Little Planet allows you to become a city planner and socialite on a world of your own making, and it recently went free-to-play on Quest.

In Little Planet, you become the architect of a world in almost every sense. You can shape it on a macro level, shifting rivers and cliffs to your liking. Then, roam around your curated space, chopping trees and crafting furniture, all while living among adorable anthropomorphic villagers. It's a comforting setup that's easy to get lost in, and after exploring and fine-tuning my digital home away from home, I'm impressed by how deep these systems can go.

Alas, an adorable utopia isn't built in a day, and your time with Little Planet begins with the basics. Taught through a series of approachable tutorials, you'll quickly learn how to collect materials, earn recipes to craft with, and interact with the all-important inventory system at the center of it all. Each aspect is introduced quickly, though given their practical nature, it doesn't take long to feel at home with these systems.

Similar to other sandbox experiences like Minecraft and Animal Crossing, much of Little Planet's world is engaged with through the moreish process of experimentation and exploration. What happens if I chop down this tree? Or if you're like me, how much random junk can I fit in my inventory before it's full? These questions create a sense of intrigue that's easy to invest in, further bolstered by Little Planet's Pedia, which serves as an enticing scavenger hunt list.

For our hands-on experience, the developers at VRWood provided UploadVR with a late-game account for Little Planet, which also allowed me to experience the simulator with all its systems unlocked. This gave me a brief taste of the expanded building types, such as the furniture shop and fashion house, as well as a full range of equipment, including the peashooter, fishing rod, gardening tools, axe, and a watering can.

When compared to the sparse planet you began with, it's impressive how much you can accomplish if you invest your time in its sizable open world. As someone who puts a lot of stock into customization, I'm particularly impressed by the range of dress-up and accessory options available to jazz up your avatar. That includes everything from glitzy star glasses to bucket hats and adorable coquette-collared tops. 

Perhaps my favourite aspect of Little Planet was the fishing minigame, and I'm embarrassed to admit how much time I've spent happily staring at a bobber. Similar to real-world fishing, here you equip a rod and fling your arm back before casting your line out as if you're Indiana Jones cracking your whip. Then, once a fish has nibbled your bobber, you can use your free hand to grip the reel and hastily crank it backward. It's a simple yet surprisingly meditative process, made even better by the sloshing of the waves and the clicky reel sounds of the rod.

I would be remiss not to mention the residents of the world, dubbed Planet Pals, whose playful banter garnered a few giggles from me across my hands-on. It can be lonely working away on the planet by yourself, especially if you aren't keen on the game's social features, and I appreciated having someone to chat to besides myself. While their dialogue isn't overly complex or moving, at least in my experience, they do well to imbue the world with a sense of much-needed personality. Of the bunch, fishing fanatic Rusty is a particular standout, thanks to their pirate quips and comical seafaring attire.

One thing has become clear across my time with Little Planet so far, and it's that I'm only scratching the surface. Beyond the plethora of day-to-day activities to tackle, I didn't get a chance to test out the social features or travel to other worlds. Even so, Little Planet leaves a confident first impression, providing life sim players an opportunity to curate custom worlds in VR.

Little Planet is available now on Quest.

Healer is a mixed reality roguelite where you save the universe one encounter at a time, and it's coming to Quest 3 and 3S next month.

Developed by ROTU Entertainment (Eolia), Healer sees players become planetary defenders, wielding their wits and helpful hand cannons against a joy-devouring evil called the Entropic Virus. From a gameplay perspective, this means shooting at undulating orbs, solving 3D puzzles, and fighting off alien creatures to earn high scores. You can check out gameplay below:

Among the bubble popping, you can also find crystalline creatures called Cosmic Critters that apply upgrades to your runs. The trailer shows a blue critter called 'Reanu Keeves' that affects enemy movement speed, a purple critter called 'Enna Jortega' that increases the fire rate on dark weapons, and more. As you seek them out, you'll also unlock Set Bonuses to further bolster your arsenal.

Beyond Healer's main story, competitive players can seek additional glory by competing on the game's global leaderboard. When you complete an 'encounter,' your successes will add up to a high score that you can post. Hand tracking and controllers are both supported too.

Healer is launching on December 11 exclusively on Quest 3/3S.

How to God, the deity-themed sandbox experience, launches in Early Access next month on Quest.

Developed by Thoughtfish (Living Room), How to God lets you train as a deity, completing quests and expanding your powers, as you manage a mini society. You can choose to be benevolent and reward your citizens with bountiful harvests or take the spiteful approach and rocket them with fireballs from the heavens. You can check out gameplay below:

On top of building temples and answering (or ignoring) prayers, you'll also perform acts of alchemy, combining materials to create miracles and matter that advance your society. To assist you in achieving these divine goals, you'll have the help of a petlike creature who can help out the locals with tasks or eat them as punishment.

Various biomes are available to explore, including ancient Egypt and the Scottish Highlands, with each location providing a unique set of problems to solve and quests to complete. As you progress through quests, you'll also earn relics that will upgrade your powers at the Tree of Life.

How to God arrives in Early Access on December 4 for $29.99 on Quest.

Smash Drums is introducing a new single-player campaign in early access today with missions, RPG-like progression, and fresh in-game rewards.

Hot on the heels of Smash Drums' Halloween event, developer PotamWorks is releasing an update in time for U.S. National Drummer Day, also celebrating the game's fourth anniversary on the Quest store on December 2. Called the God of Drums update, this gives you the chance to scale your skills through a solo game mode with RPG-like leveling mechanics and challenging missions.

This campaign centers around scaling the ranks from a spry instrumentalist to the aptly named God of Drums. To achieve this, percussive players must complete missions where you choose between two base game songs or one DLC track.

