At the beginning of the year there were lots of exciting virtual reality (VR) titles on the horizon. Some like Half-Life: Alyx and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners have arrived and definitely didn’t disappoint, whilst others are still keenly awaited. With half the year now gone let’s look at what the next six months will bring.
Star Wars: Squadrons
One of the biggest videogame announcements in June came from EA’s Motive Studios, revealing Star Wars: Squadrons. What made the news extra special was the fact that VR is natively supported rather than a later add-on.
Set to offer a single-player story mode alongside a competitive, team-based multiplayer, in Star Wars: Squadrons you can pilot some of your favourite ships from the franchise, from the X-Wing to the Tie Fighter. Details released to date indicate a rich experience which should entice most fans.
- Supported headsets: PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive & Valve Index
- Release date: 2nd October 2020
The Walking Dead Onslaught
The next big title from VR specialist Survios, The Walking Dead Onslaught is being made in partnership with AMC so it’ll feature characters from the TV show – unlike The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners which had original characters.
Being the second The Walking Dead title there are a lot of expectations as to whether the experience can offer something new and improved over its rival, especially as The Walking Dead Onslaught was originally due last year. It’ll feature an exclusive single-player storyline alongside visceral combat where you can stab, slice and shoot your way through hordes of walkers.
- Supported headsets: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive & Valve Index
- Release date: 2020
After the Fall
Vertigo Games has had a busy year releasing new content for Arizona Sunshine for Oculus Quest and VR arcade title Ghost Patrol VR, but the one videogame it’s still keeping quiet on is After the Fall.
Unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019, the title is another action-packed shooter. This time taking place in a desolate future consumed by climate change and where most of the population have turned into monsters because of a designer drug. You’ll be able to scavenge for parts to build deadly weapons to survive, and it looked promising when VRFocus previously demoed it.
There have been no recent updates over the last few months so hopefully, it’s still scheduled for this year.
- Supported headsets: PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive & Valve Index
- Release date: 2020
Lone Echo II
An Oculus Rift exclusive, Lone Echo II is another title whose launch has been delayed from 2019. A single-player sci-fi adventure the videogame continues the story from the 2017 original – worth playing if you haven’t – where you play a robot called Jack who needs to help Captain Olivia Rhodes survive the perils of space.
Thankfully, developer Ready at Dawn did release an update on its progress in May, indicating that even with the current pandemic development was still on course for a 2020 launch. At this rate, it’s going to be a bumper festive season.
- Supported headsets: Oculus Rift/Rift S
- Release date: 2020
Project CARS 3
For those after some genuine four-wheel action the Slightly Mad Studios’ Project CARS 3 will be leaving the paddock next month. The series has continually supported VR and that’s not going to stop with this latest iteration.
Featuring a new career mode where players can “rise from weekend warrior to racing legend,” there will be 200+ elite-brand race and road cars both classic and cutting edge to race across the 140+ tracks at locations around the world. Great to see another big name videogame continue its support for VR players.
- Supported headsets: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive & Valve Index
- Release date: 28th August 2020
Medal of Honor: Above & Beyond
Bringing the classic first-person shooter (FPS) back to life and firmly aimed at the VR audience, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond appeared at Oculus Connect 6 (OC6) last year.
Set during the early 1940s as World War 2 rages on, players take on the role of an Allied agent of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Tasked with completing a range of missions such as infiltrating a hotel filled with Gestapo agents already looked promising during that initial unveiling.
While a 2020 date was initially slated, currently there’s been little in the way of updates.
- Supported headsets: Oculus Rift/Rift S
- Release date: 2020
Low-Fi
A Kickstarter crowd-funding success in 2019, if ever there was a title which evoked the sci-fi feel of Blade Runner then Low-Fi is it. From Iris VR Inc. – the team behind Technolust – Low-Fi is gearing up to be an epic adventure where you play a cop patrolling the dark crime-ridden streets of city-block 303, able to choose between keeping law and order or exploiting its seedy underbelly.
While backers can already play an early beta version as development continues, the PC VR launch is expected this year followed by a PlayStation 5 version in 2021.
- Supported headsets: PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive & Valve Index
- Release date: Late 2020