It’s more than a bit disheartening to see essentially the same top PSVR game downloads repeated throughout the years, although here’s to hoping this may be the last time we utter the names Beat Saber, Job Simulator, and SUPERHOT VR in sequential order as the upcoming platform’s best-performing titles.

The original PSVR has earned a well-deserved rest after more than six years of faithful service, no doubt. But on February 22nd, the company’s next-gen headset PSVR 2 is coming to town, which has the potential to shake things up a fair bit as the PlayStation begins charting titles created for its latest and greatest VR headset.

I’m hoping to consider this a bid farewell to the same ol’ top download chart, which seems to have stayed fairly stagnant for the past couple of years. Before we go further though, here’s the top PSVR downloads in 2022:

PSVR Top Downloads – 2022

US/Canada EU
1 Beat Saber Beat Saber
2 Job Simulator Job Simulator
3 SUPERHOT VR SUPERHOT VR
4 Creed: Rise to Glory Creed: Rise to Glory
5 Swordsman VR Sniper Elite VR
6 Astro Bot Rescue Mission Swordsman VR
7 Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
8 GORN Batman: Arkham VR
9 Batman: Arkham VR Arizona Sunshine
10 The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Notice anything familiar? With the exception of Sniper Elite VR, which actually released in 2021 (but critically didn’t rank among the top downloads that year), it’s nearly identical to the chart from 2021. Pretty much par for the course for the platform’s aging game library, it seems.

SEE ALSO
Sony Plans PC Compatibility for PSVR 2 Later This Year, Acknowledging a Weak Game Library

PSVR 2: Shifting to a More Experienced VR Gamer?

Notably, PSVR 2 doesn’t feature backwards compatibility, although many games on the chart above are either re-releasing on PSVR 2 or getting a free upgrade, so we’ll very likely see many of these titles persist in the charts for months to come.

Sony has also publicly announced a handful of PSVR 2 titles which may be strong contenders for the top spots in the coming months and years. Popular games and franchises include Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Village, Horizon Call of the Mountain, Demeo, Crossfire: Sierra Squad, Firewall UltraAmong Us VR, 2MD: VR Football Unleashed All-Star, and Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue just to name a few. We’re still waiting on an official list of launch day titles and a more concise understanding of what’s getting an upgrade, and what isn’t.

Granted, I said I’m hoping to consider this a bid farewell to the seemingly iron clad chart rankings, although there’s a good reason those top games performed so well on PSVR. The top three—Beat Saber, Job Simulator, and SUPERHOT VR—undoubtedly make for excellent first-time VR experiences for basically anyone. After all, PSVR was likely the first VR headset for many who already own a PS4, so a continued focus on casual VR content makes sense.

NoteBeat Saber has been confirmed for a PSVR 2 rerelease (possibly free upgrade, but Meta hasn’t said yet), while Job Simulator and SUPERHOT VR are still unconfirmed for PSVR 2.

It remains to be seen whether the ‘newcomers at the top’ paradigm plays out the same way with PSVR 2 though in the months and years to come. Many of the top games on PS5 appeal to a more mature gaming audience (in gaming ability, not age), which is reflected in the top 2022 downloads there: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, God of War Ragnarök, and ELDEN RING

Photo by Road to VR

A better analogue though for PSVR 2 may be Quest 2’s performance over the years, owing to its spot as essentially the largest VR platform for consumers. Many of the top titles on the monthly Quest charts present a better mix of casual drop-in titles and more lengthy adventures such as BONELAB, Moss: Book II, and The Room VR: A Dark Matter, which may mean the PSVR 2 chart may look very different indeed.

SEE ALSO
Quest Massively Outsold PSVR 2 on Amazon Over the Holiday Season

Still, for PSVR 2 to follow the same path, there needs to be an extensive mix of premium quality content for newcomers in addition to the top games repeated from the days of yore. Players will be looking for fresh casual content like Astro Bot Rescue Mission, PlayStation VR Worlds, and Creed: Rise to Glory—the sort of games you can plop family and friends into that they immediately understand and can play—in addition to needing a steady stream of ‘AAA’ level titles like Resident Evil Village and Horizon Call of the Mountain, two of the largest standouts PSVR 2 users will probably look to for the sort of graphical quality they’re used to on flatscreen.

