The Best VR Tank Game Out There - Steel Crew Review

There are a lot of different sorts of games that are present or even prevalent on the flatscreen that still haven’t made it to VR. That has been largely true for VR tank games, except for some really poor attempts there hasn’t been a noteable VR tank game to talk about so far.

Well that has changed. Now there is a truly great VR tank game that isn’t perfect, but has a ton of potential. Steel Crew. Here we’re going to talk about this new VR tank game that is currently in early access, and some of what it does well and still needs work on.

What Sort Of VR Tank Game Steel Crew Is

If you’ve been looking for a VR tank game where you can drive, gun, or command a World War 2 tank completely in Virtual Reality, well then Steel Crew is what you’ve been waiting for. So we’re going to start this Steel Crew review with what it is and what it does best as a Virtual Reality tank game. That’s what you’d hope it would be, piloting a tank.

Blowing Up A T-34 in Steel Crew

Each tank has three positions, the driver, gunner, and commander. Being the driver sounds easy, right? Just drive the tank around. You might be expecting it to be simple, but it’s really not, because Steel Crew doesn’t just settle for having you sit around and press a “Drive” button to go forward or a “Reverse” button to go back. Oh no, you’re driving a manual transmission tank from World War 2.

The Control Panel Of A Sherman Firefly in Steel Crew

You don’t get a wheel to steer with, you get what tanks in World War 2 had in this VR tank game, two sticks. One for the right track and one for the left.

To control the power you don’t just hit the gas, you’ve got to change the gear that you’re in to go. So you can’t just put it in fourth gear and start going. Nope, you’ve got to start in first, then go up to second, and so on to get the motor running and the tracks moving.

The Driving Compartment Of A T-34

Driving, like everything as you’ll discover in this Steel Crew review, is hard, even though it sounds straightforward. To go fast you’ve got to switch the gears quickly with expert timing. To turn quickly you’ve got to switch back to a lower gear and slam one lever back while moving the other forward.

It’s even hard to see out of the little porthole you get to look out of while driving. You can open up the hatch though, but that leaves you vulnerable to getting hit. So you either have to drive while barely being able to see, or risk your health for a better view.

The Driver’s Port on a Sherman Firefly in Steel Crew

This all blends in really well with the Virtual Reality view and controls. You have to physically change the gear shift to move in a different gear, and it can be easy to mess up and go to the wrong gear if you’re not good at it. You also need to see where you’re going with your actual eyes through the tiny port. It’s a very immersive tanker experience.

What about the other positions in the tank? Well the gunner sounds simple as well, but it’s really hard. If you’re expecting a War Thunder level of looking and shooting simplicity then you won’t get it in Steel Crew. This is a more hardcore VR tank game. To move the gun you’re going to actually have to physically turn wheels with your hands.

Driving a Sherman Firefly with the Hatch Open in this VR Tank Game

One wheel turns the gun one way and another turns it the other way. Just like with driving it’s hard to see. You’ve got a tiny porthole in the front of the tank that gives you a general sense of what you’re pointed at, and a very small gunner sight that you have to crane your head to look through.

It’s got some icons to give you an idea of where you’re aiming, but as with real World War 2 tanks you’re going to need to factor in how far away your target is to get a shot that will land accurately. Even hitting a stationary target can take a few shots to get right.

Destroying a Sherman with a T-34

Still, it’s a ton of fun. If you really want to feel like you’re the gunner in a real tank then no VR tank game does it better than Steel Crew.

Finally there’s the Commander position. As the commander you look around and give directions more than do anything. You’ve got a map, and you’ve got the best view in the whole tank through your cupola.

The Commander’s Map In Steel Crew

Just like the driver you can even look out of the top hatch to get an unobstructed view, but it’s really dangerous to leave the thick skin of your tank. Still, even inside you can see in all directions, and so you have to give directions by talking to your driver and gunner.

Being the commander makes you the eyes and brain of the tank, and it’s a hard job.

The Combat In Steel Crew Is Intense

The whistling of shells passing close by your tank, the explosions of hits and the crashes of your tank taking a round, it is all incredibly immersive in VR. Steel Crew captures the feeling of tank combat using Virtual Reality in a way no flatscreen game could.

A Big Battle Forming in Steel Crew

No matter what position you’re in there’s pressure to move as quickly as possible, or aim and shoot as quickly as possible, or make the right call in a tough situation. When it all comes together it’s a VR tank game experience like no other.

There’s even some damage modeling at play. Hit a tank where it’s armor is sloped and your shell might bounce right off. So being in the right position and firing accurately is key.

Steel Crew Still Needs Work

Though Steel Crew is a fantastic VR tank game that does everything it can to translate an immersive tank driving, gunning, and commanding experience to you through immersive VR views and controls, it is most certainly an early access game.

There are only two tanks to drive, the T-34 for the Soviet team, and the Sherman Firefly for the British team. It’s great that both tanks are very different in their layouts and controls, and are modelled just like the insides of actual tanks, but two is a very small selection.

Also there are only three maps to choose from, and those aren’t even finished. There are a lot of placeholder assets with no textures.

Shifting The Gears Of A Tank

More than anything else the early access nature of this game can be felt by how few people know about it. There’s practically never an open public game, and so finding a match is very hard. You can play with bots, and for bots they’re pretty good, but finding a crew to play with is very hard.

Playing with only bots leaves you filling all the roles of the tank yourself, and it’s a shame because playing with other people and working together is where Steel Crew really shines.

On Top Of A T-34 In Steel Crew

Still, Steel Crew is playable via VR and flatscreen as well. So if you have any friends who are into a realistic World War 2 tanking experience but not into Virtual Reality, they can join you as well.

Steel Crew might need work, but everything about it screams of a huge amount of potential. This could be the number one VR tank game in a couple of years, but for now we’ll just have to see if it can fulfil the promises that it makes with its immersive controls and tank cockpits.

That’s all for this Steel Crew review. If you’re really dying for a realistic and immersive WW2 VR tank game then give it a look. Steel Crew is currently available for PCVR via Steam.