but Arcsmith is a little slice of indie VR gold, keeping most players entertained for a good few hours.

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Don't go cheap with your monitor after upgrading your gaming PC. You might want to take advantage of these deals from Dell for two Alienware gaming monitors.

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Gamers on the hunt for a new gaming laptop shouldn't miss Dell's $429 discount for the Dell G3 15, which lowers its price to a more affordable $800 from $1,229.

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Last week, the reawakened ’80s and ’90s studio Microprose and developer Geometa announce that the upcoming real-time strategy (RTS) videogame Carrier Command 2 would be getting a virtual reality (VR) version for PC-based headsets. Today, the team have confirmed that Carrier Command 2 and Carrier Command 2 VR are less than two weeks away from launch.

The original Carrier Command is a strategy classic from 30 years ago, and just like before you’re put in charge of a high tech aircraft carrier filled to the brim with deployable craft to conduct missions with. From the command deck, you can operate its systems, gathering intelligence before launching an offensive to conquer the Archipelago. Once the first island has been taken you can then exploit and defend its resources to ensure you’re survival.

Carrier Command 2 isn’t just about controlling the battle from afar, you can get into the heat of the action by stepping into the planes, tanks and other vehicles you’ve deployed.

Originally designed as a PC-only title, developer Geometa listened to the community who wanted a VR version, and so Carrier Command 2 VR was born. The studio reveals that: “While VR was not originally in our roadmap, the literalism of the diegetic interfaces within the game has made it very easy to introduce VR to Carrier Command – this is the same game, with the same balance and same mechanics!”

“In the VR edition, you can control all the same systems, vehicles, and controls, from the bridge of the ACC Epsilon Carrier. Use your VR controllers to move and interact with controls, and remote pilot vehicles. Use the holomap with 3D vision. Move around the bridge, use screens, staff the stations, take first person remote control,” the team adds.

While both versions are essentially different videogames the launch will see both titles bundled together, so there’s no need to pay twice. There’s another benefit as well because both titles are so closely linked, the co-op and multiplayer modes are cross-platform so VR and non-VR players can compete.

Carrier Command 2 and Carrier Command 2 VR are scheduled to launch on 10th August 2021, a price has yet to be revealed. For further updates on Microprose VR projects including the previously revealed The Mighty Eighth, keep reading VRFocus. 

via Mint VR

As a videogame fan, there are moments where all-out action just feels a bit too much. Maybe you’re having a lazy Sunday afternoon or simply want to unwind after a long day? It’s in these moments where a slower, more peaceful type of experience comes into play. Where beautiful sunsets and methodical gameplay come into their own, you can’t get much more chill than Trebuchet’s latest offering Winds & Leaves, exclusively for PlayStation VR. However, can a VR experience that mainly involves planting trees be entertaining? 

The Canadian studios’ previous title was Prison Boss VR making Winds & Leaves a polar opposite, offering beautiful wide-open vistas which go on for miles and a rich tapestry of colours. Freedom is most certainly on offer here, allowing you to adventure out into a desolate, mysterious land and bring it back to life.

Because you are The Gardener, a being deeply linked to nature who can see the bonds between plants and cultivate them using some powerful magical forces. Much in the same way that Paper Beast left you to ponder and imagine your own story, Winds & Leaves does something very similar. There’s no direct narrative to speak of or real explanation of who you are, you’re on a once verdant planet that is now barren the only clues being rock paintings and unusual tree-like structures which have to be reanimated.

This natural link also means you can’t simply wander around as you wish, you generally need to stay near to greenery, setting up the core mechanic of Winds & Leaves, planting trees, planting a lot of trees in fact. Each tree you plant will create a lush green area which can then be expanded upon however you choose, going in one straight direction towards a point of interest or growing a lush forest. That’s one of the best parts about Winds & Leaves, looking back and seeing a once dry, harsh landscape transformed by all these trees you’ve planted.

