Smash Drums
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| Smash Drums | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality |
| Developer | PotamWorks SAS |
| Publisher | PotamWorks SAS |
| Platform | Meta Horizon OS, Pico OS, PlayStation VR2 |
| Device | Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro, Pico 4, Pico 4 Ultra, Pico Neo 3 Link, PlayStation VR2 |
| Operating System | Meta Horizon OS, Pico OS, PlayStation 5 |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Rhythm, Arcade, Action |
| Input Device | Tracked Motion Controllers |
| Play Area | Seated, Standing |
| Game Mode | Single-player, Multiplayer, Co-op |
| Release Date | June 2021 (Quest, App Lab); December 2, 2021 (Meta Quest Store); May 15, 2025 (PS VR2) |
| Price | US$19.99 (Meta Horizon Store base game, checked October 7, 2026); song packs sold separately |
| App Store | Meta Horizon Store, Pico Store, PlayStation Store |
Smash Drums is a virtual reality rhythm game developed and published by PotamWorks SAS, an independent studio in France. Players use tracked controllers as drumsticks to hit drums and cymbals in time with rock songs, while the stage around them is gradually wrecked and set on fire as the song goes on.[1][2]
The game began as a free demo on SideQuest in 2020, launched in full on App Lab in June 2021 and moved to the official Quest Store on 2 December 2021.[1][3] It was later released on Pico headsets and, on 15 May 2025, on PlayStation VR2.[4][5] Post-launch updates have added a mixed reality mode on Quest, paid packs of licensed songs, a "Classic" note-highway mode and, in November 2025, a free single-player campaign called God of Drums.[6][7]
Gameplay
In the game's original style of play, drum kit pieces fly toward the player to the beat of the music, in a manner UploadVR compared to Beat Saber, and the player strikes them with virtual drumsticks.[8] Hit strength matters: according to the developer, different drum types call for different hit intensity.[3] As the player performs well, the venue falls apart; in UploadVR's description of the 2020 demo, "the walls fall down and the place catches on fire".[1] Songs can be played facing forward or in 360 degrees, with difficulty levels and gameplay modifiers, according to the Pico Store listing; Road to VR reported four difficulty modes planned for the 2021 launch.[9][10] UploadVR's 2025 hands-on on PS VR2 counted five difficulty levels, from Easy to Hardcore, and noted a no-fail option whose scores are kept off the leaderboards.[11]
The game now has three styles of play. In Arcade mode, notes such as crystal drums and burning drums approach from the front. Classic mode uses a fixed drum kit with color-coded notes moving down a fret board toward a strum bar, in the style of physical-instrument games such as Rock Band. Fusion mode combines a full, stationary drum kit with notes that fly toward it.[11][4][12] Classic mode arrived in an update on 15 November 2022, and Fusion mode was made accessible from the main menu in a May 2024 update.[4][13]
A progression system called Rock Stars awards experience points, and songs and cosmetics such as drumstick and kit skins are unlocked through play.[3][8] Scores feed global and friends leaderboards.[3] Version 2.0, released alongside the Quest Store launch, added an online arena mode for up to eight players, a co-op mode with a shared combo multiplier and an "ultra co-op" variant; voice chat is available in private rooms.[3] MIXED reported in 2025 that the PS VR2 version has no online multiplayer, which the developers attributed to the feature being rarely used.[12]
Mixed reality
On Quest headsets the game supports mixed reality play. The "Smashed Reality" update, revealed in August 2023, used the Quest's scene capture data to build stages that break apart in sync with the music and the player's hits, with three initial environments: a rock show arena, a volcano crater and the Moon.[6] UploadVR's October 2023 report on the first paid song pack described Smashed Reality as having launched in September.[14] A December 2023 "Paint Shop" addition lets successful hits splash paint onto the player's real walls and ceiling, while missed notes make the paint run down the walls.[15] The free "Smashed Reality Encore" update of May 2024 removed the room-capture requirement, so the game can start directly in passthrough on Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro; UploadVR noted that mixed reality support remains exclusive to Quest.[13] In a May 2024 hands-on, MIXED wrote that "the drums somehow feel more real when they're standing in my living room."[16]
God of Drums campaign
The God of Drums update added a single-player campaign with role-playing-style progression, in which the player rises from novice to "God of Drums" across levels 1 to 20 and more than 100 missions. Each mission uses either two base-game songs or one DLC track. PotamWorks estimated the campaign at three to six hours.[7] It entered early access on Quest on 14 November 2025, timed to the game's fourth anniversary on the Quest Store, and reached PlayStation VR2 in January 2026 with new legendary skins for the drummer's head and drumsticks.[7][17]
Development
PotamWorks SAS was founded by a developer named Julien, who goes by MrPotam or Potam. In a 2021 interview on the Meta Quest Blog, he said he had left a full-time job in finance about 18 months earlier to work on VR development, and that the game took almost two years to make from the first prototype.[3] UploadVR described the developer as France-based in 2020.[1] The PlayStation Blog post announcing the PS VR2 version was written by Julien Pecenicic, credited as CEO of PotamWorks SAS.[18]
