Rec Room, the free multiplatform social VR app, just got its long-awaited battle royale shooting game, Rec Royale. Now live on all supported platforms, you’ll be able to engage in some PUBG-style shootouts as you hang glide down to the map below in search of weapons, ammo and health potions.

Update (06/08/18): ‘Rec Room’ is now live on all platforms, including PSVR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. We had a chance to go hands-on during the open beta late last month, and while we were hoping for squad gameplay at launch, it appears we’ll have to wait just a little longer. Against Gravity says teaming up outside of custom rooms will lead to bans.

Other changes at launch include the ability to walk and sprint over almost any terrain type, including off cliffs, and the ability to toggle locomotion between head-based direction or controller-based direction.

The original article follows below:

Original article (06/08/18): Rec Royale will pit 16 players against each other in a national park setting, including “summer camps, mountains, forests, outposts, ravines, lakes, and tons of loot for scavenging,” Against Grav Community Designer Shawn Whiting says in a PS blog post.

Against Grav also created new backpack system for quick swapping and storing multiple weapons and power-ups—a must for a VR-only title such as Rec Room.

Rec Royale will be on offer beforehand via a public alpha test for players with a registered Rec Room account, available from May 25th – May 27th on all supported platforms.

Image courtesy Against Gravity

Rec Room already plays host to a variety of mini-games, including various co-op quests, disc golf, dodge ball, 3D charades, and an engaging paintball game that pits you against other community players in massive outdoor area sprawling with places to take cover. By the sounds of it Rec Royale will be much larger than the current paintball area.

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In-keeping with the family friendly, cartoony vibe, we assume Rec Room has gone for a decidedly more Fortnite (2018) approach to Rec Royale, which will likely put various paintball guns in your hand as opposed to lifelike weapons.

Check out Rec Room on the following platforms:

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Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Firestorm185

    Now this gets me excited! Hope walking will be enabled in that mode, teleport royale wouldn’t be quite as cool. Man, Rec room just never stops amazing us, does it?

    • Shawn Whiting

      Walking is definitely enabled. Also, we’re looking into sprinting :)

      • Diego Lopez

        ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

      • Firestorm185

        Awesome! Sprinting would be sweet too! Thanks for the quick response!

  • dinokquanhaar

    this with a teleport locomotion? no way in hell that is enjoyable

    • Shawn Whiting

      We’ve had walking locomotion in Rec Room for months :) It will be available in Rec Royale. We’re even looking into sprinting.

    • Adam Dormier

      Also, I beg to differ! I’ve played with teleportation during testing, and it’s a ton of fun! Definitely give both locomotion styles a try – find what works best for you!

  • RecGuy

    16 is too small. At least 32 players pls.

    • Shawn Whiting

      If we find its working well across all platforms (good perf) with 16 players, we will look into increasing the number of players on the map over time!

  • Henrik

    Seems fun, but isn’t 16 players a bit small for a battleroyale gamemode, If possible 32 players would be awesome. I don’t know if the engine have some kind of limitation, or that the playerbase might not be big enough to get consistent 32 players in a lobby?

    But i’m still going to play it :D

    BTW: It would be fun to see some kind of minigolf gamemode rather than the discgolf. I love golf, and would love the game to dead if it existed.

    • Shawn Whiting

      The map is huge and takes a lot of resources to render so we’re starting with a lower player limit to help everyone with good performance. If we find its working well across all platforms with good perf we will look into increasing the number of players on the map over time!

  • impurekind

    What I really want the developer to add though is a proper way to basically eliminate the potential motion sickness during free movement, and this can be achieved by implementing the specific solution Google has used in its Google Earth VR app (I urge everyone making and playing VR games to look it up, and try it firsthand if they can). That’s the only way I’ve seen that actually works for pretty much removing motion sickness from free-moving VR–none of the rest really work.

    • Adam Dormier

      We do employ a sort of vignette effect, pulling in the FOV by default during walking (though this can be turned off). Have you found that you still experience motion sickness with that? If so, we could potentially take a look at revising how we do that.

      • impurekind

        Yeah, see my other reply above. . . . The reducing the FOV thing isn’t the real solution as it simply genuinely doesn’t work for me, and I expect most people who experience motion sickness too. The Google Earth VR solution I’ve detailed above is the only genuinely effective solution that actually works–and I don’t me just for me personally but on a fundamentally correct level in terms of why motion sickness is happening in VR in the first place and building a solution that directly address the causes of motion sickness and provides a way to properly eliminate them. I’d provide a link and go into more detail but the comment section isn’t letting me add links.