In the end, it’s hard to say how things will shake out. Sony appears to be playing its PSVR 2 hype strategy more or less in the same way it did with PS5, i.e. not many exclusives and a softer launch than expected. That could have to do with the fact that the all-in price for a PS5 and PSVR 2 headset is around $1,100, which not only limits the number of prospective game sales by a fair bit, but could mean less first-party investment overall if the install base isn’t large enough. Whatever the case, we’re hoping to hear more about games and get a better understanding of launch day titles over the coming month leading up to its February 22nd launch.


What’s your opinion? Will future PSVR 2 charts look the same, be dominated by new casual content, or will we see more mature titles break in? Let us know in the comments below!

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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 3,500 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • ViRGiN

    Not really. PSVR just have not seen many releases, as it’s usability is hardware limited by tracking and controllers.
    PCVR has none of that limits, and plays the very same games for years without a single change. That’s stagnant. Nobody buys anything, nobody plays anything. PCVR elitists want to turn VR gaming into 3D TV with their unhealthy obsession with “praydog will change the world!” “universal unreal injector!”
    And for Quest 2 – everything just works, still sells a lot of units, and people are trying a whole lot more than continuing playing beat saber like it is the case on PC. And Quest 2 did not need Alyx to achieve any of that lol.

    • JanO

      Dude, VR is VR, why the hate amonst such a small group?
      Q2 is great and so is PCVR…

      Still, the recent release of Grid Legends has brought to light the fact that lots of people care more about looks than actual gameplay… A good game is a good game, no matter the platform…

      All I want is… More!

      • ViRGiN

        I think the biggest downfall of Grid is lack of hand steering and basic car interactions.
        Using joysticks in VR for vehicle control is not interesting. Very few games have such feature, but that makes it immersive. If Grid were to have it, i think people would look past the graphics. Gorilla Tag is a hit.

  • Tommy

    What’s not mentioned in these comments is that almost all of the games on Quest were either released at the same time on PCVR are were already on PCVR. So there is almost zero advantage in software for standalone over PCVR. Now, as far as Praydog’s VR Injector, there are tons of UE4 and 5 games currently being modded for PCVR. Can’t say the same for Quest 2.
    You may not like AAA games in VR with full motion support but most people would disagree.

    • ViRGiN

      *clown noises*

      • Tommy

        Great rebuttal, my friend

        • ViRGiN

          3D TV gaming for life!

          • Tommy

            Lol, more like headaches for life

  • Ad

    Why do people buy Job Sim instead of Vacation Sim? Honestly I think Job Sim should be bundled with Vacation Sim, it’s so basic and limited in comparison and I cringe a little seeing people pay full price for it before Vacation Sim.

  • ApocalypseShadow

    What’s not mentioned is that games like RE7, Hitman 3, GT Sport, etc, aren’t included because they are not “VR only” games. The list is incomplete by not having every VR capable game included in monthly PSVR sales.

    Doesn’t mean the list would change much month after month as Beat Saber, Job Simulator and Super Hot are easy to get into VR games when you buy the headset. But I always didn’t like the exclusion of games.

    PS VR 2 will definitely change the list somewhat but we know the updated PSVR games will show up on the new list too. Only thing is that they need to cover games like RE8 and GT 7 as well.

    • Tommy

      I didn’t know PSVR didn’t count hybrid games. That would seem like it would make a difference but the popularity of those top three are undeniable. A top selling game doesn’t necessarily mean a good game. Look at Gorilla Tag…
      I imagine Beat Saber and others will be top on PSVR2 also, no matter how good the new games are.

    • Jistuce

      The exclusion of hulti-mode games is very good to know.

      “Doesn’t mean the list would change much month after month as Beat
      Saber, Job Simulator and Super Hot are easy to get into VR games when you buy the headset. But I always didn’t like the exclusion of games.”

      I think it would have a HUGE impact on the list, and not for a meaningful reason. It is simple sales data. Hitman 3 and Resident Evil 7 were not small releases. I would wager they sold more copies of each of those games than they did PSVR headsets.

      If they correlated sales data with usage data, so they could tell what percentage of those purchases saw VR usage, what percent were flatscreen-only, and what percent were simply never played, it would have a relevant impact on the charts. But without it, it will just force VR-only games off the charts with a tsunami of noise.

  • gothicvillas

    Im hoping TLOU multiplayer may have VR support. That would be Sony killer app.

    • Tommy

      That would be amazing

  • Jim Marquess

    I don’t know, maybe a chrome muffler is exactly what the market needs to shine away.