DreamVR announced action roguelite The Rifted Skies, its first consumer VR title, at today’s VR Games Showcase. It is coming to SteamVR and Meta Quest in Early Access later this year, with a Pico release also planned for a later date.
DreamVR, after years spent in LBE (location-based entertainment) VR experiences, is developing The Rifted Skies with an emphasis on real world movement over artificial thumbstick locomotion.
Here’s today’s announcement trailer:
Players run by swinging their arms and jump with upward arm movement with attacks, parries, and charged strikes also based on physical gestures. All movements, including slides, gliding, wall runs, and grapples can be done at full speed, making for physical, fast-paced gameplay.
The game is set in a long abandoned world slowly being consumed by a mysterious rift. Players traverse the world searching for answers while outrunning the rift and battling the creatures left in its wake. It features three different biomes, each with its own set of unique enemies and a final boss fight. Being a roguelite, temporary upgrades and unlockable abilities will be available during each run.
Regarding the game’s physically active design, DreamVR Game Director Victor Tsai has this to say:
In many VR games, I found myself missing the very essence of VR, when every button press broke my immersion just a little. With The Rifted Skies, we wanted players to feel like they’re inside the game, not like a person with controllers. Every mechanic goes through two questions: is it VR-native enough? Is it comfortable enough? If either answer is not a strong YES, we go back and redesign it.
The Rifted Skies can be wishlisted now on Steam and Meta Quest. It is planned to release in Early Access in Fall 2026, with a future release for Pico.
