Keenan McCall
Resident Evil Village VR
Release Date: Feb. 22
Platforms: PSVR2
Though it comes as little surprise considering Resident Evil VII was designed as a VR title, it’s still nice to know that Resident Evil Village will be receiving the same treatment. Through either PlayStation VR 2 or the Meta Quest 2, you’ll be able to quite literally dive head-first into Ethan’s battle against the evil forces that have kidnapped his daughter. Not only that, but the game offers some new features not available in the base game such as dual-wielding weapons and the ability to freely aim your weapons at the horrific hoards coming up against you. The VR version of the game is set to release alongside the slew of other VR games releasing in tandem with the PSVR2, and will be available to anyone who owns a copy of Resident Evil Village or Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition.
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Release Date: Feb. 22
Platform: PSVR2
Designed from the ground-up for PSVR2, Horizon Call of the Mountain brings Sony’s Horizon series to virtual reality in a huge way. As an entirely new character, players will journey across the world introduced in the first two games and encounter several notable characters on their quest. The combat will see you able to aim and let loose with arrows and other weapons from the series, and you’ll be able to witness the might and ferocity of the mechanical creatures that inhabit the world up close. Past that, little else is known about the specifics of the series. Fortunately, there’s almost certainly going to be more news and reveals dropping before its Feb. 22 release alongside PSVR2.
The Dark Pictures: Switchback
Release Date: Feb. 22
Platforms: PSVR2
Supermassive is once again offering horror fans a VR spin-off based on their games’ brand of terror with The Dark Pictures: Switchback, and it looks fairly promising. This is mainly due to the fact that it falls into the same design framework as their previous title Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. As you ride along the tracks of a roller coaster, you’ll need to blast your way through enemies, weather a flood of jump scares, and otherwise make your way toward the ride’s conclusion. It’s not the most complex framework out there, but it’ll still be plenty of fun when it drops on Feb. 22 as a PSVR2 launch title.
Crossfire Sierra Squad
Release Date: TBD
Platforms: PSVR2
Though it’s still unclear when Crossfire Sierra Squad will launch, we can’t help but be excited for it. In addition to looking like one of the more well-polished VR shooter experiences coming in 2023, it also has the added hook of being a tactical shooter. This could give the game plenty of extra depth to its visceral combat, and further immerse you while you’re diving into a shootout with full control of how and where you aim your weapons. We’ll almost certainly get more info on the specifics of its gameplay, premise, and mechanics in the coming months, so it would be wise to keep this title on your radar.
The Light Brigade
Release Date: Feb. 22
Platforms: PSVR2, PSVR, Steam VR & Meta Quest 2
There’s a lot going for the Light Brigade based on what’s been shown of it so far. In addition to having some fairly tight shooter gameplay, the game also has a distinct art style which lends the visuals some much-needed flair. It also sets itself apart through its light magic mechanics, which allow you to fend off enemies in less conventional ways while also interacting with the environment around you. Granted, it’s still unclear how much these strengths will play into the larger experience. All the same, we’d recommend keeping up with the progress of this title leading up to its Feb. 22 release.
Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue
Release Date: Feb. 22
Platforms: PSVR2 and Meta Quest 2
Look, we get it: The Hello Neighbor series has proven that it’s less than worthy of the hype that surrounded its first and second installments. At the same time though, the previous titles’ weaknesses could be Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue’s strengths. The series’ wonky physics and highly interactable world are perfect for a VR experience. Struggling to solve puzzles and find ways through environments, and discovering janky ways to escape the clutches of the titular Neighbor, would be perfect for a gameplay style where you can interact with objects directly. The dream sequences teased for the game could likewise be all the more frightening when experienced up close, and could finally bring the series’ special brand of horror to life. Or, it could end up being just as rough and broken, and in turn, good for a laugh with friends. Regardless, you’ll want to stay up to date on all of the new developments around this title.
X8
Release Date: TBD
Platforms: Meta Quest 2 and Steam VR
With the rise in popularity of Hero Shooters over the past decade, it’s little surprise that the VR space would see one tailor-made for it. Fortunately, X8 seems to have plenty of potential. As one of eight different heroes, players can run and gun their way through maps in an attempt to come out on top. The game also allows a decent amount of interaction and flexibility regarding the environment, with players able to scale walls and freely aim their firearms to maximize their chances of success. It’s admittedly still a bit janky looking, but there should still be plenty of time for it to be polished up considering it still has a rather nebulous release window.
Fantavision 202X
Release Date: Feb. 22
Platforms: PSVR2
Fantavision 202X is an odd duck among the VR games releasing in 2023, and not just because it’s a fireworks-based puzzle title. Originally released on the PS2 back in 2000, the experience has been revamped from the ground up with modern visuals and controls that are better suited for VR. And honestly, the results look mighty impressive: The game is a joy to behold, and looks set to be all the more engaging thanks to the fact that you can interact with the game’s puzzles and mechanics directly. You can nab this title when it releases alongside the PSVR2 on Feb. 22, and it’s sure to be the perfect choice for anyone who wants an experience that’s about more than visual flair.
Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable
Release Window: Summer
Platforms: Meta Quest 2
Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is a tricky title to describe, as there’s next to no information on it to be found. Aside from a brief trailer revealing its title and release window, nothing is known about how this game will play, what story it will follow, or what characters will show up from the core series. Heck, we don’t even know how the game will look. And yet, we can’t help but be excited for it. Whether the game allows you to fend off titans from atop the walls or places you in control of a scout with 3D Maneuvering Gear, there’s a ton of potential for the game to drag you into an experience that will take full advantage of VR gaming’s strengths. Time will tell if this is the case, and we couldn’t be more excited to see what it’ll bring to the table.
Red Flowers
Release Window: TBD
Platforms: Meta Quest 2 and Oculus Quest
It’s no secret that swinging around a sword in VR is fun, and Red Flowers appears set to fully realize this gameplay mechanic. Blending lightning fast movement with brutal swordplay, the game allows you to zoom around areas while determining how best to slice enemies to ribbons. Landing a blow looks incredibly satisfying too, as you’ll cut your opponents into two separate pieces with a fountain of gore for good measure. The game is already out in a beta form, and its full version has a high chance of releasing sometime in 2023. Given what’s been shown of the game so far, we’re eagerly awaiting any updates or news of progress being made toward its 1.0 version.
Call of the Sea VR
Release Window: TBD
Platforms: Meta Quest 2
Considering Call of the Sea has already proven itself to be a great puzzle game, there’s little doubt that it’ll make for a great VR experience. In addition to having its story carried over one-for-one, the VR port also has plenty of intriguing puzzles that have been reworked to better fit with VR gameplay. This can be as simple as having you rotate a crank that would have required tapping buttons before, or allowing you to freely hold up objects to get a better view of them and figure out how to use them in the environment. Granted, it’ll likely be a while before this title finally hits VR headsets, but there’s little doubt that it’ll be worth the wait for the new methods of interacting with the game’s world alone.
Drop Dead: The Cabin
Release Window: February
Platforms: Meta Quest 2
Sometimes, all a VR game needs to do is offer an experience that makes you feel more involved in mindless action. Case in point: Drop Dead: The Cabin, a zombie shooter where your core goal is to blast undead enemies as you try to complete tasks and maintain a bastion of safety in the otherworldly chaos. The gunplay seems satisfying enough, and the fact that you can play alongside friends is a huge mark in the game’s favor. The game is currently slated to release sometime in February, and if its trailers are anything to go by, it’ll be a good fun time whether you’re diving in solo or alongside friends.
Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom
Release Date: Mar. 9
Platforms: Steam VR and Meta Quest 2
What’s better than watching the exploits of Tommy Shelby and his gang of misfits? Why, taking part in their shenanigans with your own two hands of course! As a nameless thug scheduled for the firing squad, you’ll need to find refuge among the Peaky Blinders by any means necessary. This entails engaging in all manner of criminal activities for the gang, and interacting with key characters from the show in ways that could only be achieved through VR. It’s sure to be a hands-on experience to say the least, and one which fans of the iconic show won’t want to miss.
Vertigo 2
Release Window: March
Platforms: Steam VR
Considering it’s a sequel to a VR title that already proved its worth, there’s plenty of reason to be excited for Vertigo 2. Continuing the adventure of the first game, this follow-up offers just as much combat, exploration and gameplay mechanics that make full use of VR’s capabilities. You’ll be fully engrossed in the shootouts with alien beings as much as you are in sailing across an ocean and keeping your ship on course, and those are only the examples shown in the trailers released thus far. Toss in the game’s unique art style and aesthetic, and there’s more than enough reason to want to watch this title’s progress leading up to its March release window.
We Are One
Release Window: May
Meta Quest 2 and Steam VR
Admittedly, there’s only so much you can do to stand out among the flood of other VR shooters on the market. Fortunately, We Are One seems to have found an inventive solution. In addition to blending shooter gameplay elements with puzzle solving mechanics, the title is dripping with a visual design other games could only dream of. This lends it a psychedelic appeal that turns even the simpler puzzles into visually striking scenes which, thanks to the fact that they’re in a VR title, are all the more memorable. Whether or not the game will maintain this appeal is still unclear, but we’re hopeful that it’ll stick the landing when it releases sometime in May.
Stranger Things VR
Release Window: Winter 2023
Platforms: TBD
In terms of finding a decent premise for a virtual reality game, Stranger Things VR definitely landed on a great one. Placing you in the role of Vecna after his defeat by Eleven, the game centers around surviving within the Upside Down and enhancing your abilities. This could mean fending off attacks from Demodogs and Demogorgans, or manipulating the twisted world around you to better serve your evil plot. All the while, the aesthetic of the series shines through via a graphical style that is distinctly recognizable as Stranger Things. It’s definitely impressive both as a VR experience and a series tie-in game. It’ll be interesting to see how this title shapes up come its release in Winter 2023.
