Tilted Mind
Tilted Mind puts a new twist on the classic marble maze box games that you probably played with as a kid. Imagine playing with a marble maze that was so big that you had to walk on it to tilt the table and move the marble. Paul Svelmoe wanted to experience such a game, so he decided to build it.
Tilted Mind requires two motion controllers, but the developer designed it to work with up to five. If you have three extra Vive controllers (or Vive trackers), you can place one on each of your feet and another one on the back of your belt. The additional controllers provide full-body tracking, which is especially helpful in a game where you’re often looking down at your legs.
The full body tracking option is available only with Vive systems, but Oculus recently added support for additional Touch controllers, so there may be hope for full-body support on the Rift platform at some point, as well.
- Platforms: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
- Genre: Puzzle, Simulation
- Input: Motion Controllers
- Release Date: June 9, 2017
- Publisher: Paul Svelmoe
- Developer: Paul Svelmoe
MORE: Tom's Hardware's GDC 2017 Highlights
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Vehicle VR
Vehicle VR is a Trackmania-like racing game for virtual reality. You pilot the chassis of a car around obstacle courses that look a lot like Hotwheels tracks. Your goal is the reach the finish box at the end of each course without letting your car fall off the floating tracks. Each map features obstacles that will challenge your driving skill and reflexes.
Vehicle VR is a single player game, but it offers a global leaderboard so you can see where you stack up against the rest of the player base.
- Platforms: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift DK2, OSVR
- Genre: Racing, Strategy
- Input: Gamepad, Mouse/Keyboard
- Release Date: June 9, 2017
- Publisher: Nick Helweg
- Developer: Nick Helweg
MORE: Tom's Hardware's GDC 2017 Highlights
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Disco Time 80s VR
Do you dream of going back to the '80s for a disco party? If so, Indiecode Games has your back. Disco Time 80s VR is a first-person VR experience that transports you back in time to the days before disco died.
You can hang out on the dance floor and bust a move to nine '80s-inspired tracks, or search the in-game YouTube browser to pull up music videos of all your favorite '80s tunes.
- Platforms: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
- Genre: Simulation
- Input: Motion Controllers
- Release Date: June 10, 2017
- Publisher: Indiecode Games
- Developer: Indiecode Games
MORE: Tom's Hardware's GDC 2017 Highlights
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The Frontier Outskirts VR
The Frontier Outskirts VR puts you in the middle of a frozen landscape to battle against a machine army with countless cyborgs, droids, and other machines hellbent on domination. Grab your favorite firearms and your trusty beam sword and get ready for the fight for your life.
The Frontier Outskirts VR offers a selection of guns to stock your arsenal with, special abilities to stack the odds in your favor, and a futuristic beam sword for close proximity combat. As you get deeper into the campaign, you’ll unlock better and better weapons to take on bigger, more powerful machines. The Frontier Outskirts VR also offers a slow-motion combat system that helps you take control of the situation when the fight gets too intense.
- Platforms: HTC Vive
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Shooter
- Input: Motion Controllers
- Release Date: June 11, 2017
- Publisher: Matt’s Creations
- Developer: Matt’s Creations
MORE: Tom's Hardware's GDC 2017 Highlights
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Pixel Gear
Pixel Gear is a 360-degree shoot-em-up game made for virtual reality. You stand in the center of the playing field and defend yourself from an onslaught of ghosts and monsters coming your way. The more enemies you kill, the more energy you accumulate. As you gain energy, you gain strength, which allows you to take on more intimidating foes.
Pixel Gear is a single player game at its core, but Geronimo Interactive threw in a novel local multiplayer option. One player gets the VR HMD and stands his or her ground in the center of the battle while up to three of their friends take control of monsters in the crowd of NPCs.
- Platforms: HTC Vive
- Genre: Shoot-em-up, Shooter
- Input: Motion Controllers, Keyboard/Mouse
- Release Date: June 12, 2017
- Publisher: Geronimo Interactive
- Developer: Geronimo Interactive
MORE: Tom's Hardware's GDC 2017 Highlights
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Isle in the Sky
Isle in the Sky is VR archery game with a strange premise. You find yourself standing on a tiny floating island in the sky, and if that weren’t enough, there are also rocks falling around you. Fortunately, you have a bow and arrow with which to protect yourself.
To survive on the isle in the sky, you have to duck, dodge, and shoot the incoming barrage of falling stones. A good whack on the head from a falling boulder would surely be your demise.
- Platforms: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
- Genre: Archery, Action
- Input: Motion Controllers
- Release Date: June 12, 2017
- Publisher: Fome Productions
- Developer: Jan-Fredrik Braseth
MORE: Tom's Hardware's GDC 2017 Highlights
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Mob Stadium
If you’re a fan of the remastered VR versions of the Serious Sam series, you should consider playing Mob Stadium to get another taste of fast-paced FPS action.
The End Times approaches, and the Annunaki have returned to earth to put humanity to the test. They hold the key to preventing the end of time, but they aren’t here to share it unless we prove our world is worth saving.
Mob Stadium puts you in the heart of an Annunaki compound filled with all manner of strange creatures. You must fight your way through the maze-like structure in search for the secrets that would save humanity from its doom.
- Platforms: HTC Vive
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Shooter
- Input: Motion Controllers
- Release Date: June 15, 2017
- Publisher: Nest Egg Games, LLC
- Developer: flapjax
MORE: Tom's Hardware's GDC 2017 Highlights
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Child of the Wind
Child of the Wind lets you play with miniature ships on tiny table-top seas. You direct your vessel through the waters by controlling the wind direction. You get two fans that you can use to steer your boat away from obstacles and enemy ships. Because you control the wind, you can direct your ship away from danger while sending enemy ships careening towards rocks and whirlpools.
Freetale, the developer, said Child of the Wind offers a casual experience with intuitive controls that anyone can try. If you’re looking for a game to demonstrate VR to friends and family that doesn’t require a lot of explanation, Child of Light is a good choice.
- Platforms: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
- Genre: Action, Strategy
- Input: Motion Controllers
- Release Date: June 16, 2017
- Publisher: Freetale
- Developer: Freetale
MORE: Tom's Hardware's GDC 2017 Highlights
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Lander 8009 VR
Lander 8009 VR is a flight simulator like none that you’ve ever tried before. You are the pilot of a jetpack-powered armored suit (think Iron Man), and you have to prove your worth; the Icarus Program accepts only the best of the best to pilot their suits.
To show that you have what it takes to master the Icarus Program armored suit, you must complete more than 100 simulations that test your flying skills, intelligence, and aversion to mortal risk.
- Platforms: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
- Genre: Action, Adventure
- Input: Motion Controllers
- Release Date: June 16, 2017
- Publisher: Ivanovich Games
- Developer: Ivanovich Games
MORE: Tom's Hardware's GDC 2017 Highlights
MORE: Best Virtual Reality HMDs
Vindicta
Most VR FPS games offer one of three locomotion options: teleport locomotion, smooth locomotion, or no locomotion at all. Vindicta offers a fourth solution called arm swinger locomotion. It's similar to smooth locomotion, but the difference is that you swing your arms back and forth to determine the pace at which you’ll move in the virtual environment. The faster and harder you swing your arms, the quicker you’ll move in the game.
- Platforms: HTC Vive
- Genre: Action, Adventure, FPS
- Input: Motion Controllers
- Release Date: June19,2017
- Publisher: Game Cooks
- Developer: Game Cooks
