Welcome to UploadVR’s Best of VR Awards 2024.
2024 was a very busy year in the VR industry and XR. New hardware and a number of VR games were released. We’re using the Best of VR Awards for 2024 to showcase some of this year’s most outstanding hardware and software. Each category will feature one winner and relevant honorable mentions.
Just like last year, our recognized winners and nominations are mostly games or experiences currently in full release. We’ve added awards to early-access projects and created new categories for this year. On Thursday we concentrated on
categories. We recognized the breakthrough work of Maestro with hand tracking and Figmin XR with mixed reality, and also highlighted some early work like Airspace Defender and Laser Dance that we’re hoping to see continue to develop in 2025.
Now on Friday, we’ve prepared UploadVR’s picks for Best of VR 2024.favorite newly released platform favoriteshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBvYoyhL7i4
Best Updated VR Gamemixed reality apps and hand trackingWhile 2024 has delivered an unprecedented wave of new releases, plenty of existing games have received noteworthy support. The music keeps coming for
as well as
also turned around the rocky PS VR2 launch, while
added regular new events. This is before you consider Beat Saber which was a key component in building the ambitious adventure game. Walkabout has a release schedule of $8 for two new destinations. The Synth Riders course and the Smash Drums are both new courses that showcase new ideas in gameplay. Walkabout’s paths through VR bring people into headsets for regular trips and the recent Drums Rock connects players on-the-go as well, as development studio Mighty Coconut moves toward giving you new reasons every week to spend time together in VR.Hellsweeper VRBest VR DeveloperAsgard’s Wrath 2Lucas Martell is the founder of Mighty Coconut and, as of 2024, he is employing a few dozen “coconuts” at the studio making Walkabout Mini Golf, including some recent hires near the end of the year. The coconuts are artists from all over the world, including Australia, who work from the Austin headquarters. Martell told UploadVR Mighty Coconut is self-funded and has no intention of selling the company. That means when the studio releases a new course for Walkabout on any platform, we expect a majority of the per course per platform fee to come directly under Martell’s control to support and grow the creative process he’s building with this team.Among Us VRWalkabout features forward-thinking design across releases on Steam, Quest, Sony, Pico, and iOS – there’s even support for iPad – and while they’re sticking to their six-week release cycle as much as for new courses going forward, the studio is also exploring ways to unlock new content and events in the game on a weekly basis.No Man’s SkyAccording to the studio, “60% of VR sessions” in Walkabout are multiplayer with a majority of users playing the game for 2 hours and many of them until the battery runs dead. The consistent slate of updates that continue is a common theme in each Walkabout course. The studio told us that players spent over 6 million hours playing the game collectively in 2024. We don’t usually write about such vanity metrics, but we find it noteworthy that Mighty Coconut told us the number was up by 23% compared to last year.
has started strong for PC VR survival, Walkabout Mini Golf offers an enjoyable multiplayer shooter that supports six player teams, while other highlights include Holiday Hideaway DLC, 8-Bit Lair, iOS version, and
Walkabout Mini Golf Review: Essential VR Worth Scheduling With Friends
Walkbout Mini Golf is out today on PSVR 2 and one of VR’s essential games on any platform. Our review:
.
This goes to
, a simcade racing game by Commuter Games that features full virtual controls. Though we believed the initial release was a bit sparse, we found a promising racer that’s won us over so far, and we can’t wait to see where it goes next.
Best New VR/AR Hardware
This year included multiple notable hardware releases.
Quest 3S lowered the price of entry to mixed reality and higher-quality standalone VR to just $300, and brought twins who equipped themselves with lengthy USB cables to keep themselves connected to a Meta headset for the first time. The year saw a number of notable hardware releases.
Why VR? Flying Through The Eiffel Tower With Your Sister
The twins live a time zone apart in lives driven by their schedules at work. But they make time for mini golf in VR.
was the first real Quest 3 rival, Logitech’s MX Ink provided a novel input method for spatial arts, Sony transformed PlayStation VR2 to a PC VR with the Into The Aether in 2025.
