13 confirmed PSVR2 games we cannot wait to play
Pleasing to the eye.
Hey, did I ever mention that I got to play on the PSVR 2 recently? Because I did and I actually had a wonderful time playing demos of four upcoming PSVR2 games on Sony's new VR headset. Inspired by that preview session, on this week's episode of VR Corner (above), I decided to dig into the ever-growing list of confirmed PSVR 2 titles and whittle it down to the 13 games I'm most excited to play. Fair warning, as this is my opinion only and it's my favourite VR genre, there are a lot of shooters in there so shout outs to the runners up, Demeo and Ultrawings 2 that just missed out on making the cut for this list.
Firewall Ultra
So far details are light on what Firewall Ultra, the PSVR 2 exclusive follow up to Firewall Zero Hour has to offer in terms of new gameplay. However, the original was one of my all-time favourite PSVR titles and this tactical shooter delivered some superb Rainbow Six Siege style gameplay that just felt phenomenal to experience in VR. The sneak peeks of gampelay we’ve been shown in recent trailers have sent my anticipation levels into overdrive though. Not only are we bound to see much better visuals this time around, thanks to the PSVR2’s 4K HDR but (according to a splash screen at the end of the Firewall Ultra reveal trailer) the game will also take advantage of all the PSVR2’s new hardware features such as finger touch detection, foveated rendering, adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. Which means you’re actually going to feel it the next time you get shot in the head by the opposition!
One of the most exciting features for Ultra though was teased in Sony’s recent PSVR2 trailer - in a quick snippet of gameplay that I highlight in this week's VR Corner episode, you can see the headset’s built-in eye tracking technology being used as a super quick way to select a weapon from your weapon wheel. If that works in real life as well as it does in the teaser, that functionality is going to be a game changer for so many VR games.
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Horizon Call of the Mountain was the first game that I played on the PSVR 2 and while I wasn’t told specifically that this VR exclusive spin-off of the Horizon series would be a PSVR2 launch title, I will be shocked if it isn’t. Every single aspect of Call of the Mountain has been designed with the PSVR 2 in mind and that means all that lovely technical stuff that I mentioned in the Firewall Ultra section like foveated rendering and headset haptics has been utilised to perfection here.
Not only is Horizon a cracking showcase for all this new tech, but it’s a gorgeous looking game to boot and its visuals will make any original PSVR players go weak at the knees. And that’s in a good way, not a sicky way, because Call of the Mountain has also been designed specifically to ease newcomers into the virtual world. That does mean that some of the combat may not be as ‘free’ as veteran players would like, but there’s still loads of cool moments in there that will take their breath away - not least the feeling of standing in front of an angry, charging Thunderjaw!
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition
Talking about good introductions to VR, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition should be the perfect title to ease newcomers into a virtual world. Originally a Quest exclusive, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition has been rebuilt to take full advantage of the extra power afforded by the PSVR2, so expect way better visuals than you might have experienced on Meta’s standalone headset, along with all the other features like eye tracking and headset haptics.
Due to the fact that this is a recreation of a Quest game, the core gameplay is rather linear and simple, which is something that VR veterans may sniff at. If you’re a Star Wars fan though there’s still a really immersive world here for you to enjoy, even if it doesn’t deliver as many wow moments as something like Call of the Mountain might. Fresh VR adopters however will find this a great place to learn the VR ropes and get to grips with PSVR 2 and its new controllers and movement schemes. In the quiet confines of Seezleslack’s bar for instance, there are loads of cool little incidental items to pick up and play with, including a futuristic dart board and a drum kit.
And then, once they feel comfortable, new players can head out into the wilds of the planet Batuu where they’ll get to do all the cool Star Wars stuff we’ve seen in the movies like firing blasters and lobbing thermal detonators at angry storm troopers. And who knows, maybe they’ll even be able to get to grips with a lightsaber too! Honestly, this may not be the biggest or best game on this list, but it’s definitely one of those ‘childhood dreams come true’ experiences that makes virtual reality feel so magical in the first place.
