Despite the world grinding to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, indie game studios and ‘AAA’ studios alike continued their work from afar and set new bars for VR gaming. Although some of the games we were looking forward to in 2020 were delayed, the good news is there’s a steady stream of content coming down the pipeline next year.
Here’s a look at 11 highly anticipated titles slated to arrive in 2021.
Hitman 3
- Platform: PSVR-compatible on PS4/PS5
- Developer: IO Interactive
- Release date: January 20th, 2021
Studio description: Agent 47 returns as a ruthless professional in Hitman 3 for the most important contracts of his career. When the dust settles, 47 and the world he inhabits will never be the same again.
Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife
- Platform: SteamVR, PSVR, Quest, Rift
- Developer: Fast Travel Games
- Release date: ‘early 2021’
Studio description: Even the dead are terrified inside the Barclay Mansion. As a Wraith, use your supernatural powers to unravel its secrets and hide from the sinister Spectres. Afterlife is a first person VR horror exploration game set in the World of Darkness universe.
Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual!
- Platform: Quest, ‘PC VR’
- Developer: Happy Giant
- Release date: ‘the first half of 2021’
Studio description: Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual! is the Freelance Police’s first original game in over a decade, and the pair’s first foray into VR. The game’s development team includes several team members that worked on the original Sam & Max: Hit the Road by LucasArts in 1992, as well as the Telltale series. The new action adventure title is slated to come out for VR headsets in the first half of 2021.
The Climb 2
- Platform: Quest
- Developer: Crytek
- Release date: ‘coming soon’
Studio description: The thrill of climbing comes alive with The Climb 2–explore a new city setting and exhilarating new maps with breathtaking views. Ascend grand peaks, navigate vast caves, climb skyscrapers, and discover hidden shortcuts as you find your path to the top. Compete with friends and conquer leaderboards in asynchronous multiplayer modes. From exploring mountain environments to scaling urban settings, feel the rush of climbing without ropes, and experience breathtaking vistas as you scale new heights.
Baba Yaga
- Platform: Quest
- Developer: Baobab Studios
- Release date: ‘coming soon’
Studio description: Baobab’s newest VR experience, Baba Yaga, invites viewers to be a main character in a haunting fairytale world completely reimagined. Their choices determine the ending of this story of love, fortitude and magic. Sometimes a force for evil, sometimes a force for good, the enigmatic witch Baba Yaga uses her powers to stop the villagers whose settlement encroaches upon her enchanted Forest.
Delayed Games
Lone Echo II
- Platform: Rift
- Developer: Ready at Dawn
- Release date: previously Q1 2020, now 2021
Studio description: Jack and Liv are back in Lone Echo II. Return to the rings of Saturn in this highly-anticipated sequel, to unravel the mysteries of Lone Echo and journey deeper into space – past the very boundaries of time itself.
LOW-FI
- Platform: SteamVR
- Developer: IRIS VR
- Release date: previously late 2020, now Q1 2021
Studio description: You’re the sheriff of cityblock 303, a retro-futuristic cyberpunk slum where the only inhabitants of note are other “low-fi”. Humans too poor to jack into the platform, and rusting old robots that didn’t achieve the intelligence singularity. What you do with your time is up to you. Are you a good cop, hotshot?
Vertigo 2
- Platform: SteamVR
- Developer: Zach Tsiakalis-Brown, Errol Bucy
- Release date: delayed to 2021
Studio description: Vertigo 2 is a single-player VR adventure. Explore the depths of the vast Quantum Reactor as you descend to finish your journey home.
Sniper Elite VR
- Platform: SteamVR, PSVR, Quest, Rift
- Developer: Rebellion, Just Add Water
- Release date: ‘coming soon’
Studio description: A dedicated VR stealth-action experience from the makers of Battlezone and the BAFTA-nominated Sniper Elite 4, in partnership with Just Add Water. Fight for the Italian Resistance in a daring mission to rid World War 2 Sicily of the Nazi U-boat menace.
After The Fall
- Platform: SteamVR, PSVR
- Developer: Vertigo Games
- Release date: previously 2020, now ‘Early 2021’
Studio description: Explore the remains of a civilization ground to a halt in an alternate 1980s, craft a range of ranged and melee weapons, and wield devastating powers with real-life movements. Go solo or join up with players worldwide as you face relentless hordes and colossal bosses in a bid to take back the city.
Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record
- Platform: PC VR, ‘Console VR’, ‘Standalone VR’
- Developer: Wild Inc.
- Release date: crowdfunding & release delayed until 2021
Studio description: The records of past voyage is coming… Omnibus of Panzer Dragoon / Zwei / Saga trilogy for VR from Wildman Inc.
Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!