Onward

Onward is among the games that defined what a seriously intended tactical shooter in virtual reality can look like. Instead of arcade-style action, it builds on a slower, more methodical pace – players are split into two opposing teams, communicate by voice, plan their approach, and must respect realistic ballistics as well as limited ammunition supplies. There are no classic health bars or a minimap in the corner of the screen, which brings the game closer to the authentic feel of a military operation, where the most important information comes from observing your surroundings, not from a game interface.

Weapon handling is treated with great attention to detail: the player physically inserts magazines, racks the charging handle, switches fire modes, and uses a radio to coordinate with teammates. It is precisely this layer of realism that made Onward a reference title for the tactically focused VR community and inspired a number of later games in the genre, including direct competition like Pavlov, with which Onward is still most often compared today. The game went through a long development period in Early Access, during which the maps, weapon arsenal, and game modes were refined before it reached full release.

Onward's atmosphere is built on quiet tension – rustling in the bushes, footsteps on gravel, or the sound of an opponent reloading around the corner can decide survival just as much as an accurate shot. The sound design is therefore minimalist and functional, with practically no background music, because silence itself is the most important piece of information on the battlefield. Due to the absence of artificial crutches, the game is uncompromising toward newcomers, but that is precisely what makes it so valued among players who want to experience a tactical shooter in VR without compromises. To this day, Onward remains one of the pillars of PC VR multiplayer and a benchmark against which new tactical titles in the genre are automatically compared, and its emphasis on communication and planning also influenced the design of later military VR simulators.

Why play it: Because of an uncompromising tactical shooter built on silence and communication, without artificial crutches for newcomers, Onward remains among the pillars of PC VR multiplayer to this day.