But
stands out by far as the most important. Not only does it mark the entry of the world’s biggest tech company into XR, it also introduced a number of significant firsts, most of which will be standard in all headsets eventually.
Apple Vision Pro is the first headset with ultra high resolution micro-OLED displays, making it the first truly suited to turn physical screens into software, including watching movies and conjuring whatever productivity setup you want, no matter where you are.
Its operating system is just as significant. visionOS goes far beyond any Android fork and even any major PC VR runtime, introducing a new concept of a Shared Space where as many windows as you want can run alongside multiple volumetric apps, and others can join you as realistic Bootstrap Island to interact within a shared coordinate space.FrenziesFurther, visionOS leverages Vision Pro’s eye tracking for a Into The Radius 2 interaction system that the rest of the industry is set to follow, including Last Stand, One True Path, Mecha Force, and more.
Yes, Apple Vision Pro is a $3500+ product for wealthy tech enthusiasts and early adopters, Downtown Club, and thus it isn’t having a direct impact for most consumers. Its influence over the industry, such as Meta’s Horizon OS or Google’s Android XR and its future, have earned it the hardware award of 2024.
Downtown Club Review-In-Progress: A Solid Chassis On Which To Build
Downtown Club is a fun but sparse early access VR racer with full virtual controls, beautiful visuals, and a promising future. Our review-in-progress.
was a mixed-reality shooter that looked promising.
, and
were both enjoyable adaptions of their respective series. Other highlights include the ability to use hand tracking in the dark, Pico 4 Ultra, $60 adapter,
and Apple Vision Pro.
Apple Vision Pro Review: A Heavy Portable Cinema & Monitor
At $3500, Apple sets huge expectations with Vision Pro. But does it deliver? And what’s it really like to own and use? Read our in-depth Apple Vision Pro hardware & software review here:
Ultimately, we’re choosing
. Fast Travel Games’ take on Prop Hunt is incredibly entertaining and makes great use of VR. Two agents are tasked with hunting down three aliens who can change shape. That’s only continued improving since full release thanks to regular updates like Spatial Personas,
and more maps.gaze-and-pinchFavorite PS VR2 Game Of The Year 2024Google & SamsungAs PlayStation VR2 enters its second year, it’s been a year mostly held up by multi-platform launches. My First Gran Turismo was the first PS VR2 title, but third-party developers brought us a number of big-hitters, including Meta and Immersed. Vertigo’s prequel to the flatscreen series was a strong storyteller with a “mesmerizing” tale of survival in the Moscow subway. We have reached our most important award of the year. This was another tough decision, with stiff competition in all areas.
,
, Spatial Ops, Exploding Kittens VR, and Just Dance VR.Contractors ShowdownJust like on Quest, our ultimate winner for VR Game of the Year 2024 is Into Black. Camouflaj’s hit action-adventure game delivered one of our strongest experiences yet, which feels right at home within the Arkham Universe. It’s an excellent second attempt at Batman’s virtual reality experience and we would love to see a studio produce a new Ghosts of Tabor soon. The caped crusader’s experience has never been better. A gripping story and solid action mechanics will keep you engaged. The most anticipated VR game of 2020 is Batman: Arkham Shadow. All of the following Human Fall Flat VRs are showing great potential: Iron Rebellion–
–Mannequin–mod support–new modes–
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–Arizona Sunshine RemakeSkydance’s Behemoth–Max Mustard–Trombone Champ: Unflattened–Vertigo 2 Alien: Rogue Incursion
Metro Awakening Review: A Mesmerizing Tale of Survival in Moscow’s Dark Underworld
Go deep underground into the Metro and experience the dystopian future of a post-nuclear apocalyptic Russia in Metro Awakening.
Arizona Sunshine Remake Skydance’s Behemoth 010010010 Max Mustard Trombone Champ: Unflattened UNDERDOGS Metro Awakening 010010 Our winner, a time-travel adventure game by Mighty Eyes, is Iron Rebellion. We’ve only seen a few screenshots, but it looks promising. It’s currently aiming for a launch in Q1 2025 across Quest and Pico, as well as Steam and PS VR2.