The release date was confirmed in a new video during this week's VR Games Showcase:

Developer Soliton Interactive posits BrushHammer as a cleaner, mistake proof approach to real life miniature painting for hobbyists, using VR/MR to avoid the mess of supplies and spills associated with the real world alternative. You can pick from original, handcrafted collections and paint in multiple ways including spray cans, airbrushes, and more. For clumsy people like me, mistakes can be undone and restarted. All of the models can be kitbashed and can be displayed in your playspace.

Soliton says it has a career mode planned for players who prefer a sense of progression, though it is not clear if that mode will be available when the game launches.

BrushHammer: Miniature Painter can be wishlisted now on Quest.

The Monkey-With-a-Bomb-developed shooter dropped a release date trailer in this week's VR Games Showcase:

This game has an interesting backstory. Originally, Monkey-With-a-Bomb released a similar game, Paradox of Hope, in 2022 that leaned more heavily into its Metro inspiration. That game was accused of copyright infringement and ultimately the developer decided to halt production and remove the game from sale in 2023 to avoid an expensive legal battle. At the time, the solo developer vowed to reshape the work already done into a new game that did not resemble Metro nearly as much.

CONVRGENCE has been in Early Access for over two years, first releasing in April 2024. In that time, it has seen a steady stream of content updates adding new enemies, missions, guns, and features. It also saw a price increase from $19.99 to $24.99 earlier this month. The game currently has a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam from 1,514 reviews.

According to the roadmap, the 1.0 update will see a rework of the main missions (including a proper ending) with added story context and voice acting. Other features expected are advanced graphics and difficulty settings, cloud saves, and a new tutorial.

The roadmap also includes further planned updates you can read in this developer post on Steam.

CONVRGENCE is available now on Steam.

SpaceOwl Games' sequel was featured in this week's VR Games Showcase with a new gameplay video:

BattleGroupVR2 launched in Early Access on Steam in November 2025. It currently has a 'Very Positive' rating from 198 reviews. The Early Access information box estimates a twelve to eighteen month stint before full release, so we are still within that time window. It has been steadily updated since launch, most recently with a small patch on August 12. A batch of new main story missions were added in June.

The first BattleGroupVR came to Meta Quest in 2022 where it currently has a 4.6 score from 114 ratings. It seems to have fared better on Steam, where it launched in summer 2023 and is rated 'Very Positive' from 857 reviews.

BattleGroupVR2 can be wishlisted now on Quest ahead of the August 28 Early Access launch.

The free update is available for both platforms. Developer Incuvo featured the update at this week's VR Games Showcase:

To paint, you simply have to craft a painting brush and bowl (both crafting formulas were added in the update) and get to work. Aside from painting, the update adds two new modular structures, triangle frames & plank structures, to help diversify building out a camp.

With the update come two new paid cosmetic packs, the Art Instructor Pack for $2.99 and Painter Pack for $1.99, and a free anniversary shirt to commemorate Green Hell VR reaching one million players on the Quest platform.

This obviously leaves out the SteamVR version of the game. Earlier this year, we reported on Incuvo's intent to port the PS VR2 version of the game to PC VR this summer. This would include the more linear version of the main campaign PlayStation VR2 shares with the Quest version. Incuvo posted an update to the roadmap in June saying this plan has shifted to fall due to the need for more testing. Existing Steam owners will get the new version for free, but the original PC VR version will reportedly remain unaffected, so presumably there will be two branches of the game, with the new one getting all of the recent content updates.

Green Hell VR is available now on PS VR2, Quest, and Steam.

The first Zero Caliber came to PS VR2 in December 2025 and XReal confirmed on social media the day before this week's VR Games Showcase that the sequel would follow. A new teaser at the showcase confirmed the October release month:

The trailer and the listing on the PlayStation Store also confirm that PS VR2 is getting the remastered edition that came to SteamVR in 2025 instead of the original Meta Quest release.

Zero Caliber 2: Remastered Impressions - VR Warfare Gets A Glow-Up

Zero Caliber 2: Remastered gives the action shooter a welcome upgrade for PC VR players, and it’s out now on Steam.

UploadVRPete Austin

We reviewed the game when it first launched, saying "XREAL Games has delivered an experience that will undoubtedly thrill fans of the genre." The first game currently has a 4.08 rating on the PlayStation Store from 558 ratings. As for the remastered edition, Pete Austin, who reviewed both versions had this to say:

The PC upgrade brings not just a substantial visual overhaul, but enhanced AI and a significant increase in enemy count. Initially playing through the first missions it all feels very familiar - and it does, because the basic mechanics are all there. However, after jumping back into the Quest version for a direct comparison, I'm impressed by how significant the Remastered version's improvements are. Fighting through the overrun suburbs, lobbing grenades into a group of enemies, and picking off stragglers through the dust - this is Zero Caliber 2 as it's meant to be played.

Zero Caliber 2 can be wishlisted now for PlayStation VR2.

These release windows were announced at this week's VR Games Showcase alongside a new trailer:

Out of Sight VR launched in Early Access on Steam in May 2025 and currently has a 'Positive' rating from 45 reviews. The 'Early Access' information box on the Steam store states a projected Q4 2025 end to Early Access and obviously we are well past that target. Flat2VR, amongst its numerous projects like the recently announced VR ports of High On Life and System Shock, has been fairly silent on Out of Sight in recent months, so it is good for PS VR2 and Quest users eager to play the game to get some clarity.

Out of Sight VR Review-In-Progress: A Sight to Behold

Out of Sight’s “second-person” perspective proves it’s already a great fit for VR, even with more polish to come.

UploadVRJames Galizio

Out of Sight uses a unique 'second-person" perspective where the world is viewed through the eyes of a stuffed bear carried around by the protagonist. The bear can be placed in marked locations through the game so the young girl can be controlled by the player from the bear's point of view to complete puzzles and progress through the disturbing mansion she is being held prisoner in. It is a novel approach we called a "fascinating and engaging horror game where you're not the one in danger" in our partial review last year.

Out of Sight VR can be wishlisted now on PS VR2 and Meta Quest.

The VR Games Showcase gave us a closer look at Gunman Contracts Stand Alone, with a blink-and-you'll-miss-it tidbit of information tacked on to the end of an action-packed trailer; Gunman Contracts Stand Alone will launch in Early Access on the same day as Valve's Steam Frame VR headset (though exactly when that might happen is still a mystery).

Check out the (rather violent) trailer here:

To be clear, this does not mean that Gunman Contracts Stand Alone will launch with Steam Frame, like a pack-in game (think: Astro’s Playroom with PlayStation 5 or Sonic the Hedgehog with the Sega Genesis). Gunman Contracts Stand Alone will simply be listed for sale on the same day that Frame launches.

Gunman Contracts Stand Alone is an action-movie inspired first-person shooter (playable in both VR and flat). You play as a professional hitman taking on the city's ruthless criminal element, bringing justice to a seedy underworld beyond the reach of the law.

It's John Wick. In VR!

Of course, Steam Frame is Valve's long-awaited and highly anticipated standalone VR headset. Most recently it has been reported that Frame is launching this summer, though an exact date has not yet been revealed.

Whenever Frame eventually arrives, we at least know now that Gunman Contracts Stand Alone will launch in Early Access on the same day.

You can wishlist the game on Steam now.

During the August 2026 VR Games Showcase, independent studio XREAL Games has provided a new look at COVR, an upcoming tactical shooter with "next-gen" visuals and "uncompromising realism."

COVR's devs describe the game as a "high-stakes tactical VR" game in which you'll play either solo or cooperatively with team-mates. COVR gameplay emphasizes communication, planning, precision, and decisive action to give players an experience that feels tense, physical, and unforgiving.

A trailer was released which shows off the game's next-gen visuals.

COVR's developers are also keen to emphasize that the game's visuals are a central pillar of its development. The team aims to deliver a "highly detailed and atmospheric presentation designed to reinforce the intensity of the gameplay."

XREAL Games has also noted that standalone VR has not been an afterthought. The studio is "focused on pushing each platform as far as possible," they say.

COVR is coming to SteamVR and Meta Quest this year.

The showcase, hosted by Jamie Feltham, featured over twenty-five games with new reveals, release dates, fresh content and more. You can watch the full show on the VRGS YouTube channel.

Here's the full rundown, starting with the main show.

New Game Reveal - Total Chaos VR

Leading today's VR Games Showcase, developer Trigger Happy Interactive and publisher Apogee Entertainment have announced that Total Chaos VR is coming to SteamVR soon. A standalone version of the game is also coming to Meta Quest. The PC VR version will be free for anyone who already owns the flatscreen Steam game.

Total Chaos VR Is Coming Soon To SteamVR & Meta Quest

Total Chaos VR is coming soon to SteamVR, and will be free for those who already own Total Chaos on Steam.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

Bootstrap Island Out Now On PlayStation VR2

We called Bootstrap Island a sterling VR survival adventure and rated it four out of five stars when it went to the final 1.0 release. Now after months of waiting, PlayStation VR2 gets the full game with all post-release content.

Bootstrap Island Out Today On PlayStation VR2

Island survival game Bootstrap Island is available now on PlayStation VR2.

UploadVRMike Johnson

Gunman Contracts Will Launch With Steam Frame

The action movie inspired first person shooter Gunman Contracts Stand Alone will launch in Early Access on the same day as Steam Frame. The exact release date for Valve's headset and now this game is still unknown.

New Game Reveal - Tiny Flock

No Brakes Games, the maker of Human Fall Flat, announced Tiny Flock, a made-for-VR physics-based puzzle game coming to Steam and Meta Quest.

The Studio Behind Human Fall Flat Announces New VR Puzzle Game Tiny Flock

The makers of Human Fall Flat have announced Tiny Flock, a made-for-VR physics-based puzzle game coming to Steam and Meta Quest.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

Out Of Sight VR Release Windows For PS VR2 & Meta Quest

Expect Flat2VR's Little Nightmares-like horror title Out of Sight VR this holiday season for PlayStation VR2 and in 2027 for Meta Quest.

Out of Sight VR Review-In-Progress: A Sight to Behold

Out of Sight’s “second-person” perspective proves it’s already a great fit for VR, even with more polish to come.

UploadVRJames Galizio

Learn More About Drifters: Blackout Crew

Drifters: Blackout Crew, first revealed in the summer edition of the VR Games Showcase, shared more info about the sci-fi co-op extraction shooter gameplay.

In case you missed it, check out our interview with Salmi Games' founder Yacine Salmi on the UploadVR Gamescast as well.

New Game Reveal - Spirit Ritual

Spirit Ritual is a terrifying ghost story, played in either mixed reality or virtual reality, that blends full motion video with mixed-reality gameplay. It is coming to Pico, PC VR, and Meta Quest.

Spirit Ritual Is An Upcoming FMV Mixed Reality Horror Photography Game

Spirit Ritual is a terrifying game that blends full motion video with mixed-reality to tell a supernatural ghost story.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

All On Board Adds A New FREE Game Next Week

Social board game app All On Board is adding a new game, Virus!, as a free update next week.

All On Board! Roadmap Outlines New Games For The VR Tabletop Platform

All On Board! outlined several board games coming to the VR tabletop platform in its new roadmap.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

R.A.I.D. Drops New Gameplay Trailer & Pre-Order Bonus

Co-op sci-fi shooter R.A.I.D. from FusionPlay and Impact Inked has opened pre-orders ahead of its upcoming release. In R.A.I.D., you inspect interstellar cargo ships to catch smugglers. If the cargo comes up nefarious, you board the ship for high-octane shootout action.

New R.A.I.D. Teaser Trailer Reveals Co-op Roguelite FPS Gameplay

We got a first look at new co-op roguelite shooter, R.A.I.D. at today’s VR Games Showcase after a tease at last month’s Creature Feature Showcase.

UploadVRMike Johnson

COVR Unveils First Official Trailer

We got a new look at COVR, a tactical mil-sim first person shooter from XReal Games (Zero Caliber).

Zero Caliber 2 Hits PS VR2 This October

Speaking of XReal Games, its action-packed cinematic shooter Zero Caliber 2 finally arrives on PlayStation VR2 this October.

Zero Caliber 2: Remastered Impressions - VR Warfare Gets A Glow-Up

Zero Caliber 2: Remastered gives the action shooter a welcome upgrade for PC VR players, and it’s out now on Steam.

UploadVRPete Austin

Green Hell VR Painting Update

Hardcore survival adventure Green Hell VR adds more customization with today's Modular Buildings & Painting update. With the new Painting system, players will be able to craft a brush and bowls of paint, then add some color to the structures around the camp. Modular building has also been expanded with triangle frames and new plank structures, opening up even more possibilities for new builds.

The new update is available on Meta Quest and PS VR2.

Green Hell VR: Quest Edition Review - Streamlined But Engrossing VR Survival

Green Hell on Quest isn’t the same game as the flatscreen original, but look past the changes and you’ll find a great VR survival game. Here’s our Green Hell VR: Quest Edition Review. Let’s get this out of the way first: Green Hell VR’s Quest

UploadVRJamie Feltham

Another Look At The Lightkeepers & Price Reveal

Co-op exploration and survival adventure The Lightkeepers launches on September 10 on Meta Quest and with today's new video, we know the price will be $19.99.

The Lightkeepers Confirms September Release Date For Meta Quest 3 In New Trailer

Co-op action-survival game The Lightkeepers hits Meta Quest 3 on September 10.

UploadVRMike Johnson

A New Look At Adrian's Quest

Adrian's Quest is one of our most anticipated upcoming games in 2026. We got a fresh look at the upcoming single-player action-adventure in a new trailer.

A New Look At The Rifted Skies

We got a new trailer for The Rifted Skies, a physically demanding action-roguelike from location-based-entertainment developer DreamVR.

The Rifted Skies Is A Physically Active Action Roguelite Coming to Meta Quest, PC VR, & Pico

Action roguelite The Rifted Skies brings a physically demanding arm swing movement system to Meta Quest & PC VR later this year.

UploadVRMike Johnson

CONVRGENCE Leaves Early Access Next Month

Post apocalyptic extraction shooter CONVRGENCE leaves Steam Early Access on September 17.

CONVRGENCE Mixes FPS Survival With Horror On SteamVR

CONVRGENCE, a post-apocalyptic VR survival shooter with horror elements, reaches Steam Early Access today.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Knights Of Fiona Launch Date

Co-op JRPG Knights of Fiona launches September 3 for Meta Quest and Steam. It has several playtest sessions happening over the next few days.

Knights Of Fiona Aims To Be An RPG You’ll Keep Coming Back To

The developers of Ruinsmagus build a bigger role-playing game in Knights Of Fiona.

UploadVRAlicia Haddick

New Rustmourne Gameplay Trailer

Rustmourne was first announced in our UploadVR Summer Showcase in June and the VR Games Showcase premiered a new video showing more of the Dead Space-inspired gameplay. Expect Rustmourne on PC VR in early 2027.

Rustmourne Is A Sci-Fi Horror Survival FPS Built For PC VR

Rustmourne, a Half-Life: Alyx inspired sci-fi horror FPS, is coming to SteamVR.

