The best virtual reality releases for 2019

Virtual reality has been a dream for several decades but that dream has finally come true over the past couple of years. Headsets like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Samsung Gear VR have made it possible for gamers to completely immerse themselves in eerily realistic surroundings. Minecraft VR, Star Wars Battlefront: Rogue One X-Wing VR Mission and EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone have become a few the more popular VR gaming titles while open world multi-player VR games like Nostos are giving us a taste of things to come.

As great as VR is these days, it has a long way to go before it reaches its full potential. VR is still relatively expensive and most people have yet to try it out although the number of regular users is on the rise. One thing certain to create more interest in VR is the availability of exciting new VR titles that appeal to a wide range of VR gaming enthusiasts. There is something for everyone coming out in 2019.

Population: One

Fans of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite will be quick to embrace Population: One when it is released in 2019. Population: One will be a thrilling battle royale shooter that is played in teams or as a free-for-all deathmatch with up to 24 players. Players can scale tall buildings, build forts and fly. As one would expect, shooting and kicking the tar out of opponents is also a big part of the game. Once a player has been knocked out of the game, there are a few different ways for them to watch the rest of the action. With Fortnite: Battle Royale being one of the most popular games in 2018, it looks like Population: One could be one of this year’s smash hits as it has taken it to the next level.

Vacation Simulator

There are plenty of VR games that are combat-based in which you always have to have your head on a swivel and be ready for anything. As the title suggests, Vacation Simulator is a complete departure from the frantic pace of those action games yet many people will find it rather amusing and far from boring. Available for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, players use teleportation nodes to indulge in different leisurely activities. Logic challenges, shopping, and other quests such as building sandcastles are just a few of the ways to spend some quality vacation time. You can even visit a fully stocked cabana where you can grill your favourite holiday meal. This looks like the perfect VR game for people who love to kick back and take it easy.

Blood and Truth

Blood and Truth was slated for release in 2018 but fans of realistic first-person shooters will have to wait until 2019 to assume the role of elite soldier Ryan Marks. Marks’s mission is to rescue his family from evil captors and he must overcome a plethora of tough situations to do it. As generic as this game might seem, the creators of Blood and Truth have added some very realistic elements to the gameplay. For instance, players must manually reload their weapons which is something that is automatically done and taken for granted in most other games. This presents a challenge if you happen to be pinned down in a vulnerable position. You better know how many shots you have left in your clip.

ZED

Virtual reality fans that want to introduce their children to the wonders of VR gaming without exposing them to violence will be drawn to ZED which plays out as a story and will be released in conjunction with a children’s book. The story surrounds an ageing artist who is suffering from dementia. The object of the game is to reassemble his broken memories so that the story of his life and career can be passed on to his granddaughter. ZED has been described as a surreal trip and a bittersweet story.

Defector

One thing that so many games lack is replay value. Sure, they might be fun to complete a couple of times but their storyline gets old and the action becomes repetitive. That isn’t the case with Twisted Pixel’s Defector which will soon be released. Scaling tall buildings, skydiving, and action-packed foot chases are just a few of the things that players can do between shootouts and drag-’em-out brawls. Perhaps the best feature of this game is that the course of missions vary which means that the game won’t be the same the second or third time around. The visual environment is stunning and the in-game tutorials will make you a virtual action hero in no time.

Conclusion

Virtual reality gaming is still in its infancy but it is quickly evolving. The technology is becoming more affordable, and it isn’t a stretch to think VR platforms will take over the gaming world in the not-too-distant future. New innovations in virtual and augmented reality such as PlayStation’s 3DRudder eye-tracking technology, cyber shoes and NordicTrack’s VR Bike continue to open up more possibilities. The VR games we are expecting in 2019 are amazing. Imagine what we have to look forward to in five or ten years?

The editorial unit