You only need to take a look at VRFocus’ ‘Best Oculus Rift Games of 2018‘ to see some of the awesome content the PC-based headset has managed to deliver over the course of 2018. So now it’s time to look towards the future and the next 12 months. VRFocus has chosen five virtual reality (VR) videogames that you should be keeping an eye on, some due very soon while others are a bit more ambiguous in their release windows.
The Best Oculus Rift Games Coming in 2019
Lone Echo II – Ready at Dawn
While not entirely a surprise, Ready at Dawn’s sci-fi sequel Lone Echo II was certainly the biggest videogame announcement during Oculus Connect 5 (OC5) a few months ago. It continues the story of Jack and Liv from where Lone Echo left off, with a teaser trailer showing Liv fixing the players robotic character Jack. Exclusive to Oculus Rift, few other details have been released regarding how Ready at Dawn plan to expand the storyline or the expansion of features. This info will probably arrive during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March.
Lone Echo II only has a release window of 2019 at the moment.
A Fisherman’s Tale – InnerspaceVR
While most of the videogames on this list don’t offer a specific launch date, InnerspaceVR’s mind-bending puzzle experience A Fisherman’s Tale most certainly does. A single-player puzzle adventure, A Fisherman’s Tale is all about thinking outside the box, as the title plays with dimensions and scale. It’s only through interacting with the central lighthouse model as Bob the fisherman that the puzzles can be solved and Bob can turn the lighthouse on.
A Fisherman’s Tale is a multiplatform release, being published by Vertigo Games on 22nd January.
Stormland – Insomniac Games
VR veterans Insomniac Games (The Unspoken, Edge of Nowhere, Feral Rites) are looking to dominate 2019 with ambitious open-world adventure Stormland. Another sci-fi epic that’s going to be competing against Lone Echo II for players attention, Stormland puts you in the role of a robot who just happens to be a gardener on a lush alien planet. That was until The Tempest shattered your android body, so you must head out across the planet to augment yourself and save your friends. The title will feature both single-player and multiplayer options, with players having complete freedom to run, climb and fly across the expansive terrain.
Stormland is another Oculus Rift exclusive which has a tentative 2019 release window.
Defector – Twisted Pixel
2019 definitely seems to be the year Oculus Rift developers are pushing the technology harder than ever, aiming to offer VR fans even richer and more hands-on experiences. Wilson’s Heart studio Twisted Pixel in conjunction with Oculus Studios is working on a spy adventure called Defector. First revealed as part of Oculus Rift’s second anniversary, Defector is a high octane homage to all those great spy movies, with ridiculous stunts, plenty of guns, cars, and of course a little gambling.
Exclusive to Oculus Rift, Defector was originally due for release in 2018, but slipped into 2019 for undisclosed reasons. No specific launch date has yet been confirmed.
Unannounced Title – Respawn Entertainment
This is the big mystery on this list – which also makes it the most exciting. Respawn Entertainment is the studio behind Titanfall and Star Wars Battlefront. The team announced work on a VR title back in 2017 – and no it’s not based/related to either of those titles – and have been super secretive ever since. No title for the project has been revealed, not even a teasing image or two, just a 2019 date and the knowledge that Respawn Entertainment looks to be playing to its strengths with job listings describing a “AAA VR shooter game”.
Only the Oculus Studios logo has been seen next to Respawn’s, so this looks to be another Oculus Rift exclusive, due out at some point this year.