Desert Bus VR Review Summary

Last updated: 2026-01-30
  • Multiplayer enhances social bonding and interaction.
  • High-quality graphics with great attention to detail.
  • Gameplay is relaxing and therapeutic for players.
  • Realistic driving experience with immersive elements.
  • Frequent game crashes disrupt the gameplay experience.
  • Game is unplayable in VR and has functionality issues.
Desert Bus VR header

Emotions

What players like:

Common complaints:

Gameplay feedback:

Performance notes:

Recommendations:

Other player notes:

Review evidence

Why players say this

What players like

Multiplayer and social bonding: The game supports multiplayer mode, allowing up to four friends to play together, which enhances the social bonding experience. Players enjoy the company and the ability to engage in activities like karaoke and movie screensharing, making it a memorable experience.

High-quality graphics and details: The game features decent to amazing graphics with a nice amount of detail, both in the environment and the bus interior. Players appreciate the visual fidelity and the overall presentation.

Relaxing and therapeutic gameplay: Many players find the game to be a relaxing and therapeutic experience, akin to a spiritual journey. The calm and soothing nature of the drive, combined with the ability to talk about life and share feelings, makes it a unique and enjoyable experience.

Realistic and immersive driving experience: The game offers a highly realistic bus driving simulation, with accurate road driving experiences and detailed graphics. Players appreciate the immersive feeling of driving from Tucson to Las Vegas and the realistic mechanics, including the tow truck service that drags you back in real-time.

Unique and humorous gameplay: The game is known for its unique and humorous approach, providing an entertaining and engaging experience. Players appreciate the unexpected surprises and the overall enjoyable gameplay mechanics.

Common complaints

Frequent game crashes: Players report frequent game crashes, especially during extended gameplay sessions, which disrupts the gaming experience.

Game is unplayable in VR: The game has significant issues with VR compatibility, including crashes and bugs that make it difficult or impossible to play with VR headsets.

Limited gameplay content: The game has limited content and room-scale functionality, leading to a lack of engaging activities for players.

Lack of advanced features and updates: The game lacks advanced mechanics, deep storyline, and has not been updated by the developers, leading to a lack of content and interest.

Physical discomfort and strange side effects: Some players report physical discomfort, such as throat pain and sleep disruption, as well as experiencing strange and vivid dreams after playing.

Gameplay and performance

Realistic long-duration driving simulation: The game offers a highly realistic driving simulation experience, requiring players to drive a bus for extended periods, up to 8 hours continuously. It includes detailed driving mechanics, such as handling the bus, interacting with passengers, and managing various in-game tasks like punching time cards.

Interactive and immersive elements: Players can interact with various elements during the drive, such as using the horn, listening to the radio, and engaging with passengers. These interactions add depth and immersion to the gameplay experience.

Unique gameplay mechanics: The game includes unique gameplay elements such as an eight-hour real-time journey, tight controls, and a night and day cycle. Players must endure a long trip without breaks or checkpoints, adding to the challenge and realism.

Multiplayer and co-op support: The game features multiplayer and co-op modes, allowing players to interact with each other through voice chat and limited in-game interactions. This adds a social dimension to the otherwise solitary driving experience.

Character and life path customization: Players can choose from different life paths and customize their character with options for male and female avatars. This allows for a more personalized gaming experience.

Game crashes and unexpected closures: The game experiences frequent crashes and unexpected closures, affecting the overall gameplay experience.

VR functionality issues: The game has significant problems with VR functionality, including crashes, failure to launch in SteamVR, and controller issues, making it unplayable in VR for some users.

Glitches in the game environment: There are notable glitches such as the ground disappearing and the bus teleporting into the sand, which disrupt the game environment.

Recommendations

Accessible and enjoyable experience: The game is accessible to both VR beginners and those without VR headsets. It is also recommended for fans of the original Desert Bus and offers a perfect experience that can be deeply engaging.

Recommended for relaxation and stress relief: The game is highly recommended for those seeking a challenging simulator, looking to relax and unwind, or going through stressful periods. It is also suitable for people with a lot of free time.

Therapeutic and perspective-changing: The game can change a person's perspective and is good for therapeutic purposes. It provides an opportunity to ask and answer important personal questions and is great for listening to podcasts.

Mixed reviews on multiplayer experience: Some players find it not suitable for driving around with a buddy, while others highly recommend it for playing with friends.

Other review notes

Game is free and well-received: The game is free to play and has received a significant number of positive reviews, with 1714 particularly positive reviews, accounting for 87% of the total. It was officially released on November 27, 2017.

Players experience vivid dreams: Some players report having strange and vivid dreams related to the game. There is a desire among these players for the dreaming to stop, indicating it might be an unintended side effect.

Update on gameplay duration: There have been updates focused on expanding the daily driving time within the game. This suggests efforts to enhance the gameplay experience by allowing players more time to engage with the game's activities.