UploadVRMike Johnson

Payday: Aces High Launches Playtests Next Week

Fast Travel Games' co-op heist shooter Payday: Aces High kicks off live playtests on August 20.

Payday: Aces High Holding PC VR & Meta Quest 3 Playtests Next Week

You can play Payday: Aces High early in next week’s playtests on SteamVR and Meta Quest.

UploadVRMike Johnson

Flat2VR & Impact Inked To Bring More Games To PS VR2

Soul Assembly's Drop Dead: The Cabin was the featured game in a brief video teasing a 'vault' of new titles coming to PlayStation VR2. The video featured Myles Dyer from Flat2VR, YouTuber Bryan Paul of Without Parole, and former Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida among others.

Drop Dead: The Cabin Hands-On: A Thrilling And Challenging Co-Op Shooter

Drop Dead: The Cabin brings a co-op zombie wave shooter to Quest 2 today, and we were recently joined by developer Soul Assembly for a hands-on preview. Reminiscent of Call of Duty Zombies, Drop Dead: The Cabin takes a different approach to its on-rails predecessor, Drop Dead:

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Trombone Champ: Unflattened Disney DLC Coming Next Week

Note: We were notified by VR Games Showcase host Jamie Feltham shortly before the showcase started that the Disney Movie Magic Vol. 1 DLC had been shifted to an August 20 release date. The showcase trailer said 'Out Now.' An amended trailer has since been published.

Flat2VR Studios first announced the Disney Movie Magic DLC earlier this summer after a tease in the spring and next week you can play multiple tracks from classic Disney films in its premier rhythm game.

Trombone Champ Unflattened Disney Movie Magic DLC Launching Next Week

Trombone Champ Unflattened launches Disney Movie Magic Volume 1 DLC today.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

Flat2VR Announces StartEngine Online Investment Campaign

Flat2VR Studios announced a StartEngine online investment initiative to help expand its publishing portfolio and grow the internal teams needed to bring more VR ports and original games to market. We'll have a more in-depth story on this soon.

New Game Reveal - High On Life VR

Speaking of Flat2VR, they weren't done yet in this showcase. Squanch Games' comedic first person shooter High On Life is getting a VR port for PC VR, PlayStation VR2 & Meta Quest.

High On Life VR Announced For PC VR, PlayStation VR2 & Meta Quest

Flat2VR Studios has announced they’re porting Squanch Games’ High On Life to PC VR, PSVR2, and Meta Quest.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

New Game Reveal - System Shock VR

The main show closed with the shocking reveal (pun fully intended) of Flat2VR's port of acclaimed 2023 sci-fi shooter System Shock. System Shock VR is also coming to PC VR, PlayStation VR2, and Meta Quest.

System Shock VR Announced For Meta Quest, PlayStation VR2, and PC VR

Flat2VR Studios announced System Shock VR coming to Quest, SteamVR, and PlayStation VR2 at today’s VR Games Showcase.

UploadVRMike Johnson

Prior to the main show fronted by Feltham, a pre-show hosted by Zeena Al-Obaidi dropped announcements for six additional games.

BrushHammer Gets A Release Date

Mixed reality miniature painting app BrushHammer Miniature Painter drops on Meta Quest on August 26.

BrushHammer Brings Miniature Model Painting To Quest This Summer

The mixed reality miniature figure painting app BrushHammer is coming to Quest this August.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

Vertigo Rush Lays Out Its Launch Roadmap

High speed VR racer Vertigo Rush charted its path to its planned Q4 2026 release in a new video.

Omega Pilot: Evolution Out Now On PlayStation VR2

Another showcase shadow drop, futuristic Wipeout-inspired racer Omega Pilot: Evolution is available now on PS VR2.

Omega Pilot Evolution Races Onto PlayStation VR2 Today

Omega Pilot Evolution, a high-speed VR futuristic racing game, blasts onto PlayStation VR2 today.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

BattleGroupVR2 Launches On Meta Quest This Month

Space real-time-strategy game BattleGroupVR2 comes to Meta Quest in Early Access on August 28. It previously launched, also in Early Access, for SteamVR late last year.

New Game Reveal - Stuffed: Two Foot Hero

Waving Bear Studio has announced Stuffed: Two Foot Hero, a new VR wave shooter coming to SteamVR and Meta Quest this fall.

Stuffed: Two Foot Hero Is A New VR Wave Shooter Coming To SteamVR & Meta Quest

Waving Bear Studio has announced Stuffed: Two Foot Hero, a new VR wave shooter coming to SteamVR and Meta Quest this fall.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

New Game Reveal - Grablings: Paint N' Seek

Triangle Factory and Triangle Labs have announced Grablings, a social hide and seek game coming to Meta Quest this summer.

Grablings: Paint ’N Seek Is A Chaotic Social VR Game From Triangle Factory’s New Triangle Labs Label

Triangle Factory and Triangle Labs have announced Grablings, a social hide and seek game coming to Meta Quest this Summer.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

Leading today's VR Games Showcase, developer Trigger Happy Interactive and publisher Apogee Entertainment have announced that Total Chaos VR is coming to SteamVR soon. A standalone version of the game is also coming to Meta Quest.

Total Chaos VR was revealed via a terrifying new trailer, which we've included here:

The flat screen version of Total Chaos, which debuted in 2025, is one of the creepiest and most effective psychological horror games of the last few years. It currently enjoys a Very Positive rating on Steam, collated from over 1,500 user reviews.

In Total Chaos, you play as a Coast Guard officer responding to a distress call from an ominous island. When a storm wrecks your boat upon the shore, you discover the island's dark past isn't totally forgotten. Compelled to explore the island by cryptic radio transmissions, you must delve ever deeper into this twisted and uncertain reality.

The standalone version of Total Chaos VR is in development as well, and will release on Meta's Horizon Store at a later date.

The shocking reveal was the final announcement at today's VR Games Showcase. Here's the trailer:

Flat2VR is partnering with original developer Nightdive Studios for this port. System Shock was a hit with players when it released in 2023 after multiple delays and a seven-year development cycle. It has steadily received updates since release, with the most recent being in March of this year.

System Shock was just one of several announcements from Flat2VR in the showcase. The company also announced a port of comedic first person shooter High on Life, plans to bring a 'vault' of new games to PlayStation VR2 including Drop Dead: The Cabin, and a new funding initiative to build bigger and better games.

System Shock VR can be wishlisted now on Steam, PS VR2, and Quest.

A surprise trailer during today's VR Games Showcase revealed that Flat2VR Studios and Squanch Games are bringing High On Life VR to headsets in 2027.

The trailer offers an in-depth look at what to expect from High On Life VR, including some behind-the-scenes moments with the game's developers, who explain the major overhauls that bringing some of the game's systems to VR has demanded. These include overhauls to the shop interactions, character beats around the city, as well as physical reload mechanics for the game's highly unique weaponry.

Check out the full trailer below.

Originally released in 2022, High On Life is an irreverent take on the FPS genre in which you join forces with a roster of hilarious talking guns to blast your way through a galaxy of alien invaders.

High On Life currently holds a Very Positive rating on Steam based on over 14,000 user reviews.

High On Life VR is expected to arrive in 2027. You can wishlist the game now for Meta Quest, PlayStation VR2, and on PC via SteamVR.

The announcement came at today's VR Games Showcase with a new gameplay trailer. Playtests start on August 20.

Here's the new trailer:

In Aces High, you and up to three friends take on the roles of The Aces, a group of highly skilled thieves framed by business titan Warren Jupiter. The Aces decide to seek revenge by looting locations tied to his business: banks, museums, and even his personal penthouse. Heists are always attempted in groups of four, with AI companions filling in any gaps on the team.

The game is slated to release later in 2026 and developer Fast Travel Games (Vampire: The Masquerade - Justice, Apex Construct) has already committed to a new post-release heist location as a free update before the end of the year.

Payday: Aces High can be wishlisted for Steam and Quest 3 headsets.

The release date was confirmed at today's VR Games Showcase alongside a new trailer showcasing never-before-seen gameplay footage:

We went hands on with an early build of the game, saying "you can feel the love for this game, this world, and what it means to the team behind it in all the subtle details in the town and world, the care and refinement in card art for weapons and abilities and in the art in the town, and how much it means."

Another round of playtests kicks off today and runs through August 16. Character Bank launched a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, raising over 3.6M yen against a 1.5M yen goal, roughly $22,600 versus $9,400.

Knights of Fiona can be wishlisted now on the Meta Horizon Store and Steam. 

Spirit Ritual is a supernatural horror game, played in either mixed reality or virtual reality, in which you play as a psychic medium attempting to break a demonic curse. You'll use hand-tracking controls to conjure a spirit board to enter the spirit realm and equip your old-timey spirit camera to capture ghosts.

The game was announced via a trailer as part of today's VR Games Showcase.

Some of the more interesting features seen in the game's trailer include 3D FMV (full motion video) performances by real-life actors. We've seen this sort of presentation used to great and terrible effect at various times over the past thirty-odd years of gaming. Here, thankfully, it looks well-done and quite terrifying.

The game's native presentation is in mixed-reality, a mode which has "ghosts manifesting inside your own home," according to the developer. However there is also an optional virtual reality mode for users who prefer it.

Spirit Ritual is coming to PICO 4, SteamVR, and Meta Quest. A release date for this spooky Fatal Frame-like has not yet been revealed.

As part of today's VR Games Showcase, Triangle Factory and Triangle Labs have announced a new social hide-and-seek game called Grablings: Paint 'N Seek.

In Grablings: Paint 'N Seek, you play as the titular Grablings, creatures which the game's developers describe as "interdimensional creatures who live for mischief and chaos."

Essentially, you'll play silly games of hide and seek. Hiders paint themselves into wacky environments to avoid being found while the seekers aim to win by finding all the hidden Grablings.

A new trailer has been revealed which shows a sneak peek at Grablings' chaotic social gameplay.

The game comes from Triangle Labs, Triangle Factory's new label. The parent company is best known for its VR FPS Forefront and Breachers. The studio has also recently announced Breachers: Outbreak, a zombie-themed extraction shooter.

Grablings: Paint 'N Seek is coming to Meta Quest sometime this summer.

As part of today's VR Showcase, developer XOCUS (makers of EXOcars) has announced that their first-person futuristic racing game Omega Pilot Evolution is out now on PlayStation VR2.

Omega Pilot Evolution is described by its developer as "a high-speed futuristic racing experience that pushes the limits of anti-gravity flight." So, it's basically Wipeout in VR (a very cool thing, to be clear).

Omega Pilot Evolution is playable in VR or in flat screen mode, and cross-platform multiplayer lets friends (and strangers) race in the same lobby regardless of whether or not they own a VR headset. It should also be noted that every copy of Omega Pilot Evolution includes both the VR and flat screen versions.

There's also real-time multiplayer (online for up to five players), leaderboards for asynchronous multiplayer, a combat racing mode, intelligent matchmaking, and plenty of customization and upgrades.

Omega Pilot Evolution is out now on PlayStation 5 and PSVR2. It's also coming to Meta Quest on August 27, with Steam and PICO versions planned for a fall 2026 release.

As part of the latest VR Games Showcase, developer Flat2VR Studios and publisher Impact Inked have revealed that their Disney-themed DLC for Trombone Champ Unflattened, Disney Movie Magic Volume 1, will launch next week on August 20th.

The paid song pack features six classic Disney songs, plus two new performance environments from The Little Mermaid and Toy Story.

The six included songs are:

• "A Whole New World" from Aladdin
• "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid
• "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story
• "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast
• "Circle of Life" from The Lion King
• "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid

This Disney DLC pack joins other licensed songs and DLC packs for the comical trombone game. In 2025, Trombone Champ: Unflattened DLC added songs from indie games like Celeste, Undertale, and Deltarune.

We reviewed Trombone Champ: Unflattened when it debuted at the end of 2024, calling it "more like a brand-new game than a flatscreen port, [that builds] upon the existing foundations well to deliver ridiculously silly fun."

Trombone Champ: Unflattened is out now on the Meta Quest platform, Steam, and PlayStation VR2.

In Tiny Flock, you'll shepherd a group of adorable sheep through 21 gorgeous 3D diorama levels with fully interactive environments and puzzles. Using physics, creativity, and objects in the game space, you'll find your own way of leading your tiny flock safely through each level.

You'll create paths and bridges, stack and throw objects, pull ropes and levers to create safe passage for your adorable sheep. As in the best puzzle games, there are no pre-determined solutions. Instead, the game encourages the use of physics, creativity, and the environment around you to save your wayward sheep.

A trailer has been released alongside the announcement:

A release date has not yet been announced, but the official website for the game has a 2026 release window, so expect it by the end of the year. Tiny Flock is eventually coming to Steam and Meta Quest.

Gloop Lair is the forty-first course in Walkabout, and the fifth in the Evil Lairs series, featuring maps of the hideouts of fictional villains. Gloop Lair takes its cues from the 1990s, with the titular gloop standing in for Nickelodeon's famous slime, and a veritable treasure trove of pop culture references from that time. After the tour, I did a brief interview with Shane to learn more about how the course came to be.

The full tour can be viewed on our YouTube channel here:

On Drawing Inspiration From The 90s

Rhodes: For these other courses we have a lot of varying ages on the team to start with. So everyone's kind of had their hearkening back to things that they love and all that jazz and some of us '90s babies were starting to grow in numbers here in the team. So I think we got a nice total of four or something like that. So, we eventually had our day and we had our new level designer come in, Laura Krauss quite a while back now, but she was starting to headline all these new courses and one of them was this Gloop Lair course and it was one that even Lucas at one point was like, 'Well, I don't know. I mean, I don't really see.' I think he was just, you know, outside of that '90s era. So, he wasn't seeing the total vision yet. But then Laura kind of laid out everything that would be in it and kind of ran them through like a prototype of it as it were and he's like, 'Okay, yeah, I totally see it. I totally see it.' So really this became a push from all of us that grew up in the '90s to be like, 'Well, we have to have our representation in an evil lair, of course.' So that's probably the origin, I'd say, from that. 

And then it just really grew from, as you start in these courses, your memory starts to unlock all the stuff you remember playing with as a kid and watching in theaters and eating all the snacks and the sodas and the things like that. And then it just starts to kind of all come together. One thing that kind of developed, I think, along the course as we went along is the Evil Lairs always have a pretty defined evil plan to go. And the world being a little whatever at this point, we're like, we need a little optimism in here. So she became more of a chaotic good in a way because her real ideal is to Gloop the city and bring back some joy from the '90s and all this fun stuff though, of course, that goes awry. I know we saw the pizza rat in the sewer earlier. Perhaps things don't go so well.

One Specific Easter Egg To Look Out For

Rhodes: Yeah, I definitely recommend the band. We have a lot of props, we'll say, that are direct puns or references to the '90s era bands that we all enjoyed. So, definitely go out and look for those. 

