First 'VR Forever Awards' + largest ever VR Steam Festival announced
Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2025 7:29 pm
VR studio and publishing label Creature (Maestro, The Light Brigade, THRASHER, Starship Home), and self-publishing agency Future Friends Games have announced the inaugural VR Forever Awards and accompanying Steam festival, a brand new partnership focused on improving the curation of VR titles on Steam.
Over 130 games will participate in an online festival hosted on Steam between September 18th and 23rd. The fest will include brand new game announcements, demos, and deep discounts on the best Steam VR has to offer, including best sellers Job Simulator, Gorilla Tag, Synth Riders, Among Us 3D: VR, Tetris® Effect: Connected, and Walkabout Mini Golf.
This event also marks the first-ever VR Forever Awards, celebrating the best of VR on Steam across six distinct categories and judged by well-known industry experts inc. Jasmine Uniza (CEO at Flat2VR Studios), Andrew Eiche (CEO at Owlchemy Labs) and Anita Tung (Art Director at Pontoco).
Categories include Best Hidden Gem, Best Social Time, Best Solo Journey, Best All-Time Classic, Most Anticipated Game and Game of the Year.
Nominees across categories include What the Bat? (Hidden Gem), Gorilla Tag (Social Time), Reach (Most Anticipated), Eye of the Temple (Solo Journey), Pistol Whip (All-Time Classic), and Clone Drone in the Danger Zone (Game of the Year). Winners will be announced on September 18th, alongside the launch of the Steam festival.
Quotes:
Future Friends Games quote:
“We’ve been working on some fantastic VR titles since 2020, starting with The Last Clockwinder (Meta Game of the Year 2022). When Doug approached us to talk about partnering up to launch VR Forever, it was an easy yes,” says Kris Wingfield-Bennett, Director & Head of XR at Future Friends Games. “We noticed there was no major, annual, Steam festival dedicated to celebrating the incredible VR titles that are already on Steam. We can’t wait to reveal the inaugural VR Forever Award winners and for players to grab some of the deepest discounts ever on top-selling titles, and get hands on with brand new, never before released demos!”
Creature quote:
“There has never been a more exciting time to play VR games,” says Doug North Cook, CEO & Creative Director at Creature. “VR Forever is a celebration of how far we’ve come over the past decade - with some of the titles featured being updated and expanded for almost that long. Creature remains committed to supporting the release of quality, creative, and new VR experiences.”
About Future Friends Games
Future Friends Games was founded in 2017 with a simple mission: help indie games get the love they deserve. They supported the launches of VR titles like The Last Clockwinder & Maestro (both Meta GOTYs), THRASHER (Vision Pro GOTY), What the Bat?, UNDERDOGS, Starship Home and Eye of the Temple, and recently supported the announcement of Hotel Infinity from the Manifold Garden devs. Though initially focused on PR, the company has now branched out into publishing, with their debut titles Omno and Exo One launching in 2021. In the last year their launches have included Laysara: Summit Kingdom, Europa, Gourdlets, SUMMERHOUSE and The Cabin Factory with more exciting projects like CloverPit and Slots & Daggers set to release in 2025.
About Creature
Founded in 2023, Creature is a VR-focused video game studio and label committed to revolutionizing the gaming industry through innovation and creativity. With a talented team of industry veterans and a portfolio of groundbreaking projects (THRASHER, Maestro, Laser Dance, Cubism, Budget Cuts and The Light Brigade), Creature aims to build the future of play. In addition to developing its own games, Creature offers business development services to independent studios, empowering them to succeed in a competitive market.
Over 130 games will participate in an online festival hosted on Steam between September 18th and 23rd. The fest will include brand new game announcements, demos, and deep discounts on the best Steam VR has to offer, including best sellers Job Simulator, Gorilla Tag, Synth Riders, Among Us 3D: VR, Tetris® Effect: Connected, and Walkabout Mini Golf.
This event also marks the first-ever VR Forever Awards, celebrating the best of VR on Steam across six distinct categories and judged by well-known industry experts inc. Jasmine Uniza (CEO at Flat2VR Studios), Andrew Eiche (CEO at Owlchemy Labs) and Anita Tung (Art Director at Pontoco).
Categories include Best Hidden Gem, Best Social Time, Best Solo Journey, Best All-Time Classic, Most Anticipated Game and Game of the Year.
Nominees across categories include What the Bat? (Hidden Gem), Gorilla Tag (Social Time), Reach (Most Anticipated), Eye of the Temple (Solo Journey), Pistol Whip (All-Time Classic), and Clone Drone in the Danger Zone (Game of the Year). Winners will be announced on September 18th, alongside the launch of the Steam festival.
Quotes:
Future Friends Games quote:
“We’ve been working on some fantastic VR titles since 2020, starting with The Last Clockwinder (Meta Game of the Year 2022). When Doug approached us to talk about partnering up to launch VR Forever, it was an easy yes,” says Kris Wingfield-Bennett, Director & Head of XR at Future Friends Games. “We noticed there was no major, annual, Steam festival dedicated to celebrating the incredible VR titles that are already on Steam. We can’t wait to reveal the inaugural VR Forever Award winners and for players to grab some of the deepest discounts ever on top-selling titles, and get hands on with brand new, never before released demos!”
Creature quote:
“There has never been a more exciting time to play VR games,” says Doug North Cook, CEO & Creative Director at Creature. “VR Forever is a celebration of how far we’ve come over the past decade - with some of the titles featured being updated and expanded for almost that long. Creature remains committed to supporting the release of quality, creative, and new VR experiences.”
About Future Friends Games
Future Friends Games was founded in 2017 with a simple mission: help indie games get the love they deserve. They supported the launches of VR titles like The Last Clockwinder & Maestro (both Meta GOTYs), THRASHER (Vision Pro GOTY), What the Bat?, UNDERDOGS, Starship Home and Eye of the Temple, and recently supported the announcement of Hotel Infinity from the Manifold Garden devs. Though initially focused on PR, the company has now branched out into publishing, with their debut titles Omno and Exo One launching in 2021. In the last year their launches have included Laysara: Summit Kingdom, Europa, Gourdlets, SUMMERHOUSE and The Cabin Factory with more exciting projects like CloverPit and Slots & Daggers set to release in 2025.
About Creature
Founded in 2023, Creature is a VR-focused video game studio and label committed to revolutionizing the gaming industry through innovation and creativity. With a talented team of industry veterans and a portfolio of groundbreaking projects (THRASHER, Maestro, Laser Dance, Cubism, Budget Cuts and The Light Brigade), Creature aims to build the future of play. In addition to developing its own games, Creature offers business development services to independent studios, empowering them to succeed in a competitive market.