Sticky Situation: ‘MudRunner VR’ Releases on Meta Quest Today

It seemed like an easy job. Drive a few hundred feet through the woods, a milk run on paper. But five minutes in and you’re already stuck. You barely even saw the mud before it began swallowing your wheels, freezing you in place. Now the question is…how to get out?

That’s the joy of MudRunner, pitting drivers against some of the most challenging environments on earth. A hit series on PC and console, today Saber Interactive releases MudRunner VR, bringing the same tension to Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro. Sit right in the cab of eight unique all-terrain vehicles and tackle everything from rivers to rocks to the ever-present mud, using the tools available to avoid obstacles—or free yourself, when everything inevitably goes wrong.

We caught up with MudRunner VR Producer Andrey Vasilyev to chat about the rapid rise of the MudRunner series, getting the feel right for VR, installing winches by hand, and more.

Read on for the full interview, or head over to the Meta Quest Store and pick up MudRunner VR today!

Andrey Vasilyev: MudRunner has many unique attributes. You’re challenging nature itself, battling demanding terrain and volatile environments. We’ve heard from many players that they appreciate the gameplay. It's great because it can be extremely intense trying to find the right path and vehicle for a job, while at the same time, it can be relaxing just driving through the various terrains the world offers.

When we were considering what we wanted to do, VR seemed like a perfect way to continue exploring the world. Having worked on the game over the past year, I can tell you that VR works perfectly for the moment-to-moment gameplay, allowing you to revisit familiar mechanics in a new format.

MudRunner VR is a reimagining of the classic MudRunner experience, focusing primarily on the aspects that the Runner community has enjoyed over the years. We want to give players a full sense of unparalleled immersion while they conquer the elements in eight unique all-terrain vehicles.

AV: We debated extensively whether to keep the third-person mode. In the end, we came to the conclusion that we should focus on the two main benefits of virtual reality—immersion and atmosphere. These benefits were only fully realized when playing the game in first-person.

In order to make the game as comfortable and engaging as possible, we were guided by the main principle that nothing should spoil the pleasure of driving the awesome cars and trucks in the game. We spent a lot of time and effort ensuring that players would not feel motion sick, and judging by the feedback from closed playtests, we succeeded.

The next step was to switch to a diegetic [i.e. fully in-world] interface. We completely redesigned all the cabins to make them as detailed as possible. In each of the vehicle's cabins, there are tablets which you can use for navigation, and which guide you to the current objective. There’s a lot of detail to explore—not only in each location, but in each vehicle as well.

Finally, this is the first game in the series where the player can leave their vehicle. The main focus remains on driving, but actions like refueling and winch installation are now performed manually, enhancing the immersion compared to pressing a button in menus. Additionally, the player needs to get out of their vehicle and personally interact with the environment to complete certain tasks.

Moving to VR allowed us to introduce more task variety than we had in the prior Runner titles. Our Free Play maps are no longer limited to just one mission, as we have worked out several different types of randomized quests. Some follow the classic structure of delivering cargo to a target point, but others are new to the series.

Another change that MudRunner fans will find is that there is no traditional garage—players must find resources on the map for repairs and tasks, with rewards refilling repair points, making the game more challenging and offering new, rare challenges.

AV: The Monster, of course! It's big, it's powerful—a true king of off-roading! This all-terrain vehicle is designed to deliver the biggest and heaviest loads, and you’ll use it to overcome the most dangerous landscapes.

AV: First, play sitting down. Our game was fully designed for sitting mode only.

Second, start with Comfort mode. The game has several settings under the different driving profiles to fight motion sickness. If you want more thrills and immersion, you can always change the mode in the settings.

Third, start with the story campaign. This is relevant for both newcomers and veterans of the series. With the transition to VR, many familiar things have changed. In the first few missions, we teach the basics of gameplay, while the later objectives are designed to familiarize you with the more advanced mechanics of the game.

AV: For our team, the release of MudRunner VR is very exciting! We are big fans of the series ourselves, and we want to please both existing fans and new players. We've put a lot of love, effort and hard work into this game, and we hope you enjoy!

Whether you’re a skilled driver with a steady hand or just enjoy getting a bit dirty, MudRunner VR is available now in the Meta Quest Store.