Most VR games put you in the shoes of a soldier, a scientist, or some kind of chosen warrior. EXD Extra Dimensional does something different. You start as Max Ventura, a regular delivery guy. No special training. No destiny. Just a guy doing his job at a warehouse when a dimensional rift tears the floor open beneath him.

That premise alone made me sit up straight when I first read about it.

Developed and published by Lords of Illusion, EXD is a VR action RPG with physics-driven combat, elemental magic, and a fantasy world called Erath that has been contaminated by artifacts from Earth. It was announced for Q1 2026. It supports Valve Index, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive Pro, Meta Quest 2 and 3 via PC Link, and Virtual Desktop.

I went deep on everything available about this game so you do not have to hunt around. This article covers gameplay, story, weapons, system requirements, controller layout for PC and Xbox, and every question worth asking about EXD. Let’s get into it.

The Story: An Ordinary Man in an Extraordinary World

You are Max Ventura. You work for a company called Megazon. Your job is moving packages. One day, a dimensional rift opens inside your warehouse and pulls you into Erath, a fantasy world that feels ancient but is broken in a very modern way.

Erath has been contaminated. Artifacts from Earth crossed over somehow, and they have been corrupting the land, the creatures, and the balance of power. The Dimensional Guardians, beings who oversee the boundary between worlds, pull Max in and give him a mission. Find the lost Earth artifacts. Remove the corruption. Save Erath.

There is a wrinkle though. Max is not the first person who was supposed to do this. Someone before him tried and failed. That person is referred to as the First Chosen, and uncovering what happened to them is one of the main story threads running through the entire game.

I find this setup genuinely interesting because it does not treat you like a hero. Max does not want to be there. He is not trained. He is not special by birth. He becomes capable through the tools given to him and the choices he makes. That is a story worth telling in VR, where you are already embodying a character in a physical way.

Gameplay Systems: What You Actually Do in EXD

The Quantum Glove and Telekinesis

The central mechanic of EXD is the Quantum Glove. This is what the Dimensional Guardians give Max when he enters Erath, and it is the source of most of your active power.

The Glove grants telekinetic ability. You can reach out and grab objects at a distance, pull enemies toward you, throw things across rooms, and interact with the environment in ways that go beyond just picking things up. The game uses advanced VR physics to make every interaction feel like it has weight and consequence.

Beyond telekinesis, the Quantum Glove channels elemental magic. Three elements are confirmed so far:

• Fire: Summon fireballs between your palms and launch them at enemies or environmental targets.
• Ice: Form and hurl ice spikes that can pin enemies or freeze surfaces.
• Lightning: Unleash bolts that arc between targets, useful for crowds.

The way the developers describe it, you physically feel the energy building in your hands before you release it. That tactile feedback loop is exactly what good VR design is supposed to exploit, and it sounds like Lords of Illusion built the whole magic system around that feeling.

The Glove has limited energy. When it runs low, you cannot rely on magic. That is when the physical weapons become essential.

Weapons and Artifacts

Erath is filled with hidden weapons and relics. Some are scattered in forgotten corners. Some are guarded by traps and puzzles. The game rewards exploration in a very direct way because the weapons you find are legitimately powerful and change how you approach combat.

Three named weapons or artifact types have been confirmed:

• Minar Alloy Blades: Close-range melee weapons made from a material unique to Erath. Fast, precise, and effective against physical enemies.
• Wands: Magical focus tools that let you channel elemental energy even when the Quantum Glove is depleted.
• Timelox: The most interesting one. This artifact can slow time itself. Not pause. Slow. Enemies move through molasses while you move normally. Combat becomes a different kind of puzzle when you have this active.

The mix of physical melee, magic-focus wands, and time-manipulation creates a layered system. You are not locked into one style. You adapt based on what you have found and what the situation demands.

Enemies

The enemy roster is varied enough to keep combat from going stale. Confirmed enemy types include:

• Undead hordes: Volume enemies. They come in numbers, and dealing with them efficiently requires either area magic or good positioning.
• Mutant insects: Fast movers. Likely require different targeting than slow-moving undead.
• Dragonids: Dragon-variant creatures. Expect high health, dangerous attacks, and probably special weaknesses.
• Wizards serving the Emperor: Enemy spellcasters who will counter your magic, forcing you to close distance or use physical weapons.

