Bloody combat simulator Gorn is now available on PlayStation VR2 for PS5.
In a bit of surprise news last week, Devolver Digital announced that Gorn is now available for PSVR 2 on PS5. Even better, those players who already own the game on PS4 for the original PSVR can upgrade to the PS5 version for PSVR 2 for free.
The combat simulator was first released for PC VR in 2019, before being ported across to the original PSVR and Quest platform in subsequent years. Across all platforms, Devolver Digital says that the game has now sold over 1.5 million copies – half a million more since it passed the one million milestone almost two years ago.
While the release itself was a surprise, there were already some indications that Gorn might be arriving on PSVR 2. In February, a German PlayStation blog post seemingly leaked four unconfirmed PSVR 2 games in the post’s tags and gallery section, including Gorn. The leak also listed a sequel to Solaris: Offworld Combat (which First Contact Entertainment later confirmed) and ports of Wanderer and Project Wingman. Given the Solaris sequel has been confirmed and Gorn is now also available, here’s hoping we see the other two arrive in the near future.
If you don’t already own Gorn on PS4, the PS5 version for PSVR 2 is available now for $19.99. If you want to learn more about the game, you can read our Gorn review of the original 2019 release.
Ready for some action? With our list of the best Quest action games, your heart is sure to be pumping in no time.
Assembling a list of the best Quest action games is a little tricky. Lots of games have intense combat at their core, but we already have lists recognizing the best Quest shooters and other types of experiences. For this list, we’ve doubled down on the experiences that have combat but don’t necessarily feel like shooters, perhaps instead focusing on melee, archery or spell-casting. Hopefully there’s a little something for everyone here.
If you need something fast-paced and deadly, Sairento: Untethered should more than fit the bill. Chop up enemies with swords, backflip in slow motion with dual-wielding pistols or shoot off heads with a bow and arrow; Sairento is a frantic mash-up of athletic combat that has kept people coming back time and again over the past few years. It’s an easy choice for the best Quest action games.
Journey Of The Gods
We’re still some ways out from having a full-blown Zelda-like experience in VR but, until we get there, Journey Of The Gods is at least a nice taster of what to expect. Developed by Back 4 Blood studio Turtle Rock, you set out on a quest with sword and shield in hand, fighting monsters and using powers granted by ancient gods. Journey of the Gods offers a fun adventure that’s great for first-time VR users.
There aren’t many actual third-person action games akin to God of War or Bayonetta on Quest. Truth be told it’s not exactly the most natural fit for the platform. But if you are looking for a more traditional action game experience on your headset, your best bet are these two action-adventure titles that offer fun — if simplistic — combat along with other elements like platforming and, in Trover’s case, gross-out humor.
Carbon Studios’ full-on sequel to its spell combat game mixed things up with a full linear single-player story. But The Wizards’ best element is its gesture-based combat system, which sees you summoning shields and fireballs with a flick of the wrist. It works incredibly well and feels genuinely empowering, making for the best magic game on Quest today.
Star Wars: Vader Immortal Lightsaber Dojo | Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge
There’s a lot to appreciate between these two Star Wars titles. While Vader Immortal’s story mode might not have the mechanical depth and complexity to class it as a full game, the Lightsaber Dojo mode more than makes up for it with waves of wish-fulfilling Jedi action. Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge, meanwhile, has a lot of shooter elements but also some incredible other ways to interact with the universe, including more saber combat. There’s just enough here for action fans to take a look at.
It’s a little rough around the edges and there’s still plenty more content to add, but Blade And Sorcery still offers some of if not the best physics-based action on Quest. Wield swords and cast spells in either the game’s wave-based arena mode or the new Dungeons mode, which sees you sneaking through randomized dungeons and brutally gutting foes. Just don’t cast this one to a screen if the kids are about.
You could argue In Death is a shooter but, for our money, it’s a neat fit for the action genre, offering up the best archery combat on Quest. In this roguelite you tackle runs of biblical dungeons, from heavenly churches to the firey pits below. It’s entirely moreish and tough as nails, but best of all it’s still being updated with free content.
It’s on the sillier side of physics-driven action games, but Gorn still offers really, really fun VR combat with a satisfying crunch. Here you take on waves of gladiators in an arena, equipping increasingly elaborate weaponry. Extension decapitation and impalement, Wolverine-style claws, the ability to take out hearts and throw them and deadly honey badgers – Gorn has the lot.
