THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST GAMES COMING TO A VR HEADSET NEAR YOU

keep talking and nobody explodes

Party games will never be the same again. Devilishly simple in design, and extra tricky in execution, KTANE places one player in a VR headset. Before them is a bomb, its timer slowly counting down. The other players have a real-life ‘How to disarm a bomb’ booklet in front of them, and must explain to their isolated teammate which wires to cut and more. Oculus Rift/PlayStation VR; released 2016

EVE: Valkyrie

Perhaps one of the most eagerly anticipated virtual-reality games (and one that’s been raking in the acclaim in both PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift forms) is actually a spin-off. Drawing inspiration from real-time strategy game and space economy simulator EVE, Valkyrie trades in the spreadsheets for all-out warfare in a starfighter’s cockpit. The first time you track another ship with your eyes and realise you can look around your own is unforgettable. Oculus Rift/PlayStation VR; released 2016

Robinson: The Journey

Coming from Crytek, the German developer-cum-publisher that brought us the Crysis series, Robinson: The Journey is another game based in the currently in-vogue prehistoric setting. Built from the ground up for VR, it sees you traversing a world filled with dinosaurs and other beasties. With the ability to explore 360 degrees of your alien environment, this is one to watch (and play). PlayStation VR; released TBC

Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation has the distinction of being one of the most unsettling games ever made, even when played on a regular screen. Immersed in the isolation (geddit?) of virtual reality, this first-person survival sim tasks you with avoiding a seven-foot xenomorph. Happen to stray into its path and you’ll feel queasy when you look down and see its razor-sharp tail sticking out of your torso. Luckily, virtual reality doesn’t incorporate a sense of touch… yet. Oculus Rift/PlayStation VR; released 2016