Top 10 VR Games Coming in 2019
A new year of VR is here and everyone is wondering what the biggest games will be. Fans were surprised by the smash hit Beat Saber in 2018 which seemed to come out of nowhere and is still breaking records for one of the most played games in VR. It’s hard to predict what will be the next biggest game when hidden gems like Beat Saber can still go viral to become the next big thing.
So here’s my top picks for the most anticipated VR games of 2019 (not including Oculus exclusives, or games from 2018 already available as “early access” titles), ranked in order of my own hype level:
10. Derail Valley
Imagine driving a train with your own hands, plotting your route, pulling levers, and maintaining your speed so you don’t fly off the rails while watching the beautiful scenery go past.
9. Shadow Legend VR
This looks like a slice of Skyrim, but polished and designed for VR. The mind boggles at its potential, but hopefully there’s enough content to keep coming back for more.
8. Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass
Though it hasn’t been announced specifically for VR, all of the developer’s previous catalog has been converted into separate VR versions, so I expect the awesomeness of Serious Sam will continue in the next installment.
7. Population One
It’s a battle royale game, but it’s made by the developers of Smashbox Arena which got everything perfect (apart from the slow menus) as a competitive shooter way back in 2016. High hopes they can nail this one too.
6. Blunt Force
It’s amazing there aren’t any (decent) WWII VR games yet. Blunt Force looks to be taking a more interactive cinema approach rather than the traditional Call of Duty style. Hopefully that doesn’t cause it to be too linear.
5. District Steel & Node
Two-for-one entry because these two games look somewhat similar, going for a polished scifi shooter with robots, branching pathways and upgradeable weaponry. Two to keep an eye on.
4. Borderlands 2 VR
This would be number one, if not for the shaky launch on PSVR late in 2018, with the co op feature missing. If the issues can get ironed out for the PCVR release this could be a killer app for VR. Supposedly this has a 5-month timed exclusive window for PSVR, so we can expect release on PC around June 2019.
3. Space Junkies
Though it seems similar to the excellent Skyfront, Space Junkies offered a more hands-on approach. Weapons were pickups in the arena, rather than switching with a button press, which created tense moments when two people were competing for the same gun. The game was delayed into 2019, so hopefully more time in the oven results in something special.
2. Espire 1: VR Operative
Could this be the ultimate stealth action espionage game? It’s been billed as ‘Metal Gear Solid’ for VR which would be a dream come true. It certainly looks gorgeous.
1. Vacation Simulator
The sequel to Job Simulator, the most enduring and popular game with the kids. Vacation Simulator looks like a worthy follow-up, taking the comedy “outdoors” with bigger areas and more variety. This was another game delayed into 2019, fingers crossed it’s worth the wait!
Honorable Mentions: Mechwarrior 5, Valve’s 3 Games, Half Life 2 VR (mod)