26 EXCITING NEW Upcoming Quest 2 Games

I just got back from Gamescom, one of the biggest gaming conventions in Europe. There were so many VR games that I didn’t have time to try them all, and I think it was its best year for VR so far. This is my list of 26 upcoming Quest 2 games (some also coming to other headsets), with my impressions of the ones I played there, and at the end some quick updates on games I’d mentioned before. Release dates are as announced in August 2022. (Surfshark sponsored this video. That paid for our time, not for the picks.)

Upcoming Quest 2 games I tried at Gamescom

These are the ones I got my hands on.

• Hellsweeper VR. A roguelike combat game in a hellish fantasy world, where your never-ending task is to wipe out the twisted souls of the underworld. You cast gesture-controlled spells and combine them into more powerful ones, you can slow time, and there are no limits on movement. I loved the variety, but hitting enemies felt a bit bland. I only had about 15 minutes, so I’ll look again when it releases in Q4 2022.
• Broken Edge. A fantasy dueling game where you play historical sword fighters, stepping back and forth as you fight with unique weapons and techniques. You have to master each character’s martial arts style to climb the ranks. Challenging to master, but I think it’ll be extremely fun. Coming this fall.
• A time-loop puzzle shooter (my favourite of the show). It looks like a simple shooter, but you play with time loops and clones of yourself to solve mind-bending challenges, so you plan ahead and cooperate with yourself. It gets messy: I saw myself doing things I hadn’t noticed were so stupid. I laughed a lot and didn’t want to stop. No release date yet, a level editor is planned after launch, and there’s a free demo now.
• A new adventure from MyDearest. I expected something like their Tokyo Chronos, which I enjoyed but which was a visual novel without much interaction. The demo surprised me: the visual novel parts are still there, but you walk around, explore and solve puzzles that feel like little escape rooms. If you love anime, watch this one. It releases on 22 September.
• Pathcraft. A puzzle platformer inspired by 90s classics, played with controllers or hand tracking. You guide a tiny friend who walks forward mindlessly by placing blocks and solving puzzles. It looks simple, but the levels grow and get really challenging. Coming this year.
• A Quest 2 version of a PC VR horde game. Quick arcade action with weighty, impactful combat, hordes of undead, and a hookshot to zip around the map. It felt like the SteamVR version, plus two-player co-op, which I think is a great addition. Early 2023.

Adventure, horror and story games

• Intercosmos. A space simulator where you sit in a realistic space capsule and have to master the systems that keep you in orbit and breathing. The fate of the world depends on you not screwing up. It throws you into total chaos on purpose, the kind that makes you smile. September 2022.
• Genotype. A sci-fi game set in an Antarctic research base taken over by an alien life form. To escape, you use a device that 3D prints living creatures, for example possessing a small animal to get into tight spaces, or printing creatures that cut cables. The developers gave us an exclusive look for this video. The footage is early, but it looks unique. Announcement expected in early 2023.
• Into the Radius. A single-player survival shooter, similar to the SteamVR version I enjoyed. You’re in an infected zone cut off from the outside and have to reach its centre while surviving deadly anomalies. On Quest in September.
• The Last Worker. A first-person narrative adventure about struggling in an increasingly automated world. I’m not sure yet if it’s a game or more of an experience, but the art style looks impressive and the developers have made good horror games. Due this year.
• Killer Frequency. A horror comedy set in a 1980s Midwestern American town. You’re a radio host while a serial killer goes after your listeners. I’m a giant horror baby, but I’d love a scary-movie kind of game, though the trailer looks scarier than I dare to play. This year on Quest 2 and SteamVR.
• Propagation: Paradise Hotel. The sequel to the horror game Propagation VR: a single-player atmospheric game where you escape a creepy hotel full of the undead. Weapons are limited because the developers focus on handling objects, and sometimes running away and hiding is smarter. Late 2022 on Quest 2.
• Ghostbusters VR. We can finally strap on a proton pack. The trailer shows little beyond iconic gear to trap, track and blast ghosts, in single player or four-player co-op. Expected in 2023.

Shooters and action

• Compound. A tough-as-nails pixel-art roguelite and one of the best-rated VR games on Steam. I love any pixel art game and this one is really fun. Coming this year.
• Gambit. A campaign-driven four-player shooter in a world of gangs, guns and mayhem, from the developers of Zero Caliber. It works in single player, but looks most fun in multiplayer. This year on Quest 2 and SteamVR.
• A chaotic alien roguelite. A shooter full of insanity where you build weapons to face hordes of crazy aliens that can ride any vehicle they want. Every run brings something new. I love its art style and humour. This year on Quest 2 and SteamVR.
• A four-player tower defence game. You stand on top of a tower defending it from hordes on every side. I worried it would just be a wave shooter, but you can upgrade weapons and repair the tower between waves. No release date yet.
• A VR arcade fighting game from the Synth Riders developers. Classic arcade fighting with the same colourful futuristic style. I’ve wondered what a Street Fighter-style game in VR would be like, so I’m really excited. 2023.
• A helicopter game from the makers of Warplanes. The trailer shows only one of the helicopters, but Warplanes was well received, so I hope this is similar. No date yet, on Quest 2, Pico and other major headsets.

Casual, creative and party games

• Townscaper VR. A cozy city builder where you plop down cute houses, roads and other pieces to make your own village. No objective, a bit like Lego without picking the pieces, and meant to be relaxing. It has great reviews on flat screens and is coming to Quest and other headsets soon.
• A god game coming from SideQuest. This popular SideQuest title gets an official Quest 2 store launch: build a world from scratch and guide humanity from the Stone Age to the modern era and beyond. I loved the demo years ago. Around September.
• A new hand-tracking multiplayer game from a studio known for making you laugh. The trailer is pure teaser, with no gameplay. The studio calls it its most ambitious project yet, and since hand tracking will be big on future headsets, it seems built with that in mind.
• A physics comedy from the makers of What the Golf. Same silly physics humour, but in VR, with baseball bats for hands for every random scenario you can think of. I didn’t have time to try it, but people told me it’s really good. This year on Quest 2 and SteamVR.
• A VR cornhole game. 50-plus bags and boards and five halls to explore. Not sure it’s for me, but it fits with other casual arcade sims. Out within a week of this video.
• A pass-the-headset party game. You play with friends by handing the headset around the table, with easy minigames like catching fireflies and fishing. An interesting idea, but I’m not sure there’s a market for it and it doesn’t look very polished yet. No date, but there’s a beta.
• Librarian. Not a game but a study aid: you build a memory palace for better long-term memory. I always thought VR would be perfect for learning. I’m not studying anymore, so tell me if it helps. September on Quest 2.

Updates on games I covered before

• Bonelab, the Quest 2 follow-up to Boneworks: a developer has been sharing features, especially mapping your real body in-game. You can fine-tune height, chest, bust, waist, hips, wingspan and inseam. The hype is real.
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution was shown at Gamescom. The chainsaw mechanics are epic.
• A stealth shooter sequel I had a hands-on with is coming in November. I love what they’ve done, and more in a later video.
• Still no news on Among Us VR, GTA San Andreas or the Assassin’s Creed VR game, and Splinter Cell VR was sadly cancelled.

What I’m most excited about

My favourite from Gamescom was the time-loop shooter, with Broken Edge, Pathcraft and the MyDearest adventure close behind, and I’m really curious about the arcade fighter from the Synth Riders team. There are more games I’m not allowed to mention yet. It’s going to be an exciting year for VR games, and for hardware too.