A year of horror, physical combat, narrative tension, chaotic comedy, artistic journeys—and a universe that never stops expanding.
The 2025 TGA VR/AR nominee list shows just how diverse VR content has become. From suffocating horror to physics-driven combat, from psychological storytelling to chaotic action and quiet atmospheric walks, this year’s lineup spans the entire spectrum.
The five nominees—Alien: Rogue Incursion, Arken Age, Ghost Town, Marvel’s Deadpool VR, Midnight Walk—each bring a distinct flavor of VR. Add to that No Man’s Sky, which continues to expand its VR mode year after year, and 2025 feels like a standout season for VR players. Notably, No Man’s Sky also earned a nomination for Best Ongoing & Community Support, cementing its legacy in the VR space.
Alien: Rogue Incursion — Fear amplified by a wide field of view
As the first fully realized VR single-player Alien experience, this game throws you into a confined, hostile colonial facility. Survios nails the series’ signature tension: pulsing biomechanical walls, thick shadows, sudden facehugger attacks. Claustrophobia in VR is relentless.
On a wide-FOV, high-resolution headset like Pimax, the effect intensifies. Micro-details in low-light textures, volumetric shadows deep in ducts, and distant metallic echoes become impossible to ignore when your peripheral vision is fully engaged.
Pimax Play also integrates GPU load optimization, helping maintain smooth performance in these tense, graphically intense environments without sacrificing visual quality.
The only minor drawback is some mid-to-late game repetition (“ammo → nest → xenomorph”). But on a powerful PCVR headset, lighting transitions, reflective metal surfaces, and creature textures hold far more detail than on standalone or console VR—making the tension heavier and more immersive.
Arken Age — Physical combat elevated by clarity and spatial awareness
Arken Age is VR’s purest example of physics-driven combat this year. Weapon swings carry weight, blocks require wrist precision, and climbing, gliding, or shield all rely on natural motion. Even on Quest, the game is impressive, but PCVR makes it shine.
Pimax hardware amplifies two key aspects:
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Wide FOV enhances spatial awareness. Multiple enemies flanking from the sides feel natural rather than restricted by tunnel vision.
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High clarity improves the readability of attack trajectories and enemy animations. Timing and precision matter, and clear visuals reduce fatigue.
The downside? Physical intensity and locomotion may challenge players prone to motion sickness. Even so, Arken Age is a rare VR experience that truly “could only exist in VR.”
Ghost Town — A narrative peak in VR
Fireproof Games brings the same attention to detail from The Room series, now with full room-scale navigation and cinematic storytelling. Hand-painted textures, 1980s London gloom, and fragmented sequences create a slow-burn mystery that feels tactile and eerie.
Pimax clarity and contrast add depth to Ghost Town’s lighting: wall textures, old furniture grain, and candle halos gain extra physicality.
It may have linear puzzles, but the emotional and atmospheric weight more than compensates. Many players consider it the strongest VR narrative of the year.
Marvel’s Deadpool VR — Fun chaos, but platform-limited
Deadpool VR promises chaos, explosions, dual pistols, and fourth-wall humor—but it’s Quest 3 exclusive. PCVR headsets like Pimax cannot run it natively. Streaming via Quest Link or Virtual Desktop is possible, but latency, compression, and reduced clarity are unavoidable.
As a PCVR recommendation, Deadpool VR falls outside the ecosystem. Still, as a standalone party game, it’s hilarious, kinetic, and deliberately over-the-top—but it’s a love-it-or-hate-it title.
Midnight Walk — A quiet, artistic vignette
Midnight Walk is more like a dark fairy-tale short film than a traditional game. Hand-crafted visuals, soft lighting, melancholic tones, and unobtrusive sound guide players through a poetic space.
It’s meditative rather than adrenaline-pumping. Short runtime and light interaction may not satisfy players seeking deep gameplay, but it’s rewarding for fans of artistic VR.
Bonus: No Man’s Sky — An enduring VR masterpiece
No Man’s Sky continues to be one of VR’s most expansive experiences, offering ship flight, planet exploration, and base building on a cosmic scale.
On a Pimax headset, the ultra-wide FOV turns starship cockpits into nearly real environments. High resolution brings planetary atmospheres and gradient skies to life, making space feel breathtakingly vast.
The experience is smooth and visually rich thanks to Pimax Play’s GPU optimization technology, even during graphically intense moments.
No Man’s Sky’s Best Ongoing & Community Support nomination underscores its longevity and evolving content.
What the 2025 VR nominees represent
This year’s lineup highlights VR’s maturation as a medium:
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Narrative expression
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Physical interaction design
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World-building
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Emotional pacing
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Long-term content support
VR is no longer just “wave your arms and hit things.” It is becoming a tool for real storytelling, complex mechanics, and memorable worlds.
High-end PCVR headsets like Pimax elevate these experiences, while platform exclusivity—like Deadpool VR—reminds us that ecosystem fragmentation remains a challenge.
Still, whether you enjoy horror, combat, narrative, exploration, or art, 2025 offers VR experiences tailored for every type of player.