Oh, you know what? I did just think of another one that I really love, too. So, we have kind of our own little let's say the bestselling toy of this era for the Gloop Lair uh is this little guy called Kerbo. So, you're the little Kerbo. You speak to him. He [has] a little animatronic voice. There's a couple of those throughout the course, but you might find one in particular that is particularly evil. So, that there is one of those to find for sure.

On The Increasing Course Complexity Extending Build Times

Shane: We are as we learn more and do more, we're able to definitely output a bit more as we do each one though that can sometimes bite us a little bit too. We might bite off a little bit more than we can chew. So for at the end of every course that we do we do a kind of a postmortem, so to be like okay what things went well what things didn't go well and we always try to keep that in mind for the next course. That works sometimes. Sometimes you repeat mistakes so you get carried away. But yeah, it does things like this course where a lot of it is indoors we're able to get away with a lot more density and props and things like that. And it was kind of similar in [Passport] Hollywood too where you had those sound stages. 

So the god mode view is very minimal, but once you're inside those sound stages, you can really fill it with stuff and you don't get too much of a performance hit. And the same is true of the lair here because it's all very sectioned out into the different factory rooms and all that. We have run ourselves into some corners every now and then where we're [in] outdoor areas. We're like 'oh we may have gone too dense.' Much to the chagrin of our poor tech team who has to make it optimized. We try to manage in the courses and bring something new whether it's going to be the most animations, the most graphics, or visual graphics I should say like artwork and all that, or new gameplay mechanics, something like that. So we want to keep doing a balance where there's going to be more simple courses, there might be more dense courses. It just is going to be depending on what calls for the story.

On The Evil Lairs Series Continuing Into The 2000s

Rhodes: Well, I'll say there isn't a plan for one yet, but never say never, of course. I'm pretty sure there was a couple of villains lairs were like, 'Okay, this is the last one.' But then, you know, an idea comes up. So, I think it's one of those types of things. I won't say no, but I won't say yes.

Idea(s) Left On The Cutting Room Floor

Rhodes: There was one that I was pretty sure was going to be cut out, but it's the finale for Hard mode. And I threw out this idea that I knew was going to be shut down. I'm like, 'feel free to say no to this,' but they said, 'Okay.' So, I really implore everyone to finish the hard mode to see the great reveal at the end of that because that is fun to see. So, that's one that made it. So, that's a cheat answer because that one actually made it.

There were certain toys or uh uh movie references that we'd want to use, but we just couldn't. There was no way to make it kind of shout out what we were saying without it being a direct reference to it and then getting into a territory where we'd have to ask permission and it just wouldn't work out.

Striking The Balance Between Homage And Direct Ripoff

Rhodes: Well, a lot of it is definitely context. The nice area thing is that in this area, it's all kind of her collections of these things. So once you kind of get one reference, you're like oh now you're starting to look out for it and you're starting to place it a little bit more. It can be difficult. It's definitely difficult up front, especially if you are a fan of that thing because then you just want to make that thing, and I've had a few of those. I'm guilty of that where I'd present a model, they'd be like, 'Well, this looks way too much like that thing.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, you're right.' There's definitely some remake there, but that was a great stretch in creativity too, because you have to think of how to maintain that same feeling without directly ripping someone off. There's always some credence and stuff too, because it is a bit of a satire and all that other stuff. So, it's really just kind of calling out to these things that inspired us when we were younger.

As always, UploadVR thanks the team at Mighty Coconut for being so generous with their time.

In Rogue Planet, you play as a bounty hunter on the planet Rogax, a dangerous frontier planet littered with hostile creatures, abandoned mines and settlements, and guarded cities to explore. While taking on dangerous missions, you begin to learn the underlying truth behind the planet itself.

The trailer and screenshots give off a distinct Star Wars vibe, more specifically the acclaimed The Mandalorian and ILMxLAB's Star Wars: Tales From the Galaxy's Edge. VR does not lack for extraterrestrial story-based shooters with previous offerings like Hubris, Galaxy's Edge, Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister, and the Vertigo games, just to name a few. Time will tell how Discovery: Rogue Planet stacks up in a solid field of titles.

According to the Quest Store DB, the game was originally scheduled for August 6, but on that day, the game's listing disappeared from the Horizon Store entirely for several days. We reached out to the developer, who clarified there was an issue with the storefront and the official release would be today.

Discovery: Rogue Planet is out now for Quest 3 headsets. PC VR players can expect a port at a later date.

Bootstrap Island follows the lone survivor of a shipwreck in a roguelike gameplay loop of scavenging for goods during the day and surviving the attacks of a variety of creatures overnight.

Here's the launch trailer for PS VR2:

The PlayStation VR2 edition leverages the hardware's best features with eye-tracked foveated rendering, adaptive triggers, Sense controller haptics, and headset feedback. This version also includes every post-release content update the PC VR version received.

We've followed Bootstrap Island's journey from a promising, but limited Early Access release through multiple content updates before the excellent full release earlier this year. In my review of the full release, I said it "lives up to its early promise with a highly engaging, immersive, and at times disturbing adventure that stands as one of VR's best survival titles."

Bootstrap Island 1.0 Review: A Sterling VR Survivor Adventure

Bootstrap Island leaves Early Access as one of VR’s best survival games, only held back by some rough edges that will likely be polished.

UploadVRMike Johnson

Bootstrap Island is available now on Steam and PS VR2.

Laser Dance, the Early Access mixed-reality laser obstacle course by Cubism creator Thomas Van Bouwel, gets an update today which adds six new levels and a new laser type. The green mimic laser only moves when you move, giving new importance to anticipation and planning as you weave your way in and amongst the lasers.

The update is the second major update since Laser Dance launched in Early Access last November, and marks the game's next big step toward full release.

A trailer has been released alongside the update's launch:

Laser Dance turns your living space into a challenging maze full of lasers, where the goal of the game is to navigate the maze and reach strategic destinations throughout the room. We reviewed the game when it debuted late last year, noting "it belongs in most libraries and should be a go-to party game."

Laser Dance is available now on Quest 3 and 3S, where it currently enjoys a user rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars based on over 250 reviews. The Mimic Update is available now.

Until recently, the custom game settings were quite limited. The Custom Game Settings update lets the lobby leader specify the map, which weapons are available, and settings like movement speed, proximity chat, round times, and dual wielding. Once a fun makeshift game mode is created, it can be saved as a preset.

Developer Triangle Factory has added four presets as examples of what can be built. As shown in this video from the team, things can get pretty chaotic.

The new update also adds a new map, Headquarters, which is the entrance floor of the ESTF (Enyo Special Task Force) headquarters you see in the game's main menu. This map is available in custom lobbies and all game modes except Bomb Defusal.

Breachers is available now on Meta Quest, Steam, PlayStation VR2, and Pico.

Stuffed: Two Foot Hero is a sequel to Waving Bear Studio's Stuffed, which launched on Steam in 2024 and Xbox in 2023, and which currently enjoys a Mostly Positive rating based on over 225 user reviews.

Stuffed: Two Foot Hero is set inside the dreams of a little girl. The family-friendly shooter puts players in the paws of a two-foot-tall teddy bear defending its owner from waves of nightmares. Players can fight solo or team up with up to four friends. The game was built from the ground up for VR, and expands on the original Stuffed with twelve weapons, six maps, new enemies, bosses, traps, turrets, and more.

A trailer was released as part of today's VR Games Showcase, which is included here:

Speaking about how the idea for Stuffed: Two Foot Hero came about, Lead Artist, Lucy Earp said, “Fans of the original Stuffed kept asking for VR, [...] so we rebuilt it from the ground up allowing players to experience the world from a two-foot-tall teddy bear and get hands on with the awesome weapons. There were so many ideas we wanted to put in the original that never made it in, and its been really exciting to explore that in this new title, we're very grateful for the opportunity – we can’t wait for players to experience it.”

Stuffed: Two Foot Hero is coming to Meta Quest and SteamVR in Fall 2026. You can wishlist the game now.

The Bellerive course first opened in 1960 in St. Louis, Missouri with course designer Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s mission statement of a difficult par, an easy bogey.

The near-merciless course, with tree and bunker-lined fairways, rolling putting surfaces, and a winding creek that touches nine different holes, earned the nickname the Green Monster of Ladue before hosting the US Open in 1965. This was the first Open championship played over four days and broadcast in color on television.

Since then, Bellerive has played host to the PGA Championship in 1992 and 2018. Next week, Bellerive hosts the second stop of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the BMW Championship, starting on August 20.

Bellerive is available now in GOLF+ for $11.99. Players can also subscribe to the GOLF+ Pass service for $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) to get access to all courses.

GOLF+ is out now on Quest for $29.99 and comes with three original courses. It is also available as part of Meta's Horizon+ subscription service. It can be wishlisted on Steam now ahead of its upcoming release on that platform.

UploadVR often learns about limited-time beta testing for VR games and as a resource to the community, we're compiling them all in this article and will update it when new testing is scheduled.

Be sure to bookmark this page as it will be regularly updated. If you are a developer conducting testing for your game or a player aware of sessions, feel free to contact us at tips@uploadvr.com with details.

Knights of Fiona

Knights of Fiona is a co-op JRPG from Character Bank, the team behind RuinsMagus. It is conducting open beta sessions through August 16 on SteamVR and Meta Quest with times to accommodate most regions. Steam players can join by clicking the 'Join the playtest' button on the Steam listing. Quest players can join the beta channel here. The sessions will support crossplay.

• Session 1 - August 13 4pm - 7pm
• Session 2 - August 14 4am - 7am
• Session 3 - August 15 4am - August 16 10am

Darts VR2: Bullseye

Competitive darts simulator Darts VR2: Bullseye is gearing up for league play with its next round of public league testing. The League mode launches in Q3 2026. This round of tests will support Meta Quest, PlayStation VR2, and SteamVR with crossplay enabled in four and eight-player tournaments. Anyone interested can join the game's Discord here. The Discord will have a voice channel available for players to chat with the development team between matches.

• Session 1 - August 18 2pm to 5pm
• Session 2 - August 21 2pm to 5pm

The Great Flood

The Great Flood is a mixed reality real-time strategy (RTS) game coming to Meta Quest in Q4 2026. It kicked off a two week test for multiplayer gameplay on August 4. Players can sign up via a Google form here.

The testing ends on August 18.

We will update and occasionally republish this article as new sessions pop up. If you have news of upcoming beta testing, contact us at tips@uploadvr.com.

Combat Waffle Studios is not going anywhere.

That was the main message in a statement from the Ghosts of Tabor developer in light of the Beyond Frames news last week. We reported that Beyond Frames was selling the publishing rights to Combat Waffle's titles for $1M, an amount equal to the forecasted revenue for those games through 2028.

Beyond Frames Selling Off Publishing Rights To Combat Waffle’s Games For $1M

Beyond Frames is selling its publishing rights to Combat Waffle Studio’s Ghosts of Tabor, Silent North, and Grim for $1 million.

UploadVRMike Johnson

It would be easy to make errant assumptions about the future of Combat Waffle after this sale and the studio's recent layoffs. Point of fact, the original Beyond Frames statement was sent to me directly by a reader with a simple question: is Combat Waffle dead?

I read it, immediately wrote back "no, this is a good thing for both sides" and wrote the article linked above to hopefully clarify how the publisher/developer relationship works and why a separation is a net positive if both companies are not on the same page.

At the time of the article, we did not know the circumstances that led to the sale of the rights. Combat Waffle's Scott Albright alluded to a possible disconnect with Beyond Frames in a previous message on LinkedIn and clarified that it spearheaded this process in the Neem announcement:

“We’re incredibly excited to finally be moving forward,” said Scott Albright, CEO of Combat Waffle Studios. “Ghosts of Tabor has a massive amount of potential, and we wanted the freedom and the right partner to pursue it. We believe we have that now.”

“For us, the right publishing partner has to bring more to the table than collecting a royalty check,” Albright said. “We want a partner that actively helps build the business, opens doors, creates opportunities, and invests in the long term. That’s what we’re excited about with Neem Interactive.”

The statement goes on to say that Combat Waffle "had been working toward greater publishing independence since 2025." With Neem, the developer can look to the future with a stated desire to expand the Tabor universe beyond just a single game. Ghosts of Tabor: Legacy released on Meta Quest on July 31 and Steam on August 1. At the time of this article, it sits as the top paid release on the Meta Horizon Store in the last 30 days with 1.3k ratings and a 4.5 score. The statement promises that the studio is not filing for bankruptcy, another inaccurate rumor, and Tabor is still in active development with more content to come.

As for the new publisher, Neem Interactive's website offers very little about the company's background other than it recently published flatscreen co-op extraction builder Grain Rot on Steam on August 7. The Steam listing for Ghosts of Tabor has already been updated to list Neem as publisher and we expect other platforms to follow soon.

Plenty of old martial arts movie fans have wanted to act out their favorite fight scenes, and developer The Game Forger (Aliens Attack VR, Danger Room VR) is letting them do just that with TaoLu. This virtual dojo simulator allows players to practice punches, chops, and combat combos while a cartoonish sensei guides your workout.

The basic controls are similar to those of most standard boxing simulators: you move your motion controller and the game reacts. By either holding the controllers with your fingers open or squeezing down on the triggers, you can switch between an open chop and a closed fist.

During gameplay, onscreen commands prompt you to strike with your left or right hand, and with a fist or chop, while glowing green targets tell you where to smack the dummy. If you perform the action correctly, you gain points. If you mess up, you may fail the mission (depending on what mode you're playing). And it's not all offense. At times, a red tiger symbol will appear, prompting you to either duck or back away from a spinning blade. It can be quite easy to hit a target with the wrong hand or gesture in the heat of a session, especially while playing one of the timed modes.

TaoLu's gameplay is split into several different modes. The first is Wing Chun Mode, which lets you practice sequences from the real-life fighting styles used by legendary martial artists like Ip Man, Bruce Lee, and Donnie Yen, among others. Wing Chun is one of the hardest modes to play through, but a fun nod to the actual martial arts disciplines that inspired the game.

Accuracy Mode tests your ability to match your instructor's prompts, while Time Mode requires you to perform a set of movements within an allotted time limit. Survival Mode has you perform moves until you miss a prompt. There is also a Free Play Mode that lets you practice moves to your heart’s content without having to worry about prompts or a time limit.

For Accuracy Mode, your performance is ranked in three categories that can earn you a golden Buddha statue. Earn at least two, and you can advance to the next round. In the latter two modes, your performance at the end of each round is tallied and compared to other players in an online leaderboard, and in Time Mode you have to reach a certain goal to move on to the next wave.

TaoLu’s visuals are solid, featuring different Asian-themed environments for each gameplay mode such as old temples and walkways surrounded by cherry trees. There is also a mixed reality mode that lets you switch these locations out for your actual play area to bring your training session closer to home.

TaoLu's sound design surrounds you with a fittingly Zen atmosphere, with the game's minimal music consisting of subtle drum beats and guitar chords.

The game isn’t without its technical issues, though. For example, sometimes you will spawn out of the center of the hub when starting up, requiring you to restart if you don’t have the playroom space to move toward the dummy. Also, the menu options (which are pulled up by clicking on the nearby sensei) often clip through the environment in Accuracy Mode.

