Propagation VR

About Propagation VR

Propagation VR is a free game by the French studio WanadevStudio, released on Steam in September 2020. It was first made for VR arcades and grew into one of the best-reviewed free horror games for PC VR headsets.

You cannot walk around. You stand in a ruined subway station, with a handgun on your belt and a shotgun on your back, and the creatures come to you in waves between short scripted scenes. Every reload is done by hand: drop the magazine, slide in a new one, rack the shotgun one shell at a time. When the ammunition runs out you are left with your fists.

The fear comes from the dark and from being rooted to the spot. The handgun's light shows only what it points at, so you hear the next wave before you see it, and things drop from above or rush you from the side. Giant spiders are a notable part of it, which some players will want to know before starting.

A session takes about half an hour, with harder difficulty modes and a high score to beat after that. It is a good first horror game for a new VR headset. The same studio later made the full survival horror game Propagation: Paradise Hotel.

How to play Propagation VR

1. Install it free from Steam and start it with a PC VR headset connected.
2. Take the handgun from your belt and the shotgun from your back.
3. Aim and shoot creatures as they come at you in waves; aim for the head.
4. Reload by hand between waves, with a new magazine or shell by shell.
5. Survive to the end, then try Hard, Nightmare or Impossible.

Tips

• Reload whenever there is a quiet moment, even if the gun is not empty.
• Use the handgun's light to check dark corners before the next wave arrives.
• Save shotgun blasts for creatures that get close.
• Pick a comfort setting that suits you before you start.

Questions