Pavlov Shack
| Pavlov Shack | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | Vankrupt Games |
| Publisher | Vankrupt Games |
| Platform | Meta Quest |
| Device | Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest Pro |
| Operating System | Android (Meta Quest) |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Shooter, Action |
| Input Device | Tracked motion controllers |
| Play Area | Standing, Room-scale |
| Game Mode | Online multiplayer |
| Release Date | App Lab beta March 31, 2021; full Meta Quest Store release November 14, 2023 |
| Price | US $19.99 |
| App Store | Meta Quest Store |
| Website | https://www.vankrupt.com/ |
Pavlov Shack is a multiplayer virtual reality first-person shooter developed by Vankrupt Games for the Meta Quest line of standalone headsets. It is the standalone Quest build of Pavlov VR, a Counter-Strike-inspired shooter that Vankrupt first released on SteamVR in 2017.[1] The Quest edition began as a free, scaled-down beta and was promoted to a paid title on the Meta Quest Store on November 14, 2023, priced at US $19.99.[2][3]
The game centres on team-based rounds with manual weapon handling: players load magazines, chamber rounds, and aim down physical sights using tracked motion controllers. It carries more than 65 interactable weapons and attachments and supports community-made modifications.[3][4] By May 2026 it ranked among the top 40 best-selling Quest games of all time on Meta's published list.[5]
Gameplay
Pavlov Shack is a team-based shooter played from a first-person perspective. Movement uses smooth artificial locomotion with the analog stick, and combat relies on physical interaction: the player grips a weapon, ejects and inserts magazines by hand, and aims along the gun's iron sights or optics rather than using a locked aiming reticle.[6] MIXED reviewer Kevin Link, in a hands-on with the Quest 3 version, described the weapon mechanics as precise, writing that reloading, aiming, and firing felt instantaneous.[6]
The game offers several modes. Search and Destroy is the competitive core, a round-based attack-and-defend objective in the style of Counter-Strike, with an in-round economy for buying weapons.[3][6] Other modes include Deathmatch, Gun Game, a zombies survival mode, Traitor Town (a social murder-mystery mode in the style of Trouble in Terrorist Town), and an asymmetric 1-versus-9 monster mode.[3][6] A World War II themed set of content includes a Stalingrad map with operable vehicles.[3]
Matches are joined through a server browser rather than automatic matchmaking. The Mixed hands-on cited the absence of direct matchmaking, comparing it unfavourably with titles such as Contractors Showdown, as the main friction point for new players.[6]
Development
Vankrupt Games was founded by Dave Villarreal, who develops under the handle "davevillz".[7][2] The studio released the original Pavlov VR on SteamVR in Early Access on February 27, 2017, building a player base around realistic gun handling and heavy community modding.[1]
Because the original PC game was too demanding for mobile hardware, Vankrupt built a separate, cut-down standalone version for the Quest, named Pavlov Shack. The Shack beta first appeared on SideQuest in early 2020 as a free download, where it passed roughly half a million installs.[7] On March 31, 2021, the free beta moved to Oculus App Lab, which removed the sideloading step; the download was just under 4 GB.[7] The developer initially indicated the eventual paid Quest Store version would cost about US $24 and would share cross-play with the planned PlayStation VR2 edition, while the PC version of Pavlov would remain separate.[8]
The Quest build is a distinct product from the PC and PlayStation versions and does not share cross-play with PC players, a limitation Vankrupt has attributed to the PC build moving faster than the standalone codebase.[7][8]
Release
The Shack beta spent roughly two years on App Lab before Vankrupt dropped Oculus Quest (first-generation) support and submitted the game for the Meta Quest Store. The full release arrived on November 14, 2023 at US $19.99.[2][3] The store version targets a 90 Hz refresh rate on Meta Quest 3 and runs at 72 Hz on Meta Quest 2, with the developer stating that no further graphical changes were planned beyond the higher refresh rate on newer hardware.[9] Post-launch updates have added maps including Pine Hill, Container Yard, and Harbour, along with new weapon cosmetics.[5]
| Platform / channel | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| SideQuest (free beta) | Early 2020 | Standalone Quest beta, ~500,000 downloads |
| Oculus App Lab (free beta) | March 31, 2021 | Free, ~4 GB download |
| Meta Quest Store (full release) | November 14, 2023 | Paid, US $19.99 |
For comparison, the separate Pavlov VR PC release dates from February 27, 2017 on SteamVR, and a PlayStation version launched alongside PlayStation VR2 in February 2023.[1][8]
Reception
On the Meta Quest Store, Pavlov Shack holds a user rating of about 4.1 out of 5 from roughly 6,800 reviews.[3] The Mixed hands-on of the Quest 3 version praised the gunplay and visual sharpness while criticising the reliance on a server browser instead of matchmaking.[6]
The clearest measure of the game's commercial standing is Meta's periodically published list of the best-selling Quest games. In the list reported in April 2025 it was placed at number 39, and in the May 2026 update it had risen six places to number 33, both rankings measured by initial sales rather than downloadable content or in-app purchases.[10][5] The game was a free beta for most of its life and became a paid product on the Quest Store in 2023.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Pavlov on Steam". 2017-02-27. https://store.steampowered.com/app/555160/Pavlov/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Pavlov Shack Full Release Is Available Now On Quest". 2023-11-14. https://www.uploadvr.com/pavlov-shack-full-quest-release/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Pavlov Shack on Meta Quest". https://www.meta.com/experiences/pavlov-shack/2443267419018232/.
- ↑ "Pavlov Shack". https://www.altlabvr.com/pavlov-shack.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "The 50 Best-selling Quest Games of All Time - 2026 Analysis". 2026-05. https://roadtovr.com/best-selling-quest-games-all-time-2026/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Pavlov Shack hands-on: I tried the Counter-Strike in VR on Quest 3". https://mixed-news.com/en/pavlov-shack-hands-on-quest-3/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Pavlov Shack Beta Is Out Now For Free On Oculus App Lab For Quest". 2021-03-31. https://www.uploadvr.com/pavlov-shack-beta-oculus-app-lab-quest/.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Pavlov Shack Will Cost $24 On Quest Later This Year, Coming To PSVR2 With Cross-Play". 2021-03-29. https://www.uploadvr.com/pavlov-shack-quest-price-psvr-2-cross-play/.
- ↑ "Meta Quest 3: VR shooter Pavlov Shack runs at 90Hz". https://mixed-news.com/en/meta-quest-3-vr-shooter-pavlov-shack-runs-at-90-hz/.
- ↑ "Meta Revealed The 50 Best-Selling Quest Games Of All Time". 2025-04-22. https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-revealed-the-50-best-selling-quest-games-of-all-time/.