After spending money to upgrade or buy a VR-ready PC and then drop hundreds on a VR headset like the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, the idea of spending even more money on games is a bit daunting. Luckily there are a ton of great free options out there for all platforms, but the paid titles often offer the best experiences. That’s why demos and free trials are so useful.
It’s tough to tell if you’re going to like a game (especially a VR game) without trying it first. Only so much of the experience can be captured in 2D images and videos so until you strap on the headset and immerse yourself in the game’s world, you’ll never really know what it’s like to experience it for yourself.
Luckily on Steam there is a generous refund program, many developers upload demos, and there are often free play weekends and deep discounts that make games more accessible than ever. Before today, Oculus Home did feature demo options and discounted sale periods but there was no way to “try” a game before you bought it.
Today, Oculus announced that Defense Grid 2 is the first game to receive a “Free to Try” feature on Oculus Home for both Rift and Gear VR. This is different from a demo because you’re not just playing a separate, standalone slice of the experience. You’re actually downloading and playing a full, complete copy of the title, but only a part of it is available unless you pay. Sort of like gated content in the free version of a premium mobile app. This differs from a demo because you’re playing the most updated and stable version of the game and all of your progress is going to stay and carry over when/if you buy the full thing.
For Defense Grid 2’s trial you only get access to the first Chapter. On Reddit, a developer from Hidden Path indicated that they are the first game to get this feature, but we’ve also reached out to Oculus for comment and more details.
What do you think of a “Free to Try” period for VR games? Let us know down in the comments below!