You’re well kitted out with an extendable digging tool, a mysterious weather vane, seed pouch, an energy-containing tree stump and stilts. Yes, that’s right, locomotion in Winds & Leaves is entirely on stilts and works surprisingly well. The videogame is only compatible with PlayStation Move, having to hold the Move button down then waggling the controllers up and down to walk. It sounds a little unusual but isn’t too much different to the locomotion systems employed in titles like Sprint Vector, you’re just on stilts. They also give you the option to lower or raise yourself, great for picking seeds off the ground or moving faster respectively.   

It’s not all plain sailing though. The same system for walking is used for climbing trees. So if you’re too close to one then it’s easy to find yourself going up rather than forward. And it soon became clear that picking the seeds off the trees – a vital part of the whole growing process – was far easier than trying to pick them up off the ground, which was finicky and erratic at times.

As for the whole gardening process, that all depends on how much you like continually digging holes. While that energy containing tree stump allows you to walk a short distance away from the life-giving forests, go too far and the roots will pull you back, so you need to get planting. The challenge in Winds & Leaves is careful management of your seed pouch which only holds a measly six varieties of plants, each one having three attributes making them ideal for certain soil conditions. Because of this, there’s a fair bit of seed experimentation and manipulation, planting two or three together to make a new plant, helping you venture further forward.

And this is where that mysterious weather vane tool comes in handy. Time does move in Winds & Leaves just very slowly so the vane greatly speeds this up, making the trees grow nice and rapidly. It’s one of the best effects during the whole experience, watching days flick by in seconds, cloud formations come and go, sunset and rises…you get the idea. While it was always easier to play during daylight, at night there’s an eerie magical quality as you can see the glowing, pulsating connections between the trees.

The end goal is to completely bring life back to this barren place by venturing into four areas and spinning up the giant windmills you find there, all of which point to a central garden that acts as a sort of hub. Once you’ve unlocked certain tree species these can then be found in the garden should you require a particular seed your pouch doesn’t contain. There’s no fast travel so heading back requires leg work until you unlock the glide ability. Essentially a quick dash, it does allow you to traverse the tops of the trees which is always fun.

So you’d imagine Winds & Leaves offers an idyllic world that’s all about being one with nature? Not initially, as VRFocus’ pre-launch review copy continually crashed, occurring six times in the space of an hour at one point. Thankfully, a day one patch does look to have solved that issue. But there are others, like the sheer amount of pop up, especially in the trees. Played on a standard PlayStation 4, once you’ve got a full-on forest going – the whole point of the game – it did start to struggle with all the foliage.

Winds & Leaves has some nice ideas and for those looking for a nice tranquil VR experience with some light puzzles, it perfectly suits. The problem is Winds & Leaves can be a bit too quiet. Lush green grass and colour forests are all well and good but they’re still devoid of life, no animals suddenly return. So you end up walking through your lovely forest world alone, it all feels a bit soulless. Winds & Leaves was enjoyable for the 7-8 hours it lasts yet there was no desire to return.

via Mint VR

You can pair Valve’s upcoming Steam Deck handheld console with an Oculus Quest, Gabe Newell has confirmed.

The Valve co-founder and owner spoke about Steam Deck in an interview to IGN this week, re-iterating that the device is essentially a portable, handheld PC and therefore Valve won’t stop you from trying to connect anything to it, including an Oculus Quest.

As we covered when the device was announced this month, Valve’s open PC handheld Steam Deck has all the connectivity for VR but not the performance. Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais said as much already, but now we’ve heard it from Newell himself with specific mention to the Quest.

Newell responded to a question about being able to install and use other software and stores besides Steam on the device, such as using the Microsoft Store to play Game Pass games on the handheld device. Here’s a full transcript of Newell’s response, in which he mentions the Oculus Quest (to watch the full question and response, head to the 8:40 mark in the video embedded above):

Newell: Our view is that the openness of the PC ecosystem is the superpower that we all collectively benefit from. So if you want to install the Epic Games Store on here, if you want to run an Oculus Quest on it… Those are all great. Those are features, right? That’s what I want to hear as a gamer. I don’t want to hear that somebody’s got some Trojan horse that’s going to try to lock me down. I want to hear… whatever I want to do, if there’s hardware I want to attach to it, if there’s software I want to install…  I can just go and do it. We think that’s great.

