Sony announced 11 more games for the new PlayStation VR2 on Wednesday, along with the unit’s launch date and (hefty) price. As the PlayStation VR2 will not be compatible with games for the original PlayStation VR, the newer system’s launch library is of particular importance to potential buyers.
Of the 11 games announced Wednesday, some have name recognition, perhaps not to the degree of Horizon Call of the Mountain or Resident Evil Village. And if neither of those can move a PS VR2 off shelves at $549.99, it’s a good bet that The Dark Pictures: Switchback, the best looking title among the new-for-PS VR2 games revealed Wednesday, won’t do the trick either.
The latest announcement did not mention the single-copy cost of new PS VR2 titles. The base edition of a new PlayStation 5 title can go for $69.99. The only PlayStation VR2 bundle that includes a game packs in Horizon Call of the Mountain, for a total price of $599.99 — which means we can expect that game to go for at least $50.
Here are the five launch titles for PlayStation VR2 that we knew about before Wednesday, coming from a comment Sony Interactive Entertainment boss made in May, when he said PS VR2 would have 20 “major” games at launch.
- Horizon Call of the Mountain — Obviously, SIE is looking at this adaptation of Guerrilla Games’ Horizon franchise to be the table-setter for PlayStation VR2. Developers at a hands-on event in September said the game will provide an all new story in a six- or seven-hour experience. “Compared to the other games on display, Call of the Mountain seemed like the one most custom-built for the new headset,” we said at the time.
- Resident Evil Village — Capcom announced at June’s State of Play event that the 2021 survival horror hit would get PlayStation VR2 support through the PlayStation 5 version of the game. A release date for that support package was not specified, but the good news is fans who already have the game for PS5 essentially have a free game waiting if they go the VR2 route.
- No Man’s Sky — Also in June, Hello Games announced that No Man’s Sky, the studio’s six-year-old live-service sci-fi adventure, was “in development for PlayStation VR2.” It sounds like that will be a support update for the existing PlayStation 5 version, which launched in November 2020. That’s how Hello rolled when it brought No Man’s Sky to the original PSVR in 2019.
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners — Chapter 2: Retribution: This is an entirely new game, launching for Meta Quest on Dec. 1. It’s the sequel to The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, which launched in early 2020 for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Valve Index. A PS4/PSVR version will also launch with the PS VR2 version.
- Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge — Enhanced Edition: The original version of this VR-only adventure launched for Quest headsets at the end of 2020. A port is only planned for PlayStation VR2.
Now, of 11 games announced on Wednesday three are all-new:
- The Dark Pictures: Switchback — From Supermassive Games, this is a spinoff of the first season of The Dark Pictures Anthology, which premiered in 2019 with Man of Medan and winds up on Nov. 18 with The Devil in Me. Although not an all-new IP, per se, this game is exclusive to PlayStation VR2. None of the preceding Dark Pictures games have been adapted to VR systems, though Supermassive previously delivered a rollercoaster-themed spinoff of another of its horror games, Until Dawn, called Until Dawn: Rush of Blood.
- Crossfire: Sierra Squad — Smilegate’s multiplayer shooter, very popular in Asia, came west to consoles with CrossfireX for Xbox One and Xbox Series X back in February. “Play as the leader of an elite fireteam in the middle of a war over a top-secret biochemical weapon that has recently been discovered,” Smilegate says on PlayStation Blog.
- Hello Neighbor: Search and Rescue — Although critically panned, 2017’s Hello Neighbor from publisher TinyBuild nonetheless spawned a robust franchise. A sequel is expected by the end of 2022, a prequel launched in December 2018, and Search and Rescue is its first VR adaptation. It will also launch for the original PlayStation VR.
Four games are adaptations of existing virtual reality games, whether for PlayStation VR or other headsets.
- After the Fall
- Cities VR — Enhanced Edition
- Jurassic World Aftermath Collection
- Zenith: The Last City
And another four are all-new VR games from smaller independent developers:
- The Light Brigade
- Cosmonious High
- Pistol Whip
- Tentacular
PlayStation VR2 launches Feb. 22, 2023. Pre-orders start Nov. 15, beginning through PlayStation’s online store. Customers can register for a virtual spot in line for that.