All things considered, while playing TaoLu probably won't make you a Wing Chun master, it's a fun and affordable way to spice up your VR workout. This is especially true if you're a fan of martial arts, martial arts media, or games like Street Fighter or Double Dragon.

UPDATE: Beat Saber is now discounted from $29.99 to $19.99 everywhere the game is sold. At the original time of publication of this article, the discounts had not populated the PlayStation Store.

Beat Games and Meta have announced that Beat Saber will cost $19.99 on Meta Quest, on SteamVR and on PlayStation VR and VR2 via the PlayStation Store beginning today, a discount on the previous price of $29.99.

For eight years, Beat Saber has been one of the best-selling VR games on any VR platform, and was very rarely sold at a discount. It was also excluded from Meta's Horizon+ subscription service until recently, though it has been offered in that service's catalog for a few months now.

Beat Saber is an immersive rhythm experience in which you use colorful sabers to slash your way through pulsing musical beats. The base game comes with over 60 free songs, and additional music packs and bundles are available.

Beat Saber is available now on Meta Quest, SteamVR, and the PlayStation Store for $19.99.

We also got the course trailer for the upcoming Gloop Lair DLC, and news on Mighty Coconut branching into third-party game publishing.

Game developers and other companies often get in on the April Fools Day fun with ridiculous announcements and updates, but sometimes the interest from the developer or the community is so strong that things get real. Such is the case with Walkabout Dungeon Golfer, a roguelike dungeon crawler Mighty Coconut teased.

A few days later, Mighty Coconut updated with the following:

Walkabout Dungeon Golfer was initially a joke, but we got excited about it the more time we spent with it! No promises, but we're starting to play with some prototypes.

During the special presentation, Mighty Coconut founder Lucas Martell shared some concept art and more details about the game. Walkabout Dungeon Golfer will be a hybrid title with crossplay support for flatscreen and VR platforms. It uses the same physics engine as Walkabout Mini Golf with you and your friends putting through dungeons, fighting monsters, and leveling up abilities. Martell said the team does not have a release date, but the target is summer 2027.

Interested players can subscribe to Mighty Coconut's Walkabout Connection newsletter for progress updates and any news on upcoming playtests here.

Other Mighty Coconut Presents Announcements

Additionally, Martell also announced that Mighty Coconut will be publishing Grass, a flatscreen cozy co-op lawn mowing simulator from developer Cosmic Dog. You control a remote controlled mower. Grass can be wishlisted now on Steam and will also be available on Xbox.

The final announcement was the reveal trailer for this Thursday's Gloop Lair DLC course, introduced by Game Director Jeremy Wynn. Gloop Lair is part of the ongoing Evil Lairs series, a 90s metropolis whose entire water supply has been transformed into hazardous gloop.

Here's the full trailer:

The full 'Mighty Coconut Presents' video is available on Mighty Coconut's YouTube channel. We'll share any additional news on Walkabout Dungeon Golfer as it comes along.

Earlier this year, I listed off ten VR classics celebrating their ten year anniversaries in 2026. I left No Man's Sky off that list because it did not get VR support until the Beyond update in August 2019. That said, it sits alongside games like Hitman, Skyrim, and Fallout as well-known games to support virtual reality.

Developer Hello Games released a new video commemorating its history and growth after a legendarily disappointing launch. Watch the full video here:

The end of the video teases its next update, titled 'Cosmos' and a written statement from Hello Games' Sean Murray confirms we can expect more info on that update soon.

VR support for high profile games has varied over the years. Skyrim and Fallout have borderline unplayable VR integrations that required extensive mod support to be worth playing. Elite Dangerous' on-foot sequences like in 2021's Odyssey update play out in a small flat panel window and still do not support motion controllers. Hitman: World of Assassination's PC VR support was less than ideal for years until a new update in 2025 brought it in line with the excellent PlayStation VR2 version.

On the flip side, Capcom's VR support for Resident Evil Biohazard, Resident Evil Village, and Resident Evil 4 Remake was all terrific. Microsoft Flight Simulator had a rough start in PC VR, but improved over the years and expanded to PS VR2 earlier this year.

No Man's Sky's VR support is not perfect. The game itself is notoriously resource heavy which has caused issues for players. I personally had to reduce the rendering resolution in my headset to less than fifty percent and set all of the graphics to the standard (low) setting to get an acceptable framerate on my old PC rig. The PS VR2 support was initially disappointing for players with complaints of blurry visuals until Hello Games added eye tracked dynamic foveated rendering and later PS5 Pro PSSR support.

That said, Hello Games is one of a small handful of developers, like IOI with Hitman, that believes in VR enough to maintain full VR support over the years, across multiple content updates, and work to improve the VR experience. After years of "big" games only being playable in VR thanks to fan-made mods, Hello Games deserves credit for its support. We can only hope that will extend to its upcoming title, Light No Fire.

Right off the bat, the live stream will be widely available to Apple Vision Pro users with an Apple TV subscription both in the Major League Baseball home countries of the U.S. and Canada, as well as Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the UK. 

Fans attending the games virtually will have the ability to visit Yankee Stadium, PNC Park, Oracle Park and Dodger Stadium this season, each with their own unique camera views. Ambisonic microphones will capture the sounds of the locations in Spatial Audio adding to the sense of presence at each spot, even during breaks in the action. The live experience will pair the immersive stream with a graphics package that floats in the visitor’s space and include details about the team lineups and stats. It also includes replays and play-by-play commentary from Paul Severino, analysis from Xavier Scruggs and sideline reporting from Michelle Margaux.

For those unable to attend live in Apple Immersive, full game replays and a highlights package can be watched later directly in the Apple TV app. Just the highlights package does not require an Apple TV subscription, so it can act as a way to encourage fans to subscribe to access full games.

Apple has an opportunity to leverage its non-immersive Friday Night Baseball streams and the marketing around them to effectively showcase what premium immersive sports broadcasts like this offer to drive more engagement with Apple Vision Pro. Given Apple currently holds Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer broadcast rights for a few more years, I would bet that there is more live sports access to come in addition to investment in more epic sports documentary content like Apple Immersive's Real Madrid: The Weight of Greatness.

One game will be broadcast live each week for the remainder of this “Friday Night Baseball” season. The games that will receive the Apple Immersive treatment are highlighted above with the Apple Vision Pro icon.

D.E.C.A.Y., short for the Department of Environmental Control And Yield, is an agency supposedly responsible for procuring and distributing supplies in a world that has been decimated by nuclear war. In actuality, it is a corrupt organization trying to exert control over a planet on the verge of death.

Here's the trailer:

Players are tasked with the maintenance of the Atlas network, massive structures maintaining a thermal and radiation shield over sections of the surface to prevent the sun from scorching it. The game operates out of a bunker similar to the popular Into the Radius where players maintain their equipment and systems.

D.E.C.A.Y. comes from AGaming+, a solo developer studio that previously released the Stalker-inspired Z.O.N.A. games, Z.O.N.A. Project X in 2023 and Z.O.N.A. Origin in 2025. I played a demo during Next Fest and it hit all the marks one would expect from a post apocalyptic action shooter without feeling too similar to something like Into the Radius.

D.E.C.A.Y. can be wishlisted now on Steam. The Early Access period is expected to last about a year after its August 21 release.

From the very first moments that I stepped into its surreal dreamscape, it was clear that I wasn't playing just another indie VR shooter. In Dream Hackers VR, the developers at ARVI VR have crafted an experience that feels strikingly polished, a game that blends deft art direction with mesmerizing world design, and punctuates it all with viscerally satisfying gunplay.

After an hour or two with a preview demo provided by the developers, Dream Hackers VR is the VR game I'm most looking forward to in 2027.

What is Dream Hackers VR?

Dream Hackers VR is a made-for-VR action-adventure roguelike that invites players to descend into surreal collective dreams, places where danger lurks around every unusual corner. You'll equip yourself with an arsenal of kinetic weapons, outlandish tools and powerful potions as you battle through waves of living nightmares and ancient bosses. Throughout your adventure, you'll make important discoveries, choose your fate, and uncover the mysteries hidden deep within the Dream Layers.

What that means, essentially, is that you enter concise and varied environments, solve puzzles, shoot everything that moves, and explore the subconsciously themed environs of the Dream World.

It's an intriguing premise made truly engrossing by the game's exceptional art design and its high level of mechanical polish. Dream Hackers VR feels like it's knocking on the door of AAA game status (for lack of a more universally understood term), reminding me of something like Expedition 33 in flatscreen gaming.

Each environment feels handcrafted, and while there's certainly some stock assets being used here, it always feels like a human hand has touched each element of the game. The impossible architecture of the game's dream worlds, the shifting magic of the places you visit, the variety of colors and theming make each new location feel alive and distinct, while the extremely high degree of interactability places you solidly at the center of these living worlds. It's the kind of magic that can only exist in VR, done very, very well.

Guns. Lots of Guns.

So, Dream Hackers VR looks stunning. But visuals will only carry a game so far. Thankfully, its gameplay holds up.

The bulk of the game involves exploring surreal environments in sequence, solving relatively simple puzzles, and battling nightmares that come your way. You fight these creatures of the Dream World using energy guns (I've used pistols, shotguns and automatic rifles), alongside tools like an energy shield, anomaly absorber, grenades, and more. In addition, you have access to power-ups and tools, such as a magnifying glass, a compass, and more.

Combat feels incredibly satisfying thanks to responsive weapons, great variety of weapon types, and an even greater variety of foes, each with their own behaviors, visual identities, and weaknesses. Every fight is energetic and challenging, while the dual-wield, instant-swapping weapons feel powerful yet balanced.

Secondary Designs

The game's quieter moments are equally engrossing. The environments are dense with detail and dripping with character, and in and amongst the strange vistas are light environmental puzzles. You may need to track down colored keys to unlock the next stage, or use your magnifying glass to reveal hidden secrets. These puzzles never overstay their welcome, and like the best puzzles in more mainstream games, they make you feel smart without ever being truly difficult.

The game also offers a surprising degree of movement options. I played using the smooth turning and joystick locomotion settings, which are recommended for those comfortable in VR. For others, there's a slew of snap turning and teleport locomotion options.

If there's one area where the game is lacking, currently, it's in the audio department. The voice acted dialogue sounds pretty bad and almost certainly AI-generated, while some of the music during combat sections can be repetitive and a bit out of step with the game's overall sensibilities. Contrasting with the more nuanced music that plays in exploration segments, which is at least interesting and suitably thematic, the gunplay guitar riffs feel even more out of place. The sound design is otherwise excellent, with great ambient foley and suitably dense environmental audio.

Dream Machine

What has impressed me most about Dream Hackers VR isn't any single game mechanic, or one specific area, or any individual aspect of its design, but rather how cohesive the whole experience feels.

Very often, especially with indie titles, a game may excel in one area at the expense of others. But Dream Hackers VR seems to have it all. The art direction complements the mysterious narrative, the polished combat supports the fun factor, the puzzle mechanics spur us on to greater exploration of the game's wondrous environments while giving breathing room between combat encounters. Nothing here feels underdeveloped. Everything feels, looks, and plays beautifully.

Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give Dream Hackers VR thus far is how excited the demo has left me for the game's full release. I've had the opportunity to play and write about some of the most amazing VR games ever made. If the Dream Hackers VR that releases in 2027 is even just a tiny bit bigger, better, and somehow more polished than what I played today, ARVI VR may have a genuine Game of the Year contender on its hands.

Imagine you are playing a Quest game and something amazing happens. A great jump scare in a horror game. A highlight reel-worthy kill in a competitive shooter. However, because you were not actively recording, that moment is lost forever.

XR Replay is designed to change that. The new app from Quest Games Optimizer developer Anagan79 runs in the background while playing a game and a simple 'save' option adds the last user-defined period of gameplay to storage.

You can choose to have the app track between thirty seconds and ten minutes of gameplay with different settings for aspect ratio, resolution, and bitrate. There are toggles for capturing game and microphone audio along with an option to start the application when the headset is booted.

There is no word from early reviews about any impact on game performance when the app is running. I am currently testing XR Replay and will write up my impressions next week.

XR Replay is available now for $3.99.

Virtual Desktop has been a popular choice for PC VR gamers on standalone headsets for years, but the connection between headset and PC has always been wireless. Neither it nor Valve's Steam Link app supports a wired USB connection, leaving wired users relegated to using Meta's often-unreliable Link application or the some-tinkering-required ALVR.

Virtual Desktop's new Quest Beta version 1.34.19, out now, changes that. USB support requires the headset to be on Quest OS v2.4 or higher. Users on other platforms like Pico and Play For Dream MR have to add USB Ncm support to use the feature.

For wireless PC VR gaming using a standalone headset, the ideal setup has long been a dedicated router, preferably in the same room as the PC and HMD. This is particularly true for Wi-Fi 6 connections as those signals degrade when physical walls are between router and device. That said, for users like myself, this is not a practical solution. My household router is several rooms away from my play space with no option to move it, so people in my situation are forced to use Meta Horizon Link wired with mixed results.

This is a known issue that companies have attempted to address. Meta partnered with D-Link on the VR Air Bridge device, but that device is no longer supported as of December 2024. Valve's Steam Frame headset will come with a dedicated dongle included. I currently use PrismXR's Puppis S1 router for a dedicated headset connection, but that was an additional $90 expenditure on top of Virtual Desktop's $25 purchase price.

It is easy for users not in this position to simply say "move your router" or "spend extra money on this device," but the best path forward is reliable support for wired play. Quest headsets make up over sixty percent of SteamVR's monthly users, according to Valve's own hardware survey. The more connection options readily available, the better.

The beta branch can be downloaded for Windows here and Mac here. Users will also need to change the Virtual Desktop app to the beta channel to take advantage of the feature. To do this in headset, long press the Virtual Desktop tile, then click Settings, Release Channels and select the BETA channel.

Source VR Mod Team, the developers behind the Half-Life 2: VR Mod, have confirmed that the latest update to the mod optimizes the game for Steam Frame and adds several additional improvements.

The team wrote about the mod's journey to Steam Frame Verification in a Steam Community post.

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"When we began our testing on the Frame," they wrote, "it would not start at all. Then we managed to boot it up, but performance was poor and the experience riddled with bugs. We fixed the bugs and optimized our frame timing - now we had a playable build with decent performance, but still some way from hitting the required frametimes consistently. From here it took careful selection of suitable performance settings, further optimizations and the addition of eye-tracked foveated rendering to get it over the threshold."

The update that optimized the experience for Steam Frame also includes bug fixes and "a few improvements" that will affect players whether you're using a Frame or not.

