VR Games
Open World VR Games
Open World VR Games
There are a lot of open-world VR games that can be played with the help of various virtual reality headsets. These games offer realistic graphics and exciting gameplay that reimagines the nature of discovery.
Explore the endless oceans of planet 4546B in Subnautica, a game that puts your VR headset into the role of a diving helmet. Or take to the skies in Microsoft Flight Simulator, a game that addresses a fundamental yearning for exploration.
No Man’s Sky
Explore a vast universe of billions of planets, each home to unique creatures and environments. Gather resources to build upgrades for your ship and suit and trade with inhabitants across a vast interstellar economy. Fight hostile creatures, take on lucrative missions, or battle pirates for their bounty.
Since its release, No Man’s Sky has received regular updates, dramatically expanding its universe. The Foundation Update allowed players to form a deeper connection with the game’s procedural planets and galaxies, letting them pause and call a corner of the universe home. The next year, Hello Games tackled its most troublesome systems, revamping the ageing multiplayer and space combat.
The Omega update brings many new features, including gyroscopic controls for the Sentinel fighter, enhanced visuals powered by AMD Fidelity FX Super Resolution, and quality-of-life improvements that streamline the player experience. The update also enhances cross-platform play, allowing players from different platforms to join less hassle-free. At the same time, the Atlas Path quest line has been revised to include a new, time-limited expedition.
The new Exo Mech, a high-performance spacesuit, lets you tackle challenging exploration and combat missions. Explore with friends or solo, and upgrade your suit to enhance its strength, speed, and durability. You can also earn in-game rewards by watching Twitch streamers play No Man’s Sky. These include a new Atlas-themed jetpack, multi-tool and helmet.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft’s recent teaser left flight sim fans buzzing. The promise of a fresh platform leveraging the latest technologies in simulation, cloud, machine learning, graphics and gaming is exciting. It’s a commitment that echoes the spirit of the Acceleration Pack and signals an evolution in gameplay.
The new Microsoft Flight Simulator takes the next step towards a living world by adding various dynamic elements. The virtual world is more vibrant than ever, from bustling cities to solitary wildernesses. Natural phenomena like aurora borealis, tornadoes, and storms now occur worldwide, and the weather is even more unpredictable. Likewise, the airspace is now filled with AI flights based on actual airlines and their schedules, which adds another level of complexity to flight.
This heightened level of detail promises a deeper and more immersive experience. Physics and aerodynamics have also been improved to elevate the flying experience further. For instance, a balloon’s physics now mimics its real-life counterpart. Meanwhile, the electrical, pneumatic and fuel systems have a more complex array of components with dynamic wear and tear. Likewise, cockpit tablets have been added to complement the existing avionics system. These innovations may position MSFS as a formidable contender against established platforms like X-Plane. Microsoft has also reassured the community that support for its current simulator will continue, and 3rd party add-ons will still be compatible with the new release.
Elite Dangerous
Elite Dangerous is the modern-day incarnation of the seminal space-trading game that redefined gaming 30 years ago. This open-world game immerses players in a cutthroat galaxy where battles rage, governments collapse, and the future of humanity’s frontier expands.
The massive Milky Way Galaxy is built to real astronomical proportions with over 400 billion stars, planets and moons all rotating and orbiting in real-time. The game uses a mix of procedural generation and artist direction. New features are added iteratively. For example, a player can now visit the ruins of an extinct alien race called the Guardians and explore their ancient technology. This allows a new weapon that is more effective against the Thargoid fleet.
Players take on various ship-based roles, such as trading, bounty hunting, mining, exploration and piracy. Players can also access two main on-foot-based roles – mercenary work and exobiology. These roles can be combined to create a unique and profitable career.
A large part of the gameplay focuses on combat. All ships in the game can be modified with various weapons and equipment, including multi-cannons, plasma accelerators, enhanced shields and super-fast Frame Shift Drives. Players can also use grenades to strip an enemy’s suit shields, break their armour, or temporarily provide a dome of protection. Elite: Dangerous is available to purchase digitally on PC via Steam or the Epic Games Store. There are no subscription or free-to-play fees, but the player must have an internet connection.
Subnautica
In Subnautica, players are stranded on an alien ocean planet 4546B as the lone survivor of a disastrous spaceship crash. The game is played from a first-person perspective and is all about exploration. The player has to manage their oxygen supply as they explore kelp forests, winding cave systems and treacherous deep-sea trenches. The game is teeming with life, from helpful creatures like Jellysharks to dangerous ones like Crabsquids and Warpers.
The gameplay is similar to other survival games, as players must collect resources to survive in a hostile environment. However, unlike most other survival games, Subnautica is set in an alien ocean world, and players cannot go a step further without scuba diving or using a submarine. The game’s mechanics have been designed with many tactile elements, as the players can collect resources and craft equipment using their hands.
Players can build bigger and better submarines and exploration vehicles as the game progresses. This allows the player to access deeper ocean parts with more resources. The player can also build a base on the seabed to upgrade and customize. Subnautica is an incredible example of how an open-world VR game can elevate the genre to the next level by being more creative and ambitious. The studio behind the game Unknown Worlds has a sequel called Subnautica: Below Zero in the works.
Green Hell VR
Green Hell VR is a survival simulation based on the popular PC game that takes you deep into the Amazon rainforest. The game features various challenges, including building shelters and finding food and water. In addition, you’ll need to fend off dangerous predators and learn real-life survival techniques.
The gameplay is challenging but rewarding. It’s easy to lose yourself in the action of a wild animal attacking you or the frantic pace of gathering food or water for the next few days. The graphics are also impressive, especially in VR. The PlayStation VR2 game version uses a reworked lighting system and high-resolution textures to add depth to the image. It also supports haptic feedback for the Sense controllers.
The PSVR2 port of Green Hell VR is a solid entry in the genre, but it’s not without its drawbacks. The game’s traversal is much more frustrating than on a flatscreen, with a sea of vegetation often blocking your view and making it hard to tell where you’re going. The combat is also difficult to handle, with too many swiping attacks often ending in you mindlessly firing at whatever is nearby. There is, however, a great deal of replay value, and the reworked graphics are a welcome addition to the experience. It’s worth a look, especially for fans of the original Green Hell.
Solus Project
After a rogue star waltzed through our solar system and nearly wiped out humanity, the surviving population sent five scout ships to find a new home. Yours crashes on Gliese-6143-C, a mysterious and seemingly deserted alien planet. It’s up to you to survive and unravel the secrets of this seemingly barren world.
Solus Project is a first-person space survival adventure game with some surprisingly good puzzles. While it has a few nods to the genre (you must monitor your heat level, body temperature, hydration, nourishment and other factors to stay alive), its main focus is exploring a unique alien landscape populated with temples and tombs filled with ancient secrets.
Despite some graphical issues, the world of Solus Project is beautiful and menacing in equal measure. Thick swirling clouds spawn deadly twisters, sheets of rain soak the land, lightning crackles in foggy distances, and meteor showers illuminate the skies, all of which help sell the sense of isolation and distress the player must feel.
The game is currently in Early Access on Steam, with some tweaks and testing before the developers push it out the door. The biggest thing that needs to be fixed is the player’s movement, which isn’t always smooth and can lead to a frustrating lack of coordination while you navigate the often slippery terrain. Fortunately, the developers are aware of this issue and are working on it.