Pavlov: Shack
Pavlov VR is easily one of the biggest PC VR games out there and it’s basically set up a permanent home in the Top Sellers section of the Steam VR store. Sadly, the PSVR 2 won’t be getting the full version of Pavlov VR, so that means no crazy, modded game modes and things like that, but it will be getting the spin-off Quest version, Pavlov: Shack, which is far and away one of the best competitive multiplayer VR shooters available on that headset.
That means you’ll be able to get to grips with a huge amount of realistic weapons mechanics as you test out your aim in the shooting gallery, indulge in exciting 5v5 game modes and maybe even outrun a horde of zombies or two. While details of the PSVR2 version are still few and far between, it’s probably worth expecting exactly the same game as the Quest version, but with improved visuals, audio and some added headset haptics.
Among Us VR
If there’s one thing I'm good at, it’s betraying my mates, which is why I’m really looking forward to the official VR version of Among Us VR. I actually played a fan made version of Among Us VR in a previous VR Corner and it was actually a hell of a lot of fun, especially seeing as the addition of VR made those accusations feel way more personal than before!
The PC version of Among Us VR is due to arrive sometime around Christmas this year, but according to the developers, Schell Games, the PSVR2 release will be available when the PSVR launches. So, what better way to celebrate the emergence of a brand new VR headset than by stabbing your friends in the back and then flushing them out of an airlock. Bliss.
The Walking Dead - Saints & Sinners: Chapter 2: Retribution
Despite the long name, The Walking Dead - Saints and Sinners: Chapter 2: Retribution is the sequel to one of my favourite VR games ever and because of that, I cannot wait to jump back into the Tourist’s story and discover more of New Orleans’ secrets. All whilst stabbing multiple zombies, and probably humans, in the head with a massive knife of course.
After playing a demo of The Walking Dead - Saints and Sinners: Chapter 2: Retribution at the PSVR2 hands-on, I can safely say that while the sequel doesn’t really change the formula too much, it does add a whole load of new weapons to play with and there are some really gorgeous new locations to stealth your way through as well.
The Walking Dead - Saints and Sinners: Chapter 2: Retribution is definitely one for those with VR legs, thanks to the intensity of the action and the realistic weight of all the weapons, but when it comes to immersion, you can guarantee that this one will make you forget that there’s a real world outside of your headset.
Just the very concept of Virtual Reality is pretty darn cyberpunk if you ask me, and that’s a great coincidence because one of my most anticipated upcoming PSVR2 titles is a cyperpunk fan’s dream come true. Low-Fi has been in development for many years now and in fact, I covered the Early Access demo of it over two years ago on VR Corner (above).
Since then this incredibly moody, super immersive, retro-futuristic detective game has only gotten bigger and better and I cannot wait to explore every inch of Cityblock 303 once the full game releases. Unfortunately though, that release date is TBC 2022 for PC VR with no news on a PSVR2 release date yet. But, if it does come out on PC this year as predicted, we might not have to wait too long after the PSVR2’s release to get our Blade Runner roleplay on.
Is It Worth Going Back To No Man's Sky On PSVR? - NO MAN'S SKY PS5 UPDATE GAMEPLAY - Ian's VR Corner
When I first played No Man’s Sky on PSVR I (like many other people out there) was very disappointed with how blurry and muddy the visuals were. I couldn’t think of anything cooler than exploring the infinite galaxies of No Man’s Sky in VR, but when it ending up feeling like someone had smeared honey all over my eyeballs, I quickly lost interest.
Fast-forward to the launch of the PS5 and an update to the game did improve the visuals, but sadly it still wasn’t perfect. 2023 though, that’s when the PSVR 2 comes out and that’s when I figure I'm finally going to be able to have the epic space faring adventures that I’ve been imagining in my mind’s eye all this time. There’s so much more to the game now too, so this is undoubtably going to be one time consuming, awe inspiring VR experience like no other.
