Kayak VR: Mirage (2022) is amazingly immersive, packing in a ton of environments to explore in both single player and asynchronous multiplayer racing modes. You never could paddle through the glaciers or meander around tropical coasts with a friend in real-time though. But now, thanks to today’s update, you can.

Initially released as in beta on Steam in mid-August, developer Better Than Life today announced that real-time multiplayer is finally here for Kayak VR: Mirage on all supported platforms, which includes Steam and PSVR 2.

The real-time multiplayer mode lets you and a friend explore together in free roam, serving up the core of the experience. Notably missing in its initial release is race mode, proximity chat and physics objects like the ball and other inflatables, the studio says. It also doesn’t include cross-play at this time, however the studio tells Road to VR they might add it in the future.

“Development on it started over a year ago and as it turns out, making a VR game with a character, holding a paddle, in a kayak, all physics based, work in multiplayer is no joke,” the studio says in a Steam update. “However we think it’s completely worth it as we’ve had a blast during our testing and can’t wait to hear what you think!”

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Kayak VR: Mirage ranked in the top three most-downloaded games in the US, Europe and Japan in 2023, owing to its photorealistic environments such as ice caves in Antarctica, tropical locales in Costa Rica, storm waters in Norway, and the stark canyons of Australia. Its two-handed paddling, physics-based environment, and upper body inverse kinematics (IK) make it especially immersive.

If you’re looking to provide feedback on the multiplayer mode, you can head over to the Kayak VR Discord (invite link), where you can also stay in tuned for upcoming updates.

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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 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • ViRGiN

    Game peaked at 126 concurrent players back in 2022. Pack it up bois.

    • kool

      Seems like it'll work with 2 concurrent players!

  • Glamorkinshire

    How cool, I will check it out! I'd put in a request for 4 people at the same time if possible, we play Walkabout Mini Golf as a family from multiple states and this would be a fun go-to also!

  • Traph

    Kayak VR’s dev (I think it’s a solo dev, at least it was until recently) has the right idea for small PCVR titles in current year: focus on a VR-specific mechanic, do it well, and make heavy use of Unreal Marketplace photogrammetry packs to achieve high quality visuals.

    People like to hate on developers using asset packs but when used appropriately they absolutely elevate a game beyond anything a small/single developer could accomplish on their own.

    • Peter vasseur

      If you’re small all you’re doing is buying premade stuff to save time. There is nothing wrong with that. Yes you’re limited to their asset, it doesn’t mean it’s cheating. Talent isn’t just making everything from scratch. Taking a bunch of parts and making something new is done every day. I say more power to it.

  • Octogod

    Beautiful.

    I wonder how many years it'll be before we see this level of fidelity in mobile VR. 10+ years maybe?