Those who successfully rank up will also earn in-game rewards through an RPG-style progression system, which starts at Level 1 and goes up to Level 20. PotamWorks states there will be over 100 missions to tackle on the journey, which can be completed in around 3 to 6 hours.

The Smash Drums 'God of Drums' update is available today in early access on Quest, and the final release is “coming soon” to PS VR2.

Vampire Survivors VR is now available in a surprise shadowdrop on Quest, taking a 3D diorama approach.

Announced during the latest VR Games Showcase, developer poncle has teamed up with Radical Forge and Meta to bring the BAFTA award-winning roguelike to Quest. As with the flatscreen version, the Vampire Survivors VR port lets you choose a character based on stats like damage and armor before letting them loose on voxel environments as wave after wave of enemies arrive.

The difference here is that while trying to keep your health bar above zero, you're immersed in iconic game locations, including the Mad Forest, Inlaid Library, and Dairy Plant. Vampire Survivors VR can be played either standing or sitting, with a resizable game board that you can adjust to your liking. This also includes the Tides of the Foscari and Legacy of the Moonspell expansions.

Between bouts of survival combat, you'll open spin-to-win chests and use your hard-earned gold on new characters, permanent upgrades, power-ups, and weapon varieties to enhance your runs. The gothic gameplay is, of course, backed up by Vampire Survivors' signature synth-heavy soundtrack, and we'll bring you dedicated impressions soon.

Vampire Survivors VR is available on Quest now for $9.99.

Lushfoil Photography Sim gets PC VR support in a free update next month on Steam.

After launching on Steam earlier this year, the atmospheric photography sim Lushfoil is making its VR debut next month on December 5. Announced in today's VR Games Showcase, it features a diverse range of locations, from quiet mountainous areas to urban spaces, providing avid shutterbugs with opportunities to explore and snap their perfect shot. You can check out the new trailer below:

Across the trailer, we can see the player wielding various cameras, including a traditional DSLR and a smaller digital camera, as well as non-photography items like a flashlight, umbrella, and paper airplane. We can also see them forming an L shape with their hands to create a rectangular frame, which provides an alternative means of taking a photo.

Those looking to get into the nitty-gritty of settings will be able to alter important features like the aperture, focus, and zoom, as well as the exposure, contrast, and white balance. Additionally, you can also alter the weather conditions as you please, adding moody effects like snow, fog, wind, and rain.

Lushfoil Photography Sim will make its PC VR debut on December 5 as a free update on Steam.

Deadly Delivery confirmed a release date on Quest and Steam early next month.

In Deadly Delivery, you and up to three friends take on postal jobs to earn cash, with the warning that the recipients of your precious parcels are located in sprawling, peril-filled mines. With monsters lurking around most corners and an all-important quota to hit, your hopeful group will need to work together - or against each other - to earn their keep. You can check out gameplay below:

Communication in Deadly Delivery relies on proximity voice chat. As such, if a teammate strays too far from the safety of the group, you won't necessarily be able to hear them talking or screaming. To navigate, players can also take advantage of the realistic physics throughout the mines and can climb on top of one another to reach objects or evade danger.

The monsters across Deadly Delivery's underground setting aren't simple brutes alone, either, with some able to impersonate your teammates in looks and sound to lure you or trick you out of success. As you make more cash, you'll eventually be able to upgrade your kit with new gear, cosmetics, and pets.

Deadly Delivery arrives on December 4 on Quest and Steam.

Ready or Not will be available for PC VR players through a free mod tomorrow, supporting both the base game and DLC.

Developed by VOID Interactive, Ready or Not is a first-person tactical shooter where players defuse high-stakes situations as members of the Los Sueños Police Department. Initially shown in August, content creator and 2080 Games co-founder VR Oasis confirmed he's working with modder KITT (MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries VR Mod) to bring the SWAT simulator to PC VR. Now, today's VR Games Showcase gave us another look.

The Ready or Not VR Mod will be available for free through the game's official mod store, supporting crossplay with flatscreen PC players. This reimagines mechanics like weapon reloading and riot equipment for an immersive platform. Additional features include a handheld tablet to manage missions, a custom body rig kitted with ammo and equipment pouches, and hand gestures to relay squad commands.

This upcoming mod includes additional features like left-handed support, working tactical weapons like grenade launchers, using your voice to control the AI squad, and custom VR door interactions. Supported headsets include Quest, Valve Index, and PS VR2 with a PC adapter, and the press release recommends using “a mid to high-end” gaming PC.

The Ready or Not PC VR mod arrives on November 14, and the full game is available on Steam.

Espire: MR Missions builds upon Espire 2's mixed reality stealth missions, and it's launching on Quest next month.

Starting life as an add-on mixed reality mode to Espire 2: Stealth Operatives in 2023, Espire: MR Missions builds on those foundations by utilizing the boundaries of the player's home as the backdrop for its perilous, militant levels. Announced at today's VR Games Showcase, this standalone release contains new missions and systems, and it launches on December 16 for Quest. You can check out gameplay below:

Espire: MR Missions features 29 different challenges, offering 21 small-scale single-room missions and eight large-scale multi-room missions. It integrates your furniture and home decor into the game world, adding new details like roller doors and lighting effects on top. So while the overarching objectives remain the same throughout, your tactics and gameplay can vary depending on your playspace.

Throughout missions, you'll take on gun-toting OPHIS Guards and navigate cleverly placed laser traps, all while evading the enemy's eyeline. Across the launch trailer, we can see the player disarm and knock out enemy soldiers, as well as grab them and use their retinas to unlock doors and loot them of their firearms.

Espire: MR Missions arrives on December 16 for Quest. Players who already own Espire 2 on Quest before the launch date will receive Espire: MR Missions at no additional cost.