Hands-on with Tunnels, Nomad Monkey’s new survival horror VR title

GDC 2025 had plenty of opportunities to check out up and coming titles from all sorts of developers and publishers. I was graciously invited to check out an upcoming VR game called Tunnels. Built for the Meta Quest platform, experience a whole new world of survival horror. Expect to get your hands on the full single-player experience on May 15th for Meta Quest.

Tunnels VR may make you go “Huh, wonder that that means”, right? Well, it’s pretty interesting actually, and VR fans may want to keep their eyes peeled. You’re a cave diver sent to explore a cave system, but you’re not alone. By using your arms to physically crawl through tight spaces and sometimes walk around open spaces with your joystick, you’ll find yourself stumbling around in the dark and making use of limited resources to delve further and further. It’s a claustrophobic premium single-player experience hell bent on playing on your fears of small and tight spaces, and you won’t be alone amidst all of that. Something lurks in the darkness, so be mindful of your surroundings and your items while you explore…

Embark on a story-driven plunge through into suffocating darkness, relying on a voice over the radio to keep you company and guide you through the ever-winding tunnels to survive. Of course, it’s not just a narrative horror experience for players to experience. As an extra bonus, the developers Nomad Monkey are bringing a completely free-to-play multiplayer experience to the platform. Join up with some friends and strangers alike to work together (or betray one another) to survive in these dark, damp tunnels, caves, rivers, and more.

Now, I got hands on with this, and horror and I don’t have the best relationship. The best you’re gonna get out of me is a Resident Evil game with a Silent Hill game sprinkled here and there on a rare occasion. When I was asked to try out a technical demo and get a feel for it, I was hit with an immediate sense of “Oh great, this can only go well for me”. Luckily, or unluckily depending on your viewpoint, it kept up to my exact worries. I put on the headset and was given the controllers with the instructions to follow the slight glow and keep my eyes peeled. You know how in some games you have that feeling of dread knowing you’re not alone but have no clue where the threat lies? Yeah that’s exactly what Tunnels slipped into my mind. I crawled through rather small tunnels all the while constantly peeking around corners or looking behind me to make sure some crazy cave monster wasn’t prepared to treat me like cave jerky. It truly is horrifying and yet still very fun and engaging. You wouldn’t think a game about exploring caves would be super engaging and horrifying, but Tunnels really nails the atmosphere and what I imagine it’s like to be one of those TikTok psychopaths with no sense of self preservation.

Tunnels, by Nomad Monkey, is set to release this year on May 15th as stated above on the Meta Quest store, suitable for Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro, Quest 3, and Quest 3S. Keep your eyes peeled if you’re a horror junky seeking something new and unique, because this will definitely scratch an itch I didn’t even know I had until I got to experience it.