        • Daniel Gochez

          I tried Google Earth VR once when it came out. I found their solution for locomotion was really terrible. I absolutely hated the confort mode, that tight FOV when rotating was very annoying so I turned the confort mode off and I got the worst VR sickness ever. My stomach turns just remembering the feeling. And I can play any “sliding” locomotion VR game for hours! So my brain can’t compute anybody recommending their way of solving locomotion. I’ll have to gather the nerve and give it another try maybe they improved sometihng.

          • impurekind

            You know, I actually think most people are kinda clueless as to what I’m advocating here. It’s the particular solution that Google has implemented in Google Earth VR but independent of how it’s specifically done there that I’m saying any developers making VR games with free motion should be implementing as an option. And they can change it slightly, make the effect smaller or bigger and stuff, but they have to do the thing where it’s showing the player basically a stationary 3D room/area just outside their main game view so they can always tell they’re standing/sitting still in the real world and not zooming around anywhere. That’s they key bit that absolutely works here. The sizes and degrees of the effect can be played around with too. This is still fundamentally superior to a black circle or fixed frame/image stuck to the player’s head or something like that around the edge of the screen, which also make the field of view even smaller too so has that same issue. It’s like people both aren’t really getting what Google is specifically and uniquely doing here and/or understanding that it doesn’t have to be exactly the same when implemented in another game but just has to nail the core things that actually make it work brilliantly as a way to prevent motion sickness while moving around in VR. And it does work, even if people don’t think it worked for them yet miraculously and completely stupidly think a frikin’ black border does work–when the black border does exactly the same thing as one part of Google’s solution, which is to reduce the field of view and area of the main game you see while moving around in VR (expect the black border method still gives the effect of being stuck to your head, so it technically moves with you, defeating the entire point of it imo, which is not the same with Google’s superior solution).

      • drd7of14

        Don’t worry, you and your team are one of the best devs for combating motion sickness, whilst allowing users who are not as bothered to customize the effects to their own liking/tolerance.

        Google Earth VR isn’t doing anything better, at least that I can tell. This user just seems to be a big troll who goes around touting some magical Google Earth VR comfort setting that does not exist, nor can he/she describe it very well. It’s quite sad.

        I was actually curious at first to see what they were referencing, since I too had used Google Earth VR previously, not remembering any setting like that. Thinking they were possibly referring to the chaperone system or something. But it seems as though @impurekind:disqus has an Oculus Rift, so that’s not likely to be the case. I’m all for more options, so if another app/game is doing something special and it would work within your app/game. Then that’s great! Incorporate it to the best of your ability.

        But Google Earth VR is doing less than other apps/games/experiences. It’s rather bland, has a terrible scaling system that makes people feel woozy, the turning is awful, and the black blinders for moving fast are quite stiff. Megaton Rainfall does a much better job, as does Windlands when swinging. Otherwise…He/She seems to be making up something he/she dreamed. Maybe they don’t actually own a VR unit at all…I couldn’t tell you. But the feature they are describing cannot be shown, cause it doesn’t exist. They even refuse to show it via images/video. Quite sad. I’d love to see this thing that doesn’t exist!

        • impurekind

          People like you are actually the problem, because you’re too ignorant of what is happening to even understand why Google’s solution is so much better than all the others. And, if you can’t even get it after trying the thing firsthand, it’s gonna be kinda beyond my ability to try and get you to grasp it. Suffice to say, you are wrong. It does work, and it works better than every other solution currently out there for stopping motion sickness while moving around in VR.

          Seriously, I’m not some f’n genius, but this is becoming absurd how truly ignorant some people are and how incapable they are of grasping what is going on Google’s specific solution that works so well and is better than all the others.

          • drd7of14

            ” It does work [for me], and it works better than every other solution currently out there for stopping motion sickness [for me] while moving around in VR.”

            It works best for you, sure. I’m not gonna deny that. I’m not you. But it’s most certainly not the best for everyone, and therefore not a complete solution. It’s limiting by nature, doesn’t work for every title out there, and even with it enabled, it still can cause motion sickness for people.

            It’s fine that it works for you, but it’s not the ultimate solution that all games need to apply, as you claim it should be.

          • impurekind

            No, not just “for me”–as a matter of objective fact. And this you would understand if you had the slightest clue as to what is actually causing motion sickness in VR and what is actually stopping it.

            It is, irrespective of anything you have to say, technically the best all-round current solution for eliminating motion sickness in VR during free movement that is out there–unless someone has developed something else that has snuck under that radar of pretty much everyone. . . .

