Endless City Builder ‘Islanders: VR Edition’ is Out Today on Meta Quest 2 + Pro

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Sep 28, 2023

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Islanders became a hit on PC and console due to its intuitive approach to city building, a relaxing soundtrack, and a charming low-poly aesthetic. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in Islanders: VR Edition, too. Everything that made the minimalist strategy game so popular is present, along with new VR-only features that enhance the game’s cozy atmosphere—and it’s now available on Meta Quest 2 + Pro for $14.99 USD.

The premise in Islanders: VR Edition is simple: You get points for placing structures on your islands, and that number goes up depending on how close you are to natural resources or other related buildings. The higher your score, the more types of buildings you’ll unlock during your playthrough. Once you’ve reached the max score, you’re free to move to a different island with your points intact and start building even bigger cities, aiming for a higher max score every time.

The goal is to play as long as you can in a single run (the game is over when you no longer have space for buildings and fail to clear the next threshold). But since each island is procedurally generated, you’ll never encounter the same one twice—it’s as if you’re solving a brand new puzzle every time you move on to the next environment. And that’s what makes the game so addicting: There’s always new islands and challenges to take on every time you play.

To celebrate the launch, we caught up with Coatsink Producer Nick Taylor to talk about what makes the Islanders formula so compelling, what it was like to bring the game over to VR, and how the new controller-free mode changes the city-building experience.

Why’d you think Islanders would translate so well to VR?

Nick Taylor: One of the reasons people find Islanders so enjoyable is because of how relaxing it is. VR has the ability to take that kind of experience and enhance it by adding a layer of immersion that isn’t possible when looking at a flat screen, so Islanders seemed like a perfect candidate to receive the VR treatment.

The pace of the gameplay, the game’s overall simplicity, the serene environments—pretty much everything works just as well in a VR setting as it does on a monitor or screen.

What was the development process like? Was it challenging trying to retain the game’s simple yet addictive gameplay?

NT: Staying true to the original version as much as possible was something that the team was always focused on first. Thankfully, with the original version that Grizzly Games developed being as polished and refined as it is, that made things surprisingly easy.

The biggest development challenge was actually how to further push the unique aspects that VR can bring. The hands (or no controller) mode was probably the biggest challenge, as we really wanted to make sure it felt as good and natural to use as possible—we didn’t want to launch with that feature until we were happy with it. Thankfully, the team’s hard work seems to have really paid off, and the hands mode feels fantastic.

Is there anything that’s new or different in Islanders: VR Edition?

NT: The VR version is largely the same as the base edition of the game. This was a conscious decision as we really didn’t want to take anything away from the amazing experience that Islanders fans would expect.

That being said, there are a few changes: most notably, the game can be played completely controller-free using just your hands. This is a whole new way to play and really solidifies the VR experience as it’s something that isn’t possible with the other versions of the game.

What’s your favorite part about the game and why?

NT: It’s difficult to nail down a single favorite part of Islanders VR, but if I had to try, it would be the overall “feel” of the game when playing with hands mode. Something as simple as not using controllers adds a lot of depth and immersion to the overall experience, and really doubles down on the qualities that make Islanders so great.

I don’t think I’ve ever had another VR experience that evokes the feeling of “engaging relaxation” while still having gameplay-driven purpose like Islanders does.

The original game continues to receive updates. Is that the plan for the VR Edition as well?

NT: Yes, we already have some content updates planned for the future! We can’t go into any details just yet, but we have some really exciting things planned for the future of Islanders VR and can’t wait to show them off, so stay tuned.

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

NT: I’d just like to say on behalf of the whole dev team, and everybody who has been involved with Islanders, that we really hope you enjoy the game. Whether you’re playing to relax or just to get the highest score you can—we hope that Islanders: VR Edition exceeds your expectations and you truly enjoy the experience.

Embark on your own relaxing city-building adventure in Islanders: VR Edition for Meta Quest 2 + Pro.