E3, the biggest gaming show of the year, has nearly wrapped up in Los Angeles, and it's brought us a bunch of new VR games from various developers and publishers. Though details are still pretty thin for most titles, there seems to be a good mix of content for the PC-based systems like Windows Mixed Reality (WMR), HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift, as well as PlayStation VR (PSVR). If you're wondering what you can look forward to in the world of VR, I rounded up the E3 2018 announcements right here.
Stormland
Stormland is the latest Oculus-exclusive title from Insomniac Games and Oculus Studios, and it certainly looks like it could be the next big draw to VR. It will feature a rich sci-fi story that revolves around open-world gameplay, something that we've yet to really see from a VR original.
You play as an android out to save your robot friends, and there's expected to be some intense locomotion, including flying, jumping, and gliding. Perhaps the coolest part is that you can play alone or with friends on shared missions and raids. No price is available yet, but you can expect to hear more before the expected 2019 release date.
Echo Combat
Although it was hinted at Oculus Connect 4, the new first-person shooter (FPS) game from Ready at Dawn and followup to Echo Arena and Lone Echo now has a teaser trailer and an expected date for the open beta: June 21.
Building on the zero-gravity mechanics of the first two games, players now face off with guns where the main objective is to vaporize the enemy while attempting to deliver a payload. There's no word yet on an official release date, but this will be an Oculus exclusive.
Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot
Expected to be released in 2019, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot is a standalone VR game set two decades after the events of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. You take on the role of a hacker who's attempting to resist the Nazi regime, and you can probably see where this is going. Those enormous mechs should be at your disposal once you've rewired their circuits, and from there it's first-person VR glory as you rampage around Paris helping the French resistance forces.
It appears that the PC-based headsets and PSVR will see support, but there's no word on a price. If you're looking for more Wolfenstein content, VR or not, be sure to have a look at Youngblood, a new co-op game also expected to be released sometime in 2019.
Related: Wolfenstein: Youngblood puts a cooperative spin on 1980's Paris
Prey: Typhon Hunter
Prey, one of 2017's most thrilling horror sci-fi games that has you hunting mimics called "Typhons," is getting a VR and multiplayer mode called Typhon Hunter. It's expected to be released sometime later this summer as an update to the Mooncrash DLC, and as the name suggests, you'll be rooting out Typhons from inside a head-mounted display (HMD). It seems like this game mode will be playable from within or without a VR headset, but there's no definitive word yet as to which VR headsets will be supported.
In addition to Typhon Hunter, a solo VR escape room will also be included. Called TranStar VR, you take the role of a Talos I employee who got trapped inside the space station and must get out by solving puzzles. It's classic escape room stuff, all from within an HMD.
If you'd like to get in on some new Prey content before the VR stuff hits, you can check out Mooncrash, the latest DLC available now for about $20.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades
Bethesda is looking to bring the world of The Elder Scrolls to more devices than ever, which is where Blades fits in. It's a free-to-play game set to run on iOS and Android devices, and looks to be an accurate representation of the fantasy setting. It is primarily a singleplayer RPG with console graphics and cross-platform multiplayer elements built in, which were teased a bit by showing someone playing on a phone against someone playing on an HTC Vive.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades official page still only mentions mobile play, but hopefully that will be updated soon to give us more info about the VR aspect. You can preorder for iOS or Android now, and it is expected to be released this fall.
Ghost Giant
Set to release on PSVR (yet without a solid release date), Ghost Giant is a puzzle game where you're tasked with protecting a little boy named Louis. Only he can see you, the giant ghost, and it looks to be pretty heartfelt. No word yet on whether or not it will also one day come to the PC-based VR systems.
Tetris Effect
Another game set to release on PS4 and PSVR, Tetris Effect is essentially the reinvention of the classic game that we came to love so long ago. It's set to be released in the fall of 2018, and coming from the same devs that brought us Rez Infinite, it already has a lot going for it. It's unclear whether or not Tetris Effect is coming to the PC-based VR systems.
Trover Saves the Universe
Coming at you from Squanch Games Justin Roiland, creator of the TV show Rick and Morty, is Trover Saves the Universe. It looks to be in the same odd vein as Roiland's other creations, but this time it's up to you to save the cartoon-y inhabitants in a 3D platforming world. The announcement trailer specifies that it's debuting on PSVR, so that means it could be coming later to PC-based VR. No word yet on a release date.
Other notable VR news from E3
Beat Saber, the popular rhythm game that was so-far released on the PC-based VR systems, is now getting a release on PSVR. There's still no expected release date, but you can give it a try now on WMR, Vive, or Rift.
Transference, the trippy game from SpectreVision and Ubisoft Montreal that's expected to blend cinema and gaming, also got a new trailer after being announced last year at E3 2017. It's expected to be released with support for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and PSVR in fall 2018.
Developed by FromSoftware, Déraciné is a story-driven adventure that has you playing as a spirit summoned by a young girl living in a boarding school. There's not a lot known about the game yet, but it appears to be a PSVR exclusive. Bummer.
More resources
Be sure to keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for more in-depth coverage of E3 2018.