It’s important to note that Newell is essentially saying that anyone who wants to connect a Quest to a Steam Deck will be able to give it their best shot — Valve won’t stop you from doing so — but that doesn’t guarantee great performance.

So you could join your Quest to your Steam Deck, either through USB or AirLink and have a portable PC VR experience. But, while Steam Deck is likely a more powerful machine than Quest itself, it likely still won’t be able to run high-end VR titles like Half-Life: Alyx or Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. We’ll have to wait for the kit’s release later this year to find out just how capable it is in this area, though.

You can read more about the Steam Deck and it’s potential VR connectivity options here.

via Mint VR

Today, Dell is offering the Alienware AW988 Wireless Gaming Headset for a crazy low price. Every gamer needs one, so here's your chance.

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Pokémon Unite's pay-to-win model gives players that are willing to spend money an incredibly unfair advantage.

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Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has never been shy when it comes to celebrating hardware sales milestones. With the PlayStation 5 continually out of stock, instantly snapped up when a retailer even whispers it might be getting a shipment today’s announcement is even more impressive. SIE has revealed that more than 10 million PS5’s have been sold worldwide since November 2020.

Those sales date from 12th November to 18th July 2021, making the PlayStation 5 the fastest-selling console in the company’s history. Considering the ongoing chip shortages and the pandemic those are some impressive figures, easily eclipsing sales of the PlayStation 4. This has been supported by a range of platform exclusives with Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales selling 6.5 million copies in that same time period whilst its recent Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart title has already sold over 1.1 million copies since its launch last month.

“I can’t express enough the deep gratitude we feel for our passionate community of PlayStation fans who have embraced PS5, and the world-class development and publishing partners who bring such incredible gaming experiences to our platforms,” said Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment in a statement. “While PS5 has reached more households faster than any of our previous consoles, we still have a lot of work ahead of us as demand for PS5 continues to outstrip supply. I want gamers to know that while we continue to face unique challenges throughout the world that affect our industry and many others, improving inventory levels remains a top priority for SIE.”

Those figures also bode well for SIE’s virtual reality (VR) plans. When PlayStation VR originally launched for PlayStation 4 back in 2016 it greatly benefited from the user base, as the headset was easy to set up and cheaper than rival PC VR headsets. Thanks to a free adapter PlayStation VR can be used with the new PlayStation 5 and some developers are making use of that extra power. nDreams’ upcoming title Fracked will feature uncapped dynamic resolution, improved framerate, and loading times on the console.

The new headset – which SIE has yet to reveal – should also benefit from this growing userbase, especially considering its not due for release this year. SIE has already teased details including the “Orb” controllers and their haptic triggers, that the headset will offer a “high-fidelity visual experience,” and that it’ll connect to the PlayStation 5 via a single cable.  

As PlayStation 5’s success continues and more details regarding the new headsets are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.

via Mint VR

Players are showing solidarity with the developers at Activision Blizzard that are staging their own walkout today.

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What are the best PSVR games you can play today? Find out in our full list!

Sony’s PSVR headset has proven to be something of a white knight for VR in the industry’s early years. Despite being technically inferior to the Oculus Rift S, Valve Index and even older headsets like the HTC Vive on almost every level, Sony leveraged 20+ years of industry experience to create an awesome line-up for its PS4-based headset. In 2021, PSVR is home to many of VR’s best games and is one of the most accessible mainstream headsets available.