Alvo
When I streamed the original PSVR version of Alvo, I wondered out loud if it would be the PSVR’s answer to Call of Duty and by the end of the stream, as far as I was concerned, it was. The fast paced, COD like PvP modes were incredibly fun to run and gun my way through, it was easy to pick up and get into and really the only downside to the game was the fact that the lobbies dried up pretty soon after release.
Again details on the PSVR2 version are light at the moment but if it’s a port of the Quest 2 version that added new maps, a co-op zombie mode, and crossplay lobbies, we’ll all be in for a treat when this one eventually comes out. But, you know, let’s all promise to keep the game heavily populated this time, OK?
Ghostbusters VR
VR developer N Dreams has some stone cold classic VR games under its belt, so even though it’s been super secretive about its upcoming Ghostbuster VR game, I have high hopes that this one will feel spooktacular to play.
I mean, how awesome is it going to feel when you’re stood there, in first person view, holding an authentic looking particle thrower in your hands? Yet another childhood dream made real by VR, I’d expect! You’ll be able to play Ghostbusters VR solo, or with up to three friends so if this busting doesn’t make you feel good, I don’t know what will.
Ghosts of Tabor
From one type of ghost to another next as I move onto Ghosts of Tabor. One thing that the original PSVR missed out on was the realistic mil-sim style game, that popped up quite a lot on other headsets - hello to the excellent Onward especially.
Ghosts of Tabor is scheduled for release on PC VR in March 2023 which hopefully means the PSVR2 version will launche at a similar time. Go on solo missions, or with squads of up to 4, plan your attack, assemble weapons, reload guns realistically and then get shot in the face as soon as you blunder out into the open like a noob who’s never had any military training in their life. Or at least, that’s how I’ll end up playing it anyway.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
We’ve already had one excellent Resident Evil 4 VR remake release recently, but hell, it’s a good game, so why not pump another one out just for the hell of it? You know you’ll play it anyway… This Resident Evil 4 Remake isn’t just a remaster of the original game like the Quest version was though, this is an actual, ground up remake of the original, similar to how Resi's 2 and 3 were done.
How VR is going to play into this version is yet to be seen though - all we really know about the PSVR2 version at this point is that it’s “in development” thanks to a little teaser image at the end of Sony’s State of Play reveal trailer. Interestingly, every version of the Resi 4 remake trailer that has been released since has had that statement scrubbed from it completely, so who knows what the hell is going on with it. Do you know, Leon? Leon? Leeeeon!
Resident Evil Village
Lady D, in VR. That’s all most people are going to come to the PSVR2 port of Resident Evil Village for, and so they should. Everyone needs to experience what it’s like to have their blood sucked out by a fully to-scale Lady D at least once in their lives. You definitely won’t forget that moment in a hurry, that’s for sure...
Of course there’s other good stuff in here too, including some absolutely incredible visuals and haptic headset feedback that will make for a truly immersive experience. Want to actually feel Lady D's daughters flies buzzing around your head? Well, unlike Praydog’s wonderful flat screen to VR mod, with the PSVR 2 version of Resi Village, that will be entirely possible. This official release actually improves on Praydog’s mod in multiple ways, including giving the player the ability to dual wield the knife and pistol, and to physically reload all their weapons.
After playing this one at the PSVR hands-on event, I can confirm that this version of Resident Evil Village will be the best way to experience this game by far. I just wonder how Capcom is going to handle the bit where Ethan is carrying the baby - surely I won’t allow me to dip its head in the dipping sauce in this version?
And those were the 13 confirmed PSVR2 games that I cannot wait to play on Sony’s new headset, but what about unconfirmed games? Do you have any dream games you’d love to see announced for the PSVR2? Obviously everyone’s going to say Half Life Alyx here, but what about Boneworks and Bonelabs too? That would work with the new controllers. Oh and the world NEEDS a new Astrobot Rescue mission and maybe even some Population One and… well I could go on for ages so let me know your dream PSVR2 titles in the comments below.
Thanks for reading!