The horror co-op game Phasmophobia from Kinetic Games has already developed a strong following of passionate fans, clamouring at the thought of experiencing this world through the Oculus Quest 2. If you like being scared so much that a secondary pair of underpants is regarded as an essential kit, then it makes sense to try and immerse yourself as deeply as possible in this game. So you probably want to know - is Phasmophobia on Oculus Quest 2?
So today, we'll be exploring whether or not you can conduct investigations in Phasmophobia on Oculus Quest 2. If there's something peculiar happening in your local parish, who are you going to attempt to interact with via telecoms? Why, the paranormal investigators of Phasmophobia, of course. Is Phasmophobia on Oculus Quest 2? Read on for more.
Is Phasmophobia on Oculus Quest 2
At the time of writing, Phasmophobia does not appear on the Oculus Quest game store. So, unfortunately, it is not a game that you can simply purchase, download, and install directly onto your headset. However, it is available on Steam.
This is an important point, because thanks to the wonders of modern technology, it is possible to play games from your Steam library on your Oculus Quest 2 headset. That's what we'll examine next.
Can You Play Phasmophobia VR With PC Link Cable Or Wirelessly?
The Oculus Link Cable allows you to pair your headset with your gaming PC, essentially using the PC to run the game, and the headset to experience it. So games that are not directly available for the Quest 2, can still be played on it. In order to use the Link Cable, it's worth making sure your PC meets the recommended minimum specs. Assuming it does, Oculus then advise the following:
- Open the Oculus app on your PC.
- Turn on your Quest 2.
- Plug your USB 3 cable into a USB 3.0 port on your PC, and connect the other end to your headset.
- You will see a message in your VR headset prompting you to Allow access to data. Select Deny. If you mistakenly "Allow" the prompt, simply unplug your USB cable from the Quest and start again.
- When prompted to Enable Oculus Link, select Enable to begin remote rendering using Oculus Link.
The link cable is 5m long, so it shouldn't prevent you from moving around, should you wish. But the introduction of Air Link by Oculus means you can also play games via your PC wirelessly. This feature is still being worked on, but hopefully won't be too far away. You can use it as an experimental feature, should you wish. You need v28 or higher on both your headset and PC.
Air Link means you are playing wirelessly, which means you aren't tied down as you would be with the Link Cable. But a wireless connection is generally less stable than a wired one. So you may notice that the game won't play as smoothly if you go down this route.
Phasmophobia Oculus Quest Release Date
Given that Phasmophobia can be played on your Quest 2 via your PC, there doesn't appear to be much incentive for Kinetic Games to invest time and money in developing a specific VR version for Quest 2. Having said that, there is an intriguing post on a Trello board, for development goal tracking on the game.
As first reported in uploadvr.com, in the list of "backlog" goals, they mention a "VR Overhaul". In the detail they state:
Swap from OpenVR to OpenXR to allow support for new headsets and controllers
https://trello.com/c/pQeJ2QpB/2556-vr-overhaul
This suggests that there may be hope yet, for the game to make its way onto Oculus Quest 2. The fact it's listed as a 'backlog' may suggest it isn't a top priority. So don't hold your breath waiting for it. Instead, get stuck in using a link cable or via Air Link, and scaring yourself senseless. You'll thank us for having that spare pair of underpants nearby.
At the end of 2021, a VR rework is listed as part of a 2022 Major Update Roadmap. This includes the switch from SteamVR to OpenXR and a unity engine update. So, keep an eye out for the next few months. You may just get your wish.
Latest Update
On Mar 17, 2022, The developers (Kinetic Games) shared on Twitter, a brand new look at the overhauled VR features and rework coming soon to the game. You can watch the video below.
We're still waiting to hear more on Oculus Quest (or Meta Quest 3), but we're hoping that Phasmophobia is heading over to the platform, especially after such success on Quest 2.
One of the developers of the game - Ben Lavender - stated on Twitter that bringing the game to Quest 2 is “something we want to do! But it’ll be similar to console ports, we will do it after early access. Also to note, you can use the Oculus runtime after the update is out, instead of having to use steam VR :)”.
We'll keep our ear to the ground for any updates, and be back to you soon.