The VR combat royale game from Meta will become free to play starting next week.

 Meta’s VR battle royale game is turning free-to-play next week. 

              

The game will be free for those playing on Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro VR headsets. 

Population: One, the VR battle royale game Meta acquired in 2021, is turning free-to-play on March 9, developers BigBox VR announced on Tuesday. More specifically, it will be free for those playing on Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets. The title currently sells for Rs 699 on Steam and $30 on Rift.

Meanwhile, players that do not own the Meta headsets can purchase the title at a reduced price of $20. That’s the international pricing, though, and it isn’t clear if a similar discount will be seen in India as well.

According to the Meta blog post concerning this update, the game’s developers hope to bring the game “to a larger audience and broaden the social multiplayer experience.” Players who have already purchased the game before will receive a free content pack called the Original Banana Bundle, which includes several banana-themed cosmetics.

Big Box is also some new updates for the game at around the time it’ll go free. The March 9 updates include map changes, new single-player modes, an updated in-game shop, and new gameplay balances.

Initially released in 2020, Population: One has grown to become one of the most popular VR battle royale titles, if not the most popular.

Battle royale is a super-popular gaming genre that took off thanks to games like PUBG and Fortnite, which are also free to play. They follow a similar theme – you parachute off a plane along with around a hundred players, collect supplies, and fight until you’re the last person standing.