It’s important to get a list of the best PSVR games right, then. There’s plenty of obvious choices, but PSVR also houses many hidden gems from indie developers. We wanted to make a list that reflected that. You’ll be able to get all of these titles from the PlayStation Store on PS4, but also don’t forget you’ll be able to use PSVR with the PS5 as well as long as you have the camera adapter. Watch our breakdown of loading time comparisons here.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for our other best VR game lists, make sure to check these out:

• Best VR Games Of All Time
• Best VR Games – Oculus Quest
• Best VR Games – Oculus Rift
• Best VR Games – SteamVR For Vive, Index And Reverb G2

And so we present our new and definitive list of the 25 best PSVR games, replacing our previous, smaller version.

The Best PSVR Games

25. Statik – Read Our Review

Years on from its release and we still find ourselves staring out of the window, mentally picking away at Statik’s mysterious story. This is easily one of PSVR’s most inventive games, imagining the player’s DualShock 4 as a pair of puzzle-laden handcuffs. You need to experiment with what the various levers and buttons of each contraption do and then gradually solve your way out of your current predicament.

But it speaks legions about Statik that its fantastic puzzle design is outdone by the game’s sheer oddness. Supervised by the curious and world-weary Dr. Ingen,  you’re left to piece together his seemingly random mumblings and musings into a cohesive narrative. It’s still got people picking it apart today, so much so that we’d love another game to help us fill in a few more blanks. Are you listening, Tarsier?

24. Sniper Elite VR – Read Our Review

Looking for a rock-solid shooter campaign that makes great use of PSVR’s Aim controller? Sniper Elite VR more than has you covered. A lengthy 5+ hour campaign awaits here that mixes many of the series staples: cohesive and enjoyable stealth, thrilling all-out fire fights and, of course, some of the best sniping you’ll find in games.

You can play with Move or DualShock 4 but the Aim really brings the game’s close-range action to life. Here’s hoping Rebellion has a sequel on the cards for the future, because Sniper Elite VR is comfortably one of the best PSVR games.

23. Gorn – Read Our Review

There’s definitely an argument to be made for keeping VR games from getting too violent but Gorn basically rips any such debate’s jaw off and then beats it to death with its own arms. Before we step into the murky ground of ‘realism’, Free Lives has jumped all the way over to the other side of the canyon and spilled a frankly hilarious amount of blood in the process. Gorn is all about being the last man standing in a gladiator arena, and the game has little in the way of rules to stop you from doing that.

Want to pull a guy’s head off? Bash him in with a rock? Swing a mace into a face and knock some eyeballs out? Gorn lets you do all that and it feels wonderful. Not because we have psychotic tendencies but because it’s all so stupidly over the top that you can’t help but laugh. Beyond the stupidity, though, there is actually a great structure in place here that will keep you coming back to unlock new content and make battles surprisingly tense affairs, too. It’s as stupid as it gets but Gorn’s a game you should take seriously.

22. The Persistence – Read Our Review

Firesprite’s VR debut is a tantalizing horror treat. It uses procedural generation to create a spaceship riddled with horrific enemies then asks you not sneak past them or, failing that, bring them down. Think Dead Space in VR. If the very thought of that doesn’t send you running for the hills then this could be for you.

The game’s randomized element helps provide a fresh experience time and time again. Plus, compatibility with traditional game controllers over VR motion controllers does give The Persistence a mechanical, refined edge compared to a lot of its contemporaries. If you’re looking for a genuinely deep, calculated VR game, this is worth enduring the scares for.

21. The Room VR: A Dark Matter – Read Our Review

Puzzle masters Fireproof Games knock it out of the park again with a typically excellent rendition of The Room series, this time for VR headsets. This short, sweet adventure is set in The British Institute of Archaeology, where you’ll solve challenging puzzles in search of a missing archaeologist.

What makes The Room VR work is its commitment to the platform it’s appearing on. This isn’t just a bunch of puzzles that would work on a traditional screen; each and every one has been thoughtfully designed with VR at their core.  Not a single mechanic feels over-used and there’s constant invention happening right before your eyes. That makes it easily one of the best PSVR games, especially if you’re into puzzles.

