Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone
More actions
| Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | ANB_Seth (Arne Burkert) |
| Publisher | 2080 Games |
| Platform | SteamVR, Steam Deck (non-VR) |
| Device | PC VR headsets (OpenXR) |
| Operating System | Windows 10 (64-bit) |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Action, Shooter |
| Input Device | Tracked motion controllers (VR); gamepad (non-VR) |
| Play Area | Seated, Standing |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | 10 September 2026 (Early Access) |
| Price | US$24.99 (Early Access) |
| App Store | Steam |
| Website | https://www.2080.games/games/gunman-contracts |
Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone is a single-player action shooter for PC VR headsets and flat screens, developed by the solo German developer ANB_Seth (Arne Burkert) and published by 2080 Games. The player is "the Gunman", a professional operative who works for an order that delivers justice outside the reach of the law, one contract at a time.[1][2] The game grew out of ANB_Seth's two Gunman Contracts mods for Half-Life: Alyx, released in 2021 and 2022, but it is a new game built in Unity rather than the Valve engine the mods used.[2]
It entered Early Access on Steam on 10 September 2026 at US$24.99, with three story contracts, a home base and two challenge modes. Three more contracts are planned as free updates before version 1.0.[1][3] The game supports VR through OpenXR and can also be played without a headset on PC and Steam Deck.[1]
Gameplay
In the Early Access campaign the Gunman targets the Collectors, a crime operation that kills and kidnaps innocent people. The three connected story contracts take place at a safehouse on the outskirts of a city, a syndicate-run harbor warehouse district and a mobster restaurant.[1] In UploadVR's review, James Tocchio said the story campaign took about six or seven hours, and about ten hours including the challenge modes.[4]
Between missions the player returns to "the Hive", the Gunman's home base. It has a gun wall for storing and unlocking weapons, a gun bench for weapon skins and gun sounds, a shooting range with skill games, a speed-shooting obstacle course and a holographic combat training area.[1] The launch version has 18 weapons with per-weapon attachments, plus a compound bow and knives.[1] Players can also play their own MP3 files in the game through the Gunman's smartphone.[1]
Two challenge modes run on five maps. In Takedown mode the player picks enemy types and enemy count and clears an enclosed area of up to 30 enemies; in Last Stand the player survives endless waves of enemies while disarming bombs.[1] Every contract, skill game and challenge has Steam leaderboards, split between VR and non-VR players.[1] The game also has unlockable cheats and an optional low-violence mode that removes nearly all blood effects.[1]
VR controls and comfort
In VR, players reload, chamber rounds, aim down sights and holster weapons with physical movements, can dual-wield pistols, fight in melee, and slow time during gunfights.[4] UploadVR listed snap and smooth turning, headset- or controller-relative steering, seated and standing modes, height adjustment, vignette options and blink teleport among the comfort settings.[4] The Steam listing gives the supported VR play modes as standing and sitting.[1]
Development
ANB_Seth first released Gunman Contracts - Chapter 1 - The Extraction on the Half-Life: Alyx Steam Workshop on 12 September 2021, followed by Gunman Contracts - Chapter 2 - Art of War in January 2022.[5][6] Road to VR described the mods in 2022 as action levels inspired by the John Wick films, with only human enemies, custom assets, original music and voice acting.[7] Each mod required a copy of Half-Life: Alyx.[8]
The standalone game was first announced in 2023, with an Early Access release then targeted for early 2024.[9] MIXED reported in November 2023 that it would be playable both in VR and as a flat PC version, and that it would grow with new missions, weapons and challenges over time.[8] In October 2024, ANB_Seth said he had partnered with the publisher 2080 Games, founded by Mike of the YouTube channel Virtual Reality Oasis. According to Road to VR, 2080 Games partly funded development so that ANB_Seth could work on the game full-time, and the Early Access release moved to 2025.[9] At that time the developer planned five to six contracts for the full version and expected the game to develop over two to three years. He also said that 2080 Games' connections would make later ports to Meta Quest or PlayStation VR2 "actually realistic".[9]
Road to VR reported that the standalone game is not a Source 2 project like the mods but was built in Unity from the ground up, with new weapons and contracts.[2] In the Early Access launch announcement, ANB_Seth wrote that it had been "over 4 years since I began working on this project".[10]
Release
At the VR Games Showcase on 13 August 2026, the game was announced to launch in Early Access on the same day as Valve's Steam Frame headset, with non-VR play on PC and Steam Deck.[11][12] On 1 September 2026 the Steam listing was updated with a release date of 10 September. In a statement published with the date announcement, the developer said: "While the initial plan was to launch the same day as Steam Frame, we ultimately decided to choose our own launch timing."[13]