A much more arcade-driven experience than the more realistic physics fighters on this list, Until You Fall offers incredibly tight, well-choreographed action that rarely misses the mark. It’s a roguelite in which you tackle runs of a dungeon, aiming to get a great build for a character as you block sword attacks and prepare to swipe back at enemies. Demanding difficulty and steady progression make Until You Fall a moreish treat.
There’s a lot of shooter mechanics to Saints & Sinners, but the game’s best known for its winning melee combat that earns it a place on our best Quest action games list. You haven’t truly experienced all VR has to offer until you’ve wrestled for control of a zombie’s head and repeatedly mashed a spoon into the side in hopes of reaching the brain. Combine that with a compelling, wide-open campaign and Saints & Sinners offers a heck of a lot.
We might be seeing another VR game from the Devolver Digital team in the near future.
Clara Sia of the publisher’s Influencer Strategy team recently put out a tweet looking for games testers with VR headsets. The project in question wasn’t disclosed and it sounds like it’s unannounced given that Sia went on to say anyone talking about it will be punted “into the sun”. So there’s that.
Devolver has published a few VR games in the past few years. It partnered with Free Lives to release enduring VR hit, Gorn, on basically every platform. We’d love to see more of Gorn, though Free Lives is currently working on non-VR city builder, Terra Nil.
Elsewhere, Serious Sam developer Croteam released a VR spin-off of the shooter series years back and has even ported past Sam games and its popular puzzle title, The Talos Principle to headsets too. Last year the team released Serious Sam 4 for PC, so there’s a chance it could be a VR version of that.
Whatever the project turns out as, it’s good to see publishers releasing more VR content. What do you think Devolver could be working on? Let us know in the comments below!
Moss (2018) and GORN (2019) have become the latest VR games to reach the 1 million unit ‘platinum’ mark, earning an estimated $22.5 million and $12 million, respectively, in revenue. Multi-platform development was key to their success.
Selling one million units in the VR space used to be a rarity, but an increasing number of games are reaching the milestone, especially older titles which show the ‘long tail’ that many early but acclaimed VR titles have benefitted from.
2018’s Moss, from developer Polyarc, and 2019’s Gorn, from Free Lives, both recently announced that they reached the 1 million unit ‘platinum’ milestone.
Although both games were only available on a single VR platform at launch, over the years they were eventually ported to every major platform: PC VR, PSVR, and Oculus Quest, underscoring the importance of reaching across the spectrum of VR platforms to maximize success. Both games have consistently held position among the 20 best rated games on Quest.
Gorn originally launched in early access on Steam in 2017 before finally seeing its 1.0 release in 2019. In early 2018 the studio confirmed it had sold only 50,000 units, which means an average of 7,150 units per month at the time.
That was well before the game went multi-platform. From that 50,000 unit milestone to today, the game has sold an average of 22,600 units per month, recently culminating in 1 million units sold in total, the studio said today on Twitter.
From 1 million units, we estimate Gorn has earned around $12 million in revenue (excluding platform fees). This is based on a $20 unit cost with some adjustment to account for many steep discounts the game has seen over the years.
Moss started on PSVR as a timed-exclusive, but also found its way to other platforms. The studio has also seen a long sales tail for its game, recently telling Road to VR that launching the game on new platforms was so successful that it felt nearly like launching the game for the first time each time Moss reached a new platform.
So far the studio has only confirmed Moss: Book II for PSVR, but we very much expect the studio to bring the game to the other major VR platforms in the future.
From its 1 million units, we estimate Moss has earned around $22.5 million in revenue (excluding platform fees), based on a $30 unit cost with some adjustment to account for sales discounts over the years.
Moss has averaged around 24,400 units per month over its lifetime, though we’re not aware of any other comparable unit milestones so it’s hard to get a clear idea of what the trajectory has been like. That said, the game sold roughly 5,500 units per month on Quest alone in its first year, even before the more successful Quest 2 launched.
While these are certainly successes for VR titles, they pale in comparison to VR’s bonafide killer app, Beat Saber, which has averaged a whopping 121,200 units per month and an earned an estimated $180 million as of early 2021.
Glorious VR bloodbath, Gorn, has sold over one million copies as of today, and it might be getting more content too.
The game’s official Twitter account revealed the news, confirming this number is spread across all versions of the game. That means the initial PC VR version, the PSVR port and the most recent Oculus Quest edition too. Developer Free Lives didn’t specify where the game had sold the most copies.