The full list is included below:

Summary of Changes

• Updated built-in dxvk version - might fix some startup issues
• Significantly improved performance on lower-end CPUs
• Potential fix for an issue where the headset view keeps shaking on uneven ground
• New sniper scope for the crossbow and added stabilization when holding it with both hands
• Smoothed controller poses for hand movement
• The gravity gun will now show a weapon laser if enabled
• Loading screens are now visible in VR
• Fixed a startup issue with the episodes on Linux
• Hands will no longer disappear when holding something
• Added Steam Frame controller bindings

Half-Life 2: VR Mod is a fan-made project which adds full Virtual Reality support to the original 2004 PC gaming classic by Valve Software. Would-be players must own Half-Life 2 in order to play the free VR mod.

Launching a technically ambitious flatscreen game is challenging enough; bringing that same experience to VR on day one is an even greater feat. Yet that is exactly what developer Reakktor Studios has attempted to do with its flight combat game G-Rebels. Though these early flights haven't been entirely free of turbulence, the sheer scale and excellence of G-Rebels' core elements make it easy to forgive some early technical hiccups.

Ready For Take-Off

G-Rebels is an ambitious semi-open-world, story-driven sci-fi adventure set within the sprawling Daevos City. You play as a test pilot tasked with evaluating an experimental prototype Skyblade known as the X-Type. After a basic tutorial, you find yourself partnered with a seasoned veteran who gradually introduces you to both the city and your employers at Okktane, a powerful corporate entity operating as something between law enforcement and hired muscle.

As the story unfolds, your partner begins revealing connections to the city's criminal underworld, presenting opportunities to decide whether you'll remain above reproach or embrace a more morally flexible attitude. I haven't spent enough time with the campaign to understand how deeply my decisions may ultimately affect the story, but what I've played so far has been thoroughly engaging and serves as an excellent framework for introducing an impressive variety of mission types.

Alongside the main campaign are numerous optional activities. You can compete in "street" races, take on private security contracts, or, in what quickly became my favorite missions, smuggle contraband through the city while avoiding the police. Alternatively, you can simply explore Daevos City, scanning passing vehicles and bringing wanted criminals explosively to justice.

There's already an enormous amount to do, and even while working around the launch issues I found it remarkably easy to sink over twenty hours into G-Rebels during the game's first week since release.

Free As A Bird

While the structure and content are already fantastic, the real star of the show is the flight model.

Flying the X-Type is genuinely one of the most enjoyable things I've ever experienced in VR. I can't overstate how much fun I had learning to master the vehicle, practicing drifting around buildings, speeding under bridges or weaving between the towering skyscrapers of Daevos City.

With G-Police clearly serving as inspiration, and dual-stick classics like Descent buried somewhere in its DNA, Reakktor has created a vehicle that feels wonderfully responsive while retaining a physics system that makes every maneuver feel believable and deeply satisfying.

I experimented with both a gamepad and keyboard and mouse, both of which proved perfectly viable ways to play. However, everything changed when I connected my trusty Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS. Admittedly it took a fair amount of experimentation before I found a control layout that suited me, but once everything clicked, piloting the X-Type became one of the most memorable VR experiences I've had in seven years covering the medium.

In addition to the wonderful physics at the core of the gameplay, the other element that makes the flying so compelling is G-Rebels' setting.

Unlike many futuristic flight games that take place in the emptiness of space, Daevos' tightly packed skyline constantly reinforces your sense of speed. Darting between buildings at low altitude creates an immediacy that makes every movement feel impactful, demanding split-second reactions as you dip and weave through narrow gaps.

For me, at least, this style of flying feels like utter perfection.

Beautiful Weather We're Having

That sense of exhilaration is only amplified by G-Rebels' presentation.

Daevos is already an impressive environment filled with moving traffic, illuminated skyscrapers and giant holographic figures. Yet the real visual highlight comes from its dynamic weather and day-night cycle.

Flying low through the city during a nighttime storm, with lightning illuminating the skyline in the distance and rain pelting against the windscreen delivered one of the first true "wow" moments I've experienced in VR for several years. I genuinely found it breathtaking.

Better still, the city isn't the game's only location. Missions already venture beyond Daevos and Reakktor has confirmed that additional large-scale areas will arrive throughout Early Access. It won’t just be new cities that will be delivered though, with the developers already confirming further racing events and delivery missions amongst the other content planned.

Crash Landing

Unfortunately, the initial days of Early Access haven't been clear skies for eager VR pilots. The VR implementation launched with frequent crashes and a rendering bug that obscured the right eye, which made it initially difficult to recommend, despite the quality of the game beneath.

The developers have spent their first week or so of Early Access focused almost entirely on improving VR stability, with the first patch already live. With that update now available, many issues appear to have been resolved; however, enough remain that players may need to approach cautiously at this early stage.

Hard crashes when restarting a mission are common, with issues occasionally severe enough to lock up my whole system. Additionally, frame rates could be inconsistent, especially over longer play sessions.

Thankfully, the developers have committed the first four to six weeks of their Early Access roadmap to continued technical improvements for the VR experience, so we can hope to see stability reach a level that matches the gameplay sooner rather than later.

Rough And Ready

While G-Rebels may have stuttered out of the gate with a rocky VR launch, the developers are responding quickly and addressing the key VR specific issues that are holding the game back.

Outside of that, the flight model is genuinely outstanding, the campaign provides an engaging framework for a wide variety of activities and there's already enough content to lose yourself for hours before considering what's still to come during Early Access.

So much so that despite the early issues, I have nonetheless continued to plow hours and hours into G-Rebels (I've even purchased a new HOSAS control system just to play G-Rebels). Because underneath these early technical issues is one of the most enjoyable flight experiences I've ever had in VR, or anywhere.

UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines. As an early access release, this review is unscored.

I've spent the past few days shooting, slashing, and occasionally panic-flailing my way through Cybercore Protocol, a mixed-reality action game that turns your living space into a futuristic battleground.

Through mixed reality, your scanned space transforms into an enormous elevator. You stand beside a central power core as the platform descends lower and lower into an underground facility, stopping at every floor. Every time the elevator doors open, long sci-fi themed corridors extend beyond your walls, and in these corridors enemies spawn and attack. At the same time, portals in your immediate space spin to life as well, dumping enemies a little too close for comfort.

It's your job to use any and all means necessary (guns, melee weapons, and tactical units placed throughout the spaces) to eliminate the onrushing threat and save yourself and protect your central core from annihilation.

The resulting gameplay is delightfully immersive. You'll find yourself constantly shifting your attention between distant threats streaming in from the corridors and enemies materializing just behind you. You'll spin, duck, reposition, and occasionally retreat across your own living space. You'll also, every now and then, suffer a terrifying jump scare.

You'll battle back with an arsenal of firearms and melee weapons while strategically placing defensive units around your space. Gun turrets, freeze traps, force fields, and other deployables fight back the oncoming waves. This gives the game a light tower defense element without detracting from the action pacing, and on the whole, it creates a satisfying blend of action and strategy.

I've played this sort of game before, most memorably in Mythic Realms, a mixed reality game that similarly transformed your living space. In that game, everything was painted with a fantasy brush, transforming your rooms into fantasy dungeons teeming with skeletal warriors and aggressive evil bards. I loved that game for its use of fantasy tropes, and its engaging combat. I expected Cybercore Protocol to be (basically) the same, just with a sci-fi skin.

And that's true to an extent. But Cybercore Protocol has narrower ambitions.

Unlike Mythic Realms, Cybercore Protocol lacks an overworld to explore, it has virtually no story, and it's not a roguelite. It's essentially a combat game with light strategy elements. It's a game about surviving wave after wave of increasingly dangerous and powerful enemies, with just enough strategic upgrading and tactical decision-making to keep the whole experience from becoming a mindless shooter.

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But that limited scope isn't necessarily a bad thing. It puts the most engaging aspect of games like this front and center. Within moments of firing up your headset, you'll be slashing and shooting onrushing enemy waves, ducking and dodging around your couch, stepping over your pets while blasting vaguely Doom-esque technomages with a machine gun.

It's chaotic, physical, and fun. Imagine that!

Of course, being the work of a solo developer, Cybercore Protocol is a somewhat limited experience as it exists currently in Early Access. There isn't a massive variety in enemy types, there's not a lot of weaponry to choose from, and the combat system essentially boils down to pulling a trigger or flailing a sword (or both at the same time).

But, again, that's not necessarily bad. With 45 levels to descend through, nine enemy types, a handful of boss battles, and a few special stages (target shooting, etc.), the combat is balanced enough that you don't ever get bored, but not so complicated that you become fatigued. There's enough variety to keep things interesting, and the steady escalation of enemy pressure keeps you adapting and trying to keep up.

Combat is well balanced. Enemies rarely overwhelm you unfairly, but they're aggressive enough that standing still is never an option. The game's best moments come when you're juggling multiple threats, firing at enemies down a corridor, running to close distance on a cyberninja who's slashing your core, then twirling away to shoot a sniper with your own well-placed headshot.

When things get chaotic, you should expect to break a sweat. With my air conditioning cranked to full, I was sweating by stage 10. And I wasn't even playing on the tough difficulty. (Hardcore mode is diabolical.)

If there's a caveat to Cybercore Protocol, it's that you'll need a pretty robust play space to get the most enjoyment out of the game. The game encourages a surprising amount of movement, and while that's one of its great strengths, it also means smaller rooms can frustrate the program. During my testing, I occasionally found myself triggering Quest's boundary warnings with almost every movement. Not until I remapped my room with a significantly larger boundary (and moved some furniture) did the gameplay really open up.

As an Early Access release, Cybercore Protocol still has room to grow. Greater enemy variety, more varied environments, a bit of improvement to the sound design, and we'll have a truly excellent game. As it stands, it succeeds because it understands what makes mixed reality so compelling. It turns your home into a shooting gallery and keeps you constantly on your toes.

It may not have the scope of larger adventures, but what's here is polished, energetic, and consistently entertaining.

We cannot confirm who the new company is yet, but the purchase will be split across four payments over the next four years: $300,000 in 2026 and 2027, $250,000 in 2028, and $150,000 in 2029. Per Beyond Frames (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City), the sale amount exceeds the expected net revenue for the rest of this year and matches the forecasted revenue through 2028.

The partnership between the two companies was first announced in early 2023 and extended in late 2023 with Beyond Frames signing on for two more titles, presumably Grim and Silent North.

Why Does This Matter

From the Beyond Frames side, it represents the opportunity to cash out a long term deal early, allowing for quicker investments into new projects, internally or externally. In addition to its own projects from in-house studios like TMNT: Empire City, Escaping Wonderland, and Carly and the Reaperman, Beyond Frames has published the aforementioned three Combat Waffle titles, arcade shooter Ark & Ade, arm based platformer Outta Hand, hand-tracked puzzle game Silhouette, and hack-and-slash action title Mixture. Playing the long game with an aging title, especially after two subsequent releases did not see the same success, is riskier than taking the cash now and moving on.

For Combat Waffle Studios, we do not know the specifics of its deal with Beyond Frames, but CEO Scott Albright implied that the relationship had run its course in a post on LinkedIn:

Yesterday, Beyond Frames announced the sale of the publishing rights for Ghosts of Tabor, Silent North, and GRIM.

We'll have much more to share soon, but I wanted to say one thing today.

Over the last few years, I've learned that a publishing agreement is about far more than what's written on paper.

You can have a good contract.

But what really matters is having a partner whose goals, communication, and vision align with your own.

That's something every independent studio should think carefully about before signing any deal.

Ghosts of Tabor has presumably done quite well, earning $30 million in revenue by the time it launched on PlayStation VR2 and last week's release of Ghosts of Tabor: Legacy already has 1,100+ ratings on the Meta Horizon Store less than a week post release. However, Silent North and GRIM have not seen nearly the amount of acclaim, judging from the store ratings and reviews. For the record, Legacy lists Combat Waffle as both developer and publisher.

For a lot of independent studios, the revenue generated from one release provides the financial resources to support the team until the next project is ready to ship. Now presume that one or two subsequent projects do not do nearly as well. The aforementioned $30M from Tabor can be drained very quickly in development of new projects, so if said projects do not maintain the revenue flow, that money has to be made up somewhere. Combat Waffle already announced layoffs earlier this year. Ghosts of Tabor, for all of its success, will not be a huge money driver forever. Very few games are, especially in a niche market like VR. This is where a good publisher, particularly one that believes in a developer's vision and projects, is a lifeline.

How Publishing Deals Work

These deals vary and tend to be specific to the project at hand, but in a general sense, the publisher will either give the developer a lump sum of money to keep the development team financially solvent as described above or take a percentage of the game's revenue upon release in exchange for assistance with things like marketing, acquiring permits and rating board approvals for distribution in different regions, and producing assets for storefront listings. Sometimes a deal includes all of those things.

The publisher then makes its money back either through a percentage of the game's revenue upon release into perpetuity (or expiration of the deal) or taking up to one hundred percent of the game's revenue until a certain amount is reached, like 125% of upfront investment. In layman's terms, that means if a publisher provides $1M upfront, the game has to generate $1.25M in revenue before the developer ever sees a penny of profit. That doesn't even take into account the 30% storefront fees that Meta, Sony, Steam, and others take off the top of those game sales.

Factoring all of that in, a publishing deal is a gamble for both publisher and developer. The developer has to believe the game will sell well enough to 'repay' the publisher for its upfront cash investment and/or services rendered while also allowing the developer to still turn a profit, fueling its next project. The publisher is putting up a fair amount of cash and resources, betting that it will recoup that investment, with interest, at a later date.

Thus it is vital for both sides to be on the same page and believe in the project. If that goes south, things can get ugly as in the situation with rhythm game BoomBox a few years ago, where developer Cyberspline Games alleged that its Quest store publisher Alterside failed to live up to its terms of the publishing deal and locked Cyberspline out of the Quest developer's hub. Lawyers got involved and Cyberspline eventually relaunched the game at the end of last year.

In the end, this sale would appear to put both Beyond Frames and Combat Waffle in a better position moving forward. Beyond Frames can move on to new investments and Combat Waffle will presumably, from Albright's words, get a publisher more aligned with its goals.

Video games are inherently art. So what happens when you encounter one with practically no salvageable virtues? System Critical 3 is the latest arcade-style shooter from solo dev Old Formulas. We have seen successful lone affairs such as Among Giants, but the lack of anything resembling functioning level design, an uninspired sci-fi setting, and imprecise gunplay make this virtually a no-go, unless it is to satiate your morbid curiosity.

It all starts with its onboarding. Beyond the moderately awe-inspiring alien landscapes, the main menu looks woefully amateurish. Ignoring the basic font used at odds with its decidedly stylish title, the settings menu needs some heavy work. Each time you toggle from its basic set of options, including a singular accessibility option and a difficulty toggle of sorts, the screen goes fully black with the word “Saving” in bright white letters. For anyone who has ever played VR, this is deeply disorienting. It only gets worse from there.

Booting up a new game, you are greeted—or tormented—with a heavy expositional cutscene. Describing it as a cutscene is generous, as it is more of a slideshow. It is not that it relies on generative AI for its images (with no visual coherence) or voice narration, but the fact that it uses a painfully generic sci-fi trope is what hurts it the most. Earth has been taken over by an organization called Evil Eye. You play as a character who was kidnapped as a child and experimented on until you became a killing machine called Cyborg 17. Now, you seek revenge. Roll credits.