20. Firewall: Zero Hour – Read Our Review

Virtual paintball in your living room. That’s the pitch behind a lot of VR shooters these days, but none of them realize it quite as well as Firewall: Zero Hour. It has a few hiccups, but First Contact’s multiplayer shooter is one of the purest expressions of leaving your own body and stepping into the role of someone else entirely that you’ll find in VR. This is the intense S.W.A.T. simulator you’ve always dreamed of experiencing.

It’s PSVR’s excellent Aim controller that makes Firewall a real standout. The unmatched sensation of holding an assault rifle in your hand makes you feel incredibly powerful and draws you back in time and again to recapture the rush. Plus multiple seasons of new content have added more maps and perks to the game even years down the line from release. It might not have seen some of the more significant quality of life improvements we were hoping for, but Firewall is still one of the best games you can currently get on PSVR.

19. Hitman Trilogy – Read Our Hitman 3 Review

You might consider this one cheating but, given that you can access the entire Hitman trilogy inside Hitman 3 if you own the first two games, we think this one’s fair game. IO Interactive did a tremendous job fitting the past few years of Hitman titles into VR and implementing at least some form of motion controls with DualShock 4 tracking. Hitman takes on new life in VR, becoming a much more personal and physical affair, and the series’ stealth elements really shine when inside a headset. 

No, the transition isn’t entirely smooth; the motion controls can be tricky and we long for proper Move integration, but you simply can’t ignore the sheer breadth and quality of content on offer here. Fingers crossed this is just the start of IO’s VR journey, as the Hitman trilogy really makes for one of the best PSVR games to date.

18. A Fisherman’s Tale – Read Our Review

As great as VR is, its initial novelty is bound to wear off after your first few weeks or so. If you want to recapture the magic of putting on the headset for the first time, there’s one destination that’s bound to deliver: A Fisherman’s Tale. This is a mind-bending puzzle game unlike anything you’ll see elsewhere. That alone makes it one of the best PSVR games.

In A Fisherman’s Tale, you solve intricate, scale-based puzzles in which you work… with yourself. Its best puzzles utilize a miniature model of the lighthouse the game’s set in. Lift the roof of the model and you’ll see a mini-you, imitating your every move. Just try and keep your brain from breaking as you hand yourself giant objects, or reach down to poke your own head. It’s a trip to say the least. Throw in a poignant story about self-acceptance and you have a short, sharp VR game that will stay with you much longer than most multi-hour epics.

17. Farpoint – Read Our Review

It may be the wonderful rifle-shaped Aim controller that elevates Farpoint from a relatively simplistic first-person shooter to a wholly immersive experience, but that experience is powerful enough to earn it a place on this list. In Farpoint you crash land on an alien planet and must find a way home, shooting your way through hordes of spider enemies as you go.

Yes, spider enemies. It’s a little Starship Troopers, but there’s a genuine thrill to the Colonial Marines-style panic-fire battles. Surprisingly, though, there’s a hugely engaging story at the center of Farpoint that manages to strike a chord despite focusing on characters other than the player’s speechless shell. This was a promising start for developer Impulse Gear, but we’re hoping to see more from them in the future.

16. Until You Fall – Read Our Review

A stylish and effortlessly-cool VR rougelike that has you tackling runs of a randomized dungeon and starting fresh every time you die. A fast-moving progression system keeps the game rewarding and addictive, while the lively arcade action is easy to pick up and difficult to master. If you’re looking for a VR game you’ll revisit time and time again, look no further than Until You Fall. It’s one of the best PSVR games.

15. Moss – Read Our Review

Moss is one of a handful of 2018 games that proved that third-person VR experiences don’t just work but can make for some of the absolute best content out on the platform right now. You guide an adorable little mouse named Quill through diorama-sized levels, solving puzzles and taking on fearsome critters in sword-based combat.

While it’s mechanically refined, the game’s real claim to fame is the bond you build with Quill over the course of the adventure. Playing as a larger companion to the tiny protagonist, you really start to connect with her as you work together to overcome obstacles. It feels very much like a team effort, which is quite a remarkable feeling in itself. Bring on Book 2.