| Platform | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steam (Windows PC, VR) | 10 September 2026 | Early Access; VR through OpenXR, seated or standing[1] |
| Steam (Windows PC, non-VR) | 10 September 2026 | Early Access; gamepad supported[1][3] |
| Steam Deck | 10 September 2026 | Non-VR play; rated Steam Deck Verified[1][14] |
The Early Access price was US$24.99 at launch.[3] The store page says the price will rise as more contracts and content are added, and that version 1.0 will take the Gunman through "at least 3 more contracts in new locations, new weapons and new features". The developer said he planned to keep releasing content "over the coming couple of years through 1.0", without giving an exact timeline.[1] The game has an English interface, full English audio and English subtitles, a German interface and German subtitles, and 27 Steam achievements.[1][3]
Updates
| Version | Date | Main changes |
|---|---|---|
| Early Access launch | 10 September 2026 | Three story contracts, the Hive, Takedown and Last Stand modes, 18 weapons[1][10] |
| 0.3.1.0 | 21 September 2026 | Leaderboard cheat-check and display fixes; chest-bump reloads for rifles and shotguns in VR; optional toggle grip; streamlined graphics settings and GPU instancing; improved grab zones and compound bow handling[15] |
Reception
UploadVR did not score the Early Access release. James Tocchio played it on a Meta Quest 3S through Steam Link and called it "one of the best shooters I've played in years". He praised the physical gunplay, the aggressive enemies, the shadowed urban environments, the sound design and the voice acting.[4] He criticized guns catching on scenery and disappearing, glitches with holstering and with reloading some automatic weapons, repeated enemy models, and the small number of story contracts, and attributed these problems to the Early Access stage.[4]
On 29 September 2026, Steam showed a "Mostly Positive" rating from user reviews.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 "Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2421750/Gunman_Contracts__Stand_Alone/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Scott Hayden (2026-09-01). "'Gunman Contracts' Turns Beloved 'Half-Life: Alyx' Mod Into a Full Game Next Week". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/half-life-alyx-mod-gunman-contracts/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone (store data, US region)". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/api/appdetails?appids=2421750&cc=us. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 James Tocchio (2026-09-10). "Gunman Contracts: Stand Alone Early Access Review - Such Beautiful Violence". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/gunman-contracts-stand-alone-early-access-review-such-beautiful-violence/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "Gunman Contracts - Chapter 1 - The Extraction". Steam Workshop. Valve. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2600534901. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "Gunman Contracts - Chapter 2 - Art of War". Steam Workshop. Valve. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2730771410. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2022-02-15). "This 'Half-Life: Alyx' Mod is the John Wick VR Game We Always Wanted". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/half-life-alyx-mod-john-wick/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jeffrey Ziegler (2023-11-26). "Half Life: Alyx mod Gunman Contracts becomes a standalone VR shooter". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/gunman-contracts-stand-alone-vr-shooter/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Scott Hayden (2024-10-15). "One of the Best Mods for 'Half-Life: Alyx' is Becoming a Full Game Next Year". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/gunman-contracts-vr-game-half-life-alyx-mod/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 ANB_Seth (2026-09-10). ""Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone" is LIVE!". Steam News. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2421750/view/1843481262693110. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "Everything Announced at the August 2026 VR Games Showcase". Road to VR. 2026-08-13. https://roadtovr.com/everything-announced-at-the-august-2026-vr-games-showcase/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ James Tocchio (2026-08-14). "Gunman Contracts Stand Alone Will Launch Alongside Steam Frame". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/gunman-contracts-stand-alone-will-launch-alongside-steam-frame/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Mike Johnson (2026-09-01). "Gunman Contracts Stand Alone, Said To Launch "Alongside Steam Frame", Releases Next Week". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/gunman-contracts-stand-alone-said-to-launch-alongside-steam-frame-releases-next-week/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "Steam Deck compatibility report: Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/saleaction/ajaxgetdeckappcompatibilityreport?nAppID=2421750. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ ANB_Seth (2026-09-21). "UPDATE VERSION 0.3.1.0". Steam News. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2421750/view/1844115010502628. Retrieved 2026-09-29.