Top VR Games of 2024: Our Game of the Year Selections

We’ve ventured another year into this ever-evolving medium that continues to redefine itself. Nearly a decade on, VR has defied expectations, growing and transforming in profound ways that reshape gaming, creativity, and connectivity.

In 2024, we’ve hit numerous milestones, finally witnessing the undeniable potential that VR holds. It’s not just about the big-name, ‘AAA’ games, though those certainly help. This year has seen the launch of highly anticipated big releases as well as ambitious indie projects, proving that VR is not just a niche market but one that offers real profitability for developers and endless excitement for gamers.

What’s notable this year is the emphasis on refinement. Developers have taken what they’ve learned over the past decade to enhance VR in the areas of comfort, immersion, and accessibility. Whether it’s through innovative mechanics, captivating stories, or stunning visuals, 2024 has truly been a year of celebration with much anticipation for what lies ahead.

With that said, here are Road to VR’s 2024 Game of the Year Awards:

Skydance’s Behemoth

• Developer: Skydance Games
• Available On: Quest, PSVR 2, PC VR
• Release Date: December 5, 2024

PC VR games serve a special purpose. Unlike Quest, which is the most common standalone VR platform, or PSVR 2, made possible through the smart use of PS5 hardware, PC VR allows enthusiasts to push their systems to the limits, maximizing detail and clarity.

But immersion isn’t just about visuals. It’s about crafting a convincing environment, authentic NPCs, soundscapes that envelop you, and scenes that make you sit up and pay attention. Few games have achieved this in VR’s relatively short history, and Skydance’s Behemoth is one of those exceptional few.

This game is really the culmination of lessons in VR design. Skydance Games, the creators of The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners (2020), have applied what they learned about physics-based melee and in-depth worldbuilding to Behemoth.

From the moment you face your first Behemoth, you’re smartly encouraged to use all the skills you’ve acquired, from climbing and swinging with a grappling hook to shooting distant targets with a bow. Ultimately, how you handle every situation is up to you. Will you upgrade one of the game’s three Legendary weapons or fight the game’s agile enemies with their own gear, like katanas, throwable daggers, or an incredibly hefty buster sword with real weight and power?

Behemoth showcases VR gaming at its finest, earning it our top PC VR award and a spot on our must-play VR games list. Our detailed (and spoiler-free) review has all the details.

Batman: Arkham Shadow

• Developer: Camouflaj
• Publisher: Oculus Studios / Meta
• Available On: Quest 3/S (exclusive)
• Release Date: October 21, 2024

Batman: Arkham Shadow is a game that could easily have never come to light. Reviving a franchise without a main entry for nearly ten years, and doing so with none of the original studios, plus redesigning the established gameplay for VR was a risky move.

Yet Camouflaj rose to the challenge, creating a game good enough to earn our 2024 Quest Game of the Year title.

The studio understood the challenge wasn’t about simply porting an Arkham game to VR. Instead, they took on the task of capturing what makes an Arkham game feel unique and kept those essential elements while reimagining the mechanics for VR.

Every game aspect had to be reconsidered, particularly the trademark Arkham combat. Batman’s signature fighting style required intense focus on dealing with multiple enemies at once, a task the developers managed by integrating motion and control uniquely adapted for VR.

Camouflaj invented an innovative solution: merging guided motion with movement, allowing players to strike enemies with a fist-swinging charge. By the end, players feel they can conquer any enemy that comes their way.

Indeed, Camouflaj overcame numerous design challenges to create one of the Quest platform’s finest offerings.

Metro Awakening

• Developer: Vertigo Games
• Available On: PSVR 2, Quest, PC VR
• Release Date: November 7, 2024

The Metro game series, known for its immersive post-apocalyptic world, has made fans dream of a VR adaptation for years, and in 2024, their dreams became a reality.

You might question why people opt to dive into the drab and gritty world of Metro Awakening in VR when there are brighter alternatives. But thanks to Vertigo Games’ VR expertise, they’ve transformed this shadowy world into an exhilarating experience. Like Batman: Arkham Shadow, the developers precisely tapped into the Metro series’ core, bringing its essence to VR while creating new designs tailored for the platform.

The game delivers a collection of exciting new weapons that feel remarkably tangible in VR. The crossbow and shotgun both boast exquisite, interactive designs—true to the series’ DIY ethos—and provide immense satisfaction to operate. The game’s adversaries feel both menacing and vulnerable, offering a gratifying reward for precise shots and stealthy tactics.

