Gamescom 2024 Showcased VR's Strength In Unity

Gamescom 2024 showcased the VR community's strength when unified, and here's our full round-up for Europe's largest gaming event.

Last month marked my second trip to Gamescom for UploadVR, and the first trip as our sole representative. To say I had a busy show would be an understatement but thanks to the assistance of two brilliant freelance contributors - Issy van der Velde and Sarah Thwaites, I wasn't alone. I'd like to sincerely thank them both for helping me out this year; their previews will appear soon.

If you didn't read our write-up last year from our former Senior Editor, Harry Baker, it's worth checking to understand where I'm coming from. Like previous years, Gamescom is split into two areas – the consumer-facing public halls and the closed-off business halls that are restricted to trade staff, exhibitors, media, and so on. VR's public presence was once again limited, and I only encountered a handful of publicly available games.

Much was said about World of Warcraft: Escape From Dalaran, and I still can't believe Xbox offered the biggest public VR presence. Granted, it's a 4D ride and not a game, but indie developers simply can't compete with that for publicity. Meta plastered the city with Quest 3 advertisements during Gamescom week, but beyond the Arkham Shadow gameplay trailer and private demo, that was it. Sony was completely absent, so no PlayStation VR2 demos, while Pico had no public presence.

The lack of public presence can be attributed to several factors, cost being the most significant one. Showcasing games at Gamescom is expensive, even more so for VR developers when you consider these titles require a larger play space. With the higher risk involved due to a smaller market, I can't blame them for being cautious.

Where VR really found its footing this year was in the business halls. There are a few things I can't talk about just yet as the embargoes haven't lifted, but I'm breaking down what I saw during Gamescom 2024.

Home Of XR

I'd say it's long been an unspoken rule that VR developers need to band together if this industry is to thrive. While Meta clearly holds grander ambitions – just look at how much money it continues pumping into Reality Labs – gaming remains VR's most popular entertainment use, so there's a reason it gets heavily pushed on Quest. However, success doesn't come easy for VR studios and for varying reasons, we've seen several studios shuttered as industry-wide pressures continue.

Many consumers' views are still shaped by early devices like Google Cardboard and while retention rates have increased on Quest 3, there's still an uphill battle against old preconceived notions. VR gaming doesn't have the wider investment seen in flatscreen gaming and success stories like Beat Saber and Gorilla Tag remain outliers. Working together might mean sharing the limelight, but being on that same stage ensures greater visibility for smaller studios.

Hearing talk of unity is one thing but actually seeing it done well is another, and I'd call the Home Of XR Megabooth a clear success. The idea originated with Maeva Sponbergs, CMO and Head of Publishing at Beyond Frames Entertainment, though this was a collaborative effort between 13 publishers. That also tied in with the recent VR Games Showcase, with former UploadVR staff Jamie Feltham and Zeena Al-Obaidi running the front desk and arranging demo appointments.

Having such a vibrant VR hub at Gamescom was incredible. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, and the booth was well organized. Some of us were certainly tired - Gamescom can be quite a demanding experience depending on who you ask, yet there was a universally positive feeling abound. Considering how bleak things have recently felt across the wider games industry, that's no small feat.

Image Credits: Beyond Frames Entertainment

With 18 experiences being shown inside Home of XR, it's perhaps not especially surprising that my entire Wednesday was spent here covering most of these games. Some areas were slightly squeezed for space, though that's not particularly surprising after some last-minute additions. Thankfully, there was still enough room for developers to carry out demos, and if this idea returns next year, I'd love to see a larger booth.

Of course, Home of XR wasn't the only area where you could find VR games, and there were plenty of games worth noting. Just like last year, Gamescom 2024 hosted various solo developers, indie studios, and more established VR studios. Most demos I found used Quest 3 headsets, though some builds were running via PC VR or on PSVR 2.

Not everything excelled, but I found a great range of titles that spanned between original ideas, sequels, and adaptations of existing franchises. I can't deny that seeing remakes of VR games is still highly surprising to me, too. No matter what segment of Gamescom they were located in, what's clear is the incredible passion these developers have, and there's plenty to be excited about.

With that said, here's a breakdown of everything we saw at Gamescom 2024:

Beyond Frames Entertainment

Beyond Frames Entertainment came out in full force this Gamescom, showcasing three of its upcoming VR games. It's difficult to form more in-depth opinions of Escaping Wonderland with a short demo, the upcoming sequel to Down The Rabbit Hole that uses a diorama perspective. However, there's already charm to be found in this puzzle adventure.

Combat Waffle Studios was also present with its two upcoming projects. I encountered some issues while playing GRIM so I couldn't explore this as much as I'd hoped, but VR survival shooter Silent North offered an enjoyable yet limited vertical slice of what to expect next year.

Fast Travel Games

Fast Travel Games were about once more and this time, they had two titles on show. Action Hero quickly became one of my Gamescom favorites, and the Superhot-inspired gameplay mixed with an action movie set feels particularly compelling. I found myself working up a sweat and it's left me in anticipation for the upcoming game.

Our Band Space write-up was handled by a freelance contributor based on the Quest Store demo, but briefly jumping into some songs on the drums was fun and it'd be easy to compare this with Rock Band. I was joined by the Games By Stitch (Broken Spectre) founder for a one-off song, and our band sadly broke up immediately after. Evan, if you're reading this, reunion tour one day?

