I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar
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| I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | VR |
| Developer | Schell Games |
| Publisher | Schell Games |
| Platform | SteamVR, Oculus Rift (Platform), Meta Horizon OS, PlayStation VR |
| Device | Oculus Quest, Meta Quest 2, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR |
| Operating System | Windows, Meta Horizon OS, PlayStation 4 |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Puzzle, Adventure |
| Input Device | Tracked Motion Controllers, PlayStation Move |
| Play Area | Seated |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | August 24, 2021 |
| Price | US$24.99 (launch price) |
| App Store | Steam, Meta Horizon Store, PlayStation Store |
| Website | https://iexpectyoutodie.schellgames.com/sequel |
I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar is a seated virtual reality puzzle game developed and published by Schell Games. It is the sequel to the 2016 spy puzzle game I Expect You To Die and was released on 24 August 2021 for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, PC VR headsets through SteamVR, and PlayStation VR, priced at US$24.99.[1][2]
The player is an agent who uses telekinesis and objects found in each scene to survive six missions against the villainous organization Zoraxis, without leaving the chair. Wil Wheaton voices the actor John Juniper, and the singer Puddles Pity Party performs the opening theme.[2][3] Schell Games reported that the game passed US$1 million in revenue in less than a week.[2] It was nominated for Best VR/AR Game at The Game Awards 2021 and for Immersive Reality Game of the Year at the 25th D.I.C.E. Awards.[4][5]
Gameplay
Like the first game, I Expect You To Die 2 is an escape room-style puzzle game played from a fixed position. Each mission places the player in one scene filled with props, hidden compartments and traps. The player picks up and uses objects with motion controllers, and can pull distant objects closer with a telekinesis button, so the whole game is played seated.[6][3] Schell Games describes it as a seated experience that can be played with one or two hands and says it was built with accessibility in mind.[3]
Mistakes are usually fatal. In The Verge's review, Adi Robertson described deaths from poison gas, a sharpened pendulum, a grenade in a dumbwaiter and an exploding cigar; after each failure the player sees a note explaining the cause of death and can restart immediately.[6] The player's mission handler, voiced by Jared Mason, offers hints over the radio and shortens his lines when a level is repeated.[6] Players can also go undercover in disguises.[3] Optional goals include collecting souvenirs hidden in each mission, completing speed runs and earning achievements.[7] Robertson noted that the sequel added a simple achievement system that gives cryptic clues about the game's Easter eggs.[6]
Story and missions
The story follows on from the first game: Zoraxis believes the agent is dead, and the Agency sends the agent undercover to investigate the organization's plan for world domination. The first assignment is to protect a prime minister attending a theater production featuring the celebrity actor John Juniper.[3] Unlike the mostly standalone scenarios of the first game, the six missions form one connected story built around Juniper, who has an elaborate mask made for each role he prepares for.[6] The official site lists the missions as follows.[7]
| Mission | Briefing summary |
|---|---|
| Operation: Stage Fright | An event in Manhattan hosted by John Juniper, attended by the Prime Minister |
| Operation: Jet Set | A private jet flight to Europe to meet Juniper |
| Operation: Eaves Drop | The Fabricator's high-security workshop in Barcelona |
| Operation: Party Crasher | A castle in the Alps |
| Operation: Safe and Sound | Delivery of the briefcase and a sealed document to the head of an office |
| Operation: Rising Phoenix | The Zoraxis Defense headquarters on an island in the Black Sea |
Development
Schell Games announced the sequel on 27 January 2021 with a 2021 release window and no platforms named. Studio CEO Jesse Schell said, "The community spoke, and we listened." Project director Charlie Amis said the game would have new puzzles and "an in-depth storyline".[8][9] At the time, the studio said the first game had earned more than US$6 million in gross revenue.[8]
On 21 April 2021, during the Oculus Gaming Showcase, Schell Games confirmed that the game would launch on the Quest and Rift platforms later that year; UploadVR reported that a PlayStation VR version had already been confirmed.[9] In June 2021 the studio said the game would arrive that summer on SteamVR headsets, Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR, and named Wil Wheaton as the voice of John Juniper. A SteamVR demo with the tutorial, the opening credits sequence and part of the first mission was scheduled for Steam Next Fest from 16 June 2021.[10]
The game opens with a 360-degree credits sequence in which Puddles Pity Party sings the new theme song.[3][10] Compared with the first game, Schell Games promised more characters, more music in each level, more disguises and more interactive mission spaces.[3]
Release
The 24 August 2021 release date was announced in July 2021. The game cost US$24.99 on every platform, with a 10% pre-order discount on PlayStation VR and Quest.[1][2] According to UploadVR, it went on sale the same day that the Oculus Quest 2 returned to sale after a month-long recall.[11]
| Platform | Store | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oculus Quest | Oculus Store (now Meta Horizon Store) | 24 August 2021 | US$24.99 at launch[1][2] |
| Oculus Rift | Oculus Store | 24 August 2021 | PC VR[2][6] |
| Windows PC VR headsets | Steam | 24 August 2021 | Requires a VR headset; lists SteamVR or Oculus PC support[3] |
| PlayStation VR (PlayStation 4) | PlayStation Store | 24 August 2021 | Requires PlayStation Camera and a PlayStation Move controller; supports two Move controllers[12] |
On 18 September 2025, Schell Games announced the Phoenix Rising Bundle for Meta Horizon Store and SteamVR, which packages I Expect You To Die 2 with the first game and I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine.[13]
Reception
Critical response
On Metacritic, the PC version has a Metascore of 83 and the PlayStation 4 version a Metascore of 80, with the PC score labeled "generally favorable"; the Meta Quest listing had no Metascore as of October 2026.[14]
| Publication | Reviewer | Platform | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| IGN | Gabriel Moss | Oculus Quest 2 | 8/10[15] |
| Road to VR | Scott Hayden | Oculus Quest 2 | 8.5/10[16] |
