Doom VFR, id Software’s upcoming standalone VR game, is nearly here, coming December 1st for PSVR and HTC Vive. It looks like the studio is turning up the nostalgia to 11 with the latest revelation that the game will also feature classic maps lifted from the original Doom (1993).

Confirmed by IGN, both ‘Toxic Refinery’ and ‘Nuclear Plant’ will be available to play at launch.

According to IGN, the maps are unlocked by playing through the main campaign, although it’s currently unclear how this will be achieved, be it an Easter egg hunt like the 2016 Doom or a simple unlocking once you’ve completed the game.

While the 4-minute gameplay video below features teleportation, free movement is also an option throughout the entire game, which the studio calls ‘dash’ movement. That ought to kindle the nostalgia a little better than teleporting around from spot to spot. And yes – just like the original, the enemies are in all the right spots waiting for you to breeze on by, albeit the new baddies in their higher-resolution 3D glory.

Doom VFR is Bethesda’s second big IP revival. Unlike Skyrim VR for PSVR, which is a VR port of the 2011 title, the new VR Doom game is a built from the ground-up for VR headsets, and features a unique story line.

It not only features support for motion controllers, but in the case of PSVR it also supports DualShock 4 controllers and PS Aim. Check out our hands-on with Doom VFR’s Aim support here.

Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 3,500 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Mettanine

    This is awsome, though I’m really disappointed there’s no E1M1. How dare they omit that! ;)

  • Luke

    my Oculus Rift is ready!

    • nipple_pinchy

      I bought a $20 “VR headset” from a guy at a Chinese swap meet. I hope it’s ready for Doom VFR.

      • Luke

        listen to me: never, never feed him after midnight.

        • nipple_pinchy

          Nice.

    • Karen

      Google is paying 97$ per hour,with weekly payouts.You can also avail this.
      On tuesday I got a great New Land Rover Range Rover from having earned $11752 this last four weeks..with-out any doubt it’s the most-comfortable job I have ever done .. It sounds unbelievable but you wont forgive yourself if you don’t check it
      !da184d:
      ➽➽
      ➽➽;➽➽ http://GoogleNewNetJobsDailyOpportunities/earn/hourly… ★✫★★✫★✫★★✫★✫★★✫★✫★★✫★✫★★✫★✫★★✫★✫★★✫★✫★★✫★✫★★✫★✫★★✫★✫:::::!da184luuuu

  • burzum

    Is there not already any VR ready port of the old classic Doom engine available? Like the one for the Doom 3 BFG edition?

    • Candy Cab

      Doom 3 BFG is just Stereoscopic 3D with head tracking, very simplistic vs a true VR build. It would be interesting to know if the 2D Skyrim engine was used to build the VR release or if Bethesda had to start from scratch. With the Doom fan base being what it is I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a true VR build of the original games being created somewhere.

      • burzum

        Eh? Are we talking about the same thing? https://github.com/KozGit/DOOM-3-BFG-VR This is a better VR experience than some titles built for VR from the ground up! This Doom is one of the most bad titles they ever made IMHO but in VR it is a totally different game and I really enjoyed it in VR!

        • Candy Cab

          Yeah I’m not a big fan of the 2016 Doom either. The teleportation mechanic in VFR is worse than the finishing move mechanic in the non VR release IMO. Never seen the doom build you posted. I read that Carmack was allegedly in the middle of D3 BFG VR development when he left id for oculus. I would assume thats dead as I cant find any mention of it since his departure ?

          • burzum

            I think this is not the VR build Carmack was working on. Give it a try, I really like it and this proves IMHO that to some extend “must be build for VR from ground up” is bullshit. FPS should be easy to convert as this one shows.

  • PJ

    Free moment confirmed! Time to preorder! Fingers crossed Rift support is in, at least re mappable controls

    • Andrew McEvoy

      Sweet mother of jesus! Free locomotion! Get in!!

    • Ed

      Hold your horses… I watched the video that was the source of this supposed confirmation of “free movement”. They said “dash movement” in the “cardinal directions”. So presumably you are still ‘glued to the floor’ and can simply trigger a limited distance “dash”, forward or backwards, left or right. Does that sound like full free-locomotion to you? It doesn’t to me. It sounds like the exact same teleportationdash movement we see in the videos, only without having to select a destination, instead just ‘dashing’ a certain distance in one of the four cardinal directions.

      • dogtato

        You can see it in this video, like at the 2:00 mark

        • Ed

          True, nicely spotted. Unfortunately it’s just what I thought, and not exactly what most people would think of when you say “free movement”. Sorry to be negative, guys. I know this game will be a blast for many people and I love to see AAA devs getting into VR. I think it is more helpful than not for me to share my feelings about this stuff, though. I know I’m not the only person who craves full locomotion in VR titles. As much as I want to support every VR dev, I only have so much time to play games and so much money, so I am likely to limit my purchases to the games which offer the type of gameplay experience I’m looking for.

          • Matthew Dickerman

            It has free movement this video is not showing it.

      • Nosfar

        No there is free movement

        • Ed

          Thanks for sharing. I stand corrected, and that is awesome!