Vertigo’s clever, immersive inventory system avoids cumbersome menus with a diegetic backpack system on each shoulder for weapons and key items, enhancing the game’s realism. Additionally, the soundscape and surroundings create a lingering unease that keeps players on edge.

Metro Awakening claimed our award for Excellence in Immersion, with its design and engineering driving player engagement through immersive gameplay elements, extraordinary weapons, and a chilling atmosphere.

Starship Home

• Developer: Creature
• Available On: Quest 3/S (exclusive)
• Release Date: September 26, 2024

Despite VR headsets, like Quest 3, not fully mastering spatial recognition, Starship Home makes strides in mixed reality (MR) gaming, becoming the first MR game in our awards due to its exploration of Quest’s limits.

The game transforms your physical space into a vital part of the experience, encouraging players to use their environments interactively with modules that simulate your room as your ship. Starship Home pioneers what is possible in mixed reality, proving MR isn’t just a bonus but a critical feature in new experiences.

Overall, Starship Home marks a vital stepping stone in MR. The game’s engaging blend of ship management and sci-fi gardening makes it a compelling match for classic VR games, leveraging MR to elevate the experience. For more insights, see our extensive review.

UNDERDOGS

• Developer: One Hamsa
• Available On: Quest, PC VR
• Release Date: January 25, 2024

UNDERDOGS, developed by One Hamsa, has clinched awards for Excellence in Locomotion and Indie Development. It’s an irony of sorts since their initial game, Racket: Nx, had no player movement to speak of, yet was designed intuitively around this constraint.

In UNDERDOGS, movement was central to development. Players maneuver squat mechs using their arms to glide and swing around environments, offering a surprisingly agile means of exploration and combat—a remarkable sensation considering the bulky machinery players drive.

Players can also weaponize movement by slamming into foes, creating the exhilarating feeling akin to a sumo match. Philosophically, this adds to the sense of embodiment, as players feel more immersed as the mech becomes an extension of themselves.

Innovative movement and combat dynamics are why UNDERDOGS secured accolades for both superior locomotion and indie game creation.

Blade & Sorcery

• Developer: Warpfrog
• Available On: PC VR, Quest
• Release Date: June 17, 2024

The single developer of Warpfrog’s initial Blade & Sorcery could have easily left it as a highly modifiable, ultra-realistic combat sandbox. Since its launch in Steam Early Access in 2018, the game has delivered some of the most visceral VR melee combat available.

Over the years, Warpfrog expanded to nearly 30 people, all dedicated to enhancing the game’s immersive combat with new content, such as diverse maps and unique weapons. Audiences eagerly awaited something more cohesive and meaningful to unite these updates. Then, in June, Blade & Sorcery finally delivered the ‘Crystal Hunt’ story mode with its 1.0 release, bringing fresh life to the franchise.

As of now, the game rests ‘complete’, pairing its revered mechanics with a narrative-driven experience. Warpfrog is eager to further explore the combat genre, already embarking on plans for a new project. Kudos to Warpfrog, for fulfilling their promises and leveraging their success for more ambitious visions.

Trombone Champ: Unflattened!

• Developer: Flat2VR Studios, Holy Wow Studios
• Publisher: Flat2VR Studios
• Available On: Quest, PC VR, PSVR 2
• Release Date: November 26, 2024

Trombone Champ charmed the rhythm genre with its quirky trombone fun upon its initial Steam release in 2022. Its viral status on social media only propelled its popularity further.

But Holy Wow Studios wasn’t versed in VR. Enter Flat2VR, a team of passionate modders now established as a studio in its own right. Flat2VR is renowned for creating VR ports of 30+ "flat" games, including unofficial versions of Half-Life 2 and Doom. Trombone Champ: Unflattened! is the first official VR port among a growing list of upcoming releases from them.

Transforming a fundamentally 2D game into a VR experience wasn’t as simple as adding VR cameras. This adaptation involved rebuilding the game from scratch, translating the iconic charm into an entertaining VR trombone performance.

Trombone Champ: Unflattened! proved successful, garnering high scores across various platforms. If Flat2VR maintains this quality across future releases, traditional gaming studios will surely take notice of the studio’s outstanding VR conversion expertise.

Note: Games eligible for Road to VR’s Game of the Year Award must be publicly available by December 20, 2024, and must natively support the target platform for full functionality.