After that rudimentary presentation, System Critical 3 finally reveals what seems at first glance a mirage in a desert of creativity: its arcade-style inspirations. Featuring a training area, eight main missions, and three locked final stages, they are laid out in a classic Mega Man-inspired layout menu. With names like Nebula Frost Basin and Shattered Ice Meridian, its retro roots are worn on its sleeve. Most of them contain a boss to face at the end of it. Maybe this is where the game truly shines. Alas, I continue to be mistaken.

Calling every level a “main mission” is too generous. The first course I chose portended a bad omen for what was to come. Spawning on a floating platform with no actual sense of architectural design, the game asked me to double jump to reach the other platforms at a considerable distance. An unexpected ask that made the suggestion all the harder was that I needed to run and gain momentum to reach each platform. This suddenly became a precision platformer in the worst of ways. It is no hyperbole when I say that the abysmal level design renders it borderline unplayable.

To put salt on the wound, the robot automatons scattered throughout the level seem to be aware of you at all times and shoot accordingly. Armed with a firearm and a blaster that can be equipped on either arm, the gunplay is shoddy at best. Because the barrage of enemy projectiles also interferes with your movement, they can cut your platforming efforts short. Its nonexistent enemy AI reveals yet another fault: there is no rhyme or reason for any of these enemies. At some point, you are faced with spiders as well because why not?

Every single level is like this. While some may reveal a seemingly straightforward path to move forward, the developer's worst impulses always win. Moving platforms that have no room for error end up making it an extremely unforgiving experience. Perhaps if the checkpoints were generous, this would end up being a passable shrug. They are not. At least the various voices when falling may induce a chuckle at how over-the-top and inconsistent they are.

One novel mechanic is a slow-motion toggle. Pressing R3 (this being a PSVR2 exclusive) freezes up the world around you to more deftly avoid enemy projectiles. A commendable detail: the headset vibrates when the slow-motion timer is about to run out. As the enemy behavior is erratic, there are no bullet hell patterns to praise. Much like everything else this game has to offer, it is brash and, although clever on the surface, a small fix to a larger problem. On the subject of system-exclusive features, the Sense controllers’ haptic feedback works surprisingly well.

System Critical 3's only relatively pleasant surprise is its hidden areas alongside the main path. Not too hidden as in secret walls, but once in a blue moon looking back at a walked road may uncover a special area with health packs, hidden blasters, or unique weapons like axes. That and the appropriately thumping electronic music are what I can muster to mention positively. Each obnoxiously loud explosion—from barrels and enemies alike—does render the sound design an unintelligible mess, so good luck listening to it.

System Critical 3 Review: Final Verdict

This might be the third entry in a series, but it still feels like a college project. Much like virtual reality heightens immersion akin to being inside a world, so does it exacerbate a video game’s design issues. With borderline unplayable levels, shoddy gunplay, and a rudimentary presentation, there are no redeemable qualities to speak of about System Critical 3. Its arcade inspiration might intrigue hardcore fans of the unpolished and janky, but any VR player with a penchant for quality should avoid it at all costs.

UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.

Gloop Lair is the fourth of six planned add-on courses for Walkabout in 2026, following Tiki à Coco, Passport Hollywood, and Blokhaven. This does not include June's Homestar Runner Distraction Pack, a separate takeover of Walkabout by Strong Bad and friends from the popular web series.

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Strong Bad and friends invade Walkabout Mini Golf in today’s release of the Homestar Runner Distraction Pack, available now.

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The announcement post describes Gloop Lair as "a once-peaceful 90s metropolis whose entire water supply has been turned into hazardous, villainous gloop!"

Gloop Lair is also the fifth entry in Walkabout's Evil Lairs series, after 2025's Crystal Lair, 2024's 8-Bit Lair and Ice Lair, and 2023's Laser Lair.

Walkabout Mini Golf is available on Steam, PSVR2, Quest, Pico, and Samsung Galaxy XR. The game is also available as part of Meta's Horizon+ subscription service. Gloop Lair releases on August 13 for all VR platforms.

The August titles arrive shortly after the service expanded to include access to the Xbox Game Pass Starter plan, which includes up to 10 hours of cloud gaming each month across more than 50 supported Xbox titles.

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Quest’s Horizon+ subscription added 10 monthly hours of flatscreen cloud streaming for 58 Xbox titles, furthering Meta’s partnership with Microsoft.

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August's Monthly Games are Wreckin' Raccoon and Iron Rebellion. These can now be claimed by active Horizon+ subscribers.

The Horizon+ catalog also grows with five additional titles:

• I Expect You To Die 2
• Elements Divided
• Surviving Mars: Pioneer
• Stilt
• Beauty Salon Simulator VR

Meta Horizon+ subscribers also get exclusive deals. August's deals include:

• Zero Caliber 2 for 50% off.
• Real VR Fishing US West Coast DLC for 30% off.
• Crime Shop Simulator Grind and Shine DLC for 35% off. 
• The Light Brigade for 60% off.

Here's a closer look at the Monthly Games for August.

Wreckin' Raccoon

Wreckin' Raccoon is a silly sandbox game from nDreams Compass that puts you in the paws of a mischievous raccoon with just one goal: cause as much chaos as humanly (raccoonly?) possible at a roadside diner. You'll smash plates, raid the kitchen, scamper and scurry, prank the chef and elude the exterminator while completing missions and avoiding capture. The game is built around physics-driven interactions and open-ended gameplay; a pure sandbox.

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Wreckin’ Raccoon is the latest entry in the VR genre of chaotic sims that put you in the feral paws of a mammal.

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Iron Rebellion

Iron Rebellion is a built-for-VR mech combat sim that puts you inside the fully interactive cockpit of towering war mechs. Eschewing traditional controls, Iron Rebellion has you physically operating switches, activating weapons, and manipulating each and every control within your mech's incredible cockpit. The game features 8v8 cross-platform multiplayer, distinct mech classes, extensive loadout customization, and several game modes.

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Iron Rebellion counters lightweight content with strong VR design, delivering a versatile multiplayer mech game.

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Horizon+ Games Catalog Games

Horizon+ continues offering a Games Catalog of Quest titles that any subscriber can access. Meta can add new games to and remove games from the catalog at any time.

Here is the current Horizon+ Games Catalog in the US:

• Beat Saber
• GOLF+
• Walkabout Mini Golf
• Job Simulator
• Green Hell VR
• Titans Clinic
• The Thrill of the Fight
• Asgard's Wrath 2
• Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs
• Cooking Clash
• After the Fall
• Dragon Fist: VR Kung Fu
• Into the Radius
• Crime Shop Simulator
• Project Demigod
• Pistol Whip
• Shave & Stuff
• Red Matter 2
• War of Wizards
• Thief Simulator VR: Greenview Street
• Pets & Stuff
• Vacation Simulator
• Demeo
• Dungeons of Eternity
• Action Hero
• Breachers
• Zero Caliber: Reloaded
• The Climb 2
• Medieval Dynasty New Settlement
• Outta Hand
• Maestro
• Synth Riders
• I Expect You To Die 2
• Puzzling Places
• Deisim
• Racket Club
• Onward
• Les Mills Bodycombat
• In Death: Unchained
• The Light Brigade
• Elements Divided
• The 7th Guest VR
• Spatial Ops
• Fruit Ninja
• Premium Bowling
• iB Cricket
• Table Troopers
• Blacktop Hoops
• Moss
• Real VR Fishing
• Escaping Wonderland

Horizon+ Indie Catalog Games

Meta continues to add new games to the separate Indie Games Catalog, and you can see the entire list here.

Meta Horizon+ is a subscription service that gives players access to a monthly selection of games for $7.99 USD per month, or $59.99 USD a year. New Horizon+ users can enjoy a one-month free trial.

In a Steam blog update, Pine Studio has revealed an open public VR preview for their best-selling escape room game, Escape Simulator 2. The preview is available now.

The team is keen to specify that the open beta is an early test build, and that the developer is seeking community feedback to help refine the experience ahead of full release.

There are some caveats to the preview, given its beta status. While the developers say that "most core features are working, and all official rooms should be fully playable," users should expect that some VR features are not yet implemented or may be broken. For example, visible player hands and character models are not currently active, and community-made escape rooms are not yet officially supported.

Escape Simulator 2 builds on the success of the original Escape Simulator, which has been one of the most popular co-op escape room games on PC. The sequel offers expanded environments, more detailed puzzles and interactions, much-improved visuals, and enhanced multiplayer support. It carries on the series' emphasis on physics-based interactions and puzzles, which is an obvious fit for VR.

Escape Simulator 2 was released in October last year and currently enjoys a "Very Positive" rating on Steam, with over 1,800 user reviews.

No release date has yet been revealed for the full VR support release, but the preview is a significant milestone on Escape Simulator 2's journey to implementation of VR support.

Players interested in trying Escape Simulator 2's VR preview can find it through the "open_beta" branch on Steam. As of writing, Escape Simulator 2 is available for $15.99, a discount of 20% off the regular price of $19.99.

The sale is scheduled to run through August 10, a week and a half from now.

PS VR2 launched at $550 in 2023, though Sony officially cut the price to $400 last year, just over two years after it launched, and for Black Friday the headset was on sale for $300, its lowest price ever.

That Black Friday deal included Horizon Call of the Mountain, though, whereas that bundle no longer appears on PlayStation Direct.

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Still, a hardware device seeing a sale is a rarity in an era where many products are seeing price rises, caused by the AI-driven global memory chip supply crisis. Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro have both seen increases in recent months, while Valve confirmed in February the need to "revisit" Steam Frame pricing.

And Sony itself has had to increase the price of the PS5 consoles multiple times over the past year, with the PS5 and PS5 Pro now both significantly more expensive than they were at launch.

As a non-standalone device, PlayStation VR2 has only 2GB of LPDDR4X RAM and just 4GB of eMMC storage for its basic MediaTek chipset, which is used only for tracking and passthrough. That makes PS VR2 effectively immune to the need for price increases, and given its age, makes it suitable for these kinds of sales to continue.

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For existing PlayStation 5 owners yet to jump into VR, the $300 sale could be an excellent time, especially with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 recently launching on the platform.

If you're a PC gamer, with the sale you can pick up the headset, Sony's PC adapter, and (if required) a DisplayPort cable and Bluetooth adapter for less than $400 all-in.

And with PSVR2Toolkit and PimaxMagic4All, if you have an Nvidia GTX 16 series or RTX graphics card, you can even leverage eye-tracked foveated rendering in a wide range of SteamVR titles.

With its 2K OLED displays, PlayStation VR2 offers a more vibrant image with far greater contrast than any other affordable PC VR headset, though with the tradeoff that the image is softer and has a non-uniform fixed-pattern noise over it, called mura.

The new location is part of developer 3R Games' 'Real Caves in VR' initiative, following Utah's Nutty Putty Cave. The 2018 incident was previously covered in National Geographic’s documentary The Rescue, filmmaker Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives, and the Netflix series Thai Cave Rescue.

3R was joined by several real life experts in Tham Luang's production, including British cave divers John Volanthen and Vern Unsworth, and cave-scanning expert Richard Walters. Volanthen was one of the first divers to locate the missing team and helped execute the rescue operation. As part of his involvement with Cave Crave, Volanthen recorded a voice-over and guides players through the underwater section. Unsworth shared his extensive knowledge of Tham Luang's topography and also narrates the experience, specifically the non-submerged sections of the cave. Walters helped 3R to interpret the survey data and transfer the real geometry, scale, and layout of Tham Luang into VR.

Being that part of Tham Luang is fully submerged in water, the new update introduces diving and swimming mechanics to Cave Crave. Players explore underwater passages with limited visibility and at times near-total darkness while being led by Volanthen's aforementioned guidance.

Tham Luang is available now in Cave Crave on Meta Quest. The new cave will release 'soon' on PlayStation VR2 and Steam.

The previously Microsoft-owned application was shut down in March 2023.

Harris detailed the plans in a post on Reddit:

My name is Shane, and I'm the CEO of SideQuest. We recently acquired the rights to the Altspace name and we have the motivation, experience and backing to bring it back in all it's glory. This will be a brand new Altspace, but it will truly be a spiritual successor to the Altspace we know and love and capture what made it great. Let's dive in to how I will pull this off.

Later this year we will re-launch Altspace with a lot of the features and functionality that it had around 2016-2017. I have assembled an elite team of previous Altspace staffers as well as some of the most prolific OG players and we are already hard at work figuring out all the important stuff like how it will work, what we will prioritize and understanding what needs to happen to make it great.

Harris would go on to say he has been working with multiple members of the original Altspace team, including the original concept designer to modernize Altspace's original robot avatars and the new Altspace will support custom avatars as well.

Harris previously released a space-making interface for Altspace called Shane's Editor that proved to be popular with users until the platform moved away from web-based development. He then reworked and submitted it as a standalone application for the original Oculus Quest 1. Meta rejected that submission, prompting Harris to create SideQuest, an alternative platform for Quest developers to promote their apps in lieu of Meta's then heavily curated storefront and install them via sideloading.

Altspace was founded by developer Eric Romo and launched in May 2015. It was acquired by Microsoft in 2017 and integrated into its Mixed Reality group alongside products like the HoloLens. Altspace was shut down in March 2023 as part of one of Microsoft's many rounds of mass layoffs.

Watch AltspaceVR’s Final Moment As It Goes Offline

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SideQuest has hosted millions of users over the years and later incorporated Meta's App Lab Early Access program into its platform. By the time Meta revised the Horizon store as a more 'open' platform in 2024 and did away with App Lab entirely, SideQuest had already branched into other avenues, including its own social VR platform, Banter, and a partnership with the Khronos Group to help drive the adoption of OpenXR.

All that said, and despite millions and millions of capital raised over the years, SideQuest was not immune to VR's ever-shifting landscape and saw layoffs in February 2025.

Harris has promised to share regular updates in the coming weeks and months. We'll monitor Altspace's revival and share any new information as it comes.

It uses the color passthrough cameras on Quest 3 and Quest 3S to recreate a classic stereoscopic effect. Instead of filtered lenses, the app applies red to one eye and cyan to the other, decoding the double image in anaglyph content.

As a kid, I was lucky to find a local theater that screened classics like The Creature From the Black Lagoon and It Came from Outer Space in 3D. That's hard to find in 2026, but you can find videos and photos recorded in this old 3D format.

Find Something To Watch

Retro3D doesn’t supply content, so you’ll need to display an anaglyph video or image on a TV, computer, tablet, or phone. YouTube hosts several immersive video formats, including plenty of anaglyph NASA footage, movie clips, cartoons, and 3D experiments.

Physical prints work too. I printed several images I found online, and the depth came through surprisingly well. Old photos and videos recorded with the same red-and-cyan technique should also work.

The external display requirement might not last. The developer told me on Reddit that an in-app browser prototype already works. A future update could let you find and view anaglyph content within Retro3D, making external screens and prints optional.

