If you love Squid Game but are not brave enough to try real-life versions, a VR alternative will soon be available. Netflix has partnered with Sandbox VR to create a game based on the hit K-drama. Starting in “late 2023”, you can step into this grim dystopia at Sandbox VR locations around the world. At the time of writing, the operator runs over 30 global venues, 26 of which are in North America — a much-needed rebound after going dormant during the height of the pandemic.

According to Sandbox VR, its upcoming experience will transport players “to iconic Squid Game locations, where they become contestants in a series of heart-pounding challenges inspired by the Netflix series.” You will “compete against one another to be the last one standing” — assuming no one actually dies. As with all Sandbox VR titles, players can instantly replay, share and even download personalised mixed-reality highlight clips.

The San Francisco-based VR firm has not revealed further details of its Netflix collaboration. Still, based on my recent hands-on time with its latest zombie shooter Deadwood Valley (pictured above), the upcoming Squid Game experience should not disappoint. Every Sandbox VR session supports up to six players moving freely within each room. Participants wear wrist and ankle trackers for full-body motion capture, plus the bHaptic TactSuit to feel gunshots or zombie scratches. Players also hold prop weapons sized to match their virtual counterparts, boosting immersion in these virtual reality games.

I look forward to seeing games such as Red Light, Green Light, hopscotch and the Squid Game incorporated into the VR experience, though I am less keen on the idea of solving the dalgona candy puzzle by licking a prop.