The game was developed in the open. When it was announced in August 2020 for Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S, UploadVR reported a planned early 2021 release with 15 indie rock songs, no EDM tracks and free post-launch songs, and said the game had been tested by professional drummers and beginners.[8] A free demo with one sample song and two difficulty levels followed on SideQuest.[1] In May 2021 Road to VR reported that the full game would launch on App Lab on 17 June 2021 for about $20, with 21 songs in seven destructible environments, four difficulty modes and asynchronous global rankings; a PC VR version was also planned at that time.[10]
Version 1.0 launched on App Lab in June 2021. During the UploadVR Showcase in December 2021 the developer announced a surprise launch on the official Quest Store, alongside version 2.0, which added nine songs, a new concert environment, a visual overhaul and eight-player multiplayer.[3] In October 2023 the game received a Quest 3 update; MIXED reported a render resolution 2.6 times that of the Quest 2 version.[16]
PlayStation VR2 version
PotamWorks announced the PS VR2 version in February 2025 as a celebration of the headset's second anniversary.[19] According to the PlayStation Blog, the port uses eye-tracked foveated rendering, runs at a native 120 fps in its Performance mode, adds real-time lighting and shadows and a heat haze effect, and uses headset haptics and the adaptive triggers, which pulse when the player spins the sticks. On the PS5 Pro, the Fidelity mode also runs at 120 fps, compared with 90 fps on the base PS5. A Social Mode adds first-person and third-person camera views for the TV screen and recordings.[18] All DLC previously released on Quest was available on PS VR2 at launch.[19][5]
Release
| Platform | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SideQuest (Oculus Quest) | 2020 | Free demo[1] |
| App Lab (Quest) | June 2021 | Version 1.0 of the full game[3][10] |
| Meta Quest Store | 2 December 2021 | Launched with version 2.0[3][7] |
| Pico Store | By October 2022 | Supported headsets listed include Pico Neo3 Link, Pico 4 and Pico 4 Ultra[4][9] |
| PlayStation VR2 | 15 May 2025 | Standard and Premium editions; PS5 Pro enhanced[5][2] |
On PS VR2, the Standard Edition costs $19.99 with 58 songs, and the Premium Edition costs $54.99 with 93 songs including all DLC; individual song packs cost $5.99.[5] The Meta Horizon Store listing shows a price of $19.99, the genres Arcade, Action and Rhythm, and a 16+ content rating for strong language, user interaction and in-game purchases.[20] As of October 2025, UploadVR listed the game as available on Quest, Pico and PlayStation VR2.[21]
Song packs
The base game's soundtrack is made up of rock tracks spanning punk, metal and classic rock.[18] Licensed songs from well-known artists are sold as paid five-song packs, including the following:
| Pack | Release | Songs |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s Rock Legends | October 2023 | Blondie, "One Way Or Another"; KISS, "Rock And Roll All Nite"; Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Sweet Home Alabama"; The Police, "Roxanne"; ZZ Top, "La Grange"[14] |
| 1980s Rock Legends | November 2023 | Bon Jovi, "Livin' On A Prayer"; Mötley Crüe, "Kickstart My Heart"; R.E.M., "It's The End of the World as We Know It"; Scorpions, "Rock You Like A Hurricane"; ZZ Top, "Gimme All Your Lovin'"[22] |
| Punk Rock Legends | December 2023 | blink-182, "All The Small Things"; Jimmy Eat World, "Sweetness"; Ramones, "Blitzkrieg Bop"; Sum 41, "Fat Lip"; The All-American Rejects, "Move Along"[15] |
| Hard Rock Legends | By May 2024 | 3 Doors Down, "Kryptonite"; Avenged Sevenfold, "Bat Country"; Bad Religion, "American Jesus"; Papa Roach, "Last Resort"; Rise Against, "Prayer Of The Refugee"[16][23] |
| Pop Rock Legends | 9 July 2024 | The Cranberries, "Zombie"; The Cure, "Friday I'm in Love"; Bon Jovi, "It's My Life"; Supergrass, "Alright"; Lifehouse, "Hanging by a Moment"[24] |
| 2000s Rock Legends | 12 December 2024 | Blur, "Song 2"; Evanescence, "Bring Me To Life"; Fall Out Boy, "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs"; Foo Fighters, "The Pretender"; Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Snow (Hey Oh)"[25] |
The first three packs were priced at $6 on Quest, and UploadVR listed the 2000s Rock Legends pack at $5.99.[14][22][15][25] With the Pop Rock Legends pack, MIXED counted 83 songs in total, 25 of them paid add-ons; the same update gave all players a free environment, "Frickin' Rock Show".[24] A Halloween event from 16 October to 30 November 2025 added a new song, "Dawg", limited-time cosmetics and a selfie camera.[21]
Reception
In its 2025 hands-on with the PS VR2 version, UploadVR called the game "perfect for a solid drum session jamming to various rock & metal tracks" and described it as easy to learn and hard to master, but called the lack of a career mode "a missed opportunity"; the God of Drums campaign was added later that year.[11][7] MIXED's hands-on with the same version found that "environments and visual effects in both versions seem like gimmicks rather than meaningful enhancements", preferred Fusion mode, and favored the Quest 3 mixed reality mode over the sharper PS VR2 graphics.[12] Its 2024 Quest 3 hands-on compared the feel to Rock Band without the physical drums taking up space.[16] UploadVR's Ian Hamilton wrote in 2020 that the SideQuest demo gave "a satisfying sense of really hammering the drums".[1]
