Who wouldn’t want to go to one of these VR games?
So many games brag about how immersed they are, but there’s always something that pulls you out of the game. A game can have amazing, smooth systems that make you feel like you’re a part of the world, but you’re still you, sitting in front of your computer or TV.
It will never be perfect, but VR adds a whole new level of immersion that makes it hard to take your eyes off of. It’s a level that makes you get a little closer to a world by having your own actions affect the game. VR is used in a lot of games, but some games that are already very immersive could be even more so if you could see what’s going on.
Death Stranding
Death Stranding is the first game made by Kojima Productions after they left Konami. It is all about trying new things, breaking new ground, and making connections. People are afraid to go outside because the world is broken and needs to be fixed. VR seems like the ideal friend.
Death Stranding already makes great use of the Dualsense controller, but imagine what it would be like with PSVR2. You still get the same haptic feedback and active trigger support, but now you can see how big the mountains are. Even turning around to see what you’re carrying on your back or using your own hands to hold it would be a big change in VR.
Elden Ring
Even though every game that FromSoftware makes looks great, Elden Ring stands out. In a huge open world, the game puts freedom first. It lets you drop into every corner of the world and explore at your own pace, finding all of its beautiful secrets.
The world of Elden Ring is huge, from the vast, plagued landscapes of Caelid to the sharp cliffs of Liurnia. With VR, the size would be completely different. But even fighting enemies would be a whole new adventure. Have you ever wanted to see a huge lobster with great attention to detail?
Dishonored
Arkane has always been thought of as one of the best game studios for making immersive sims. Their worlds are perfect, so you can really go wherever you want and do whatever you want, or just ignore it.
Even more than the creative freedom that the painterly world of Dishonored gives, the best part is just seeing their lives unfold. Even though it would be horrible to see someone die with your own eyes and hands, just sitting on the docks and watching life go by or looking down from a window would show you how much detail was put into their worlds.
The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 has gotten a lot of praise over the years, maybe even a little too much, but it’s still a very unique fantasy game. The Witcher 3 doesn’t use an American-centered idea of fantasy like most games do. Instead, it just takes real life and turns it into its own fantasy.
The world of The Witcher 3 feels lived in everywhere. Walking through painted houses in villages and broken cobblestone streets in Novigrad shows how people live. With VR, you could get a better look at all of this. You could even make the different signs with your own hand, drink Geralt’s potions, and aim his crossbow with something like accuracy while you were in battle.
Ghostwire Tokyo
If you could say one thing about Tango Gameworks, it would be that its games are never the same. Even though most of their books are on the scary side, none of them are the same. For example, Ghostwire Tokyo is an amazing recreation of Tokyo that brings a lot of its folklore to life.
Ghostwire already has VR mods, which make it an interesting experience, even though it’s only visual. Since it is already first-person, Penalty Kick Online would be a great game to port to VR. Finger tracking would make it even better. Drawing the different seals, making the movements for Akito’s powers, and just seeing the beauty and color of that world up close were all things he did.
Metro
The Metro games have always been praised for how well they put you into the world. The first two games in the series are known for having a claustrophobic feel, but Exodus takes players on a grand journey to the surface, giving them a whole new view of the series.
VR would also give a completely new view. Imagine sneaking through the subway and hearing sounds all around you, and then all of a sudden something attacks you and breaks your mask. Having to use your own hands to get rid of dirt in your way. Having to pay attention to the small details of your weapons that you can see and touch.
Xenoblade Chronicles
Anyone who has played a Xenoblade game can tell you what makes them unique and what they all have in common: the environments are huge. It’s over the top in every way, but it’s also the series’ signature, and Xenoblade just wouldn’t be the same without it.
VR might not seem like the right one at first. You could really see how big things were, but is that enough? But combat is all about where you stand, and it would be so much more interesting if you could physically move around enemies to get the upper hand. Plus, think about having to run away while a level 120 monster chases you.
Assassin’s Creed – Discovery Tour
Because Ubisoft is such a big company, they can keep putting money and developers into the Assassin’s Creed games. Only a small number of people can make worlds as big as theirs, and no one else can make them as quickly.
But the worlds they make don’t feel very alive, and VR isn’t going to change that much. Instead, it would make the Discovery Tour part much more interesting. Instead of just reading blocks of text, it would be much better to be able to look at all the details they put into buildings, food, and everything else.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Even though Rockstar’s mission structure hasn’t changed much since the PS2 days, their worlds have always gotten better. Red Dead Redemption is a great example of this, with cities full of people who act and plants and animals living their own lives in the wilderness.
Rockstar didn’t want you to miss any of the details of their Wild West, so Red Dead Redemption 2 already has a first-person mode. Even though the control scheme is different, it can sometimes be at odds with itself. VR could get rid of a lot of this and make it more relevant to how you move. It would be an unbeatable feeling to use your own fists to win a bar fight or slowly reach for your gun during a duel.
The Sims
You are playing The Sims. You’ve spent years decorating your home, starting a family, getting a job, and taking care of one or two pets. It’s been a good life, but you feel like your work isn’t recognized enough. Do you ever wish you could get a better look at the house you’ve designed?
There is a first-person mode in The Sims 4 that can help with this, but VR could make it more like a God game. You can move around your house as a ghost, but you can also decorate with your own hands. Move your Sims around as if they were dolls. It would be like playing with your toys when you were a child, but with the power you thought you had at the time.