DRIFTERS: Blackout Crew gets a free VR demo but still has no release date

Salmi Games has released a free demo of DRIFTERS: Blackout Crew, a co-op VR shooter it has been working on for two years. The full game still has no release date or price, and its Steam page says only "To be announced".

One of the eight screenshots Salmi Games publishes for the game on Steam. Image: Salmi Games

The game is a player-versus-environment extraction shooter built for VR, with cross-platform co-op. Players raid alien temples and steal energy for a dying mothership, deciding how far to push before they have to escape.

The demo covers the same co-op raiding the store page describes. Image: Salmi Games

What's in the demo

The studio says the demo build mainly improves performance, from enemy animations and level loading to rendering. Multiplayer should also be more reliable when returning to the lobby, after disconnects and in voice chat.

New content includes a flamethrower ultimate, which the studio describes as "now fully(?) implemented". Drop rates are higher, early weapon crafting is easier, and enemy encounters scale with the number of players. Fixes cover laser instant kills, sniper aiming, a spider boss and shotgun ammo, plus friend invites on Meta and now Steam.

Steam lists the game as VR Only, with co-op and cross-platform multiplayer. Image: Salmi Games

Modest requirements

The demo runs on Windows with an OpenXR headset and motion controllers. Steam lists an Intel i5-4590 or equivalent, 8GB of RAM and a GTX 970 or Radeon R290 as the minimum.

The release field on that page still reads To be announced. Image: Salmi Games

Salmi Games also makes Sweet Surrender VR, which lowered its default render scale this month for the Steam Frame. The new demo arrived just before Steam Next Fest, which runs until October 26.