Caveman Studio, the developers behind team-based shooter Contractors (2018), today released the open beta of Contractors Showdown, its upcoming battle royale game for Quest and SteamVR headsets.
The 45-player battle royale shooter presents a pretty big battlefield, touting a 16km² island that’s around a quarter the size of Manhattan, albeit including a mix of landscape with the standard array of dilapidated buildings, various landmarks, hills, and other structures to hide around.
1 of 4
Image courtesy Caveman Studio
Image courtesy Caveman Studio
Image courtesy Caveman Studio
Image courtesy Caveman Studio
You can squad up with up to three players, or go it alone as you parachute down from your starting point at the airplane, giving you a chance to pick your route before the zone closes which kills those outside. Basic battle royale stuff—but a ton more immersive thanks to the keen gun-handling, climbing ability, backpack inventory system, vertical zipline and parachute that lets you cover distances quickly.
And as you’d expect from any PUBG-inspired game, there’s a whole arsenal littered around the map to choose from too, including pistols, SMGs, automatic rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, grenades, flashbangs, and more. That comes along with weapon customization, gear upgrades, damage indicators, and more.
The open beta is set to last from March 1st to March 17th. You can play for free right now on Steam or Quest 2/3/Pro via the Quest Store.
Note: you won’t find Contractors Showdown through the search function on Quest. Only direct ‘access request’ links work, like the one above and those distributed through the official Discord (link below).
It’s not certain when we’ll see official launch, although the game’s Steam page notes it will arrive sometime after April 1st (Q2 2024). To keep tabs on further development, you can also join the Contractor Showdow Discord (invite link).
Caveman Studios, the team behind the tactical VR shooter Contractors (2018), announced its upcoming competitive battle royale Contractors Showdown is headed to Quest on April 25th.
Update (April 5th, 2024): Caveman Studios announced it’s opened up pre-orders for the game on Quest, which is launching on that platform on April 25th, priced at a 10% discount off its regular $20 price tag.
Pre-orders on Quest are also said to come with cosmetic rewards, including three different character skins, a weapon skin, and a weapon charm.
There’s no word on when other VR platforms are headed for release; the studio has only mentioned the game, which is said to include crossplay, is coming to Quest and SteamVR headsets. For now, PC VR players can wishlist on Steam.
In addition to a new trailer (seen below), the original article announcing Contractors Showdown follows below:
Original Article (June 16th, 2023): As first shared during UploadVR’s Summer Showcase, the game is set to launch on all major VR platforms in 2024, which is also slated to include crossplay.
Here’s how Caveman Studios describes the action:
Explore the uninhabited, rugged land that has remained ungoverned for decades. Survive, loot, upgrade, engage, and use your tactics against relentless enemies and dangers on the desolate island. Enter the combat solo or engage with allies to fight against all odds as a team.
The game’s map is said to span a 4km x 4km area, which you’ll tackle with your tactical PDA in hand for both a map and ability to call in support. Contractors Showdown also promises weapon customization, gear upgrades, damage indicators, and more. It’s not certain how many players will be able to jump in, however the studio calls it “a large number of teams of contractors.”
Long-requested features, such as progression, matchmaking, and daily quests, will also be included, the studio says. Unlike the original tactical shooter, Contractors Showdown won’t be supporting mods at release, however the studio says they will prioritize crossplay.
In the meantime, the studio says it will continuously update the original Contractors to version 1.0 as promised.