Flat2VR Studios

Flat2VR Studios also appeared within the Home of XR booth, most prominently showcasing Trombone Champ: Unflattened. Though I found the control scheme awkward at times, it's clear this upcoming adaptation retains the original flatscreen rhythm game's charm while taking a new approach. I briefly went hands-on at Wrath: Aeon of Ruin too, though it's too early to offer any impressions.

Soul Assembly

Last Stand is a multi-location PvPvE shooter in mixed reality, and Soul Assembly had set up a demo area for the pre-alpha build. With my opponent firing bullets in front of me and gradually destroying my base's cover, zombies tried creeping in from other entrances. What's here feels like the next evolution of Drop Dead: The Cabin - Home Invasion. Unfortunately, technical issues caused some problems during this demo, so no full impressions from me just yet.

Patient 8 Games

I'm what some people would refer to as a "horror coward" and I'm happy to let others handle those games. As a project that began as a Dead Space VR mod, Memoreum immediately sets a striking tone, and in Issy's preview, we came away impressed.

nDreams

nDreams has been busy recently with a trio of new announcements - FRENZIES and Fracked on Quest are on their way, and Vendetta Forever appeared at the Home of XR booth. Paying tribute to old-school action cinema with slow-motion mechanics, I didn't go hands-on again following my recent demo; if you missed my previous impressions, that's linked below.

VirtualAge

Ember Souls is the latest game from VirtualAge (Guardians Frontline), offering a new hack-and-slash title inspired by Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia. Tasked with defeating the mysterious Shadow Sultan, this VR adventure promises parkour, climbing, and environmental puzzles.

While I'm not a fan of the cliched environmental obstacles like swinging axes and walls with flamethrowers, Ember Souls uses elemental powers to keep combat interesting. I just wish I could've seen more of these during the demo.

Everything Else At Home Of XR

Not everyone fits into a neat little category of their own, so I want to mention as many people as I can. With Vertigo Games, I'll be sharing my thoughts on Arizona Sunshine Remake and Metro Awakening in the future.

Alongside Memoreum, Issy covered two more experiences for UploadVR and while those previews aren't yet ready, we'll share those soon. Maru VR showcased the next update for PC VR survival sim Bootstrap Island, and The Game Kitchen brought along virtual tabletop platform All On Board!.

Elsewhere, Maze Theory was present with MR puzzle game Infinite Inside, Dance Reality took us to The New Salsa Academy, and I also had a quick hands-on demo with Sky Runner. Finally, Cyborn (Hubris) presented its upcoming mixed reality game, Wall Town Wonders, and I enjoyed trying this town builder.

Skydance Games

Gamescom isn't the first time I've demoed action RPG Skydance's Behemoth, and I'm still considering this one of the most promising VR games on the horizon. The latest demo gave me a renewed look at fighting these hefty monsters, and I sat down with the game director, Brian Murphy, for a brief Q&A afterwards.

Rebellion

Zombie Army VR is an action game I feel like I can sink some decent hours into while still acknowledging some notable faults. Defeating undead Nazis is entertaining enough, but several issues with the preview build on PSVR 2 mean there's room for improvement before it can truly shine.

Belgium Games Booth

For the unaware, many nations are represented through country-specific booths at Gamescom. Depending on the region, these areas can noticeably differ in size. However, when we're talking about the strongest VR presence in any of them, I'd arguably make the case for Belgium.

I've already touched upon Cyborn at Home of XR, but other Belgian developers also attended. ALTEREYES (Big Shots), Triangle Factory (Breachers), Myron Games (Underworld Overseer), Head First Games (tbc), Vigo Creative (Thor's Wrath), and Team Panoptes (Panoptic). Cybernetic Walrus too, and the MR puzzle game Does It Stack? was one of my last few appointments.

Everything Else

Floating hand near a statue of a Grim Reaper-esque figure holding a scythe — The House of Da Vinci VR

Unfortunately, you just don't always have time to cover everything you see individually at massive events at Gamescom. While we have previewed many of the listed games here, I'd like to ensure others are still mentioned in some capacity. I won't say this is an entirely exhaustive list, though, just in case we missed something while exploring Gamescom.

Starting with our freelancers, you can expect to read Sarah's thoughts on Rival Stars Horse Racing VR and The House of Da Vinci VR soon. Likewise, Issy also previewed Chernobyl Again and Another Door: Escape Room for us, and we'll publish those impressions soon.

Following this year's launch of Rolling Buddy on Apple Vision Pro and winning the recent Meta Presence Platform Hackathon, Pixelity was present in the Korean Pavillion. I'm told Teahouse of Souls and The Patcher are both targeting release later this year, and though I didn't go hands-on with either, you can find my previous write-up on the former below.

In the AR mobile gaming space, I did a brief demo for roguelike Devil's Purge: A Heavy Metal. Back in VR land, I met with both Dovetail Games and Just Add Water following the Train Sim World VR: New York announcement. The Philippines booth had a short experience called Where Art Thou?, and on Friday, I briefly demoed Living Room in the public area.

Brainz Gamify was showing the MR racing game Track Craft in the Czech national booth, which we've separately reviewed since and I briefly went hands-on with the co-location update.

Finally, I tried the Roto VR Explorer chair while playing DIG VR, and this took a considerable adjustment period given its motorized nature. I can see where this accessory will potentially enhance some games, but I'm unconvinced that this will be worth the hefty $700 price tag.