14. Iron Man VR – Read Our Review

Tony Stark finally took flight in VR in 2020 and the wait was worth it. This PSVR exclusive offers a full campaign with surprisingly deep combat, an interesting story and plenty of cinematic moments designed specifically with VR in mind. True, there were technical problems, but the pros were pro enough to outweigh the cons.

Published by Sony itself and developed by Republique studio Camouflaj, Iron Man VR literally managed to circumvent PSVR’s tracking limitations with clever techniques that allowed players to spin around on the spot and shoot or fly in any direction.  Combined with the considered combat mechanics, you have something that balanced the pure joy of being Iron Man with the kind of demanding gameplay we’d expect from traditional games. This is easily one of the best PSVR games from 2020 – bravo.

13. Ghost Giant – Read Our Review

Upon first glance, Ghost Giant appears to be a charming little puzzler that makes the most of its diorama-sized worlds. And that’s very much the case; in this adorable papercraft world you help your young companion out with different chores and tasks. That includes tickling clams and making intentive art in wonderfully tranquil locations. It’s whimsy, delightful and amazing in VR. But that’s only half the story.

Ghost Giant also hides a thoughtful take on depression, smartly communicated through this new medium. The game uses intimacy, scale and connection in engaging ways that bring you closer to the world and characters around you. It’s surprising and responsible, delivering some incredibly powerful moments. All told, it’s one of the most striking and unforgettable examples of VR storytelling yet seen and one of the best PSVR games.

12. Beat Saber – Read Our Review

Who would have guessed that, with everything developers could do, the closest VR has yet gotten to a ‘killer app’ is a rhythm action game with knock-off lightsabers? It seems ridiculous but just one go on Beat Saber and you’ll understand why it’s such a hit; it’s an utterly entrancing experience that makes you feel like a groovy Jedi master. That’s all you need VR to be.

You slash notes that arrive on time with a beat. It sounds simple but, in practice, there are few things more satisfying to do in VR. It won’t be long until you’re throwing your motion controllers around like a ninja. Plus you’ll be working up a sweat and instinctively dancing to the given track. Many people will tell you Beat Saber is one of the best PSVR games, and they’re absolutely right.

11. No Man’s Sky VR – Read Our Review

No Man’s Sky promised to bring its entire universe of billions of procedurally generated planets connected by unending oceans of space that can be explored by yourself or with friends all into VR. It’s had a few technical hiccups, but you can’t deny it delivered on that hugely ambitious premise. You can lose endless hours here journeying to the top of mountains, scouting below the oceans and duking it out in spaceship battles.

Better yet, Hello Games put incredible effort into this VR update, making it feel native to the game instead of tacked on. Still, remember this is No Man’s Sky; there are plenty of beautiful sights and sounds, but also a fairly punishing survival loop and resource-gathering grind to fight back against. If that sounds up your street, No Man’s Sky will probably be one of your most beloved VR games. The console version is slightly toned down from the PC release, but it’s still one of the best PSVR games.

10. Dreams – Read Our Review

Dreams is a tricky one to rank in a list like this. Depending on what you want to do with Media Molecule’s game creation platform (which is essentially its own development engine at this point), you’ll have different experiences. We wish the tutorial content was more VR-native, and there’s a lot of shovelware to sift through, just like in the main game. But these caveats are well worth getting past.

At the core of Dreams is a set of genuinely accessible and incredible tools that empower a vibrant community to make incredible creations. Whether it’s fun tributes to beloved franchises or the handful of fantastic original ideas, Dreams proves itself to be a powerful, if messy VR playground.

9. Blood & Truth – Read Our Review

The London Heist minigame in PlayStation VR Worlds remains one of the most polished and engaging pieces of story-driven VR content out there. Lucky for us, developer Sony London decided to take its short tale of crime capers and turn it into a full game. The result is Blood & Truth, one of the most polished and immersive shooters yet seen on any VR headset, let alone PSVR.

