PlayStation VR: All the best game announcements so far

If you're thinking about getting into virtual reality in 2017, Sony thinks it has the best all-round package with its PlayStation VR.

While smartphone-based headsets are still the most accessible items on the market, the PSVR is the most affordable and user-friendly high-end VR experience you can buy. It's a £349.99 piece that plugs straight into a PS4, making it cheaper and down on power compared to the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, but serving up an experience not too far off the mark of its PC rivals.

Trusted Reviews calls it "simply the best virtual reality headset you can buy right now", and Alphr says: "PlayStation VR is, quite easily, the most compelling and exciting games product on the market."

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There's already a fairly broad amount of games you can play on the PSVR. Sony will throw in a demo disc with the headset and there's more available on the PlayStation Store.

However, if you'd like a full title or two to get your teeth stuck into, here are some of the games the critics think will thrill the most.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR

Although the original Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim launched five years ago, Bethesda's dragon-slaying role-playing game (RPG) will be getting the virtual reality treatment for PS VR players.

According to Polygon, it will "feature the entire game" as well as "all three official add-ons". These include the "Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn" expansion packs.

It's expected to arrive on the PS VR later this year.

The Inpatient

A follow-up to last year's Until Dawn horror game is heading to the PS VR, but it will have a completely different name to its predecessor.

The game, called The Inpatient, is "set 60 years before the events of Until Dawn" in "the creepy Blackwood Sanatorium", says EuroGamer.

A teaser trailer, which aired during Sony's E3 conference, indicates the game will be from a first person perspective where the player will be taunted by the voices of the Sanatorium's former patients.

There's no word on a release date, but more details could emerge at the PlayStation Experience show at the end of the year.

Moss

Unlike many of the games on this list, Moss is one of the few VR titles that is played from a third person perspective.

Announced at E3, Engadget says the adventure game will be similar to the Legend of Zelda franchise, although it "will deal with more puzzles than sword fights".

The site says players follow the story of a small mouse, called Quill, "as she solves the mystery of an ancient magic stone and defeats fearsome enemies."

Moss launches exclusively on the PS VR at the end of the year.

Job Simulator (£24)

Job Simulator is a VR game that's been available on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift for some time now and it forms a part of the PlayStation VR line-up too. It's one of the best games to try right out of the box, as it's simple, well-suited to VR and, according to The Guardian, "delightfully silly".

The game takes place in a highly interactive, cartoonish future world where players can try their hands at a mix of menial and skilled jobs with the opportunity for mischief along the way. It's "perfect for introducing friends to VR" and one of the best games to get you used to the system.

Rez Infinite (£25)

The Guardian also singles out Rez: Infinite as one of its top picks. It's a HD virtual reality-compatible remake of the original, which was available on the Dreamcast and PS2 in the early 2000s, and a psychedelic, sensory journey. Traversing through the surreal worlds and shooting enemies in rhythm creates awe-inspiring scenes. GamesRadar says it's a "no-brainer" for PSVR owners.

PlayStation VR Worlds (£25)

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VR Worlds is Sony's prime in-house launch game for the headset and is actually a collection of five smaller titles intended to show off the PSVR's capabilities as a whole.

The London Heist is the star of the show, says the International Business Times. It's a gritty tale of London gangsters, set in equally gritty surroundings. There are gunfights, boss battles and even virtual cut scenes that you'll find fun.

The other titles aren't quite as interesting, but Ocean Descent – which isn't actually a game – is an excellent experience if you just want to sit back and take in virtual reality. Like Job Simulator, VR Worlds is a good game to play to get acquainted with VR.

Eve Valkyrie (£42-£55)

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Virtual reality is a medium well suited to some experiences and fairly useless for others, but simulations of activities which require sitting – such as piloting spacecraft – are perfect.

EVE: Valkyrie is one of the biggest titles out for PSVR at the moment and it's Alphr's top choice at launch. If virtual reality action is what you're after – or you just like space - it's one of the games to consider as it’s all about spacecraft dogfighting.

"There isn't much that compares to fighting in close quarters in the vastness of space, surrounded by battleships and asteroids." VR only makes the experience more thrilling.

RIGS: Mechanized Combat League (£40-£50)

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If your stomach can handle the twists and turns of EVE: Valkyrie and you're after a bit more action, Rigs is one of the top action games you can buy for PSVR right now.

The game, one of the PSVR's flagship launch titles, revolves around futuristic, competitive robot combat. You're placed right in the driving seat of your very own Rig as you battle in arenas set in real-world locations. There are different game modes to play and robots to choose from and as it's a multiplayer title, you can battle others across the net.

DigitalTrends says it is very nearly "the first virtual reality eSport" and one of the most complete games for the system.

Tumble VR (£8)

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If you're after something a bit more taxing on the mind, Tumble VR is the best puzzle game for the PSVR right now. Based around the premise of building blocks, it's almost a virtual reality version of Jenga.

Tumble VR is a "very simple" game, The Daily Telegraph says, but one that is well executed and enjoyable. It can be played with either a Move controller or a standard DualShock 4. While not every player will find the physics-based puzzles their cup of tea, UploadVR says there's a lot of variety in the conundrums despite their simple concept. It's also cheap PSVR, at just £7.99 on the PlayStation Store.

Farpoint

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Farpoint is a cooperative first-person shooter that pits players against hordes of enemies on various alien planets.

Its shooting mechanics and gameplay are "immensely satisfying", says Trusted Reviews, and players will find "holding a big gun and killing things with proper aiming in virtual reality is brilliant".

This is helped by the Aim Controller accessory that launched with the game, which the site says has transformed the way gamers play first-person shooters in VR.

From a graphic standpoint, it "isn't a very attractive game" compared to other VR titles, continues the review, although this could be improved for PS4 Pro players with a patch to clean up some of the blurry textures.

In an attempt to reduce nausea, gamers "are by default disallowed from turning left and right" by using their head, The Guardian says. Instead, they manoeuvre "using a tiny control stick mounted on the gun controller".

Farpoint and the Aim Controller are available now and can be ordered from Game for £74.99, while the game by itself can be found for £44.99.

Statik

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Unlike many VR titles which offer familiar gameplay from a first-person prospective, Statik delivers a unique experience that requires players to use their heads to solve an array of mysterious puzzles.

Early footage sees players locked in a room with their hands encased in an obscure-looking puzzle box, says Destructoid. Gamers need to figure out how to solve the puzzle through "several minutes of trial and error" of twisting and turning different options on the box-like "handcuffs".

It's not known how the single player campaign will pan out or why the game's protagonist has their hands locked in a box, adds the website, but it's a "neat experience" that PS VR owners will be eager to try out.

Statik hits the stores on 24 April.