And so we come to the return of the Virtual Reality Games Showcase. This is a VR-focused but platform-agnostic show covering updates and reveals of new home VR titles coming soon and in the future. Reveals for PSVR2, PC VR (including SteamVR), Meta Quest and Pico headsets are all mentioned. Hosted by Jamie Feltham, who does an admirable job drawing attention to both the gaming industry’s recent troubles and valuable smaller indie titles, it covers a rather wide range of different VR games. Let’s take a look over what they showed.
Forefront – The Latest “VR Call of Duty”
Triangle Factory, the creators of popular VR multiplayer military shooter Breachers – this is not the last time that game will be mentioned in this article, by the way – confirmed a full new game called Forefront. This doesn’t seem to be a sequel to Breachers per se, but it’s clear that all of Triangle Factory’s VR development experience is being brought to bear here. The medium is properly taken advantage of with large-scale Call of Duty-esque on-foot combat, multiple vehicles from military buggies to attack helicopters, and various examples of multi-tasking such as performing maintenance on a tank with one hand while firing a pistol with the other. This is some real and true “wouldn’t play the same without VR” kind of multiplayer, and I want to give it a shot on my Quest 3 – either natively or via SteamVR. It’s also coming to Pico headsets.
Hitman: World of Assassination PSVR2 – Killer Update
Yesssss. This is probably my most anticipated game of the show, appearing surprisingly early. IO Interactive announced a while ago that the PS5 version of Hitman: World of Assassination (the new name for what is essentially Hitman 1, 2 and 3 merged together into a single title) would be getting a very affordable paid update with PSVR2 support for the entire 3 games’ worth of content. That’s a massive amount of deeply detailed assassination missions in highly detailed environments, fully retooled to play in very tactile VR. The recent Hitman games have had some trouble with VR in the past – the previous implementations were regarded as either being solid but held back by the PSVR1’s Move controllers or in the case of the Meta Quest 3 version of Hitman 3, being simply a poor port with a lack of content. This PSVR2 version has all the signs of being the charmed third time, finally bringing this series to VR without limitations. I’m hoping for PS5 Pro support on this one.
Reave –
Development studio Alta, through Lead Video Producer Matt Needler, joined in to announce the showcase’s next VR multiplayer title. Reave is openly in early development – the large “PRE-ALPHA FOOTAGE” at the top of the screen makes this clear, which I appreciate – and the visuals do reflect this. However, the fundamental concepts of the game feel simple and sound to me – it’s a dungeon crawler, but a multiplayer one, where you play both alongside and against other players and work to escape with the most loot. Putting such a heavy focus on social interaction in this kind of game is an interesting move – it almost feels like a multiplayer version of Hades with player interaction replacing the heavy story focus, complete with you frequently fighting the same people you’re talking to. Good luck to them, and the players already testing the game – I see huge potential in this one.
Ghost Town
Coming to Quest, PCVR and PSVR2 is Ghost Town, courtesy of Fireproof Studios. Called out in the show as the creators of The Room VR, this is a similar example of a VR title focusing on narrative, exploration and puzzles over combat. My immediate impressions are early but very positive – the acting is good, the visuals are excellent, and I appreciate the stark divide in some of the locations. Creepy, classic haunted-house environments are paired with a very modern and grungy city that doesn’t seem like the most immediately obvious choice for a ghost story of this kind, and I’m excited to see more from it. I really need to get onto playing my own copy of The Room VR in preparation for this.
Memoreum –
Patient 8 Games transitions from mod creation to full game development with Memoreum, a Meta Quest VR action-horror title that looks oppressive in both atmosphere and combat. The opening sequence of the trailer reminds me just a little of a particularly scary scene from The Orphanage, and the squelchy environments taken over by what seems to be a mixture of fungus and biomass add some disgustingly effective body horror to the whole setup. This also ties into the combat, with enemies exhibiting glowing fungal growths that need to be shot off – such design works perfectly with the free aiming of a VR shooting system, so you’ll need to work on your aim. I’m glad to see a successful mod team come out swinging with their first paid game – well done to them.
I hadn’t heard of Trebuchet Games or their previous game Prison Boss, but I really love the look of this sequel – a goofy, cartoony prison store is such a good idea for VR, and the mixed reality multiplayer implementation announced here for the Quest 3 is a fantastic idea that matches up flawlessly. “Cooking” on your own countertop has such a charm to it that Prison Boss: Prohibition will in no way be the last game to do it. Alpha Access to the game is already available, so go and check it out if you have a Quest 3.
