A new update for the Windows version of Bugsnax was released on November 12, 2024, and it adds SteamVR support to the game. This Bugsnax VR update went live exactly four years after the game’s initial release, and it is freely available to anyone that owns the title through Steam.
Bugsnax developer Young Horses indicates that the game’s VR mode began as a “fun side project” that was being pursued by one of its programmers. The evolution of that project was made available on the Steam release’s beta branch in October 2024, giving players their first chance to experience Bugsnax in VR. It seems that not much player testing was required, though, as the VR update was pushed to the retail branch only one month after the beta was released.
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Indeed, the Bugsnax VR update is now available to all Steam players, making it possible for them to enjoy the game on SteamVR. Notably, the developer states that the game’s VR mode was tested with Meta Quest 2 and 3, Valve Index, and PSVR2, and fans who are using one of those headsets should thus expect a smooth experience (provided that they have a “high-end Windows gaming desktop PC with an NVIDIA 3000 series graphics card”). Additionally, the developer has confirmed that the mode has gamepad support, which will please players who prefer to play without motion controls.
Bugsnax VR is Available Now
Young Horses has also provided some information about the possibility of Bugsnax VR coming to other platforms. Specifically, the developer indicates that there are currently no plans to bring the mode to any other platforms, be it PSVR2, Meta Quest standalone, or Apple Vision Pro. However, there are plans to bring SteamVR support to the Windows version of the game on the Epic Games Store, which will make it easier for players who primarily use that launcher to enjoy the update.
With respect to why Bugsnax VR is not planned for non-SteamVR platforms, the developer states that the game was created with a custom engine that makes full porting prohibitively time-consuming. While this may be disappointing to players who own the game on other platforms, like PlayStation 5, there is an opportunity to pick it up at a discount on Steam at the time of writing. Indeed, Bugsnax is currently marked down by 60% on Steam, in celebration of the game’s four-year anniversary, and fans who are interested in the VR mode may want to take advantage of this promotion before it ends.
The VR update and Steam promotion are not the only ways that Young Horses is celebrating the game’s anniversary, as it has also announced the launch of an online store where fans can purchase Bugsnax: The Card Game. For the uninitiated, this physical card game was funded through Kickstarter in April 2024, and the new store will give players who did not pledge to that campaign the opportunity to bring some card-sized Bugsnax into their homes.
- Released
- November 12, 2020