On the Meta Horizon Store the game holds a user rating of 4.6 out of 5 from about 4,200 ratings (October 2026).[20] In its PS VR2 announcement, PotamWorks described Smash Drums as "the #1 top seller" in the VR drumming category on other platforms; this is the developer's own claim.[18] The game's PlayStation Store description states that it was a finalist for the AIXR 2021 "VR Game of the Year" award.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Ian Hamilton (2020-09-02). "Smash Drums SideQuest Demo Teases Drumming VR Game". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-sidequest-demo-offers-nice-take-on-rhythm-genre/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Smash Drums". PlayStation Store. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10003176. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "Embrace Your Inner Rock Star with 'Smash Drums' on the Quest Platform". Meta Quest Blog. Meta Platforms. 2021-12-02. https://www.meta.com/blog/embrace-your-inner-rock-star-with-smash-drums-on-the-quest-platform/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Ian Hamilton (2022-10-02). "Smash Drums 'Classic Mode' Delivers Rock Band Vibes". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-rock-band-hero/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Henry Stockdale (2025-04-30). "Smash Drums Goes Touring On PlayStation VR2 Next Month". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-playstation-vr2-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Henry Stockdale (2023-08-22). "Smash Drums Reveals 'Smashed Reality' MR Update On Quest". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-mixed-reality-mode/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Sarah Thwaites (2025-11-14). "Smash Drums Celebrates Four Years On Quest With Free Campaign Update". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-campaign-mode/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Harry Baker (2020-08-01). "Smash Drums! Is A VR Drumming Game Coming To Quest And Rift In 2021". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-vr-drumming-game/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Smash Drums". PICO Store. PICO. https://store-global.picoxr.com/gb/detail/1/2147. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Scott Hayden (2021-05-13). "Drum-based Rhythm Game 'Smash Drums' to Release on Quest Next Month". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/smash-drums-quest-2-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Luis Aviles (2025-05-14). "Smash Drums Hands-On: Rocking To The Beat On PS VR2". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-playstation-vr2-impressions/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2025-05-15). "Smash Drums rocks on PSVR 2, but the Quest version holds its own". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/smash-drums-psvr-2-hands-on/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Henry Stockdale (2024-05-16). "Smash Drums Revamps MR Support With Smashed Reality Encore Update". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-smashed-reality-encore-mixed-reality-update/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Henry Stockdale (2023-10-19). "Smash Drums Adds Blondie, KISS & More 1970s Rock Legends In New DLC On Quest". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-70s-rock-legends-dlc/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Henry Stockdale (2023-12-13). "Smash Drums Mixes Paint With Punk In Latest Update". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-punk-rock-legends-dlc-paint-shop/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2024-05-22). "Smash Drums is an amazing way to rock out on your Quest 3". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/smash-drums-mixed-reality-hands-on/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Luis Aviles (2026-01-13). "Smash Drums Campaign Mode Now Available On PlayStation VR2". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-campaign-mode-now-available-on-playstation-vr-2/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Julien Pecenicic (2025-04-30). "Smash Drums hits PS VR2 May 15 with exclusive features". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2025/04/30/smash-drums-hits-ps-vr2-may-15-with-exclusive-features/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Henry Stockdale (2025-02-19). "Smash Drums Heads For PlayStation VR2 This Year With PS5 Pro Upgrades". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-playstation-vr2-ps5-pro/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Smash Drums". Meta Horizon Store. Meta Platforms. https://www.meta.com/experiences/smash-drums/3630025217090808/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Sarah Thwaites (2025-10-16). "Smash Drums Adds Eerie Cosmetics And New Song In Halloween Update". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-halloween-update/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Henry Stockdale (2023-11-15). "Smash Drums Heads To The 80s With New DLC". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-80s-rock-legends-dlc/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ "Hard Rock Legends - Music Pack". Meta Horizon Store. Meta Platforms. https://www.meta.com/experiences/hard-rock-legends-music-pack/368879789464823/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Josef Erl (2024-07-09). "Meta Quest: Smash Drums heats you up with iconic 90s songs". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/meta-quest-smash-drums-heats-you-up-with-iconic-90s-songs/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Henry Stockdale (2024-12-12). "Smash Drums Adds Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters & More In The 2000s Rock Legends Music Pack". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smash-drums-2000s-rock-legends-music-pack/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.