| UploadVR | Ian Hamilton | Not stated | "Great"[17] |
IGN's Gabriel Moss called the game "a clever, surprising, and fun escape room-style puzzle game" and singled out Wil Wheaton's performance as John Juniper as "one of the best parts of the whole campaign". He also noted that players need "to stomach a lot of restarts" and that he had little left to do after the three-hour campaign.[15]
Road to VR's Scott Hayden finished the game in about two hours. He praised its "engrossing multi-step puzzles" and production values and called it suitable for newcomers to VR because it is played seated, but found picking up objects sometimes "fiddly" and said the puzzles have little replay value because they usually have one set solution.[16]
In UploadVR's review, Ian Hamilton said the levels took him several hours and that it was "easy to see I Expect You To Die 2 as more like an expansion" of the first game. He concluded that it "falls just short of essential" because not all players will enjoy its trial-and-error design, but called it "bigger, better and more richly developed than its predecessor".[17]
Adi Robertson of The Verge called it "the most fun I've had solving puzzles this year". Robertson found that physics and motion controls sometimes made correct solutions hard to carry out and that a few sections relied too much on pressing control panel buttons in order, but praised how the trial-and-error structure turned restarts into a chance to explore. Robertson described the game as only a couple of hours long.[6]
Sales
In September 2021, Schell Games announced that the game had passed US$1 million in revenue in less than a week and was a top seller on the Oculus Quest and SteamVR charts.[2] UploadVR compared this with the first game, which earned US$3 million over two years on PC VR and PlayStation VR and another US$1 million after its Quest release.[11] As of October 2026, the Steam page rated user reviews "Overwhelmingly Positive", with 96% of 1,175 reviews positive.[3]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Game Awards | Best VR/AR Game | Nominated[4] |
| 2021 | Road to VR Game of the Year Awards | Oculus Quest Game of the Year | Won[18] |
| 2021 | The Unity Awards | Best AR/VR Game | Won[19] |
| 2021 | The Steam Awards | VR Game of the Year | Nominated[19] |
| 2022 | 25th D.I.C.E. Awards | Immersive Reality Game of the Year | Nominated[5] |
| 2022 | Develop: Star Awards | Best Extended Reality Game | Nominated[19] |
| 2022 | The Telly Awards | Immersive & Mixed Reality - Craft - Use of VR | Silver[19] |
| 2022 | SXSW | Title Design Competition | Finalist[19] |
Road to VR wrote in its 2021 awards that the game "has more of everything, and its patented brand of spy-themed gameplay is still going strong."[18]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ian Hamilton (2021-07-21). "I Expect You To Die 2 Arrives Aug. 24 For PSVR, Quest, PC VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/i-expect-you-to-die-2-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar Surpasses $1M in Revenue". Schell Games. 2021-09-09. https://iexpectyoutodie.schellgames.com/news/i-expect-you-to-die-2-the-spy-and-the-liar-surpasses-1m-in-revenue. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1499120/I_Expect_You_To_Die_2_The_Spy_and_the_Liar/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "I Expect You To Die 2 Nominated for The Game Awards Best VR/AR Game". Schell Games. 2021-11-16. https://iexpectyoutodie.schellgames.com/news/i-expect-you-to-die-2-nominated-for-the-game-awards-best-vr-ar-game. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2022&idGame=1813. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Adi Robertson (2021-08-26). "I Expect You To Die 2 is the most fun I've had solving puzzles this year". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/26/22641497/i-expect-you-to-die-2-schell-games-oculus-quest-steamvr-playstation-vr-review. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "I Expect You To Die 2". Schell Games. https://iexpectyoutodie.schellgames.com/sequel. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Schell Games Announces Sequel to Award-Winning VR Puzzler 'I Expect You To Die'". Schell Games. 2021-01-27. https://iexpectyoutodie.schellgames.com/news/schell-games-announces-sequel-to-award-winning-vr-puzzler-i-expect-you-to-die/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Harry Baker (2021-04-21). "I Expect You To Die 2 Coming To Quest, Rift Platforms Later This Year". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/expect-you-to-die-2-quest-rift/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Scott Hayden (2021-06-12). "'I Expect You to Die 2' Coming to All Major VR Headsets This Summer, Featuring Wil Wheaton". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/expect-die-2-trailer-release-date-steam-quest-psvr/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jamie Feltham (2021-09-08). "I Expect You To Die 2 Made $1 Million In Less Than A Week". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/i-expect-you-to-die-2-1-million-revenue/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ "I Expect You To Die 2". PlayStation. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/i-expect-you-to-die-2/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ "Complete the Trilogy, Save the World". Schell Games. 2025-09-18. https://schellgames.com/blog/phoenix-rising-bundle. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ "I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy And The Liar Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/i-expect-you-to-die-2-the-spy-and-the-liar/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Gabriel Moss (2021-08-24). "I Expect You To Die 2 Review". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/i-expect-you-to-die-2-review. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Scott Hayden (2021-08-24). "'I Expect You to Die 2' Review - A Worthy Sequel to VR's Deadliest Spy Puzzler". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/i-expect-you-to-die-2-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Ian Hamilton (2021-08-24). "I Expect You To Die 2 Review: A Worthy Sequel Rich With Detail". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/i-expect-you-to-die-2-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Road to VR's 2021 Game of the Year Awards". Road to VR. 2021-12-21. https://roadtovr.com/road-to-vrs-2021-game-year-awards/. Retrieved 2026-10-04.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 "I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar press kit". Schell Games. https://schellgames.com/press/i-expect-you-to-die-2-the-spy-and-the-liar-press-kit. Retrieved 2026-10-04.