This is a mod for the 2007 Crytek game Crysis which makes it possible to experience it in Virtual Reality, with full 6DOF tracking and motion controller support. You need to own and have installed the original Crysis (not the Remastered version). It is available at:
The mod uses OpenXR and was successfully tested with the SteamVR and Oculus runtimes.
Download and install Crysis. Note: it is not necessary to run the game flat screen, and in fact it may even fail to run for you at all. This does not matter! Just proceed with the installation and play in VR :)
Head over to the mod's Releases and
find the latest release at the top of the page. Under the "Assets" section find and download the crysis-vrmod-x.y.exe installer. Ignore all other files.
Run it and point it to where you have installed Crysis. If you are not sure and own it on Steam, right-click on Crysis
in your Steam library, then select "Manage" -> "Browse local files", and it will show you the game's install location.
The installer will install the VR mod and all required dependencies. Once it's done, you can start the mod from the Start Menu or Desktop shortcuts (if you chose to create them during the install process), or head over to your Crysis folder and
launch the CrysisVR.exe file inside the Bin32 or Bin64 folder.
The 32bit version of Crysis is considered more stable, so launching the 32bit version is preferable over the 64bit version. However, if you are using SteamVR (either with a SteamVR headset like Index or PSVR2, or Steam Link for Quest), you must use 64bit since Valve never bothered to provide a 32bit OpenXR runtime.
Note: the installer is not digitally signed, so Windows will warn you and stop you from executing it. You'll have to tell it to run the installer, anyway.
See the mod webpage.
To update to a newer version, you can just download the new version's installer and run it. It will overwrite the previous version.
Note: if you are upgrading from an older version before 1.0, then be aware
that the save location has changed, and saves from the old version will not
show up. You will have to migrate them manually - go to
<My Documents>\My Games\Crysis and copy the SaveGames folder over to
<My Documents>\My Games\Crysis VR.
If you are the brave sort, you can also opt to download the latest development build. Be warned that it may be unstable and contain more bugs than the stable releases, so use at your own risk.
When you boot up the VR mod, you will notice a number of additional buttons in the lower left of the menu. Click on the "VR Settings" to open a menu where you can configure various aspects of the VR playing experience to your liking.
Note that this mod features smooth locomotion and vehicle sections; it requires steady VR legs to play. The basic gameplay should feel familiar to experienced VR players. Some notable controls you should know about:
- there are 3 weapon "holsters" that each store multiple weapons; you can cycle through them by pressing your main hand's grip
button at the relevant holster location
- hip holster: stores pistols and bare fists; point your hand downwards near your hip and press grip
- shoulder holster: stores your two main assault weapons; lift your hand over your shoulders and press grip
- chest/back holster: stores explosives; put your hand in front of your chest or behind your back and press grip
- you can grab weapons with both hands; this will increase accuracy and reduce spread and recoil
- your nanosuit has 4 distinct modes: armor, speed, strength and cloak. You can access and enable these modes through the suit menu. To bring it up, press and hold your right stick/trackpad, then move your hand in the direction of the mode you want to select and let go.
- You can modify your weapon's accessories. The accessories menu is available through the suit menu, to the lower left.
- You can drop weapons by opening the suit menu and pressing the left A button.
There are ingame HUD hints that explain some of the general controls as they come up. The mod also features an extensive manual that you can find in the main menu through the "VR Manual" button. Refer to it any time you need to look up how to do something. :)
- vehicle and stationary guns are aimed with the right thumbstick rather than controller/head orientation
Be advised that Crysis in VR needs fairly potent hardware. This is in part due to it being Crysis, and in part due to the method I'm using to implement stereoscopic rendering not being the most efficient one. Unfortunately, due to the limited engine and renderer access being available to me, that's about as good as I can make it.
On the CPU side, expect even the most powerful CPUs to struggle and cause reprojection! I'd recommend playing on a Ryzen 7000 or 5800X3D or an Intel 12th gen or up. Expect more issues as you go down. A Ryzen 3000 is not going to provide a very good experience.
On the GPU side, it is less clear, and you do have some options to trade visual quality vs performance via the SteamVR rendering resolution and the ingame quality settings. Still, in my testing an RTX 2080 Ti was struggling (although that may have been in part due to its pairing with a weaker CPU). A 4090 does perfectly fine (duh), as does an RX 7900 XT.
- Anti-aliasing is known to cause issues and crashes. Do not enable it with this mod!
This mod depends on and includes the alternative Crysis launcher by ccomrade.
This mod is developed and its source code is covered under the CryENGINE 2 Mod SDK license which you can review in the LICENSE.txt file.
This mod is not endorsed by or affiliated with Crytek or Electronic Arts. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Game content copyright Crytek.