Early Access Controls Are Simple

Retro3D works with controllers or hand gestures, making it easy to switch between the headset and another device while searching for videos. One toggle opens the menu, while another switches the filter effect on and off.

The Early Access version feels more like a proof of concept than a complete app. Still, it’s an intriguing use of hardware normally associated with more elaborate mixed-reality experiences.

Cardboard glasses produce a similar effect for much less money. However, they’re the sort of thing I might have buried somewhere but would never find when needed. My Quest is always nearby and won’t tear or warp.

More 3D Modes Could Follow

Reddit user zhuliks suggested adding the Pulfrich effect, and the developer said it should require only minor adjustments.

The technique gives one eye a darker view. The brain processes that image slightly later, so sideways motion can appear three-dimensional. It only works with suitable movement, but footage recorded from a car, train, or plane can look stereoscopic.

I experimented with this as a kid by popping one lens out of sunglasses and watching side-scrolling video. Adding it digitally would let Retro3D revisit another piece of stereoscopic history as headsets increasingly use AI to convert 2D content into simulated 3D.

A Small Archive Of 3D History

Retro3D is extremely limited, but I like the idea. Modern headsets usually promise increasingly sophisticated spatial media, including volumetric captures. Retro3D instead uses that hardware to revisit techniques more than a century old.

With additional viewing modes and direct playback, it could become a small interactive archive of stereoscopic technology.

Incisiv, the developers of CleanSheet Soccer 2, have announced that their goaltending arcade game is coming to Meta Quest on September 17. The game had previously been available on PlayStation VR2 only.

Rather than chase the fantasy of scoring spectacular goals, in CleanSheet Soccer 2 you're trying to stop them. You play as a goalkeeper, using your hands to punch, block, catch, and deflect shots in training missions, mock games, and arcade-style minigames.

A trailer has been released along with the Quest announcement:

I reviewed CleanSheet Soccer 2 when it debuted on PlayStation VR2 earlier this year, and found the game to be "a focused, energetic, and surprisingly authentic goalkeeper experience that feels perfectly suited to VR."

You can read my full impressions here:

CleanSheet Soccer 2 Hands On: Breaking A Sweat With PlayStation VR2’s New Goalkeeping Game

CleanSheet Soccer 2 is a seriously engaging sports and fitness game for PlayStation VR2.

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A recent update to the PlayStation VR2 version, called The Interactive Coaches Update, adds coach dialogue and tracks player performance over time, providing AI-powered feedback to recommend targeted training sessions and guide players through their career. Each coach also has a distinct personality and coaching style.

CleanSheet Soccer 2 is available now on PlayStation VR2 for $34.99, and will be coming to Meta Quest this September. You can wishlist the game on Meta's store now.

As summer starts to wind down and fall approaches, expect to see a lot of the upcoming games featured at showcases like our own UploadVR Summer Showcase, the VR Games Showcase, and the Ruff Talk VR Showcase earlier this year either release or confirm their expected dates. Add in Steam Frame's imminent release with developers already getting their games certified for Valve's standalone headset and the ingredients are there for a healthy VR gaming autumn.

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August is typically the last "slow" month of the year before the gaming industry ramps back up with new releases to build hype for the holiday season. As such, this list of confirmed release dates is relatively brief. Titles like Discovery: Rogue Planet, and the Quest port of BattlegroupVR2 are also slated for August, but do not have a firm date attached yet.

We will update this article if any of those or other release dates for August are confirmed. For now, here's our list:

Games marked with an asterisk (*) are slated to release in Early Access.

SlipVector - August 1 (PS VR2)

SlipVector is a neon-lit retro arcade shooter coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 with PlayStation VR2 support. Players control a spaceship sliding left and right on a defined plane shooting incoming enemies and acquiring power ups.

• Store Link(s) - PS VR2

Korea. IL-2 Series - August 4 (PC VR)

Korea. IL-2 Series has been a long time coming. We have known about this 1950s flight simulator at least since 2024. After missing its originally planned 2025 release, it popped back up at VR Games Showcase in June.

The game is actually available now on the game's website for a regular price of a whopping $100 ($180 for the Founder's Edition). At that price, we're inclined to wait for the Steam version. Developer 1C Game Studios' previous work includes the well reviewed IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad.

Store Link(s) - Steam

Puzzles of the World 1.0 Release - August 6 (Quest 3)

Puzzles of the World is a cozy wooden miniature building set in seven locations around the world. It was originally scheduled to leave Early Access in late July before a two-week delay for further polish.

Store Link(s) - Quest

Ironforged - August 7 (PS VR2, PC VR)

Ironforged is a slow-paced tactical shooter with an emphasis on accuracy and ammo conservation as the game provides players with limited resources to survive its twelve levels.

Store Link(s) - Steam, PS VR2

Battle Beyond The Wall - August 15 (Quest)

Battle Beyond the Wall, from developer Globiss Interactive (Titanic: A Space Between), is a multiplayer sandbox action-strategy set in an open world environment.

Store Link(s) - Quest

Isle of Food - August 18 (Quest)

This island-based cooking and foraging game first hit Steam in Early Access in April after a demo featured in Steam Next Fest months before. The demo had a lot of rough edges, so hopefully the time between the Steam and Quest releases has allowed developer Svaiy Art Industries to polish the experience.

Store Link(s) - Quest

Cubed - August 21 (PC VR)

Cubed is a multiplayer hybrid block puzzle game with flatscreen and VR support. Frankly, it resembles a 3D rendition of Tetris, but that is not a bad thing at all.

Store Link(s) - Steam

*D.E.C.A.Y. - August 21 (PC VR)

Stalker meets Fallout in this post apocalyptic survival shooter from solo developer Agaming+ (Z.O.N.A. Project X, Z.O.N.A. Origin). D.E.C.A.Y., short for Department of Environmental Control and Yield, takes place in an America that has been decimated by nuclear war.

Store Link(s) - Steam

Crawler - August 23 (PC VR)

Crawler is a stylized roguelite mech shooter where players fight through hordes of acid spitting bugs for cash to upgrade the mechs with new weapons and features. A demo is available now.

Store Link(s) - Steam

Streets of Miami - August 28 (PC VR, Quest)

Clearly drawing inspiration from Grand Theft Auto and in the shadow of that juggernaut of a franchise's latest entry this November, Streets of Miami is a gritty action-drama set in an open-world Miami in the 1980s. There is a demo available for both SteamVR and Meta Quest.

Note: The Steam listing shows the August 28 release date while the Quest listing simply says 'August 2026.' We are listing both for now and will update later if the Quest version is delayed.

Store Link(s) - Steam, Quest

Cards of Destiny* - August 28 (Quest, PC VR)

Cards of Destiny is a tabletop card-based puzzle game launching into Early Access on SteamVR and Meta Quest. Players use one-time use cards to either bless or curse the scurrying humans in the tabletop environment as well as the aliens chasing them.

Store Link(s) - Quest, Steam

Bomb the Hill - August 31 (Quest)

Bomb the Hill is a cinematic VR downhill skateboarding game inspired by the 'outlaw spirit of 1970s freeride culture.' Originally slated for Spring, it releases in August on Meta Quest with a SteamVR version to come later.

Store Link(s) - Quest

With Steam Frame's imminent release, expect to see loads of VR games receive their Great on Frame certification, a stamp of approval from Valve saying the games run well as standalone applications without the need for a PC.

We have a running list of every certified game that will be continually updated, but as new entries come in batches, it is good to spotlight them so they do not get lost in the shuffle.

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Deadly Delivery

Deadly Delivery is a chaotic co-op package horror game built around delivering parcels into haunted mines. Yes, it is as odd as it sounds. Players dodge monsters and traps to reach their quota or face permanent termination. Developer Flat Head Studio previously delivered puzzle-shooter We Are One.

Deadly Delivery Review: Hilarious Horror Best Played With Friends

Deadly Delivery is a fun and funny horror co-op game that makes the most of VR.

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Growrilla VR

Growrilla is a procedurally generated 'eat-em-up' from Salmi Games, the team behind Sweet Surrender and the upcoming Drifters: Blackout Crew. You start as a small ape stealthily scavenging for food and surviving on a generated island before growing into a huge destructive giant. At this point, the game becomes all about destruction and smashing everything in sight. It started in Early Access in 2019 before its full release in 2020.

Stellar Cafe

Stellar Cafe is a casual interactive experience from AstroBeam, a team led by Devin Reimer, one of the co-creators of VR classic Job Simulator. Players spend several in-game days solving the existential problems of various quirky, personality-driven robots. Every robot is powered by AI, with real-time responses to anything you say into the headset's microphone. The game will be a hybrid title with both flatscreen and VR support, Steam Frame standalone included.

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Blade & Sorcery developer Wully has confirmed that the game will be marked as "unsupported" for standalone play on Steam Frame because the headset is simply unable to run the PC VR version well enough. They are quick to add that PC streaming works well.

The quote follows:

B&S has been around for a long time now. The PCVR version [...] is unfortunately a bit to heavy to run standalone on the Frame, and you'll see it as "unsupported" so people don't get confused or disappointed. It's better for us to be transparent about its performance. Even turning the graphics down and lowering settings, it's just a bit too heavy to run via proton/fex.

However, streaming from PC to the Frame works great!

For those of us with our finger on the pulse of the industry (read: trudging through boring spec sheets for the last few years), the news that B&S won't run natively on standalone Frame should come as no surprise. When I saw Wully's post I immediately thought, "Well, yeah, that's why they made Blade & Sorcery Nomad for Quest and Pico 4."

But if the response on social media is to be believed, the news has surprised many in the VR space.

Steam Frame and Standalone

Steam Frame is often described as Valve's answer to Meta Quest, and many seem to believe it presents a generational leap in standalone VR. I can see where that belief might come from.

Like the Quest line, Steam Frame is a standalone unit, and it does indeed pack newer and more powerful guts. It runs SteamOS and uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 16GB of RAM compared with Quest 3's Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 and 8GB of RAM, allowing compatible VR and traditional games to run directly on the device without a PC. Valve is also creating a Steam Frame Verified system to indicate which games can run "great" in standalone.

But Valve is very clear about what it considers the headset's primary use case: streaming games from a more powerful computer. In Valve's own words, "Steam Frame is a streaming-first, wireless VR headset + controllers that can handle your whole Steam library."

The headset comes with a dedicated wireless adapter designed to provide a direct, low-latency connection between the headset and a PC, desktop or laptop, as well as devices such as the Steam Machine. With demanding PC VR games, unsupported doesn't necessarily mean unplayable on Frame. Some PC VR games will be too demanding for the Frame's mobile-class processor to deliver the experience the developers consider acceptable when running standalone, but when the game is rendered on a gaming PC and streamed to the Frame, the PC does the heavy lifting.

UPDATED: These VR Games Are “Great” On Steam Frame, According To Valve

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There's Always Nomad

As for Blade & Sorcery, specifically, it seems almost inevitable that the built-for-standalone Blade & Sorcery Nomad will be brought to Steam as a "Great on Frame" game. This lower-spec port of B&S has nearly the same gameplay as the PC VR version, but uses lower fidelity graphics, lower quality physical simulations, and less concurrent AI enemies.

And of course, you can always stream B&S to the Frame (whenever Steam Frame finally ships).

The Steam store listing specifies in the description that the game "supports the Steam Frame hardware only," implying that unlike the other Steam Frame certified games thus far, Shack will only run as a standalone app. This should not be surprising once you understand Shack's origins.

Pavlov Shack is a separate title from its PC VR sibling, built because the original Pavlov was not able to run on standalone hardware. The reductions in things like resolution and draw distance that would have been required to get Pavlov performant on Meta Quest 1 and 2 would have put those players at a competitive disadvantage, so Shack was developed instead.

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Shack started as a free app that had to be sideloaded via SideQuest before the beta version went to the now defunct App Lab and eventually a full release as a paid game in 2023. The Frame port will only support crossplay with Meta Quest, maintaining the separation between the two versions of the game. The original Pavlov, to date, has never released on Quest.

A community manager for Vankrupt Games did clarify on Discord that any players who already own Pavlov on SteamVR will get Shack for free.

Pavlov Shack can be wishlisted on Steam now.

Xbox Cloud Gaming has been available on Meta Quest headsets since 2023, letting subscribers of Xbox Game Pass access the same content they'd get on other devices on a giant virtual screen in their Quest headset.

Xbox Cloud Gaming Comes To Meta Quest

Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available for Quest headsets.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Now, Quest owners who subscribe to Meta's $8/month Horizon+ subscription can play select titles without an Xbox Game Pass subscription, in addition to the VR titles they get with the subscription.

Meta and Microsoft call this streamable selection of 58 flatscreen games a "starter edition of Xbox Game Pass", and it includes the following titles:

• Among Us
• Astroneer
• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Celeste
• Chivalry 2
• Cities: Skylines – Remastered
• Control
• Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
• DayZ
• Dead Cells
• Deep Rock Galactic
• Descenders
• Dishonored 2
• Disney Dreamlight Valley
• Doom 64
• Doom Eternal
• Fable Anniversary
• Fallout 4
• Fallout 76
• Firewatch
• Gang Beasts
• Gears 5
• Golf With Your Friends
• Grounded
• Hades
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Halo Wars 2
• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
• Human Fall Flat
• Inside
• Limbo
• Medieval Dynasty
• Monster Sanctuary
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Overcooked! 2
• Payday 2
• PowerWash Simulator
• Psychonauts
• Psychonauts 2
• Retro Classics
• Slay the Spire
• SnowRunner
• Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition
• Stardew Valley
• State of Decay 2
• Stellaris
• Superhot: Mind Control Delete
• Superliminal
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• Totally Reliable Delivery Service
• Tunic
• Unpacking
• Vampire Survivors
• Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
• Warhammer: Vermintide 2
• World War Z
• Wreckfest

You can stream these Xbox titles to your Quest headset for a total of 10 hours per month.

This is in addition to the more than 100 VR games included in the Games Catalog and Indie Catalog of the Horizon+ subscription, which are provided as downloads with unlimited play.

As previously discovered by XR enthusiast Luna, Meta confirmed it's also adding the ability to emulate an Xbox gamepad with the included Touch controllers of Quest headsets, negating the need to own and pair a separate device to use Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Meta Horizon+ is available for $8/month or $60/year, and the company offers a one-month free trial.

The Great On Frame page, similar to the Steam Deck's Great On Deck label, is a quick way for Steam Frame owners to quickly browse Frame-compatible games and a visibility boost for developers who choose to support the new hardware.

This list is ever-growing and subject to change. We are aware of multiple other developers planning Steam Frame builds for their games and will either update this article or do separate coverage as those games get the official Great On Frame label.