Ghosts of Tabor
Release Window: March
Platforms: Steam VR and Meta Quest 2
Ghosts of Tabor aims to answer a simple question: What would it be like to play a game like Escape From Tarkov via a VR perspective? Placing you in the role of a soldier, you’ll need to make your way around a map and take out any other players you find. This is easier said than done though, as your competition will have the same weapons and free-aiming mechanics you’ll have access to. As a result, the gameplay looks set to be a mixture of tense exploration and frantic shootouts where only the luckiest and most cool-headed survive. It’s a fairly straightforward premise, but one that could be phenomenal to experience if done properly. As such, its March release, and news of a firm release date, can’t come soon enough.
Propagation: Paradise Hotel
Release Window: Q2 2023
Platforms: Steam VR and Meta Quest 2
Whereas The Dark Pictures: Switchback leans more toward action-y horror, Propagation: Paradise Hotel seems more focused on providing a scary time through and through. Based on what has been shown of the game so far, the title will force you to explore a dilapidated environment, scavenge for equipment, and fend off some sort of abnormal threat. This is all done via VR gaming mechanics, which allow you to interact with the game world in ways that otherwise wouldn’t be as visceral through traditional controller inputs. Most importantly, though, is the fact that this actually appears terrifying in a fun way. Trying to solve puzzles in the dim glow of a hotel’s broken lights, and blasting away at an enemy in an attempt to escape its clutches looks genuinely scary in the best way possible. Horror fans with access to VR won’t want to miss a single bit of news surrounding this game.
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord
Release Window: TBD
Platforms: PSVR2 and Meta Quest 2
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord looks to be everything fans of the series could want in a game adaptation, and everything VR fans could want from a Ghostbusters title. As an original character, you’re tasked with making your way through several different environments and capturing a wide array of ghosts. Each of these requires you to use different equipment in a variety of ways, from aiming and firing your Proton Pack, through to setting traps once the poltergeists are weak enough to be captured. You can also team up with three other friends to engage in some cooperative ghostbusting, making the game a VR experience you can share and enjoy with others. The only catch is that the title doesn’t have a firm release date yet, so it might be some time until you find out more regarding this promising title.
Chrono Weaver
Release Window: TBD
Platforms: Steam VR
Sometimes, all you need to have fun is a good puzzle game that utilizes the tech of VR in interesting and innovative ways. Such is the core strength of Chrono Weaver, a puzzle game that opts for substance over flare. Using the ability to position clones of yourself throughout puzzle rooms, you’ll be tasked with making your way toward an exit and interacting with your environment toward that end. This can mean tugging on a rope to raise a wall blocking your path, or having your clones hold down switches until you can safely progress. Is it something that has been done before in VR? Yes, and it could be quite boring if done wrong. Fortunately, Chrono Weaver seems focused on refining itself in all the right places, and is definitely a game to watch as a result.
Blunt Force
Release Window: TBD
Platforms: Steam VR
There’s a ton of potential for WWII shooters to stake a claim in the VR market, and Blunt Force seems poised to bring the genre roaring into the forefront. Looking set to deliver some impressively tight gameplay and impressive graphics for the VR space, the game is shaping up as quite the competent virtual reality shooter. Blasting through Nazi forces both in the early days of the war and its final stretch looks plenty thrilling in the game’s promotional material, and will likely feel even better when you can interact with the action directly. Likewise, its premise is a novel one for WWII shooters and VR games in general. Players will jump between the experiences of a soldier from 1939 and one in 1945, with their tales colliding at a certain point. How this will occur is still unknown, but we’re already dying to find out more in the coming months of its development.
Assassin’s Creed VR
Release Window: TBD
Platforms: TBD
As it stands, we’ve got good news and bad news for you regarding Assassin’s Creed VR. The good news is that the game has been confirmed to still be in development despite not having any updates on its progress in two years. Even if it had seen a version of its build scrapped due to design issues, there’s likely been some amount of progress made toward its completion. The bad news is that there has been no news regarding its progress, or even if it will definitively release in 2023. As such, we’re recommending you keep this title on your radar not because it’s definitely going to be obtainable this year, but because any news regarding its progress would be monumental. Likewise, the thought of experiencing the Assassin’s Creed world through VR would be one of the best experiences we could imagine even when held against other titles coming out in 2023.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas VR
Release Window: TBD
Platforms: TBD
It’s been quite some time since the VR version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was announced as being in development, but you’d be a fool not to stay abreast of any news regarding the title. This is due not only to the pedigree of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but also to the sheer variety such a game could offer in VR. In addition to taking part in the less savory criminal activities scattered throughout the game, you could explore San Andreas from an entirely new perspective. Characters, locales, and mission locations would all be viewable from a new perspective, and could be interacted with in novel and exciting ways. While the game has yet to receive a confirmed 2023 release date, it’s one of the highest-profile VR releases currently in development, and our fingers are firmly crossed for a release date announcement soon.
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