    • Shawn Whiting

      A lot of our current comfort options are listed here: https://www.againstgrav.com/comfortandsafety In particular these settings would probably help you the most: https://i.imgur.com/6I1NLJv.jpg Last time I played Google Earth VR the crux of their comfort system was also narrowing the field of view. Is there something else they do that helps?

      • impurekind

        I want to be clear that literally none of the methods commonly used actually work properly as far as I’m concerned. So, unless you’ve actually looked at the method I’m talking about–and it’s about rendering a fixed 3D room/grid of some kind on the periphery of the player’s view when moving, such that they can always see they’re standing still in a static “real” room” so they don’t get a conflict between the virtual space and what their eyes and equilibrium is telling them–it’s probably not really a solution at all.

        Have you implemented something along the lines of what I’m saying? And I’m not talking about a simple fixed border image around the edges of the screen that mostly just makes the field of view even smaller, or darkening the edges with a big circle so the field of view becomes even smaller but it ultimately has not effect on genuinely reducing motion sickness.

        • Thomas Van Iseghem

          I think it depends from person to person. I personally get really sick with the Google Earth VR motion sickness reduction on, it’s so bad that I have it turned off because normal vision is less motion sickness inducing. The narrowing fov method helps a bit but removes the immersion, so I just stick to building a tollerance haha

          • impurekind

            Well, I don’t know why you specifically are getting motion sick but it flies in the face of all the actual physical/biological reasons why motion sickness happens in VR in the first place: It’s caused by our senses picking up information inside the VR space that conflicts with what is actually happening in reality, so your senses are being told you are moving when you are not, or you are moving in a way that does not correctly correctly (such as standing still on a boat but the but itself is actually swaying). And this is what cause motion sickness. Google’s solution fixes that by showing you that you are in fact standing in a stationary room at all times even though the main in-action visuals are of you flying over the Earth. All the other solutions do not in fact solve that core issue at all. But in your case I have no clue what your brain is doing to get confused.

    • Raphael

      Shooden u be using teleport?

      • impurekind

        Nope. That’s not the solution.

  • I will have to give it a go

  • Jason DeKeyser

    Too bad it will be like Fortnight. Littered with kids under 16 years old. Most free games have this problem.

    • jj

      Rec room already does have this problem lol

      • Shawn Whiting

        Check out our comfort and safety page for instructions on how to create junior accounts, avoid junior accounts, report players, mute and block players, and totally control your Rec Room experience: https://www.againstgrav.com/comfortandsafety

  • Brian Burgess

    Will standard Rec Room weapons be utilized or will weapons be changed specifically for this mode?

    • Shawn Whiting

      I dont want to spoil too much ahead of the alpha weekend but there are are some variations :)

      • Brian Burgess

        Sounds awesome. Cannot wait.

  • 3872Orcs

    That’s fantastic! Can’t wait to play it! Though how will they solve Teleport vs free movement locomotion? Different instances for each? I’m not sure how well mixing them would be. Well that’s what the Alpha testing is for I guess. I know what I’m doing this weekend! And I’m gonna bring some friends too!

    • PJ

      Different room, for both controls options

  • dogtato

    I disagree that 16 is too few players, but I have loads of fun playing battle royale in VR with just 2-12 players. More players mostly means a larger map and a longer match. The encounters are just as exciting either way.

    I would love to see team support though. I don’t think any other vr battle royale games have teams (stand out, BAM, that indoor one I can’t remember the name of).

  • Raphael

    Have never tried recroom. The worry was that because it involved “real people” I would end up fighting with them. Maybe I should try it.

    • Tomas Polcic

      If the worry is that you will encounter annoying people then yes, that will happen. There are ways to easily mute and block them though.

      • Raphael

        I guess I should give the game a try….

  • oompah

    is it good?
    with so many polygons showing
    This s hopeless VR

    • jj

      lol you obviously know nothing about game development to think thats the deciding factor of if this would work or not..

    • Adam Dormier

      Just my opinion, but from testing it, yes it’s good. It’s very good.

  • Net Shaman

    Wow , this app is keeping going better day after day !!!
    It is keeping amazing me everytime i saw an update , awesome !

  • PJ

    It’s good, but a don’t like the ammo system, and performance isn’t too great, lots of lag and jitter

  • jeff courtney

    I would like to see a non vr version of rec room.Me on pc use vr but my kin who lives in nc has a ps4.We could play together if my kin had a psvr but just the ps4 was hard enough to acquire.Anyway it is really cool to have rec room as cross platform and hope others follow suite.Praise Jesus!

    • Evgeni Zharsky

      No that would be terrible. Either the VR or non VR version would undoubtably have some kind of advantage. Anyways, all PSVR sets are on sale now. Good a time as any to buy.