That said, here is our current list:

• Ancient Dungeon
• Aperture Hand Lab
• Arizona Sunshine Remake
• Arizona Sunshine 2
• Cubism
• Deadly Delivery
• Enigmo
• Escape Simulator
• Floor Plan 2
• Fruit Golf
• Growrilla
• Hard Bullet
• I Expect You To Die
• I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar
• I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine
• Into Black
• Mini Motor Racing X
• Pistol Whip
• Puzzling Places
• Quest for Runia
• Red Matter
• Red Matter 2
• Resist
• Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR
• SimplePlanes VR
• Star Drone: Sling Star
• Stellar Cafe
• Superhot VR
• Sushi Ben
• Sweet Surrender
• The Last Clockwinder
• The Room VR: A Dark Matter
• Thumper
• Titan Isles
• Underdogs
• Vacation Simulator
• Vail
• Virtual Fighter Maneuvers
• Walkabout Mini Golf

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UPDATES

• July 28 - Added Floor Plan 2 and Sweet Surrender
• July 29 - Added Deadly Delivery, Growrilla, and Stellar Cafe
• July 30 - Added Fruit Golf & removed The Lab
• July 31 - Added I Expect You To Die, I Expect You To Die 3, Sushi Ben, The Last Clockwinder, and Mini Motor Racing X
• August 2 - Added Superhot
• August 4 - Added Quest for Runia, Thumper, SimplePlanes VR, and I Expect You To Die 2
• August 6 - Added Arizona Sunshine Remake and Arizona Sunshine 2
• August 10 - Added Vail

It has been a familiar story of late for aging multiplayer experiences in VR. OrbusVR. A Township Tale. Quantaar. Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl. Rec Room. Online games are expensive to maintain and in light of dwindling player counts and lower ongoing revenue, decisions like this have to be made.

To hear it straight from Triangle Factory:

Simply put, Hyper Dash is no longer generating enough revenue to cover its ongoing server and maintenance costs. As the game has grown older, the time and resources required to support it have continued to increase, and unfortunately we can no longer justify those costs. Additionally, the game relies on some third party software that doesn’t allow us to open up the game for community hosting.

Triangle Factory released the final Hyper Dash build today, an update to the game it says will keep the game playable offline after the servers shut down this fall. All DLC sales have been discontinued and players will receive six thousand credits for free to check out skins and other available items.

Hyper Dash Review: Dynamic And Intense Competitive VR Shooter

Hyper Dash is out now on Quest and PC VR with full cross-play and after spending a couple of weeks with the full release version on Quest 2, we’re excited to report it’s a great competitive VR shooter. Read on for our full Hyper Dash review! At

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Hyper Dash is Triangle Factory's longest-running VR game, first publicly playable in alpha testing in 2019 and going free to play in 2022. The reality is older games built on older engines become more difficult to maintain and update. Developers like Triangle Factory have a choice to either update that engine, a time and resource-intensive process, or face a continuously lowering ceiling on what can be done with the game. We recently reported on Deep Type Games facing the same issues with Hellsplit: Arena.

Meanwhile, its newer titles demand attention. Forefront went to its full 1.0 release earlier this year and Triangle Factory recently announced Breachers: Outbreak. Thankfully for those who wish to continue playing Hyper Dash into perpetuity, the game will be available for offline play. That is more than we can say for other games that land in this situation.

Hyper Dash is available now for free on Meta Quest and Steam.

The game turns your living space into a futuristic gauntlet. You'll scan your room and the game transforms your walls into tactical corridors, at the center of which is a control hub which you must defend. You'll place defense units in key locations, and engage with enemies personally using melee and ballistic weapons. You'll defend yourself against nine enemy types, powerful bosses, and across 45 levels as you descend deeper with every level.

An announcement trailer has accompanied the release, which you can see here:

I've really enjoyed mixed reality games which flood your living space with attacking enemies. Mythic Realms, in particular, was a favorite, and I'll be diving into Cybercore Protocol this week to see if it's as strong an offering as that great game. We should have an impressions piece posted in the next day or two.

Cybercore Protocol is available now in Early Access on Meta Quest for $9.99.

Mythic Realms Review: A Brilliant Mixed Reality Roguelite Fantasy RPG

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Hyperstacks developer Squirrel Bytes has announced that their action platformer is coming to SteamVR and leaving Early Access on Meta Quest on July 30. The game, which combines combat, parkour action, and logic puzzles, has been in development for over eight years and has been available on Quest Early Access for some time.

Check out the Steam release announcement trailer here:

Some finer details from the developer follow:

In Hyperstacks, you'll progress through campaign levels shaped by a cast of distinct characters, each bringing their own personality and style of challenge. Between campaign levels, return to the lobby to interact with them, take on small quests, and unlock new mechanics before diving back into the next challenge.

The Hyperstacks experience is built around three core pillars:

Combat - you'll wield a variety of weapons all built to feel great in VR, and fight against melee and ranged enemies through bullet-hell battles.

Parkour - You'll climb, swing, and improvise your way through obstacle courses using grappling hooks, ziplines, and teleporters.

Logic - You'll interact with simple puzzles and elaborate contraptions.

There's also a level editor in which players have access to the same tools that each campaign level is built with. Custom levels can be shared with the community, creating a growing library of levels and challenges.

Hyperstacks releases in full on Meta Quest and SteamVR on July 30. A SteamVR demo is available now.

After spending time with VR's latest shooter, it is clear that Geronimo is an Early Access title; but, despite the occasional bout of jank, it succeeds in getting the most important parts absolutely right. Beneath those rough edges lies a tactical shooter built on genuinely excellent core mechanics that already make every successful room breach feel satisfying.

Gearing Up

Every mission begins with preparation, with players assembling a tactical loadout before deploying. Loadouts have plenty of options for customization, with cosmetics, adjustable equipment placement and specialist gear ranging from night vision goggles to breaching equipment allowing players to express themselves tactically – and otherwise.

Missions take place in a variety of environments, from buildings to tunnels and even onboard a giant tanker ship. Many of the maps feature multiple objectives so whether you're clearing hostile forces or rescuing hostages, the changes in mission types add welcome replay value.

At the heart of almost every encounter is the process of breaching and clearing rooms.

Choosing how to make your entrance becomes just as important as what happens afterwards. You can kick open a door, blast it from its hinges or rely on specialist tools such as battering rams, breaching shotguns and sledgehammers. Every option carries risk. Make too much noise and enemies will open fire before you've even crossed the threshold.

Life’s A Breach

The strongest element of Geronimo is undoubtedly its gunplay.

Weapons carry convincing weight and an excellent physics system ensures collisions with the environment feel believable and fair. Geronimo forces proper positioning before entering confined spaces and encourages thoughtful weapon selection based on the mission at hand.

That authenticity extends throughout the experience. This isn't an arcade shooter where you can just soak up incoming rounds. One or two well-placed shots are enough to end your mission. During my time with the game I couldn't find any revive mechanic, meaning that once you're down, you're out, leaving you to spectate your teammates for the remainder of the operation.

Geronimo can be played solo or in co-op with up to five other players. While the fun factor is clearly higher with a group, I often found solo missions to be more tense. Without teammates covering angles or correcting my (many) mistakes, every decision carried additional weight and every doorway presented another opportunity for heroics - or disaster.

For all that the gunplay represents Geronimo at its best, the game still has plenty of ways to remind you it's still a work in progress.

Doors are currently the biggest offender. I regularly blew doors from their hinges only to have them visually remain in place despite no longer behaving as solid objects. Elsewhere, battering rams became stuck in doorways and sledgehammers occasionally floated away into mid-air.

Enemy AI is similarly inconsistent. At their best, enemies intelligently reposition, retreat under pressure and even flank from unexpected angles. At other times I'd clear a room only to discover another enemy standing immediately behind me who simply chose not to react. The foundations are clearly there, but a little more consistency would dramatically elevate the experience.

The same applies to onboarding. While the training area introduces the basics, it is far from a complete tutorial. Players familiar with tactical VR shooters will likely find their feet quickly, but newcomers may struggle with systems the game simply expects them to understand. Thankfully, several experienced players were more than happy to explain the basics during multiplayer sessions, softening what could otherwise have been a disorienting introduction.

Alpha Squad

While single-player provides plenty of tension, multiplayer is unquestionably where Geronimo shines.

Few VR shooters rely on communication quite as heavily as this. Geronimo actively punishes poor communication and in most of my online matches, friendly fire proved considerably more dangerous than enemy fire.

Forgetting to call out "Frag out!" is a quick way to see a teammate innocently round a corner just in time to walk face-first into the blast. Likewise, unexpectedly standing up after crouching could easily earn you a stray round to the back of the head from the teammate providing covering fire.

Far from being frustrating, these moments reinforce exactly what Geronimo is trying to achieve. Success depends on trust, communication and discipline. When a squad works together properly, clearing rooms becomes incredibly rewarding in a way few VR shooters currently manage.

Pretty Violence

Visually, Geronimo already presents itself well. Lighting and shadow work are particularly effective, helping establish the slow, methodical atmosphere while ensuring environments remain readable during tense engagements.

Performance, however, still needs attention. Despite running on a capable PC, I encountered regular stuttering and ultimately reduced the settings to Medium to maintain smooth frame rates. Given the game's Early Access status, this feels like exactly the sort of optimization that can be expected over time, but it's something players should be aware of today.

Have A Blast

Geronimo is still rough around the edges, but it's also great fun. Sure, the onboarding could be stronger, the AI behavior needs greater consistency and technical polish remains a clear priority. Yet none of those issues undermine what Dark Matter Studios has already achieved.

The difficult part - creating tense, believable and satisfying tactical combat - is already here.

If you're happy embracing a little Early Access jank, Geronimo already offers more than enough compelling gameplay to justify jumping in today, particularly if you enjoy co-op tactical shooters and don't mind learning alongside other players.

Those wanting a fully polished experience may be better served keeping an eye on development. Based on the foundations already in place, Geronimo feels far less like an unfinished game and more like an excellent tactical shooter that's just finding its final polish.

With over 150 million records sold and 170 industry awards including multiple Academy Awards and Grammy Awards, Rahman is excited about immersive experiences because of how they “demand your full presence in a way no other medium does.”

ARR Immersive offers original content blending music, dance and performance in formats including 360- and 180-degree experiences. More releases are currently in production for the app such as a “making-of” for a song from an Indian film called Peddi, live captures from his concerts, and also experiences tied to “carnivals”, “rituals” and “rare talents.” I’m looking forward to experiencing moments like these that we have not yet been able to visit through Apple Vision Pro videos. While the subjects will range, it is clear that the music will still be a key component of the content.

Some of the app’s experiences are 360-degree video, but Rahman explains that his preference for immersive storytelling is for 180-degree experiences because “with 360, you're constantly wondering if you missed something, you keep looking behind you. But we only have 180-degree vision as humans, so it goes beyond us. 360 is beautiful for a place or a monument, something you want to look around. But for storytelling, 180 3D is where it's at.”

ARR Immersive launches with a small but diverse set of video experiences. The app is free to download but many of the experiences require individual purchases with different price points. The pricing is rather high given the length of each video and comparative pricing, and there is currently no discount for purchasing many of them which I hope is reconsidered as more content is added. The free experiences include live concert and dance videos as well as a few short 3D videos.

For Rahman, each video is special for a different reason. For example, Clair de Lune, Rachmaninoff, Für Elise (Kathak Piano Series): “...came from something unexpected. I found extraordinary young Western classical piano players from my conservatory, and we were celebrating my mother's birthday. I saw a Kathak dancer and a piano in the same room and thought: what if we put these together? We did a test shoot, and it was fascinating to see how these two worlds collide. Then we shot all three pieces in VR.” The Dance of Unity features Ambika Gomez interpreting the Bombay Theme in a moving way. Several of the immersive videos available in the app which were completed in 2017 were part of his project Le Musk which premiered at Cannes XR in 2022. And, there is a teaser and trailer for the highly anticipated Indian film Ramayana available on the app for the first time ever in 3D, which includes some music from the upcoming feature film by the legendary composer Hans Zimmer and Rahman.

Rahman and team have been using a range of methods to create the experiences so far. He explains “We shoot on multiple different rigs simultaneously, usually four or five sets at once. We have a Panasonic rig we've assembled ourselves, shooting at 60 frames.. A Blackmagic VR camera… Canon and Sony VR lens cameras for cutaways, close details, fingers, things like that. We intercut and layer those together to get the full experience. When you have that many capture points running at once, you can create something that feels genuinely alive.”

Remnant Protocol casts players as the commander of Sanctuary, a secret location serving as the base of operations for a galactic rebellion, the Remnant Forces, against the oppressive authoritarian Usurpers. It all sounds very Star Wars.

The full image is below, detailing two different sandbox modes, a 'conquest' mode where players capture and hold control zones, and a flagship mode where your flagship must be defended while destroying the opponent's ship.

The sandbox modes, Attrition and Last Stand, are already live with the rest expected to come later in 2026. PC playtesting is expected to begin soon.

Procedurally generated missions and a roguelite mode are also being considered. The game was first announced as a hybrid title in 2022. Somewhere along the way, Progenitor acquired funding from Meta and listed Meta as an 'official publishing partner.' It released in Alpha Early Access on Quest in June and has a 3.3 score from 21 ratings.

Reading through the reviews, the lack of VR interactions in the cockpit and early state of the game were the common negatives attributed to the game. Progenitor has noted both in the 'Known Issues' and said updates are coming to address both concerns.

The Early Access period is generally intended to be used to gather community feedback and help shape the future of a project. Games like Hot Dogs, Horseshoes, and Hand Grenades, both Into The Radius games, Ghosts of Tabor, and Bootstrap Island all greatly benefitted from a productive stint in Early Access. The common link between these titles was a highly engaged development team actively soliciting and reacting to player feedback.

Remnant Protocol is available now in Early Access on Meta Quest and can be wishlisted on Steam.

The game was featured in March's VR Games Showcase and released the following month on April 27. Here's the 1.0 trailer:

The 1.0 release adds a fifth dungeon (with difficulty settings) and Flintlock pistols as a new weapon, along with new clothes and weapon models. One More Delve started with three dungeons at initial release. The fourth came with an update in May alongside new bosses, regular enemies, weapons, and armor sets.

We played One More Delve in Early Access, saying "One More Delve still has a few rough edges to smooth out during this Early Access phase, such as ... collision issues and visual glitches. Still, there is plenty of potential here for a solid VR dungeon crawler..."

One More Delve Impressions: A Promising Start For This VR Dungeon Crawler

One More Delve gives classic dungeon crawler fans a VR option for up to three players to team up for quests featuring physics-based combat.

UploadVRJ Brodie Shirey

One More Delve is available now for Steam and Quest 3 headsets.

This follows a playable demo featured in June's Steam Next Fest. Amelia's Escape follows the titular Amelia, a teenage girl kidnapped by a time-travel obsessed scientist.

Here is the trailer:

Amelia's Escape was built by a single developer studio, Reality Syndrome Symphony, over several years with an emphasis on immersive environmental puzzles. This is Symphony's debut title.

I played the demo during Next Fest and found it promising with a minimal amount of "grab jank," a common issue with escape room games in VR such as this that do not lean on a telekinetic grab system like the I Expect You To Die games. The demo is still available on Steam for anyone curious. I am currently playing the full game and will have a full review soon.

Amelia's Escape is out now on Steam and Meta Quest for $15.99.