The last time I wrote a PSVR upcoming list was back in 2015 when virtual reality was still up and coming. Now it’s 4 years later, and while it hasn’t come to replace the way we game there have been vast improvements in the quality of technology and content.
With the accessories becoming more affordable than ever and certain titles like Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Moss being genuine contenders for Game of the Year it may be time to see what lineup Sony’s PlayStation VR has in store for us.
Five Night’s At Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted by Steel Wool Studios
Fans of the horror puzzler Five Nights at Freddy’s will have something to scream about as the latest iteration of the series arrives on VR. In this new game, you’ll see a whole bunch of familiar animatronic faces. The VR version feels a lot like the original games in the franchise, so dark and dank you can almost feel your shoes sticking to the dried soda on the floor.
If you’re not familiar with the Five Nights series, its a franchise started in 2014 by developer Scott Cawthon. In the first three games, you play as a night guard at a run-down entertainment centre, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. You must outwit the restaurant’s animatronic entertainers, which come alive each night with a taste for human flesh. The fourth game was a departure, pitting a small child and their ability to strategically close doors against murderous toys in order to escape their house, while in the fifth you played as a maintenance worker at a sister facility to Fazbear’s and had to follow intricate instructions from an AI to survive.
Release Date: April 2019
Immortal Legacy by Viva Games
The originally named Kill X, now Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cypher is an upcoming action-adventure horror title by China-based Viva Games. It was one four titles highlighted by Sony at the 2017 ChinaJoy Expo.
The game looks to be evocative of Resident Evil 7, with a similar graphical style, atmosphere, and gameplay. It’s a dark, tense, and terrifying shooter, that drops you on an island where bizarre human experiments are taking place. Nothing out of the ordinary for a horror game, but VR owners are desperate for such horror experiences will be satisfied with Immortal Legacy.
Immortal Legacy isn’t all just guns and gore however, as there are puzzles to solve throughout the world. And one area where the game differs from Resident Evil 7, is that it utilises the Move controllers, which any PSVR owner will be pleased to hear. Horror fans, keep this one on your radar.
Release Date: 20th March 2019
Falcon Age by Outer Loop
In Falcon Age, you play as Ara, a girl who must escape prison, hunt, gather and reclaim her land from oppressive colonisers.
As the name suggests, Falcon Age includes a healthy dose of bird. Which is a weird way of saying Ara’s best friend and loyal companion in the game is a falcon. The bird joins Ara as she rots in jail, helps her escape, and continues the adventure with her to reclaim their country from the oppressors.
You can use the falcon to hunt other animals to gain resources, and it will help you fight, which you can reward with a good head scratch. Falcon Age looks like a beautiful title and we’re excited to dive in and befriend a badass bird.
Release Date: 9th April 2019
Blood & Truth by Sony
Blood & Truth is a first person, VR-driven heist that has all the fun of a b-tier action movie. If you bought a PSVR at launch, you might remember Sony London Studios’ original offering “The London Heist” which shipped on the PlayStation VR Worlds demo disc. Blood & Truth plays like a more ramped up version of London Heist.
The London Heist was a short experience that saw you play the role of a London gangster, partaking in a diamond heist. It evoked a Guy Ritchie movie and sparked the imagination of many gamers, as they shot guns, ducked behind cover, smoked cigars, and tossed tin cans out of a van window. It was the first experience for many that proved what VR could be.
Suffice to say then that expectations are extremely high for the full-length sequel, Blood & Truth. This title looks to expand upon what made The London Heist so much fun, and improve it with better graphics, more interactivity, and an expansive story mode.
Release Date: 28th May 2019
Trover Saves The Universe by Squanch Games
From the co-creator of Rick & Morty, Trover Saves the Universe is a somewhat unconventional game. Let’s just say that Justin Roiland’s latest virtual reality release sees you paired with a purple monster who isn’t altogether happy about being forced to save the world.
The game begins with your dogs being dognapped by a beaked lunatic named
Release Date: 31st May 2019
No Man’s Sky VR by Hello Games
It’s been a few years since No Man’s Sky launch debacle and with their recent upgrades, the game appears to be getting back on track to what it should have been all along. An exploration of deep space.
No Man’s Sky’s gorgeous graphics fit in perfectly in a VR setting. “It feels very comfortable to me in terms of a fit for No Man’s Sky,” Murray said. “If I’m honest, we’re supporting VR because we want to. Genuinely, I think it’s creatively led more than necessarily commercially or anything like that. It just feels like a good fit.”
Walking involves a teleportation system that serves its purpose just fine, though there are a handful of other ways to navigate new planets. First, there’s the jetpack, which is loads of fun yet slightly disorienting in VR, with the most potential to cause headset-related nausea. However, No Man’s Sky VR also has vehicles, swimming and — this is the big one — spaceships. I can’t wait.
Release Date: Summer 2019
Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot by Machine Games, Bethesda Softworks
Wolfenstein has become an important franchise for Bethesda and such this year we’re getting two different Wolfenstein games releasing in 2019. The first is a co-op title called Youngblood, in which you play as series hero B.J. BLazkowicz’s twin daughters. The other game is Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot and it’s a PlayStation VR title.
Given that Cyberpilot takes place in the same city (Paris) and same year (1980) as Youngblood, it’s likely to be tie-in of some kind. You play as a hacker, who can take control of Nazi technology and use it against the enemies. The trailer shows you controlling the iconic Panzerhund, and using its flames to burn the Nazi’s to ashes in the beautiful Paris streets.
Not much else is known about Cyberpilot – including if you can control other machines, if there’s any real narrative, how long it will be – but c’mon, shooting Nazi’s in VR? Sign us up.
Release Date: 26th July 2019
Concrete Genie by PixelOpus
I’ve got to say I was pretty excited when I first saw Concrete Genie back in 2017 at Paris Games Week. The game focuses around a magical artistic adventure that just works visually in virtual reality. There will be two VR modes coming to Concrete Genie, the first being a guided mode and the second a free paint mode.
Armed with your notebook that serves as your paint palette, you’ll be able to make the world come to life with a wave of your PS Move. Don’t worry you won’t need any real painting experience to play as the game will interpret your movements to real-world design.
There’s definitely some limit as to what each element can be produced in the world, but the amount of freedom you get in free mode should balance that out. Populate a clearing with trees, a campfire, plants and watch as they come to life and sway in the wind. A flick of your wrist can bend and shape trees, while the swirl and flick of the paintbrush can send a breeze brushing through the grass, blowing petals off of flowers. This looks like a gorgeous piece of paradise to get yourself lost in.
Release Date: Fall 2019
Dreams by Media Molecule
Dreams
If you want to create your own full-length sequel to L.A Noire, you can do just that or if you want to create an interactive movie, akin to the Telltale games. There are limitless possibilities, hence the title Dreams, positing that your imagination is the limit.
Dreams
Release Date: 2019
Iron Man VR by Camouflaj, Sony
Have you ever wanted to be Tony Stark flying around in an Iron Man suit? Well, Sony and Marvel Games predicted this might happen and are bringing that experience to the PSVR.
Iron Man VR, from Republiquedeveloper Camouflaj, puts you behind the mask in a wild first-person adventure. You play as Tony Stark, of course, facing off against as-of-yet unannounced marquee Marvel villains. While this is a brand new storyline, it will stay true to the Iron Man canon.
Your suit’s autonomous operations are controlled by Friday, the AI Stark developed after Jarvis evolved into Vision. Friday acts as the in-game guide as well as Stark’s verbal sparring partner. The suit itself was designed specifically for this game with the help of Marvel illustrator and costume designer, Adi Granov.
Release Date 2019