What makes Blood & Truth great is that it isn’t ‘just’ a shooter. Every level has new types of interactions and mechanics to explore, fleshing the virtual world out and bringing it closer to the real one. Its story might be on the cheesy side, but its character models are unmatched and the stunning setpiece moments are often Uncharted-worthy. Don’t let the Guy Ritchie accents fool you; Blood & Truth is one to take seriously.

8. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – Read Our Review

Capcom’s 2017 soft-reboot of its beloved horror franchise hit hard in the scare department. Switching to first-person put the horror right in front of you, daring players to fight their way through the Baker mansion. But on PS4 it went a step further with full PSVR support. To this day it remains probably the scariest thing you can see in VR.

This is very likely still the most high-profile VR game out there. It’s a huge AAA production with some of the best visuals you’ll find inside a headset and a full campaign with heaps of variety. It’s well-paced and incredibly tense, harking back to the series’ roots with a focus on limited resources and genuine scares. If you’re looking for a top tier PS4 game with full PSVR support, Resident Evil 7 is as close as it gets, making it one of the best PSVR games.

7. Star Wars: Squadrons – Read Our Review

Who says VR can’t make your dreams come true? Well, whoever they are, they haven’t sampled Star Wars: Squadrons’ stunning VR support, which puts players in the cockpit of X-Wings, TIE Fighters and other iconic ships and lets them duke it out in either multiplayer battles or a full single-player campaign.

Squadrons is fun to play on a flat-screen but, in VR, it quickly morphs into one of the most exciting and immersive experiences you can have today. Detailed cockpits and authentic Star Wars polish bring out the child in you as you zoom around arenas, blowing enemies out of the sky. There are a lot of Star Wars VR experiences out there but, for our money, Squadrons is the best, and also one of the best PSVR games.

6. Skyrim VR – Read Our Review

It turns out that the Skyrim of VR is, well, Skyrim in VR. There are definitely some awkward quirks to Bethesda’s port of its ever-popular fantasy RPG, but we were more than willing to put them to the back of our minds as we explored Tamriel like never before. With hundreds of hours’ worth of content, full autonomy to make the kind of character you want and an enormous world to explore, Skyrim VR is the closest we’ve come to fulfilling every adventurer’s dreams (outside of taking an arrow to the knee).

Not to mention that this has some of the best Move integration we’ve yet seen in a PSVR game, getting us as close to natural locomotion as possible without those much-requested thumbsticks. The fact that it fits inside the headset at all is simply astonishing. Skyrim VR is going to be hard to top for some time, and remains one of the best PSVR games to this day.

5. Pistol Whip – Read Our Review

Pistol Whip may be the new kid on the block but, for our money, its sharpshooting, sharp sounding, beat-based gameplay proves to be even more hypnotic than Beat Saber. In this neon-lit shooter, you stream down corridors, blasting bad guys to grizzly tunes, avoiding incoming fire and trying to rack up the best scores to the beat.

Pistol Whip’s key is to take influence not just from the VR sales king but also Superhot and, most prominently, John Wick. Whereas Beat Saber wants to make you a dancing Jedi master, Pistol Whip aims to teach you gun-fu with style, elegantly fusing the rhythmic and cinematic together into a pulsating, vibrant monster of its own. Pistol Whip is definitely one of the best PSVR games.

4. Superhot VR – Read Our Review

Superhot is, without a doubt, the most instantly rewarding game to play in VR. The flatscreen original was great but, by bringing your whole body into this groundbreaking shooter, the developer completely flips the game on its head. In Superhot (stop me if you’ve heard this before), time moves only when you do. That means that when you’re still, the world around you is too. Every time you raise your arm or duck your head, the world crawls into life. You’re essentially a human video playback device.

Superhot gives you a stark realization of the physicality of VR and what that means for gaming. It’s an experience in which you are aware of every inch of your body. It also makes it effortlessly easy to feel cool in VR; every catch of a handgun or toss of a ninja star comes with an incredible strand of slick satisfaction you won’t find anywhere else. Superhot VR is currently the gold standard for VR shooters and, in our opinion, one of the very best PSVR games.

