There are those of us who like sci-fi worlds to explore. While others prefer a more fantasy-led experience. But what if you prefer games that are a bit more abstract, blending genres into a more bizarre, surreal gameplay experience? Well, you’ve come to the right place as we explore the best darkly twisted VR worlds.
On this page:
- The Midnight Walk
- Transference
- Gloomy Eyes
- Duck Season
- Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
- Baba Yaga
- Special Mention: Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes
The Midnight Walk
Nowhere can you find a better example of darkly twisted VR worlds than The Midnight Walk. MoonHood went above and beyond in its creation of this rich experience by making everything in stop-motion animation. A painfully slow process, nevertheless, it produces an eerie quality like no other.
The Midnight Walk is a story-driven experience where players embody a mysterious figure called ‘The Burnt One’. Explore a nighmarish landscape filled with horrific creatures that must be outsmarted and hidden from to survive. This mixes horror and heartfelt storytelling in one.
Gloomy Eyes
One of the older titles on this list, having been released in 2020, Gloomy Eyes isn’t actually classed as a game. It came out in an era populated by interactive experiences, driven by the storytelling experience rather than complex gameplay.
Gloomy Eyes is an animated trilogy narrated by Hollywood’s Colin Farrell, telling the heartwarming story of a zombie boy, Gloomy, and a human girl, Nena. The tale takes you through beautifully detailed and fantastical dioramas that you’ll want to revisit over and over again.
Transference
Stepping more towards the horror element of VR is 2018’s Transference, a mind-bending psychological thriller. A chilling experience that swaps between the minds of three family members, Transference is one of those titles that can easily be enjoyed in one sitting.
All part of a troubled scientist’s experiment, Transference has you exploring the corrupted consciousness of each individual’s perspective, trying to unravel a mystery. As you do so, you’ll explore the family home, which contorts and twists in ever more disturbing ways.
Duck Season
The second title from Stress Level Zero, Duck Season, initially seems like a parody of the Nintendo classic Duck Hunt. It’s the 1980s, and you’re a kid on summer vacation, chilling at home in front of the TV. To while away the time, your mum has just bought you a new game, Duck Season.
Your home is a glorious representation of 80s nostalgia, which you can explore at your leisure. There are lots of side interactions to enjoy, like finding short films found on VHS tapes or playing one of the seven mini-games on your Kingbit Entertainment System. However, once you start blasting those ducks, things start to get weird and creepy, not just on your TV screen but also in the world around you.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
The only VR game ever made by Double Fine Productions, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, took the franchise to new immersive highs with this VR edition. The original Psychonauts was released in 2005, beloved for its graphical style and quirky missions. While not a direct sequel – Psychonauts 2 arrived in 2021 – Rhombus of Ruin continued the narrative directly after the first instalment.
Featuring fan favourites Raz, Lili, Sasha, Milla, and Coach Oleander, in Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, you have to rescue Truman Zannotto, the Grand Head of the Psychonauts. But when the rescue party is kidnapped, Raz has to use his telekinetic abilities to save the day. It’s a bold, entertaining adventure filled with hours of gameplay, unusual characters and colourful locals.
Baba Yaga
In a similar vein to Gloomy Eyes, Baba Yaga is a narrative-driven VR experience with light interactive elements. From Baobab Studios – the same team behind Asteroids! and Crow: The Legend – Baba Yaga is a haunting fairytale world reimagined.
Featuring a stellar cast of voice actors, including Kate Winslet, Daisy Ridley, Jennifer Hudson and Glenn Close, you and your sister, Magda, do the unthinkable and enter the local forest to find the Baba Yaga. You’re searching for a cure to your mother’s illness, but Baba Yaga is unpredictable, a force for good as well as evil. It’s an engrossing experience for all ages, with some wonderfully emotive visuals.
Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes
Lastly, for special consideration, we’ve included Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes. At the time of writing, the game has yet to launch for Meta Quest, PSVR 2 and SteamVR, due for release on 26th April 2026.
Built specifically for VR (rather than a VR port), Little Nightmares VR puts you in the shoes of Dark Six, who’s looking to reunite with her other self, Six. Most importantly, this VR edition is from a first-person viewpoint, giving a whole new perspective to the series. Expect it to be even darker and weirder. We can’t wait.
Have you played any of the above titles? Which was your favourite? Let us know in the comments.