Breachers Update – Cloning You’s
Back to Triangle Factory – as promised, Breachers gets an update here in the form of a new, shadow-dropped item. Decoys are a classic concept in all sorts of multiplayer games going back decades, so Breachers adding a decoy-spawning item called the Clone Projector feels overdue if anything. Well-designed decoys are great for these kinds of close-combat MP games, giving you abilities centred around strategy and outsmarting your opponent rather than immediate raw damage, their very existence adding a layer of uncertainty to the gameplay of any match. It’s an excellent addition, and I hope Forefront gets a similar item from the start.
Zix – Go Rogue With Friends
Coming to Steam and Quest in 2025 is Hidden IO’s Zix, an interesting fusion of both co-op multiplayer and roguelike VR with a simple and distinct visual style and a focus on teamwork combos that looks like plenty of fun. The trailer contains a wide variety of environments with a heavy focus on bold, bright colours that gives it a bit of a Dreamcast vibe, with combat that looks to demand some pretty solid VR legs due to a lot of high jumps and precise aiming. The more people that play this the easier it’ll be to get a team together, so check it out.
Vendetta Forever for PCVR – Noir VR
A relatively quick update here, as Meatspace Interactive’s Vendetta Forever already came out on Meta Quest and PSVR2 some months back. This appearance announces a couple of things. Firstly, that the game is now also coming to additional players via a PCVR release, and secondly, that new content for the game is being produced for the game that is set to come to all platforms via free update. Fantastic news, and I adore the look of the game – it has something of an “expanded SuperHot” vibe in its visuals and stylish shooting gameplay, and now I want to try it out.
UNDERDOGS for PSVR2 – Unarmoured Core
Another porting announcement, this time in reverse. UNDERDOGS – a title new to me – is a VR mech roguelike for Windows and Meta Quest that’s getting a PSVR2 port in April. The VRGS presentation specifically highlights the game’s full use of the Sense Controller haptics and I’m not surprised in the slightest. Driving a huge metal exoskeleton and fighting robotic enemies is the perfect concept for going full-bore on haptics, enhancing the game on a tactile level beyond just the PS5 graphical improvements.
Slender: The Arrival VR
Another quick update here – Blue Isle Studios is responding to direct fan requests for a VR version of Slender: The Arrival. Having never played the original I think it looks suitably creepy – perhaps a little dated, but these kinds of dark, supernatural, slasher-inspired horror games always benefit hugely from all the qualities that make VR what it is. I’m glad to see development teams responding to these kinds of “hybrid VR” requests, similar to the Hitman situation above, and I hope it continues to happen.
GORN 2 –
The Gorn franchise is pretty much exactly what it sounds like (unless you’re very into Star Trek) – absolutely caked in blood and gore, fitting with the brutal gladiator theme, though it’s also incredibly cartoonish in a way that lessons the horrifying impact that you get from similar violence in something like Dead Space or The Last of Us. That visual style lets developers Free Lives and 24-Bit Games go hog wild with silly physics and exploding heads in a way that prioritises fun above all else. If you can keep the kids away from it, this sequel looks like more of the same in the very best way.
Exoshock – Robo Rush
Now we return to the kind of sci-fi action horror seen earlier with Memoreum – the Exoshock trailer opens with some slow, creepy atmospherics permeating the futuristic hallways. But this game also opens comparisons with Zix, being a co-op game, and the action soon kicks into gear with some truly visceral firefights against resilient android enemies. An almost excessive use of visual post-processing effects, grinding audio and heavy music makes the fights as shown downright stressful – this initially looked like a solo horror game to me, so the reveal of it being co-op was an interesting twist and gets me curious about how that horror atmosphere with play with fighting beside partners. I would like to know more.
Stay: Forever Home – Yes, You Can Pet The… Fox? I think?
Well, Tamagotchis were popular for a reason. The first in a line of indie spotlight announcements, Windup Minds’ Stay: Forever Home is a beautiful concept, tasking you with caring for and bonding with a pet named Ember in a calm, tranquil land. The concept of designing it for quick, daily sessions is one I find a little questionable as starting a VR session can sometimes feel like a commitment (this might be part of why it’s currently coming only to Quest), but the heartfelt approach to everything in the game – from the sound and visuals to the clearly complex design of the virtual pet the game revolves around – compels me to give it a shot, if only because I want to walk around that setting. For a game called Stay, I think it’ll take you places.
Penguin Festival
Cozy Cube Games pops in with Penguin Festival, one of those games where you really gotta just look at it to know if it’s for you. Do you like silly, cartoon penguins behaving like people? Yes? Good! The gameplay seems to be built around helping to set up the titular festival while also interacting with your fellow penguins, boiling down to things that won’t be new to a seasoned VR player on a mechanical level, so you’ll need to see how charmed you are by the game, but I think it looks precious and, well, cozy.
