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Vertigo 2 review: PC VR's best Half-Life-style shooter since Alyx

Item: Vertigo 2
Rating: 8.5

An AI-written assessment of Vertigo 2 from official game details and published reviews: superb guns and reloads, constant variety, witty writing, a 10-hour campaign and good comfort options; indie rough edges, awkward checkpoints, forced-movement sections and a weaker PS VR2 port.

Vertigo 2App-Details 8.5AusgezeichnetDas Fazit

Von vrBlogs

Veröffentlicht 30. Oktober 2026 · 3 Min. Lesezeit

Das Fazit

On PC, reviewers rank Vertigo 2 among the best VR games since Half-Life: Alyx, with inventive gunplay, endless variety and sharp humour across a long campaign. Rough indie visuals and a less polished PS VR2 port are the main caveats.

Bewertung nach Kriterien

Komfort7.5

Gameplay9.0

Grafik7.0

Inhaltsbibliothek9.0

Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis9.0

Stärken

Some of the most satisfying guns in VR
Huge variety of enemies, bosses and set pieces
Witty, satirical writing
About 10 hours, with branching replay value
Generous comfort options
Free level editor and alternate characters

Schwächen

Rough textures and simple character models
Checkpoints can land mid-fight
Forced-movement sections can cause discomfort
PS VR2 port is weaker and lacks haptics
Into the Aether expansion is PC only

Trailer & Screenshots

Trailer

Screenshots

Fotos: 7

This review is an AI-written assessment. It is based on official game details and on what published reviews broadly agree on, not on hands-on play.

What it is

Vertigo 2 is a single-player sci-fi shooter from Zulubo Productions, made largely by one developer, Zach Tsiakalis-Brown. It is the sequel to the original Vertigo and is openly inspired by Half-Life: you fight robots, aliens and strange creatures across a string of odd sci-fi locations, with puzzles, set pieces and boss fights along the way. It launched on SteamVR in spring 2023 for $30, and Road to VR put the campaign at about 10 hours. God is a Geek counted 18 chapters and over ten hours to reach the end.

The PS VR2 port was delayed from October to December 2023, according to Road to VR, and reviews of the PlayStation Store version appeared in January 2024. On PC, the free Bottomless Update in November 2023 added mutators, three alternate playable characters and an in-VR level editor. The developer described it as the game's only content update. A paid story expansion, Into the Aether, followed on Steam on April 25, 2025, for $10, with new tools such as the Void Grappler. Road to VR reported that no PS VR2 version of the expansion was planned.

Strengths

Guns and reloading. UploadVR called the weapons "among the most satisfying I've used in VR", each with its own recoil and learning curve. Road to VR scored the gameplay 9.5 and described it as "VR-native through and through", with hand reloads that feel designed for motion controllers rather than strict realism.
Constant variety. Reviewers kept stressing how often the game changes things up. UploadVR listed enemies from floating eyeballs to cube-shaped robots, and Road to VR pointed out absurd moments such as an alien trying to rent you a boat.
Writing and humour. UploadVR praised its "witty and highly satirical writing", and God is a Geek said the humour is "top notch". Road to VR found the story "lovably convoluted" but engaging.
Size and replay value. A 10-hour campaign is long for VR, and the branching story, secrets, alternate characters and mutators add reasons to replay.
Comfort options. Road to VR rated comfort 8/10, with smooth and teleport movement, snap turning and blinders. MIXED also praised the comfort settings and said it runs well on older PCs.

Weaknesses

Indie rough edges. MIXED noted rough textures and angular shapes, and UploadVR mentioned some low-detail character models, occasional hitches and a few crashes.
Checkpoints. UploadVR found autosaves sometimes trigger at bad moments, such as mid-fight on low health.
Forced movement. Road to VR warned that jump pads and fast vehicle sections may bother motion-sensitive players.
A weaker PS VR2 version. TheSixthAxis gave the port 6/10, saying the "guns don't have any weight" and there is "no haptic feedback at all". It found the visuals basic and the game short of other PS VR2 shooters. God is a Geek was more positive, though it found snap turning awkward and early aiming imprecise.
Taste. MIXED warned the meme-heavy, silly humour will not suit everyone, and the game has no loot or RPG systems.

Who it suits

Vertigo 2 suits PC VR players who want a long, varied single-player campaign with great gunplay, especially anyone who finished Half-Life: Alyx and wants more in that vein. It runs on SteamVR headsets, and Quest owners can play the Steam version through a PC using our guide to playing PC VR games on Meta Quest. PS VR2 owners get the same campaign but a less polished port, and they miss the Into the Aether expansion.

How it compares

Road to VR's headline called it one of PC's greatest VR games since Half-Life: Alyx. It lacks the polish of a big-studio game but shares its spirit, with a much sillier tone. MIXED rated it above Bonelab in execution, praising how polished and fun a largely solo project turned out. On PS VR2, TheSixthAxis felt it falls short of more polished shooters such as Arizona Sunshine 2.