Back in 2019, virtual reality was in a very different place. The original Oculus Quest had just launched, bringing untethered VR gaming to the masses, while Valve had entered the hardware space with the high-end Index. It was a breakthrough moment for VR—one that felt like the first true consumer boom for the platform. Alongside hardware innovations came a wave of standout games: Half-Life: Alyx, Blood & Truth, and nestled among them, GORN—a wild, over-the-top, physics-driven gladiator brawler from indie developer Free Lives. With its cartoonishly violent combat, flailing limbs, and a complete disregard for realism, GORN quickly became a fan favourite and even a system seller.
But that was six years ago. In the years since, the landscape of VR has changed significantly. Meta has released the Quest 2 and 3, pushing for better performance, wireless play, and comfort. Sony has doubled down with PSVR2, and the games themselves have become more ambitious and immersive. As someone who recently jumped back into the original GORN, it’s hard not to notice the aging seams—it’s still fun, but its limitations are clear.
Thankfully, Free Lives has returned to the arena with GORN 2, and the result is nothing short of triumphant. Not only does it recapture the chaotic charm of the original, but it improves on nearly every aspect in such significant ways that it makes the first game feel like a prototype.
At its core, GORN 2 embraces everything that made the original so enjoyable—the outrageous, slapstick violence; the wobbly, exaggerated physics; and the ridiculous enemy designs—but adds a surprising amount of refinement. One of the most noticeable improvements is in the game’s attempt at storytelling. Now, to be clear, GORN 2 isn’t suddenly concerned with deep lore or emotional character arcs. This is still a game where you’re more likely to be dodging projectiles fired from a chicken’s butt than anything storyrelated. But there is a light narrative framework, and it works surprisingly well.
“Thankfully, Free Lives has returned to the arena with GORN 2, and the result is nothing short of triumphant.”
The plot revolves around your efforts to defeat a set of bizarre gladiatorial champions in order to retrieve their body parts and resurrect your god. Yes, it’s just as absurd as it sounds. Each of the five main regions has its own distinctive biome, style, and boss character, and you’ll be switching between them regularly, which keeps things feeling fresh and avoids the repetition that sometimes plagued the original. The environments and characters are dripping with personality—equal parts grotesque and hilarious—and the absurdity of it all somehow pulls you in rather than pushing you away.
One of the biggest gameplay improvements comes from the progression system. In GORN 2, the more you play, the more bizarre and deadly your arsenal becomes. Weapons are unlocked as you progress through waves and defeat enemies who wield them, and each new weapon typically comes with a challenge or side objective. These might ask you to land headshots with a bow or rip off an enemy’s head barehanded—tasks that are brutal, but also hilarious in execution.
This simple loop—get a new weapon, complete its challenge, unlock even more toys—adds meaningful variety, and it encouraged me to break out of my usual “grab a sword and swing like a maniac” strategy. It’s clever and keeps the momentum going, even after hours of play. But you also don’t NEED to do any challenges, it’s just a fun additive.
“GORN 2 refines this chaos without taming it.”
But what really elevates GORN 2 is its commitment to sheer, unrelenting absurdity. This game is funny. Genuinely, laugh-out-loud funny. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter when one of the region bosses started monologuing about his “Big Stick Energy,” then transitioned into a bizarre rant about “big butt energy” and how he killed his father, so now he has “big stick-in-his-butt energy.” It’s stupid in the best possible way, and the game never takes itself seriously. From jiggling enemy physics to bizarre one-liners, it feels like a celebration of how weird VR can get when developers embrace it.
Combat, of course, is still the star of the show. The physics-driven melee system remains delightfully unhinged. You’ll be tearing through hordes of enemies that grow, shrink, mutate, and wear increasingly ludicrous armour. There’s a chicken that shoots eggs out of its… well, let’s just say you’ll learn to watch for the “pucker.” It’s manic, it’s unpredictable, and it’s always a blast. But importantly, GORN 2 refines this chaos without taming it. Movement feels smoother, enemy AI is just smart enough to be dangerous (but still dumb enough to be hilarious), and everything from dismemberment to ragdolling feels more polished.
And while VR often struggles with comfort and user-friendliness, GORN 2 nails its pacing and interaction design. The story doesn’t bog you down, never forces you to stand still, and always serves the action rather than distract from it. You’re dropped into the fray quickly, with very little downtime between the game’s wild setpieces. It understands what its players want—more mayhem, more madness, and more meat-headed monstrosities to pulverize.
GORN 2 isn’t just a sequel. It’s a full-blown evolution. Free Lives has taken everything that made the original fun and cranked it to eleven, then added more polish, more variety, and more hilarity. The combat is faster and more fluid, the environments are more diverse, the weapons are more creative, and the game itself is shockingly well-paced for something that feels like it was born out of a fever dream.
While the original GORN was a standout VR title for its time, GORN 2 is miles above it in almost every conceivable way. It doesn’t just hold up—it dominates. This is not only one of the funniest and most satisfying VR games out there right now, it’s also a shining example of how to do a sequel right: bigger, bloodier, and somehow even more bonkers. If you’ve got a VR headset and a thirst for cartoon carnage, GORN 2 is absolutely essential.
