PREVIEW: Arizona Sunshine is Bringing 10 Years of Zombie-Slaying History to a New Audience

Once upon a time, I bought a copy of Arizona Sunshine on Steam years before getting a VR headset, because I never understood the concept of a ‘VR-only game’. Those days are behind me, but when I met with Vertigo Games in Los Angeles during Summer Game Fest, I was sure to recount that tale for them.

I also let them know that I did eventually get a VR headset, and that Arizona Sunshine (and Arizona Sunshine 2, and Arizona Sunshine Remake…) represented the top tier of zombie-based VR gaming, in my eyes. That’s why I was so enthused to sit down with the team to learn about ‘flatscreen’ Arizona Sunshine and get hands-on with the game to explore the new mechanics.

Arizona Sunshine Will Benefit From Leaving VR Behind

It’s not a cert that Arizona Sunshine has left VR forever. After all, Vertigo Games is one of the premier names in the virtual reality space, having created the likes of Arizona, Thief VR, and the incredible Metro: Awakening. But, for now, Arizona Sunshine is going flatscreen, picking up a third-person shooter operating model that introduces a slew of new features and ways to play.

I spoke to the developers from Vertigo, who explained the natural events that led to Arizona being peeled away from the VR ecosystem to reach an entirely new audience. For instance, I was curious why they’d named it simply ‘Arizona Sunshine’, and not given it some subtitle to indicate where it sat in the series.

It’s because they’re happy for this to be the first Arizona Sunshine game that console players get their hands on. It’s to avoid confusion, and the game has been retooled in a way that accommodates that ‘first-time exposure’ concept.

That’s despite the game’s core being focused on Arizona Sunshine 2, right down to the set pieces, the story, and the arrival of Buddy, a faithful canine companion.

I had a few minutes to play Arizona Sunshine on both a Steam Deck and on PC, and both experiences were phenomenal. I’ve always been a fan of Arizona Sunshine, but seeing it from a third-person perspective was super refreshing. It made it (rightfully) feel like an entirely new game.

It’s still gory, visceral, packed with humor, and immersive, even if it’s not wrapped up inside a VR headset. It also now boasts co-op mechanics, including the fabled local splitscreen option and a function for the second player to assume control of Buddy, the dog with a mysterious backstory.

Customization runs deeper, now that players can see themselves, and for the first time, Sonny, the game’s protagonist, finally has a character model. The explanation behind co-op being introduced is also brilliant, as the second player now occupies a character that’s a figment of Sonny’s fractured imagination.

Ultimately, it’s all about slaying Fred, discovering what drove the apocalypse, and experiencing this legacy-loaded VR title from an entirely new perspective. I’ll be frank (not Fred): the game needs a little polish when it comes to some animations and interactions as Buddy, but there’s plenty of time, as the game is slated for release later in 2026.

Oh, and it’s coming to XBOX, PlayStation, PC, and Switch 2, so the spread is as wide as you could hope for.

Do you think Arizona Sunshine sounds like your kind of game? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out our preview of 1047 Games’ EMPULSE