Happy to announce that GORN has now officially sold over 1 MILLION copies across all platforms! Thanks everyone for the support! We are considering a small content update, but no promises just yet
That said, Gorn has consistently featured in Steam’s best-selling VR titles over the past few years, and often ranks highly in the PlayStation Store charts’ VR category too. But it’s likely performed well on the Quest platform too, where developers tend to see more success.
Gorn is a brilliantly silly combat simulator in which players are pit against other warriors in an arena. A comprehensive physics system and wonderfully OTT violence have long made it a popular game, and it’s featured on basically all of our top 25 lists across every platform over the past few years.
“It’s a toybox filled with razor-sharp playthings and endless action figures to use them on, upheld by a combat system that bends reality to eschew awkwardness,” we said in our review. “Ultimately it might just be a glorified tech demo for VR combat, but it’s one that will produce enough laughs and gasps that you’ll be willing to risk bodily harm playing it.”
The tweet also mentions that the developer is “considering a small content update” but won’t make any promises on that just yet. Such an update could potentially include new weapon types or modes. Free Lives has moved onto the development of its next title, but it’s not a VR experience.
What would you like to see out of a new Gorn content update? Let us know in the comments below!
Look, VR is a major force for good. It can teleport us across the planet, link us up with friends and bring us closer to those we’ve never connected with in the past.
It also lets you play Gorn.
Sometimes it’s fun to cause a little carnage and, while there are legitimate concerns about the future of VR violence, there are apps out there right now that toe the line between bloodshed with either humor, fantasy or horror elements. We’re not just talking about tasteless ultra-violent shovelware – these have to be genuine games, too. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the goriest VR games to date.
VR’s Goriest Games
Gorn
Well, it’s kind of in the name, isn’t it? Gorn is an arena battler all about caving in your opponent’s head. Or pulling it off. Or stabbing it. Or– you get the idea. What makes Free Lives’ gladiator sim work is not only the impressive physics on display in its combat but also the brilliant slapstick presentation. Googley-eyed honey badgers spring at you with vicious teeth and ridiculous bosses trip and tumble over each other. Gorn is a bizarre bloodfest you have to try.
Blade & Sorcery
Of all the games on this list, Blade & Sorcery is probably the most violent and, to be honest, the most shocking. Just watch a few minutes of one of the game’s murderous rampages, where glassy-eyed NPCs are condemned to be stabbed and sliced to death and you might decide this one’s not for you. That’s very fair – but you also can’t deny developer WarpFrog has created one of VR’s finest combat systems through years of meticulous updates. Plus the mod scene lets you live out Jedi dreams, and the sorcery element instills at least a little fantasy into the equation. The DNA of Blade & Sorcery can be seen in some of VR’s best games to date.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Take a look at this video and you’ll get a pretty good idea of just how gory The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners can get. Seriously, we can’t embed it on the page because YouTube only lets it be seen on its own site. Developer Skydance gave us the ultimate VR zombie survival experience last year, where impressive physics factored into not just how much fun you could have killing a zombie but also put realistic limits on your performance too.
Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil 7 might not have the same body count as other games on this list, but it’s more about some of the deeply shocking things you experience in VR than it is the bloodshed. Poor old Ethan is really put through the wringer in this one, and some of the game’s opening moments remain some of the most disturbing memories we’ve accumulated in VR so far.
Alien: Isolation (Mothr VR Mod)
There are a lot of games we could get into once we open up the can of worms that is VR mods (you can find our picks for the best here). We’re recognizing Alien: Isolation not so much on the account of the sheer amount of violence so much as how uniquely shocking its moments of murder can be. And that’s because they happen to you. Trust us, wait until you’ve been stabbed through the back and the Xenomorph’s tail is poking out of your torso – then you’ll agree.
What did you think of our list of gory VR games? Let us know in the comments below!
Tons of great PC VR content is going for cheap in the latest Humble VR sale.
Highlights from the selection — which is featured for the rest of this week — include an incredible $4.99 for Batman: Arkham VR. Sure, it’s an older title but it remains one of the most polished in VR to this day. You can also get half off of ever-popular VR hit, Superhot VR, taking it to $12.49. Also don’t miss Free Lives’ ultra-violent combat sim, Gorn, for $9.99 and Resolution Games’ 1-on-1 VR shooter, Blaston, for $6.99.
Humble VR Sale Underway
Looking for something new? The Walking Dead: Onslaught is far from Survios’ best game but, at $17.99, it’s seeing a big discount not too long after launch. In terms of obscure curiosities we’d also recommend Aspyr’s Torn for its visual fidelity and Cortopia’s Down The Rabbit Hole for its innovative approach to third-person VR puzzling.
