Into the Radius

Into the Radius
Information
VR/AR	Virtual Reality
Developer	CM Games
Publisher	CM Games; Fast Travel Games (PlayStation VR2)
Platform	SteamVR, Oculus Rift, Meta Quest, PlayStation VR2
Device	Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, PlayStation VR2
Operating System	Windows, PlayStation 5
Type	Game
Genre	Survival, Action, Shooter, Indie
Input Device	Tracked motion controllers
Play Area	Standing, Room-scale, seated
Game Mode	Single-player
Release Date	Early Access: November 6, 2019; Full release (PC): July 20, 2020; Quest 2: September 8, 2022; PlayStation VR2: September 19, 2024
Price	US $29.99
App Store	Steam, Meta Quest Store, PlayStation Store
Website	https://cm.games

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See also: VR Apps and VR Games

Into the Radius is a single-player virtual reality survival shooter developed by the Estonian studio CM Games. The game is set in the Pechorsk Anomaly Zone, a surreal exclusion area filled with hostile entities, environmental anomalies, and Soviet-era industrial ruins, where the player scavenges for supplies and artifacts while completing missions. It is built around physics-based, manual firearm handling and resource management rather than fast action.

Into the Radius entered Steam Early Access on November 6, 2019 and reached its 1.0 release on July 20, 2020. It was later ported to the Meta Quest 2 in 2022 and to PlayStation VR2 in 2024. A sequel, Into the Radius 2, entered Steam Early Access in 2024.

Setting

The game takes place in the fictional Pechorsk Anomaly Zone, also called the Radius, a Soviet-style restricted territory where reality has been distorted by an unexplained event. The player operates from a security base on the edge of the zone and makes timed expeditions inside to retrieve objects and complete tasks. The setting and tone draw on the Soviet science fiction novel Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and the related S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video game series, which both feature scavengers exploring a hazardous, anomaly-filled exclusion zone.

Gameplay

Into the Radius is a hardcore survival shooter focused on immersion and slow, deliberate play. Missions usually involve traveling to a marked location to recover an item rather than clearing out enemies, and the world is explored on foot across forests, swamps, and ruined urban areas under a day and night cycle.

Firearm handling is manual and physics-driven. Players load individual rounds into magazines by hand, insert and remove those magazines, chamber rounds, and clean weapons that degrade and jam with use. Inventory is handled through physical interaction rather than menus: items are stored in a backpack and in body-worn pouches, and the player navigates using a physical in-world map and compass instead of an overlay interface.

Enemies in the zone include shadowy humanoid figures such as Fragments and Mimics, and the environment itself is hazardous because of anomalies that inflict damage on contact. Reviewers estimated the campaign at roughly 15 to 20 or more hours of play. The game supports Standing, Room-scale, and seated play with tracked motion controllers.

Development

Into the Radius was developed by CM Games, an independent developer and publisher founded in 2010 and based in Tallinn, Estonia, previously known for the mobile racing titles Drag Racing and Nitro Nation. Into the Radius was the studio's first virtual reality title. In August 2025 the team behind the series was spun off into a separate independent studio called CM Immersive (CMI).

The PlayStation VR2 version was published by Fast Travel Games and uses several headset features: it runs at a native 90 frames per second with eye-tracked foveated rendering, applies adaptive trigger resistance on the Sense controllers when firing, and uses headset and controller haptics plus 3D audio.

Release

Platform	Date	Notes
PC (SteamVR / Oculus Rift)	November 6, 2019	Steam Early Access
PC (SteamVR / Oculus Rift)	July 20, 2020	1.0 full release
Meta Quest 2	September 8, 2022	Standalone port
PlayStation VR2	September 19, 2024	Published by Fast Travel Games

By early 2025, around five years after its initial launch, the game had sold over 800,000 copies across all platforms.

Reception

On Steam the PC version holds a "Very Positive" user rating, with about 94 percent of user reviews being positive.

Critics praised the atmosphere, world design, and depth of the survival and weapon systems while criticizing object interaction and visual polish. Road to VR scored the Quest 2 release 7 out of 10, writing that the game "presents a large world that's about as dangerous as it is fascinating" but that its immersive depth is "shallowed somewhat by finicky object interaction and less than polished visuals." UploadVR rated the original release 3 out of 5, concluding that "despite its flaws and unpolished nature, Into the Radius is still a good VR game worth playing if you're a fan of the setting or looking for something dense to dig into," while noting "janky" controls and imprecise grabbing. UploadVR's review of the Quest 2 port called it "an interesting but flawed experience" whose "reach distinctly exceeds its grasp," citing lower-end graphics and physics glitches in the standalone version.