3. Wipeout: The Omega Collection – Read Our Review

Since the day PSVR was announced, Wipeout seemed like an obvious fit for the platform. This would be the chance to realize the dreams we’ve all been had since the sci-fi racing series began on the original PlayStation. But even then we didn’t quite expect Wipeout: The Omega Collection to be quite the tour de force for PSVR it ended up being. It’s easily one of the best PSVR games.

Sony expertly tweaked several of its older games to fit inside the headset here. The result is a package with heaps of content, all of which you’ll want to see because the game is a flat-out thrill to experience. Shooting around circuits, air-braking across corners and letting machine gun fire rattle out in front of you is unbelievably exhilarating. Pair the extensive career modes with online play and you have one of PSVR’s meatiest and most polished games.

2. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Read Our Review

We would have never pegged a game based upon The Walking Dead to carry some of the best design and user-interaction you’ll find in VR, but Saints & Sinners delivers all that and then some. This sets the bar for VR zombie games with Boneworks-style, physics-based combat that has you wrestling with hordes of undead, throwing every ounce of effort you can muster into every swing and stab.

But this isn’t just a silly sandbox or wave-based survival game (though it now has that too). Saints & Sinners packs its action into a full, meaty VR campaign that sees you trekking through the remains of New Orleans. Add in human enemies, side-missions and the ability to kill zombies with a spoon, and you have one of the deepest native VR games on the market. Saints & Sinners will be one of the best PSVR games for some time to come.

1. Astro Bot Rescue Mission – Read Our Review

Sony Japan’s Playroom VR compilation held a lot of delights when it launched on PSVR in 2016, but everyone agreed that the third-person platforming minigame, in which a small robot saved his friends with help from the player, deserved its own title. Astro Bot is the result of those requests, and it’s even better than many had imagined it would be. 26 levels of Mario-quality platforming await you here.

It sounds like hyperbole but it’s true; each one of Astro Bot’s levels packs new ideas that range from endearingly novel to properly groundbreaking. It’s an absolute joy to play from start to finish that never ceases to amaze you. Plus there’s power to the bond you’ll form with Astro on this adventure, breaking down the barrier between players and characters in ways not yet seen in gaming. For that reason, we’re crowning it as the best game on PSVR.

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Update 07/28/21: Five Nights At Freddy’s and Paper Beast were removed from the list. Hitman Trilogy and Sniper Elite VR were added.

Update 01/08/21: Red Matter and Accounting+ were removed from the list. Until You Fall and Star Wars: Squadrons were added.

Update 08/12/20: The Exorcist, Virtual Virtual Reality, Vacation Simulator, Transpose, Bow To Blood and Rec Room were removed from the list. Iron Man VR, Five Nights At Freddy’s VR, Pistol Whip, Gorn, The Walking Dead: Saints & sinners and Dreams were all added.

Update 04/08/20: Borderlands 2, Groundhog Day, Dirt Rally, Downward Spiral and Tetris Effect were taken off the list. They were replaced with Vacation Simulator, Virtual Virtual Reality, Red Matter, The Room VR and Paper Beast.

Update 12/04/19: Deracine, Thumper, Creed: Rise to Glory and Rez Infinite were removed from the list. Borderlands 2, Groundhog Day, No Man’s Sky VR and Accounting+ replaced them.

Update 08/01/19: Borderlands 2 VR and Arizona Sunshine were taken off the list and replaced with Blood & Truth and Ghost Giant. Astro Bot and Firewall traded places.

Do you agree with our list of the best PSVR games? Let us know in the comments!

25. Statik
24. Sniper Elite VR
23. Gorn
22. Persistence
21. The Room VR
20. Firewall
19. Hitman 3
18. Fisherman
17. Farpoint
16. Until you fall
15. Moss
14. Iron Man VR
13. Ghost Giant
12. Beat Saber
11. No Man’s

via Mint VR