While virtual reality content has been very sparse in the last year, that also means there are major projects in the works. With Oculus teasing their next headset, PlayStation VR2 set to launch early next year, and even Valve filing plenty of patents for a potential sequel to the Valve Index, VR hardware has never been in a better place.
That being said, the hardware is nothing without something to do on it. Here are the biggest VR games still in development.
10 Half-Life: Alyx Levitation
While ‘Levitation’ may not be an official VR title, the fact that it has received as much coverage in its pre-release period as it has (which included time during the PC Gaming Show during their E3 season showcase) shows just how anticipated it has been. The mod is being put together by Shawn Snelling, a CSGO map designer behind maps like Cache. The mod has received major attention in large part due to features such as full voice acting and the involvement of Corey Laddo, a well known SFM creator on YouTube.
The mod was originally scheduled for a Quarter 3 2022 release with not much news since that PC Gaming Showcase over the summer. Those waiting on the mod's release are hoping for news in the coming weeks.
9 NFL Pro Era
While there have been some licensed first party sports VR titles before, they have not been much more than a quickly developed proof of concept. Developer StatusPRO is making their first foray into traditional VR development. The company is known for their VR training tools for NFL players to experience in game reps more conveniently. The company has received some major celebrity investors such as Lebron James and Drake.The title has recently announced a release date of September 15th, so VR enthusiasts won’t have to wait much longer to experience the game for themselves. NFL Pro Era will release on both Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR.
8 Assassin’s Creed Nexus (Assassin's Creed VR)
Announced all the way back in 2020, the Ubisoft franchise has been light in the way of announcements. Not much has been made known about the game in the time since aside from a leak back in April showcasing traditional Assassin’s Creed weapons such as the hidden blade and the crossbow. Ubisoft has still yet to publicly comment about the title’s status, but given the lack of recent first party VR titles, it should be one of the more discussed future releases for some time to come.
7 Among Us VR
The original Among Us title released in 2018 but didn’t receive mainstream attention until 2020. While VR mods of the title have come to games like VR Chat, an official VR version of the game was announced at the 2021 Game Awards. The title is being developed by VR developer Schell Games, who worked on well-received VR titles like Until You Fall and I Expect You To Die.The title is scheduled for a late 2022 release date for Oculus, PlayStation VR, and Steam.
6 Resident Evil Village VR
After Resident Evil 7’s great PlayStation VR outing, it was all but a certainty that the following title, Resident Evil Village, would see its own VR port as well. Announced at a PlayStation State of Play back in June, Village’s VR expansion was one of many Resident Evil announcements. Village VR is expected to be one of the bigger titles releasing for PlayStation VR 2. While 7’s VR port relied on a traditional controller alongside a headset, PSVR2 will launch with its own motion controllers, utilizing the knuckle style controls popularized by the valve index, allowing players to use individual fingers in unique ways.Not much is known about the details for Village VR, but given the fact that 7’s VR port never released on PC, it is assumed it will be a PSVR2 exclusive once Sony’s new headset has officially launched.
5 The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution
Aside from its mouthful title, Saints and Sinners 1 was one of the best received VR titles of the last few years. The original title placed players into rather open-ended areas and tasked them with scrounging for items and avoiding large crowds. The game's crafting system, while fairly robust for a VR game, did not really lend itself well to a VR title. It remains to be seen if the system will be adjusted for the series' second outing.
The title has a tentative release date of later this year for Oculus and Steam, as well as a cross release for both the original PlayStation VR and PSVR2 when it releases early next year.
4 Bone Lab
The original Boneworks was a landmark title for Virtual Reality. While the game itself was rather janky and unintuitive, it was one of the first physics-based VR games with a focus on platforming and shooting mechanics. This time around, developer Stress Level Zero appears to be taking more of a modding focus, encouraging players to use their new engine and systems in order to create their own experiences.
While the original Boneworks feels like little more than a tech demo now, its sequel could be the title that ushers VR into the next era of Virtual Reality experiences. Bone Lab is still listed under a 2022 release date for both Oculus and Steam.
3 Resident Evil 4: Remake VR
In addition to the original Resident Evil 4 seeing a highly rated VR version last year, the remake of the original title is also expected to have a VR component as well. Like Village, not much has been announced about the VR versions of these games, but factoring in how popular the RE7 VR portion was, both titles are hotly anticipated.
RE4 Remake’s VR component is also expected to be a PlayStation VR exclusive.
2 Horizon: Call of the Mountain
The title that has been most focused on by Sony for the upcoming PlayStation VR 2 is without a doubt the new Horizon title. Aside from the fact that the game is being built from the ground up with the new VR hardware in mind, it received significant time dedicated to it during Sony’s E3 season State of Play. While the showcase did not show off much more than climbing and shooting gallery sections, it already appears to be one of the most graphically impressive VR titles to date.
Horizon: Call of the Mountain is expected to be a launch title with PSVR2 early next year.
1 GTA: San Andreas VR
Possibly the most surprising VR related announcement of the last few years (A long anticipated Half-Life continuation exclusive to VR notwithstanding) was Meta’s announcement of a built from the ground up VR version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The issue with discussing this title is we really don’t know anything else. The only real information we have is its developer. Video Games Deluxe was the studio that developed LA Noire: The VR Case Files, a solid port of the 2011 Rockstar title into VR.
Given the players involved with the project, Meta, and the money being poured into their VR infrastructure, as well as Rockstar Games, you can expect San Andreas VR to top most anticipated VR titles lists for some time to come.