The first (almost) full year of full-scale consumer-grade virtual reality is just about in the books. We saw the release of the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, the PlayStation VR, Google’s Daydream platform, the Oculus Touch controllers, and the continued growth of both the OSVR and Samsung Gear VR platforms. Throw in plenty of other advancements from the likes of AR devices and other peripherals and this has been the first true “Year of VR”. We broke down many of the biggest milestones in celebration of UploadVR’s 2nd birthday right here.
But that’s just the hardware. Since everyone knows that software sells hardware, the more important question to ask is what were the good apps, games, and experiences? Was there anything worth trying out on these fancy hunks of plastic, or is it just cool tech with nothing to do? With over 1,000 pieces of VR content on Steam, there clearly isn’t a lack of quantity, but the lack of quality is a common thread in conversations among VR enthusiasts.
We’ve mashed our heads together as an editorial staff and put together what we think is a relatively thorough list of nominees for this year’s best VR content. We’ve got categories for the obligatory best game of the year, as well as platform specific and genre specific nominations to cover most of the bases. Some of these categories (such as Best Immersive Film) are works in progress because the industry is still trying to figure out terminology, but it should be relatively self-explanatory.
Without further ado, here are our nominations in alphabetical order, for the best games and apps in VR this year in over 20 categories! The images selected are not meant to indicate front runners, but are just meant to be representative of the categories as a whole — often chosen alphabetically, avoiding repeats. That way it’s kept fair!
Best VR Game of the Year Nominations
Arizona Sunshine
Damaged Core
The Gallery: Episode 1 – Call of the Starseed
Job Simulator
Onward
Rez Infinite
SUPERHOT VR
The Unspoken
Breakout VR Game Studio Nominations
CCP Games (EVE: Valkyrie, Gunjack, Project Arena)
Cloudhead Games (The Gallery)
High Voltage (Damaged Core, Dragon Front)
Insomniac (Edge of Nowhere, The Unspoken)
Owlchemy Labs (Job Simulator, Rick and Morty)
Playful Corp (Lucky’s Tale, Wonderland)
Squanchtendo (Accounting)
Survios (Raw Data)
Most Innovative VR Game Nominations
Accounting
Damaged Core
Eagle Flight
Fantastic Contraption
The Gallery: Episode 1 – Call of the Starseed
Job Simulator
The Lab
SUPERHOT VR
Best Social Variety Experience Nominations
AltspaceVR
Bigscreen
Destinations
High Fidelity
Rec Room
Toybox
Best PS VR Game Nominations
Battlezone
Bound
How We Soar
Job Simulator
Rez Infinite
RIGS
Thumper
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
Best Vive Game Nominations
Arizona Sunshine
The Brookhaven Experiment
The Gallery: Call of the Starseed
Job Simulator
The Lab
Onward
Raw Data
Vanishing Realms
Best Rift Game Nominations
Arizona Sunshine
Chronos
The Climb
Damaged Core
Edge of Nowhere
Lucky’s Tale
SUPERHOT VR
The Unspoken
Best Mobile VR Game Nominations
Dark Days
End Space
Minecraft
Neverout
Sisters
Tactera
Wands
Most Surprising New Game Nominations
The Brookhaven Experiment
Eagle Flight
Onward
Space Pirate Trainer
Thumper
The Unspoken
Vanishing Realms
Best Shooter Nominations
Arizona Sunshine
Damaged Core
Onward
Raw Data
RIGS
Space Pirate Trainer
Best Puzzle Game Nominations
Fly to KUMA
Hitman GO: VR Edition
Neverout
Please, Don’t Touch Anything
SUPERHOT VR
Water Bears VR
Best Action/Adventure Game Nominations
Chronos
Edge of Nowhere
SUPERHOT VR
Vanishing Realms
Windlands
Best Horror Game Nominations
A Chair in a Room: Greenwater
The Brookhaven Experiment
Dark Days
Sisters
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
Best Racing Game Nominations
Blaze Rush
DiRT Rally
Driveclub VR
Project CARS
Redout
Best Creativity App Nominations
Gravity Sketch
Medium
Quill
Tilt Brush
Best Productivity App Nominations
Bigscreen
Envelop
LightVR
Virtual Desktop
Best Immersive Film Nominations
Ctrl
Gnomes and Goblins
Henry
KÀ The Battle Within
Best Narrative Nominations
The Assembly
Edge of Nowhere
The Gallery: Episode 1 – Call of the Starseed
Obduction
Robinson: The Journey
Best Online Game Nominations
Arizona Sunshine
Battlezone
Dead and Buried
EVE: Valkyrie
Onward
RIGS
The Unspoken
Werewolves Within
Best Art Direction Nominations
ADR1FT
Bound
The Climb
Obduction
Robinson: The Journey
SUPERHOT VR
Thumper
Best Music/Sound Design Nominations
Bound
EVE: Valkyrie
The Gallery: Episode 1 – Call of the Starseed
Thumper
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
Most Anticipated Upcoming VR Game of 2017 Nominations
Arktika.1
Fallout 4 VR
Farpoint
Lone Echo
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Rock Band VR
Star Trek: Bridge Crew
Wilson’s Heart
We will officially unveil our selections for the winners of each category next week.
Did we cover things well enough? What are your picks for some of the best games and experiences this year? Did we leave out your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
