Buckle up; it’s a big week for Oculus Rift and Touch owners. GDC has been going on for the last five days and Oculus has made some big announcements during the show, including a Rift and Touch price cut and a new Gear VR. It’s also launched some of the biggest and best games and apps on its platform to date, and there’s new content for Gear VR too, so let’s get stuck in.
If you missed last week, you can see those new releases here. And don’t forget that UploadVR has a Steam community group complete with a curated list of recommendations so that you don’t have to waste any money finding out what’s good in the world of VR.
Plus — check out our list of the best Oculus Rift games and best Gear VR games for more suggestions!
Robo Recall, from Epic Games
Price: Free (Rift)
Highly-anticipated by Rift fans everywhere, Robo Recall is the first full VR game from Gears of War developer Epic Games, and it’s available absolutely free for Touch owners. When helper robots malfunction and turn on the human race it’s up to you to dismantle them and call them back in, and you do so with style.
Recommendation: We think Robo Recall is really good and, seeing as it’s free, there’s no reason not to pick it up.
Tethered, from Secret Sorcery
Price: $24.99 (Rift)
The debut game from this UK indie studio came to PSVR last year, but now jumps over to Rift with Touch controls. You raise and protect tiny ‘peeps’ that will gather resources and grant you spirit energy. It’s a tough strategy game that people looking for a little challenge shouldn’t pass on.
Recommendation: We really liked Tethered on PSVR and its Touch controls should make it even better. Pick it up.
Cries of Harvest, from Mindfield Games
Price: $2.99 (Gear VR)
The developers of P.O.L.L.E.N. return with something a little different to last year’s story-driven adventure. Cries of Harvest is a runner in which you “embrace your inner demons and enter the harvest” to “consume embryos to fertilize an egg older than time itself.” Uh, okay then?
Recommendation: Give it a try at this price.
Dark Mechanism, from Field of Vision
Price: $0.99 (Rift and Gear)
A runner where your obstacles are the inner workings of a giant clock. Cogs and gears whirl past you as you shoot forward at high speeds, trying not to touch anything. There are infinite levels to see here, so you can keep playing just as long as you’d like.
Recommendation: At less than a dollar it can’t hurt to check out.
Quiz Night Tonight!, from Mardonpol Inc.
Price: $9.99 (Rift)
Welcome to your virtual game show! Quiz Night Tonight puts you in the spotlight as you try to answer thousands of questions spread over various topics. There are also a couple additional modes for hitting targets and completing puzzles.
Recommendation: Very cool concept but don’t pull the trigger just yet. Keep an eye on a potential sale.
Sort ‘Em, from PeanutButter VR
Price: $2.99 (Rift)
Sort ‘Em tests your spatial organization skills by dropping you into the role of a sorter at a virtual grocery store. As levels progress you’ll have to deal with more complex items and also have to stop kids from taking items off the conveyor belt.
Recommendation: It flips a mundane job into a fun casual gaming experience. Grab it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2IYN2WlaPY
Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion: HD Renovation, from Albino Moose Games
Price: $6.69 (Rift, Currently Discounted)
In Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion you’ll have to explore 1,000 rooms of beings that start off cute but devolve into terrifying creatures. The game has been updated from it’s Game Maker origins and recreated in the Unity engine.
Recommendation: A great update to a game perfect for VR. Very solid if you’re into this style of game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJYxSHCQCJ4
Roomscale Coaster, from Blue Entropy Studios LLC
Price: $2.99 (Rift, Currently Discounted)
On this coaster you’re not just being treated to a fast and intense ride, you’ll have to sidestep and duck obstacles as you collect objects to increase your score.
Recommendation: A solid flip on VR coasters with solid visuals. Grab it.
The Body VR: Anatomy Viewer, from The Body VR LLC
Price: Free (Rift)
The Body VR welcomes you into a virtual space that will display anatomy generated from CT and MRI scans. It’s intended to be a tool for medical professionals, students, and patients to view things in a new way.
Recommendation: Very interesting look at health and our bodies. Get it if you’re interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTcenofFzyc
Locomancer, from Eric Lipschutz
Price: $13.49 (Rift, Currently Discounted)
In Locomancer players can build and ride their virtual model trains in a layout of their own design. The toy box style game aims to recreate the sensation of playing with real life model trains and has a variety of rail cars including a cannon car with working weapon.
Recommendation: A bit expensive for anyone that’s not a model car aficionado but, if that’s you, grab it.
Stage Presence, from Sea Green Games
Price: $8.99 (Rift, Currently Discounted)
Ever wanted to be a rock star? Well, Stage Presence…is not that. This game is a horror/comedy twist on the karaoke genre where you’ll have to entertain a crowd with special unlockables while everything goes wrong with your band. If the crowd gets angry, beware flying projectiles.
Recommendation: This is a pretty unique flip on the genre that definitely takes advantage of the platform. The multiplayer even lets you be a heckler. Get this.
Constellation Distantia, from Skanerbotten
Price: $13.39 (Rift, Currently Discounted)
Constellation Distantia is a sci-fi survival game where you experience war, get sent on missions, trade, and must unravel the mysteries of Distantia. You’ll be able to use either a nuclear mining ship or a smaller exploration vessel and there’s over 200 pages of storyline.
Recommendation: Keep an eye on this one. There’s a lot of great, solid content but VR control issues may need to be ironed out.
HearpVR, from Richard Fox, John Gibbons, Jonathan Haggard, Joe Cantasano
Price: Free (Rift)
In HeapVR you’ll use your VR controllers to stack as high as you can in a couple different game modes. In the first, you stack as floating blocks attempt to impede your progress. In the 2nd, you’ll be able to snap blocks together to build 3D structures.
Recommendation: Free casual fun. Grab it.
LookVR, from Looker
Price: Free (Rift)
LookVR is a platform where you can view various collections of your data in a virtual space via graphs, charts, and more. The program connects to the Looker API and allows you to filter through datasets and even climb up your data in “Big Data” mode.
Recommendation: It’s geared toward a certain crowd, but functional if it fits your desires. It’s a cool way to research data.
