18/08/2024
How Much Do Virtual Reality Games Cost In 2024 | Complete Guide
If you are a game developer and want to know the cost of virtual reality games, you are in the right place.
Since its debut in the 1980s, VR technology has made huge developments. Many developers started making VR games, and now this industry is worth more than $5 billion.
In this article, I will tell you how much money you need to make a VR game from start to finish and the best VR games available to play and get inspiration from them.
I will also provide the software you need to make a VR game. So stay with me and read the complete article.
What Is Virtual Reality Technology?
Virtual Reality is a technology that creates 3D worlds using hardware and software. Users can interact with the environment by wearing special VR glasses, bodysuits, and headsets.
The more you dive inside the virtually created world and block out all physical attractions from the real world, the greater your experience will be.
What Are Virtual Reality Games?
VR games are one application of Virtual Reality. They differ from normal games and require a special VR headset and other equipment.
These games try to give users real-world experience. It is a combination of modern technology and video games.
For example, you play cricket with your friends, and then I ask you to play virtually. Not 100%, but VR can give you a good experience.
How Much Do Virtual Reality Games Cost?
Many might be wondering how much virtual reality games cost. The cost depends on factors such as team size and budget.
I describe each factor in detail below. Read it carefully and then calculate your cost. In this article, I assume the game will take up to 12 months to complete and that we will use the Unity game engine.
VR App Development Cost Factors:
The Employees:
If you are a solo game developer, skip this. But if you have a team, you obviously need to give them a salary, and this is our first factor to consider.
The salary of a game developer depends on various factors, such as location and experience. The general and average salary of a game developer in the United States is between $65000 and $125000 according to GlassDoor.
Here, I am considering $65000. On average, there are 10 people in a studio. So multiply it by 10, and you will get $650,000. This amount will be used to pay the salaries of the developers of a team of ten.
The Hardware Cost:
The second factor is our hardware, the machine, or the computer on which we will build our VR game.
For game development, we will need a high-end pc with a good CPU, GPU, and high RAM to run our Unity game engine. Read the specs for running the Unity game engine here.
Game engines like Unity or Unreal engines are very complex and huge. They require a high-end pc to run.
Let's consider an Intel i7 processor with a Nvidia graphic card and 8 GB RAM.
The average cost will be 700$ on Amazon. Let's multiply this by 10, we get 7000$.
Software and Licensing:
Since we are using the Unity game engine, it is free, but we have one problem. You cannot collaborate with more than 3 people with the Unity free version, but we have 10 people.
So we need to buy the Unity Pro version, which costs $2040 for a year. Let's multiply that by 10, which is $20400.
Other Expenses:
Other costs include electricity bills, the rent of your studio, and other expenses like coffee machines and other refreshments and food items for game developers.
This factor depends on your location, so I am skipping this part, but you must calculate it according to your location.
The Marketing costs:
One of the last but one of the most critical factors in developing a VR game is marketing. If you don't market your game, how will people know about it?
So take it seriously and spend a quarter of your budget promoting your game. I am promoting my game on social media through Google AdSense and YouTubers.
Now, Google charges $0.03 to $0.30 to run ads on YouTube. According to the data, out of 100 people, only 20 click on the ad. So, let's do some simple calculations.
We want 100,000 downloads for our game. To achieve this, we need to spend around $1 million on Google ads.
Generally, gaming YouTubers charge around $1000 to promote games on their channels. If we hire 100 YouTubers, the amount will be $1 million.
Final Thoughts:
The whole calculation is theoretical and depends on where you live. This is not the actual development cost; it is just a rough calculation to give you an idea of the cost of developing a successful VR game from development to marketing.
Virtual Reality Game Prices:
Like normal games, VR games range between $10 and $30, with some AAA titles up to $60. Many VR games are free on Steam, GOG, ITCH.IO, and Epic Games.
How To Make VR Games For Free?
Pick up the right VR genre:
To make a successful VR game, you need to find your target audience and understand the different types of VR games. Remember that not all game genres work well with VR technology.
Below are some of the important genres, along with game examples. Feel free to choose any one of them.
Virtual Reality Action and Adventure Games
Example: Half-Life: Alyx – A critically
Virtual Reality Horror Games
Example: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard VR
Virtual Reality Simulation Games
Example: Microsoft Flight Simulator VR
Virtual Reality Puzzle Games
Example: The Room VR: A Dark Matter
Virtual Reality Sports and Fitness Games
Example: Beat Saber – A rhythm-based
Virtual Reality Racing Games
Example: Project CARS 2 VR
Virtual Reality Strategy Games
Example: Skyworld
Virtual Reality Educational and Training
Example: The Body VR
Virtual Reality Narrative and Story-Driven
Example: Moss
Pick Up The Game Engine:
It depends totally on you to choose between game engines. There are a lot of game engines out there, but I recommend you choose the Unity game engine. There are several reasons to go with Unity.
Reasons To Choose Unity:
The most popular game engine
User-friendly interface and versatility
Support VR platforms like PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, etc.
Offer advanced tools for 2D/3D development.
Huge collection of assets.
Pick Up A 3D Modeling Software:
For 3d modeling, Blender is everyone's first choice. You will need 3d models, environment props, and scenes for VR games. You can create in Blender for free.
Reason To Choose Blender:
It is free And open source.
It supports modeling, rigging, texturing, animation, simulation, endearing, and composition.
Large community to support and help.
Pick Up An Audio Tool:
Audio is the heartbeat of any game. Imagine your game without sound; it just feels without soul. You will need an audio tool for designing and creating soundtracks, sound effects, and voice-overs. FMOD is the industry standard.
Reason To Choose FMOD:
Powerful audio system.
Support VR games.
Offers real-time audio authoring.
Some Important Tips:
Respect the player's personal space in VR.
Prefer player comfort and safety.
Use high-quality sounds to bring life to the virtual world.
The VR environment should be responsive to each player's actions.
Keep a balance of scale and proportion between the player and the environment.
Read the complete article on GameDesignSchool
