The most exciting VR games we can't wait to play in 2019

Blood and Truth

We had a chance to try Blood and Truth at EGX Berlin last year and were impressed by the slick gunplay made possible by the PlayStation Move controls. This gritty, realistic shooter has all the chops to deliver immersive action, with you actually feeling like you've got those guns on you (though fortunately the same can't be said for enemy bullets).

Sony London's game puts you in the shoes of a former elite soldier who takes on the criminal underworld of the UK capital, a kind of John Wick meets Guy Ritchie scenario. If we get a compelling story and interesting challenges to go with the top-notch gunplay, Blood and Truth will be the standout VR shooter of the year.

• Release: TBA
• Platform: PSVR

Asgard's Wrath

At GDC 2019, Oculus showcase one of the most ambitious VR games to date: Asgard's Wrath. RPGs are a popular genre in VR but many are still somewhat limited titles from indie studios, or in the case of Bethesda's Skyrim VR, suffering from a less-than-seamless adaptation from flat screen to VR.

Asgard's Wrath is a Rift-exclusive game inspired by Norse mythology that puts you in the helm of a godling developing their divine powers. The player can switch between 'god mode' as a floating spirit towering over the world, and possess the bodies of mortal heroes, wield different weapons that can brutally dismember enemies and recruit animal companions, transforming them with your divine power. With over 30 hours of content promised, this could potentially blow competitors out of the water and offer the deep Witcher 3-esque VR RPG we've been waiting for.

• Release:  2019
• Platform: Rift

Stormland

Robo Recall is one of our favorite VR shooter titles and Stormland looks to take the concept to the next level. It is an open-world shooter in which you play a robot warrior with who can rip up downed opponents to repair your own body and take their weapons for yourself. Just kill an enemy with a cool looking arm-mounted gun? Just pull off your own arm and socket in theirs!

Developer Insomniac promises multiplayer for co-op gameplay in VR, and has also teased that the island environments in the game will re-arrange into different forms to keep the game replayable and fresh. A new demo shown at GDC revealed impressive visuals, a voice-acted storyline, and different ways to move around - climbing, gliding, etc. the shifting island.

• Release: 2019
• Platform: Rift

The Soulkeeper VR

HELM studios have been working on The SoulKeeper for a while, and the latest version, The SoulKeeper VR 2.0 combines gorgeous visuals with the promise of an open fantasy world to explore and fight in. Much like Shadow Legend VR, this is an immersive fantasy adventure developed from the ground up for virtual reality, but we hope to see more freedom to explore and a longer playtime from The Soulkeeper VR.

• Release: 2019
• Platform: Vive, Rift

Population: One

Battle royale took over the gaming world in 2018, so it's only a matter of time before a Fortnite/PUBG/Apex Legends style game comes out for VR. Population: One by BigBox games has looting, shooting, building, gliding we know from Fortnite but the realistic, vaguely futuristic visual style reminds us more of PUBG or Apex Legends. Aside from the all-against-all format we expect from the genre, there will also be a single player mode to hone your skills against bots.

Aside from the all-against-all format we expect from the genre, there will also be a single player mode to hone your skills against bots.

• Release: 2019
• Platform: Rift, Vive, and Windows VR

Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot 

Bethesda is one of the few big name AAA studios leaning into VR, and this upcoming title in the legendary Wolfenstein series has you hack over-the-top Nazi war machines and pit them against, well...more over-the-top Nazi war machines. 

It may be satisfying to punch Nazis, but in this immersive shooter we'll also have the gratification of blasting, burning and bombing the seig-heiling villains.

• Release: 2019
• Platform: Vive, PSVR

Titan Arena VR

Do you remember just how awe-inspiring the gigantic creatures in Shadow of the Colossus were? Virtual reality can lend an even more breathtaking sense of scale to such encounters, and so fan, Titan Arena looks like our best bet in getting up close and personal with giants in VR.

Who will win in the arena? The gargantuan robotic death machine or a puny little human with hi-tech weapons and gadgets? Well, it all comes down to you in Titan Arena. 

• Release: 2019
• Platform: Rift, Vive, WMR

Zed

Shooters and exploration games are fun and all, but VR can also be a great platform to showcase more intellectual fare. Zed is a story-driven indie game that will be published by Cyan studios, who gave us the genre-defining Myst, back in the day. 

Zed tells the story of an aging artist who looks back on his life as creeping dementia begins to cloud his mind. reflecting on past years as dementia starts to creep in. While it's still early days, it seems like the goal of the game will be to collect memories of his life so that they can be preserved for a book written for his daughter, Charlotte. An interesting concept to be sure, and one that should stand out from the crowd.

• Release: 2019
• Platform: Rift, Vive, WMR

Jupiter and Mars

I'm getting strong Ecco the Dolphin vibes from the trailer for Jupiter and Mars, a game that has you follow a pair of advanced dolphins in the seas of a future Earth long after the fall of mankind. 

The game looks to be a visual treat, and you can explore the neon depths of the future with an AI partner or co-op with a friend. The freedom of view and movement afforded by an underwater environment is a great fit for VR (try out Subnautica's VR mode if you get the chance), and the haunting, dreamlike world teased in the trailer looks like something you could really lose yourself exploring.

• Release: TBA
• Platform: PSVR

Have you played any VR games? Which are you looking forward to trying this year?