Gone are the days of clunky headsets and awkward movement controls in virtual reality.
Although we haven’t quite hit the sci-fi ideal of fully immersive VR worlds yet, progress in physics, interactivity, and realism has definitely advanced the medium.
Games like Boneworks and Half-Life: Alyx raised the bar for physics-driven VR interactions, making virtual environments feel more tangible. Even so, many VR titles are all about the basics, with floaty movement and not much depth to dig into.
There’s been debate about whether VR sandboxes are getting old. VR has a history of promising mind-blowing physics, only to fumble execution (Boneworks made people sick with its over-the-top motion physics, and Bonelab didn’t live up to expectations). That’s how Beyond Sandbox caught my eye as soon as I found it.
I wasn’t even looking for a new VR game. It was one of those late-night YouTube binges, jumping from video to video when Beyond Sandbox appeared on my screen. I initially thought it was just another physics-based game (kind of like Boneworks meets Garry’s Mod). But as I kept watching, I realized it had the potential to be something more. It was the kind of moment that made me do a double-take.
There’s the violence—I don’t mean that in a cheap, gore-for-the-sake-of-it sort of way. I mean the raw physical nature of it. Watching the preview, I felt like I was actually seeing something break past that artificial barrier most VR games have. There was weight. There was resistance. The rawness hit me harder than I thought it would.
It was like I could feel the knife in my hands, the resistance coming through as if I were really holding it. It wasn’t a case of exaggerated physics or weightless weapons swinging through the air. It felt real, almost uncomfortably so. There’s something almost unsettling about watching a game where force and resistance play such a huge role.
In most VR titles, striking or stabbing is just a motion with no real impact, more for show than anything else. Here, it felt completely different. The instant the knife struck, everything in the scene came to life: the object, the sound, the force behind it. All of it synchronized to form an unsettlingly convincing experience. It wasn’t just satisfying to look at; it was viscerally satisfying.
The crunch of shattered bones, the screech of metal, and the heavy thud of impact all feel unnervingly tangible. Even though I wasn’t playing, my mind was already on edge and reacting as if I were right there in that world.
The developers are also giving us a taste of what’s next, and the interactions go beyond just throwing punches. For example, you can stop an enemy from biting you by breaking their jaw (literally).
But speaking of physics, I have to talk about this—toe physics. I never thought I'd find myself writing about “toe physics” with this much vigor, but here we are. It’s one of those tiny, ridiculous details that somehow make everything feel even more real. The way feet react when they hit the ground, the way toes curl naturally. It’s the kind of thing that most games wouldn’t even think to include, but Beyond Sandbox obviously did.
The “jiggle physics” is not just where you'd expect—though those spots are covered too. Enemies have fully simulated soft-body physics, meaning their movements look eerily lifelike, sometimes to a hilarious degree. The force of the hit rippled through everything, not just the limbs. It’s the sort of detail that could straddle either way, but I’m entirely sold on it.
From what I've heard, this game is being developed by a team of just three people. Three. It’s hard to wrap my head around how such a small team is pulling off something that looks and feels this advanced. Most big-budget VR games don’t even come close to this level of interaction and physics-driven immersion, yet here’s this small team crafting something that genuinely feels next-gen.
But of course, this is all based on previews. I haven’t played it yet. One of the first things that stood out to me is the AI—or rather, the lack of it. The physics and movement systems look incredible, but if Beyond Sandbox wants to be more than just a tech demo, it needs enemies that actually react to the world around them. At the moment, they come off as a bit rigid, but I’m hoping that improves.
Then there’s the question of content. A great physics sandbox is only as good as the things you can do in it. A common issue is that VR physics often exists without much incentive to engage with them. Many games add weighty interactions just for the sake of it rather than integrating them in a way that enhances gameplay. I’d love to see structured objectives or missions to keep players coming back while still allowing freedom.
And finally, accessibility. VR is already physically demanding, and Beyond Sandbox looks like it’ll require a lot of movement. If the developers don’t include comfort settings or alternative locomotion options, it could end up being a game that only a fraction of players can fully enjoy. The best VR games make sure that as many people as possible can experience them.
I went into this not expecting much, but now I can’t stop thinking about the possibilities.