      • Nosfar
      • PJ

        Oh right, that doesn’t sound like anything I want to play at all, I’ll keep hold of my money until the game is released, no doubt the sub reddit and steam discussion pages will have some clarification on the ‘dash’ locomotion

      • Candy Cab

        You would think smooth locomotion would be something they would be overly vocal about since it seems to be what matters the most to the VR crowd ( myself included) They never mentioned it being an option in Skyrim either.

  • Andrew McEvoy

    My body is ready.

  • VRgameDevGirl

    Cannot wait!!!!

  • Alexisms

    Nice!

  • AndyP

    Waited 24 years for this, so better be Oculus support

    • crim3

      We really, really, really need a standard interface for all things VR. Current situation feels kinda anachronic. Ironically, it seems to be the future of PC gaming: Artificial incompatibilities in an effort to defeat competitors while hurting consumers. :/

      • I DONT KNOW

        rift can run anything through steam vr that vive can run

        • crim3

          Do you imagine a PC mouse being tied to a specific digital store and software environment within the OS, and only being able to work in other applications because of actions taken by companies (or individuals) other than the actual manufacturer? That’s what I meant.
          Maybe I’m overreacting on the whole situation. But this idea of creating a “meta-OS” over the OS in order to exert a strict control on what the user can or can’t do by means of software alone, well… I just don’t like it.

  • Ed

    I have great respect for ID… but am I the only one who thinks this looks absolutely terrible? I don’t mean the old levels, I love that. I mean the movement and the gunplay. Why is using a gun so utterly useless that in this entire video I’m not sure we see a single kill from shooting an enemy (other than from blowing up a barrel)? To force you to use your telefrag dash thing? The teleportation seems clunky and immersion-breaking, totally unnatural. “Dash movement in the cardinal directions” doesn’t sound like free locomotion to me at all…

    This article may be setting a lot of people up for disappointment by saying that they have confirmed “free movement”. To most people this means full locomotion, being able to smoothly walk in any direction, not simply being able to “dash” in one of the cardinal directions (there are only four of those), which is all I have seen them confirm.

    I understand the issues devs have with motion sickness, I really do. I am also a VR developer. It’s my philosophy as a dev and preference as a gamer that the player should have choice. For those who can comfortably tolerate full locomotion, it is such a superior VR experience that the lack of it as an option is reason to avoid a product for many people. How can Doom, one of the most iconic and genre-defining FPS franchises of all time, neglect to offer traditional FPS movement as an option to those who wish to experience the game in that way? I hope I’m wrong and full locomotion really is an option. Otherwise I will pass.

    Look, AAA devs, I know you need your game to be playable by anyone and not turn them off VR forever. I GET IT. All I, and many others, ask for is an OPTION to play with unrestricted traditional movement. Put a big health disclaimer on it when you select it, or whatever you need to do, but please don’t neglect it completely. If you do then you are driving away a certain portion of your audience, who will instead just stick to mods and indie titles which let us actually feel like we are walking around in another world, instead of feeling like we’re strapped into safety equipment on an amusement park ride, or something.

    • Andrew McEvoy

      No it does appear to be full locomotion. Youtube search “Doom vfr live PS4 broadcast’ and see for yourself. Someone’s uploaded footage.

      • Ed

        Yep you’re right, and I’m very happy to discover so. Thanks for the heads up, all.

        Evidently this statement in the article is incorrect: “free movement is also an option throughout the entire game, which the studio calls ‘dash’ movement” , and ‘free’ and ‘dash’ are two different things.

    • Ed

      Kinda wish I could edit my post now that nosfar shared that video showing true locomotion. This article conflated free movement with dash movement, which created the misunderstanding. Props to the developers for providing the option for free movement. I am still not sure what’s going on with the weak-ass gun in this classic map video, but my interest in playing this game has been very much restored.

    • Ragbone

      I wish the normal FPS movement was available in all these games. It’s so disappointing that its hardly being made available, and when it is there is usually something wrong with it like messed up strafing or something. So annoying, especially when nice titles like this come out.

  • Nosfar

    https://youtu.be/kP0Att3ynb8 video with free locomotion…bout 2 min in he changes settings

    • Ed

      OK, that is awesome and I stand corrected. Thanks ID for this option!

  • Jerald Doerr

    Was going to get it on Steam this weekend but hesitated becouse it looks like the same old VR teleport fps, so I refuse to get it untill there is smooth Analog Control option. After seeing this video I don’t think it will be in, hopfully they will get alternate contol settings after lonch.

    • Andrew McEvoy

      Dont worry you can switch to full locomotion in options, its all good.

      • Jerald Doerr

        Cool! I just got a look at the ps4 video! Looks awsome!

  • Skippy76

    There better be other options for locomotion other than Dashing!
    I got annoyed just watching this vid. Cant picure myself buying this without free locomotion.
    I bought the Serious Sam bundle during the autumn sale. Freaking Amazeballs!

  • Jason Mercieca

    Yes and it came out for sale today and what a joke, free movement is ONLY possible by using a gamepad and NOT available with vive controllers, logic=none.
    Also i read lots of mistakes like gun angle, performance and more..
    After waiting many months is this there product? I really thought they could do better, in its current state its HANDS OFF, do not waste your cash buying it until its fixed, thats why i stopped preorders long ago..

  • ITALI-LORI-MONTI

    graficamente buono,ma dura pochissimo e non vale quanto costa!!
    non comprate questo gioco!!dura meno di un ora!!
    VERGOGNA!