We’re mere hours away from the launch of the PSVR2, and whether you’re excited about this next generation of VR gaming is going to be highly dependent on its game selection. There will be a sampling of game demos available for you to check your headset out on. From Horizon Call of The Mountain, Resident Evil Village, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge and more. But what other games might make the PSVR2 a good buy?
Sony designed the entire PS5 with this headset in mind but at USD$549, the PSVR2 is more expensive than the PS5 itself. This is a steep investment for gaming, all things considered, and coupled with the fact that the PSVR2 is only compatible with PSVR2 games (not for PC or PSVR1 games). It is even more important that the PSVR2’s game lineup justifies its steep price tag.
So here’s everything we’re looking forward to playing on the PSVR2.
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge
Star Wars + Virtual Reality is a match made in the deep dark of space. But generally, Star Wars and pretty much anything pair well together. Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge is an action-adventure virtual reality experience from ILMxLAB that lets you travel across the galaxy to the planet of Batuu and live out your own unforgettable story. You’ll fight alongside classic characters, and face intimidating villains, as you explore all-new regions and eras of the Star Wars galaxy.
Whether you’re a fan of the Star Wars saga or not, this game is the perfect showcase of what the PSVR2 can do. And if you’re a fan of a thrilling VR adventure then this is one you’re not going to want to miss.
Gran Turismo 7
Gran Turismo 7 is a very strong reason for gearheads to buy the PSVR2 for this experience alone. Plus a steering wheel and set of pedals complete the vibe. The entire GT7 is playable in VR with minimal compromise and it is quite frankly the pinnacle of any racing simulator. Even if you’re not a fan of this particular genre of games you’ll be impressed with the immersiveness of the game.
For those who have already purchased Gran Turismo 7, you’ll get a free upgrade to the VR game. GT7 in VR takes full advantage of PSVR2 ’s next-gen features. With eye tracking and foveated rendering, players will experience stunning visual fidelity while racing in any of the 450+ cars. From the Nürburgring to Tsukuba, tracks can be experienced exactly as they are in real life.
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Horizon Call of the Mountain is the tentpole title in PSVR2 ’s launch lineup. View the breathtaking natural world of Horizon in 360 degrees and interact with your surroundings. Use intuitive movements to climb vast mountains, hunt machines, shoot your bow and craft items from raw materials.
From the world of Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Zero Dawn, experience a new story through the eyes of Ryas. Ryas is a disgraced former Carja soldier searching for redemption. And his journey will take you through the stunning vistas of the Carja and Nora homelands.
Pistol Whip
Beat Saber is undoubtedly one of the best games from the PSVR generation. But for the launch of PSVR2, we have Pistol Whip. Pistol Whip is a John Wick-inspired dance of death where you need to time your bullets to the beat. This surprisingly physical release sees you weaving in and out of obstacles, dodging projectiles as they fling past your face, and popping off shots in the general direction of silhouetted adversaries. Despite already coming recommended on the original PSVR, the improved tracking and vivid visuals make it essential here.
Song in the Smoke: Rekindled
Song in the Smoke: Rekindled is the ultimate VR survival action adventure – a physical, immersive game where you craft, hunt, and survive in a fantastic, dangerous world. Fully remastered with supercharged graphics, and gameplay that takes advantage of the PSVR2 Sense Controllers and haptics. With an all-new free jump and clamber mode completely unique to PSVR2.
Song in the Smoke is up there alongside The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners as an immersive survival sim. Rather than simply porting the original, developer 17-BIT has effectively remastered it here, implementing several quality-of-life enhancements and leveraging the full capabilities of Sony’s next-gen headset. Craft melee and ranged weapons, make clothes, build fires, and brew potions as you traverse the landscape in your quest for survival. Free upgrade from the PlayStation VR version.
Puzzling Places
A relaxing puzzle game is probably not the reason you’re going to buy the PSVR2, but it’s nice to have on your list. Puzzling Places brings relaxing and wholesome 3D jigsaw puzzling to VR. Put together hyper-realistic miniatures of beautiful places from around the globe.
The award-winning PlayStation VR title is coming to the PSVR2 with major enhancements such as higher visual fidelity (sharper textures, 120 Hz, higher render resolution) and eye tracking for enhanced piece selection. It also has roomscale support and now includes a PSVR2 1000-piece puzzle!
Kayak VR: Mirage
Virtual reality is used as an escape or a discovery of new worlds and places. In Kayak VR: Mirage you’ll be able to paddle through the ice caves in Antarctica, kayak with dolphins in Costa Rica, conquer a thunderstorm in Norway and discover the canyons of Australia. Explore these breathtaking locations with photorealistic graphics, a rich variety of wildlife and immersive soundscapes that bring it all together.
With PSVR2 ’s foveated rendering and HDR OLED displays, Kayak VR: Mirage is looking sharper and more vibrant than ever. Whether you want to take it easy and enjoy the scenery or get your heart rate up and compete in the race mode, this game has got you covered.
After The Fall
After The Fall comes from the development team behind Arizona Sunshine. You and three of your friends pick from a cast of characters that live in a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies. You’ll go out on supply runs, mowing down tons of them together. Sometimes you’ll run into big ones that explode. Others are super tough and can charge you down and smash you to bits lest you hit their weak spots enough to take them down. Taking down different maps, getting new weapons to face off against hordes, rinse and repeat.
For fans of L4D2, Back 4 Blood, Killing Floor and GTFO, then this is one more game for the squad. This time in all-new virtual reality.
Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard proved a fan favourite on PSVR, but Resident Evil Village is here to seriously raise the stakes. The game’s grim Romanian backdrop is transformed by the PSVR2, with the scale of the release taken to an entirely new level. But it’s the use of the PSVR2 Sense Controllers, which allow you to physically connect with the game world in a way that’s impossible with the DualSense, that elevate this contemporary classic to an entirely different level.
Pavlov VR
What’s a Top 10 games list without a first-person shooter title to round it out. Pavlov VR is the most popular multiplayer PC VR shooter and it’s coming to PSVR2. Featuring realistic weapon interactions and attachments, and a range of competitive and social game modes.
Take down a failed laboratory experiment that has escaped in an asymmetrical style of 1 vs all gameplay. Bring three friends and queue up for a wave-based zombie co-op. Drive a T-34 tank and communicate with your gunner to eliminate a group of axis soldiers. Use your sharp wrinkled brain and power of reasoning to find the bad actors in a twisted murder mystery style of game called TTT. Or, you could just clone yourself into the form of a traffic cone and hide behind the storage shelf of a warehouse; it’s up to you.