10 Daydream Apps Launch Today, 40 More Coming By Year’s End

Alongside the official reveal of the Google Pixel phone last month, Google announced Daydream View, a VR headset and controller combo designed for use with the company’s first Daydream-ready phone. Now available on the Google Store, Verizon and Best Buy, Daydream View is coming in with 10 apps and 41 more planned for release by the year’s end.

Starting today, you’ll be able to download some of the basic Google apps including YouTube (with 360 video support), Street View​, Play Movies virtual cinema​, Google Photos, and the Google Arts & Culture museum app—all of them free, and all of them designed specifically to work in VR.

To that, Google is publishing 5 other apps built by third-party developers today:

• Wonderglade​ (Resolution Games)— You’re magically teleported to an ever growing theme park where you can enjoy carnival-themed classic games. Using Daydream View’s controller, you can putt, tilt, spray, spin and laugh your way through all the levels. [Free with in-app purchases]
• Mekorama​ (Martin Magni) — In this game, you’ll help a tiny robot stumble home through 50 puzzling mechanical dioramas. [$3.99 USD]
• Star Chart VR​ (Escapist Games Ltd)— You’ll explore the solar system in a beautiful and accurate real-time space simulation, from the Sun to the smallest moons of Saturn and out to the coldest, darkest, farthest reaches of Pluto. [$4.99 USD]
• Hunters Gate (Climax Studios)​ — The classic shooter has been reinvented for a completely new VR experience where you’ll blast your way through the town of Hunters Gate as either Forge (a lucky gunslinger) or Payne (a revenge driven mage) as you defend it from demon invasion. Unlock and upgrade powerful weapons, spells, and Hunter skills. Hunters Gate also offers co-op play over local Wi-Fi and hours of procedural content. [$5.99 USD]
• Wall Street Journal ​— The Wall Street Journal VR app offers reporting and analysis combining breaking news, a real-time interactive market data visualization, and 360 interactive videos in an immersive virtual reality experience. [Free app]

Coming Before Year’s End

An interesting mix of experiences, proprietary VR cinemas, and games are coming to the Daydream platform soon. If you have a Samsung Gear VR, you’ll see a number of familiar names below.

Note: We have access to the famous J.K. Rowling VR experience Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them on the review model Google provided us, but it’s unsure at this time if it will be launching today or in the days to follow. The list below was provided to us by Google.