Pocket Lands: Mixed Reality Minecraft on Quest
▼ Summary
– Pocket Lands is a mixed reality game launching in early access next month that lets users create miniature worlds before exploring them in VR.
– The game uses hand tracking to build dioramas that can be resized to fit your living room and allows instant switching to first-person VR exploration.
– It was revealed at the VR Games Showcase and draws inspiration from Microsoft’s Minecraft HoloLens demo from 2015.
– Early access begins December 11 on Meta Quest with various biomes and multiple VR locomotion options available.
– The full release is planned for the second half of 2026 and will add cave systems, creatures, multiplayer features, and leaderboards.
Pocket Lands introduces a novel approach to world-building by merging mixed reality with immersive virtual reality. This upcoming title, scheduled for an early access launch next month, enables players to construct miniature dioramas within their actual living spaces before stepping inside them for a fully interactive VR experience.
Developed by Thomas van den Berge, the creative mind behind the popular VR painting application Vermillion, Pocket Lands leverages hand tracking technology to let users physically grab and manipulate building materials. You can resize your creations to fill an entire room, then instantly transition into a first-person perspective to explore your handcrafted environment in virtual reality.
The game was officially unveiled during the recent VR Games Showcase, following several earlier teasers that hinted at its unique concept. Many observers have noted similarities to the memorable Minecraft HoloLens demonstration presented by Microsoft at E3 2015, though Pocket Lands establishes its own distinct identity through its seamless blending of physical and digital spaces.
Early access begins on December 11 exclusively through the Meta Quest platform, offering players various biomes to discover and multiple locomotion options for comfortable VR navigation. The initial release will provide a solid foundation for creative expression, with the developer targeting a full launch in the latter half of 2026.
Future updates promise significant expansions including intricate cave systems, additional surface environments, dynamic creatures inhabiting the worlds, and competitive multiplayer build battles complete with leaderboards. The development roadmap also includes both local and remote collaborative building features, allowing friends to create together regardless of their physical location.
This ambitious project represents another innovative step from van den Berge, who previously revolutionized virtual art creation with Vermillion. By combining the tangible appeal of physical model building with the limitless possibilities of virtual reality, Pocket Lands aims to create a unique creative sandbox that bridges our physical and digital realities.
(Source: Upload VR)
