VR Woodworking Game ‘vrkshop’ Arrives on Steam Early Access Today

Building something with your own two hands out of wood can be rewarding, but also messy, difficult, and not always practical depending on where you live. In the Early Access game vrkshop, which is available starting today, you’ll get a chance to learn and put your woodworking skills to the test.

Update (July 15th, 2020): In a surprise move, scopatgames released ‘vrkshop’ onto Steam Early Access today, priced at $20. At its EA launch, the game includes what the studio calls ‘challenge projects’, which task you with building specific things as well as free play mode, letting you play around in a sandbox creation mode. The original article follows below:

Original Article (June 22nd, 2020): According to developer scopatgames, vrkshop challenges you to build projects with hand tools, which means no snap-to-guides or limits on how to cut or fasten the lumber together.

In the game’s Steam listing, scopatgames says the goal is to strike a balance between realism, immersion, and fun, which is why it’s heading to early access first. It’s set to include two different play modes at launch: challenges and free play, the latter of which allows you to build anything you want.

The current build is nearly set for release, scopatgames says, which includes:

• Hand tools: saw and hammer
• Measuring tools: speed square, small and large framing square
• Fasteners: Common and finishing nails of different sizes
• Lumber: 17 different sizes of lumber
• Marking tools: pencils, chalk, eraser
• A customizable pegboard
• Functional chalkboard and hand calculator.
• 10 challenge projects
• A three-part project scoring system
• 2 free play environments (indoor workshop, outdoor arena)

The game, which is said to launch sometime in July, supports your standard set of SteamVR headsets, including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows VR, and Valve Index.

Vrkshop is slated to leave early access sometime in 2021; scopatgames is aiming to include new tools, crafting techniques, interactions, challenges, free play environments, and methods to share the player’s own creations within the community before its full consumer release.