If you need a little more inspiration make sure to head over to our reviews section and see if anything on sale sits well on our review scales. You never known when you might discover a new favorite.
These are all SteamVR titles, so you’ll be able to access them with just about any PC VR headset (or Oculus Quest 2 with Link/Virtual Desktop). That said make sure to check for native support for your headset in the listings, as sometimes games can run poorly in certain devices they weren’t specifically made for.
Are you going to be picking up anything in the Humble VR sale? Let us know in the comments below!
Gorn has received an update on Oculus Quest that makes several small improvements to the game’s performance and visuals.
The biggest update is the addition of 90Hz support for Oculus Quest 2 users, bumping up from the standard 72Hz offered on the original Quest and many Quest 2 titles. While the Quest 2 initially only supported a 72Hz refresh rate at launch, Oculus added support for games to bump up to 90Hz in a software update in November last year. Gorn is the latest in a string of titles that have been able to take advantage of the Quest 2’s extra hardware overhead and updated to support running at 90Hz.
There s now also visible blood on weapons, as well as improved weapon shading on both Quest 1 and 2.
Previously available for PSVR and PC VR, Gorn only just released on Quest earlier this year. Here’s what Jamie had to say about the Quest release after trying it out:
Granted, the game’s cartoonish visuals might not be pushing the boundaries of VR realism, but I was most concerned that Gorn’s mechanics might suffer in the transition to Quest. Much to my delight/horror I could still pluck limbs off of meat-headed opponents and toss them at others as weapons. Sharp blades still slice and dice with precision, resulting in uncomfortably bloody and unreasonably hilarious kills.
Yes the visuals are inevitably simplified, but the art style still holds up well inside Quest. Most importantly, of course, it just feels great to finally be playing Gorn without a wire. As great as the game is on PC and PSVR, its physicality has always been held back by that wire tugging at your head. On Quest, it feels like the game’s finally been unleashed. May god have mercy on your precious ornaments.
Gorn hits Oculus Quest later this week, but you can watch team Upload play it today in our Gorn Oculus Quest livestream at 8:30am PT/4:30pm GMT!
Free Lives’ brilliantly bloody battle sim is finally making the jump to standalone VR. We’ve already been hands-on with the port and it’s shaping up really well. Join Jamie and Zeena later today as they bash, stab and dismember limbs, all in the name of glorious violence. In case you hadn’t guessed, this one won’t be suitable for the youngsters.
Need more? Check out our graphics comparisons between the PC VR and PSVR version with the new Quest release. We think you’ll agree it holds up pretty well!
Enjoyed our Gorn Oculus Quest livestream? What else do you want team Upload to stream this week? Let us know in the comments below!
One of VR’s best-selling games is on its way to Quest next week. Free Lives’ Gorn finally takes on Facebook’s standalone and, as per usual, it spares no prisoners. See what’s in store in our Gorn graphics comparison!
In Gorn, you have to survive a deadly series of arena gladiator fights to please your emperor. As we’ve already seen on PSVR and PC VR, this results in some brilliantly bloody affairs – the game’s physics system and over-the-top violence provide endless amounts of hilarity. But can that all really hold up on Quest?
In short: yes.
Gorn Graphics Comparison
Now, before you watch our Gorn graphics comparison, do keep in mind that the game randomizes a lot of its factors like enemy placement etc so it’s tough to get things to match up exactly and, when we talk about a few differences, don’t forget this could be a factor too.
But all three versions of the game — the PSVR and Quest version of which were ported with the help of 24 Bit Games — hold up very nicely. On Quest, the game’s cartoonish art style helps to retain a lot of the visuals and, crucially, none of the gory physics and dismemberment have been lost, at least from what we’ve played.
You will spot some things on Quest, though. The floating heads in the seating above have been scaled back, for one. Most notable is the lack of blood in the Quest release – it cakes weapons on both PC VR and PSVR and paints the arena on PC too, but it’s very much dialled down Quest. We also spotted less enemies in the arena at once during the free-for-all fight; PC VR gets up to five enemies at times.
These are, however, all very understandable concessions that don’t hold Gorn back from playing best on Quest. If you’ve been holding back on this one until the wire was removed, it’s definitely time to jump in. It’s out next week on January 28th on the Oculus Store. If you want more Quest gameplay, we’ve got 12 minutes right here.
What did you make of our Gorn graphics comparison? Let us know in the comments below!
