7 best games for PlayStation VR – Star Wars: Battlefront, Eve: Valkyrie, Psychonauts and more

By all accounts, virtual reality is going to be the 'next big thing', with industry giants from the social media, mobile and gaming sectors all looking to capitalise on the boom. As usual when it comes to driving forward new entertainment technology, video games will be on the VR front lines.

With the main players in the gaming sphere now showing their hands and with launch windows, specifications and pricing set for the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR (PSVR), the hubbub around the technology will soon make way for anticipation around the defining aspect of any unique gaming peripheral – the games.

With an October 2016 launch window and a £349 ($399) price tag, the PSVR's already has impressive line-up of new IP, spin-offs and experiments.

Here are IBTimes UK's most anticipated games for the PlayStation VR:

Star Wars: Battlefront

There is a temptation to say, 'well it's Star Wars' and end it there, but the announcement that the EA published, DICE developed online first-person shooter set in a galaxy far, far away is a PSVR exclusive is a gargantuan coup for Sony's foray into VR.

With the licence of a mega-franchise more relevant than ever after The Force Awakens and an established user-base already playing the vanilla-edition released in November for the PS4, Star Wars: Battlefront VR is the possibly the highest profile game for any virtual reality platform.

Walking underneath a hulking AT-AT in a Walker Assault VR battle? Sign us up.

RIGS Mechanised Combat League

Potentially the first virtual reality eSport, RIGS is a three-on-three multiplayer sports sim from the developer of the PS Vita exclusive Killzone: Mercenary. Combining mechs, basketball and first-person arena combat, RIGS is a possible sleeper hit for the PlayStation VR.

The most intriguing aspect of RIGS however, is the unique control scheme which primarily uses a standard DualShock 4, but also takes advantage of the headset's physical motion as the movement of the mech and aiming is influenced with turns of the head.

With class-based strategies, stunning day-glo graphics and a fully-fledged single player campaign to boot, Sony's Worldwide Studios arm could have a sleeper online-multiplayer hit on their hands.

Eve: Valkyrie

This highly publicised spin-off of the MMORPG space sim Eve Online, is looking to put players in the cockpit seat of online sci-fi dogfights and the preview builds have been absolutely stunning.

Bundled with the Oculus Rift at launch, Eve: Valkyrie is also a big-hitter for Sony's HMD and could revitalise the popularity of the space-shooter genre with the full 360 degree immersion of virtual reality.

We can only hope that it turns out slightly better than the last Eve offshoot for PlayStation, the anaemic free-to-play FPS Dust 514 that received a rough reception on its 2013 release for PS3.

Adr1ft

The sci-fi genre is well-represented in the PlayStation VR's line-up for a good reason. With virtual reality's inherent promise of a new level of immersive exploration, what better place to start than the uncharted reaches of space?

Evocative of the Academy Award-winning film Gravity (or Moon if you prefer your sci-fi cinema on the more cerebral side), puts the player in the spacesuit of an amnesiac lone survivor stranded on a wrecked, abandoned station in deep space.

Dubbed as a first-person experience (FPX), Ad1ft, despite the irritating superfluous digit in the name (Adr2ft for the sequel?), looks set to crank up the tension and suspense for a captive VR audience as you are tasked with exploring the devastation in the hope of salvation, all while managing oxygen levels and dwindling resources.

Rez Infinite

Originally released in 2001 as marquee title on the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast, Rez developed a cult following when it later launched on the PS2.

Ostensibly a standard rail shooter made up of wire-frame shapes and the colour palette of an Ibiza rave, Rez was transformed into an experience approaching the transcendental via its adaptive electronica soundtrack is the perfect mind-trip for PSVR.

Rez's hallucinogenic aural and physical feedback loop, dubbed 'synesthesia', could be enhanced exponentially by the immersive sensory quality of virtual reality, making Rez Infinite a truly exciting prospect.

Psychonauts: In the Rhombus of Ruin

Aside from a teaser trailer barely longer than ten seconds, this 'mid-quel' that fills the story gap between the niche 2005 classic Psychonauts and the upcoming crowd-funded sequel Psychonauts 2, we only really have pedigree of studio Double Fine to go on with In the Rhombus of Ruin.

But it is that pedigree that gives this bare-bones entry an edge over the crowd, as the mind of visionary creative Tim Schafer has already brought psi-cadets and a bureaucratic underworld into the gaming world, imagine what his company can do with VR.

While it could be just a brief stopgap before the full sequel, the chance to explore the warped egos of the Psychonauts characters in a virtual space has serious potential.

Cyber Danganronpa VR

Okay, so bear with me (pun intended) on this one as so far we have only seen shaky-cam concept footage, but developer Spike Chunsoft has expressed significant interest in turning its sublime tech demo into a full VR release.

For the uninitiated, Danganronpa (roughly translated to bullet refutation) and its sequel are Japanese visual novels that mixes elements of Battle Royale, Saw and the Ace Attorney series into an entirely unique oppressive high-school drama fronted by a maniacal, two-tone bear plush.

With rising popularity after a recent re-release on Steam, the PSP and PS Vita bringing the interpersonal teen drama, courtroom action and gruesome murder mysteries into a VR environment would only ratchet up the tension of the wonderfully offbeat series.

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