Arizona Sunshine VR Remake

About Arizona Sunshine VR Remake

Arizona Sunshine VR Remake came out in October 2024 from Vertigo Games, the studio behind the original 2016 Arizona Sunshine. It rebuilds that game with new graphics, reworked weapons and a new dismemberment system, and folds in all the earlier add-ons: the Dead Man and The Damned DLC and the Old Mine, Trailer Park and Undead Valley updates.

The story is simple. A voice on the radio tells you someone else is alive out in the heat, and you wake in a cave and set out across canyons, roadside towns, train stations, factories, trailer parks and mines to find them. The campaign comes in short chapters, so you can play a single stretch or carry on through the whole thing.

The fear is physical and close. Because you are in VR, a zombie reaching for you is at arm's length, and nothing is automatic: you pull a magazine from your belt, slide it into the gun and rack it yourself while more of them stumble out of the dust or the dark. The mine levels, lit only by what you carry, are the tensest part. Ammo and supplies are found along the way rather than handed out.

It is an action game more than a slow scare, and a good fit for players who want zombies in VR with a friend. The campaign can be played in co-op, and Horde mode takes up to four players against waves of the dead.

Levels tend to follow a pattern: a blocked path, an item you need to fetch to clear it, then a large swarm to fight off, and the difficulty can jump at those points. Playing alone is the tenser way to play; with a friend it turns into more of a laugh. Your character talks to himself along the way, which adds some dark humour.

The main story runs about four hours on HowLongToBeat, and around seven with the side content. It costs $19.99 on Steam and the PlayStation Store, and it is also sold on the Meta Quest Store. It is rated ESRB Mature and PEGI 18 for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language and the use of tobacco. On PlayStation the subtitles cover only the main story.

How to play Arizona Sunshine VR Remake

1. Buy it on Steam for a PC VR headset, on the Meta Quest Store for Quest 2, Pro, 3 or 3S, or on the PlayStation Store for PS VR2.
2. Start the campaign alone or invite a friend for co-op.
3. Grab weapons from your holsters and reload them by hand: drop the magazine, insert a new one, rack the slide.
4. Search buildings and vehicles for ammo, food and new guns as you follow the radio voice.
5. Try Horde mode with up to four players when you want to hold out against waves of zombies.

Tips

• Practise reloading somewhere quiet first; fumbling a magazine is what gets you caught in a crowd.
• Aim for the head to save ammo, which runs short in the longer chapters.
• Keep a melee weapon at hand for the zombie that gets too close.
• In the mines, light the way before you walk into a dark tunnel.
• When a swarm arrives, shoot the fast zombies first, then the armoured ones, and leave the slow shamblers for last.
• Do not lean your head into walls: the screen blacks out when your head clips into the scenery.

Questions