New Games and Technology Trends

According to Statista, the volume of investment in the Virtual Reality (VR) gaming sector will reach at least $ 18 billion by the end of 2025 indicating an annual growth of over 12.5%. The combined revenue from VR games globally reached $ 22.6 billion with projections forecasting a strong CAGR of over 30% until the end of 2032 if we are to believe Fortune Business Insights.

VR games clearly attract a growing audience of people seeking novelty and memorable experiences. While the biggest share of revenues is generated in North America (over 37.4% according to Fortune Business Insights), the undeniable growth is visible in all parts of the world.

The pool of potential clients in the virtual reality sector is growing rapidly. With the expansion of the market and trivialization of technology, we can expect a massive surge in VR games consumption by people of all demographics.

Here are current statistics that inspire such hopes:

• Over 70.8 million people in the US have engaged with VR technologies at least once a month in 2023 according to Enterprise Apps Today.
• A survey of over 5,000 consumers and 1,000 executives in the US by PwC revealed that 50% of respondents believe that virtual reality metaverses are "exciting".
• Statista states that over 80% of all surveyed hardware manufacturers believe VR technologies will become mainstream in the near future.
• ARTillery Intelligence reports that over 45% of virtual reality users are Gen Z with Gen Y following closely behind (38%).
• Lastly, over 70% of all hardware owners use it for VR games at least occasionally according to Finances Online.

We are seeing a diverse audience of VR technology users interested in gaming and entertainment. Any VR industry overview will immediately show that the sector is primarily focused on delivering new forms of entertainment which is the most promising direction for VR developers to explore.

Many VR games promise incredible experiences to their users regardless of their backgrounds. We strongly believe that some of the upcoming titles may change the way people think about virtual reality and VR/AR gaming.

It is hard to find a sci-fi and fantasy fan who has never heard of Alan Dean Foster, a New York Times best-selling author with some of the best fiction works in the genre forming the bulk of his resume. While he is well-known for his work with established franchises like Star Wars, Terminator, and Star Trek, his original books left a strong impression on audiences of all ages.

A recently formed Pomme studio is a newcomer to the VR industry. However, it has already secured a multi-license deal to bring many worlds conceived by the famed author to life. For Alan Dean Foster, this won’t be his first venture into the world of gaming. He wrote for multiple gaming projects in the past. This time, he is licensing original stories starting with Midworld.

Some rumors indicate that the game will be designed to support VR technologies and deliver an immersive experience to games already indulging in titles like Half-Life: Alyx, The Elder Scrolls V, and many others. The team of experienced VR developers and gaming industry veterans is helmed by Darryl Still who has already worked with Alan Dean Foster on original gaming projects before.

The details of the project are kept secret but we know that the release is planned for 2026 via the Steam platform.

Among other VR news, the spiritual successor to Superhot VR, COLD VR is taking the concept of VR games with shooting mechanics into a new direction. The idea is quite intriguing. Players have to always keep moving to avoid being swarmed by AI-controlled enemies. Time moves with increasing speed when you stand in place and freezes when you move and shoot.

VR developers working on this title decided to release the game on Steam, Horizon Store, and PlayStation Store on January 21. However, they had to postpone the launch to polish the gameplay and make it closer to the originally envisioned concept. Now officially released on February 11, 2025, COLD VR promises to be one of the most immersive VR experiences of the year.

The virtual reality world where the action takes place looks impressive. If there is one thing that the VR industry needs, it is projects like this one.

One of the hot topics in the world of VR news was the sudden drop of an update for Firewall Ultra, a team-shooter using VR technologies and acting as a successor to Firewall Zero Hour released over 7 years ago.

The new patch brings several crucial improvements to the game:

1. The amount of Ultra XP earned via playing is quadrupled.
2. The amount of Crypto (in-game currency) earned via playing is quadrupled.

On Reddit, many users have been complaining about the progression system while the gameplay was praised for its fidelity and smoothness after the first update that was rolled out before the studio developing the game closed. VR developers hoped for a bigger success but the title did not live up to expectations.

However, the recent increase in experience and crypto gains should attract new players. In VR news, many are discussing the rumors that the title will be added to PlayStation Plus soon in an effort to attract new audiences.

Several trends are making waves in VR news right at the beginning of 2025. Here are some of the most notable developments within the VR industry that you should be aware of:

• At the annual Game Developer Conference, 35% of all surveyed VR developers stated that they are developing for extended reality (XR) and hope to capture audiences of hugely popular platforms like Meta Quest, Steam VR, PlayStation VR, and Apple ARKit. These platforms were favored by the vast majority of VR developers. The GDC was all about the prevalence of XR projects in the VR industry.
• Among other VR news from the GDC, is the strong shift toward developing new virtual reality projects for Apple Vision OS from the focus on PlayStation VR. The former is prioritized by 26% of surveyed teams while the latter is in the eyes of only 25%. PlayStation VR2 was met with a cold shoulder from the gaming community with many users complaining about pricing and the lack of backward compatibility. It seems that it is still struggling to find its footing within the VR industry.
• Somnium VR1 price will be higher than expected. The Czechia-based team focused on delivering virtual reality devices has announced that the price for their premium lineup of VR headsets will go up and eclipse $ 3,000. The reason for the price hike is the commitment of the company to deliver the best virtual reality experience to PC users. Excellent field of view covering up to 140 degrees horizontally, up to 144 Hz refresh rate, and a 2,880×2,880 display will cost you over $ 4,425 (the top-of-the-line model).

Within the VR industry, the shift toward XR and premium VR platforms is more than just noticeable. Virtual reality is perceived as a product that will inevitably go mainstream but will reach the premium segment much faster.

The VR industry sees the potential in focusing on entertainment projects that appeal to the market and can be used personally or via providers like Anvio VR. People in VR parks sharing VR games and engaging with virtual reality products as a group is something that many VR developers are aware of and want to exploit.

VR technologies develop rapidly. According to Research and Markets, the global VR games industry is expected to reach a respectable size of $ 65.5 billion by 2030 with an estimated CAGR of 28.1%. XR Today claims that the number of jobs in the XR field will grow to 2.3 million in the US by 2030 with engineers benefiting from a 10% reduction in time to market and a 7% reduction in manufacturing time.

Virtual reality headsets are becoming better and faster with the VR industry answering the call from consumers to deliver higher resolutions (52% of users), comfortable hardware (44%), and higher quality audio (39%) according to G2.

Developers are focusing on delivering better virtual reality content and VR games. It is a good thing considering the findings of recent research by Capgemini revealing that 19% of experts believe that lackluster content is the biggest hurdle for the VR industry’s wider adoption.

It is hugely important to keep track of these developments and understand the impact of game-changing VR news on all businesses operating in the VR industry.