Titan Isles – A Different Mushroom Kingdom
Psytec Games announced Titan Isles, a co-op shooter with an even heavier emphasis on vertical movement than some of the other games shown so far. In this case, the concept is baked right into the very design of the world, the collection of small islands surrounded by even smaller islands – it all just begs any player to perfect the game’s jumping and aerial combat mechanics to more effectively take on the various enemies seen in both the trailer and the key art.
Deep Cuts – Not The Last Action Hero
More (entirely justified) anti-robot propaganda here, as Scythe Studios impressively shadow-drops Deep Cuts on Meta Quest 3. The focus here is all on physics-based action – there are guns, but that’s not the only option, and this chaotic gameplay system is built around a fun concept of a film editor being pulled through the cinema screen into several classic movie settings. The positive effect this has on the game’s environment variety is plainly obvious, and the clear sense of humour Deep Cuts has about itself blends perfectly with all the gameplay elements mentioned above. This looks like both a fun VR game and a great work of comedy.
Shadowgate VR: The Mines of Mythrok – The Mine Is Mine
We’re into the home stretch here, with the VR games Showcase concluding with a sequence of announcements from Flat2VR Studios. As you might have guessed from their name, the recently-formed Flat2VR is mostly set about making after-the-fact hybrid VR ports – taking existing games ripe for a VR version and making that wish come true – which has resulted in a lot of people sending them ideas and requests. Interestingly, their first announcement is Shadowgate VR: The Mines of Mythrok for PSVR2, a port of a VR only game released for Quest and Steam. Shadowgate is another franchise I’m only just now seeing for the first time – and I like it. It has a Skyrim VR vibe, though deliberately more small scale. The cramped, dimly lit mines filled with classic fantasy dangers are a perfect fit for both VR and the deep blacks and high contrast of the PSVR2’s OLED screens, so I expect this to be a great dungeon crawling experience.
Roboquest VR – On The Move
Next up, Flat2VR announces the VR conversion of Roboquest, a beloved indie shooter focused on fast-paced, high-octane gunfights between robotic players and enemies. So fast-paced, in fact, that I’ve seen some worries online about just how well this game and its complex, speedy movement will work in VR. The trailer looks excellent, but I can certainly see cause for concern here when it comes to things like motion sickness or even just the ability to play the game effectively. I hope those concerns are unfounded, though, as this looks to be immensely fun should Flat2VR and Starbreeze properly balance it. The additional announcement of co-op gameplay might work to help the difficulty as well.
Out of Sight VR – Can’t Bear The Tension
Out of Sight has an interesting control setup that pairs well with VR – you control a young blind girl while the camera comes from the vision of her teddy bear, serving as her eyes – so it’s fantastic that Out of Sight VR is Flat2VR’s next announcement, and it’s coming to Steam, Quest and PSVR2. This port is yet more proof of how much a horror game can be enhanced by VR, especially in a situation where you can’t even move your viewpoint character, and the game exploits the disorientation of controlling someone else. It’s been called a second-person perspective, and I’m looking forward to seeing how well it works.
Surviving Mars: Pioneer – One World, One You
Fourth on Flat2VR’s list is Surviving Mars: Pioneer, this time a new game in the Surviving Mars franchise, coming to SteamVR, Quest headsets and PSVR2. This very short trailer gets me thinking of the VR version of No Man’s Sky, mining minerals and placing technology to form as base as part of… well, you read the title. I’m interested in trying this out, primarily to compare it to NMS VR and see how its single dedicated planet compares to infinite procedurally generated worlds.
Postal 2 VR – No, Not Portal 2 VR
And for the big final announcement from Flat2VR Studios, we got confirmation that Postal 2 VR is in development. This one… well, it has the potential to be a lot of fun, but rather dated. It was trying to be as offensive as possible when it came out, so I do wonder how cat silencers will go down in modern times, especially when combined with the magic of VR. This trailer at least had plenty of effort put into it – silly fourth-wall-breaking voice acting, live-action appearances by the development staff… it’s all very Postal, and I hope it comes out as well as Postal 2 VR can on a conceptual level.
Conclusions
All in all, a very solid VR showcase. A touch repetitive given the very large number of shooters shown off here, but gunfights pair so well with VR headsets that that just comes with the territory. Taking that into consideration, there were some lovely exceptions here – Stay: Forever Home stands out with its peaceful and heartwarming concept, Out of Sight VR is probably one of the most perfect VR conversion ideas, and Prison Boss: Prohibition is to be lauded for its mixed reality implementation. But overall, I’m still where I was at the start, and that’s being most excited for the full Hitman trilogy in completely uncompromised VR. That’s going to be a dense, rich VR experience, and I exit this showcase incredibly hyped for it.