The game describes these enemies as “fully physical,” meaning they interact with the VR physics system rather than existing as flat damage sponges. That matters because it means your telekinesis and magic interact with them in real ways. Knock an enemy off balance with a telekinetic shove. Pin one to a wall with an ice spike. Chain lightning through a crowd.

Puzzles and Traps

EXD is not purely a combat game. The world of Erath has ancient traps and puzzles built into its environments. These serve two functions. First, they gate access to legendary weapons and treasures. Second, they slow down the pace of the game so combat does not become the only rhythm.

VR puzzle design is a specific craft. The best VR puzzles use the medium’s physicality. You reach into things, turn objects over, feel the shape of mechanisms. If Lords of Illusion builds these puzzles around the Quantum Glove’s telekinetic capability, there is real potential here.

The World of Erath: Visuals and Audio

Art Direction

The visual inspiration for EXD comes from two classic fantasy artists: Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo. If you know those names, you know exactly what the aesthetic target is. Frazetta’s work is primal and muscular, full of shadow and firelight. Vallejo pushes toward the epic and the mythological, with dramatic lighting and hyper-detailed surfaces.

Translating that into VR is an ambitious goal. The environments confirmed so far include:

• Vast crystal caverns with light refracting through mineral formations
• Wide open landscapes across Erath’s wilderness zones
• Ancient underground temples with intricate architecture

That variety matters for VR. A single visual environment type gets tiring when you are physically standing inside it for hours. Moving from open skies to tight caverns to temple corridors gives the body and eyes a reason to stay interested.

Soundtrack and Audio Design

The soundtrack is orchestral and adaptive. It shifts based on what is happening. During exploration, you get sweeping melodies that give the world emotional scale. During combat, the arrangement tightens and intensifies.

The spatial audio system is designed for 3D positioning. The specific examples given are telling: wind moving through canyons, a creature growling behind a stone wall, lightning crackling in your immediate space. Those are all sounds you would want to hear from the right direction in VR, because they give you gameplay-relevant information while also making the world feel real.

Good spatial audio in VR is not just atmosphere. It is a tool. It tells you where enemies are. It warns you of approaching danger. Lords of Illusion clearly understands that.

Full Controller Button Layout Guide: PC and Xbox

EXD is primarily a VR game, but understanding the input layout helps you prepare before your first session and optimize your play style. Below is a full breakdown based on standard VR controller mapping conventions for the supported headsets, plus Xbox controller support for those using a gamepad in certain menu or accessibility configurations.

PC VR Controller Layout (Valve Index / Meta Quest 3 / HTC Vive Pro)

VR controllers for EXD use both hands as independent input devices. Here is the full mapped layout:

Right Hand Controller

Left Hand Controller

Physical Gestures (Motion-Based)

Valve Index Specific (Finger Tracking)

Xbox Controller Layout (Menu / Accessibility Mode)

While EXD is built for VR motion controls, Xbox gamepad support exists for menu navigation and as an accessibility option. Some players also use a gamepad for locomotion while keeping VR controllers for combat. Here is the full Xbox layout:

Combat Combos Using Xbox Controller (Hybrid Mode)

Note: The Xbox controller layout in hybrid mode is designed to complement the VR experience, not replace motion controls. Lords of Illusion has not confirmed full gamepad-only play outside of menus. The above layout is based on standard VR hybrid conventions and will update when official keybind documentation releases.

System Requirements: What PC You Need to Run EXD

EXD is graphically demanding. The game targets high-fidelity VR visuals inspired by oil-painting-style fantasy art, and that requires real GPU headroom. Here is the full breakdown:

Minimum Requirements

Recommended Requirements

The RTX 2080 Ti minimum is worth noting. That card launched in 2018 and still holds up in many titles, but it is not a budget GPU by any measure. If you are building or upgrading specifically for EXD, targeting the RTX 3080 Ti tier or AMD equivalent gives you room to run the game well at higher VR refresh rates without frame drops.

The 50 GB storage requirement is reasonable for a VR title of this scope. Keep in mind that VR textures and audio assets are often larger than their flat-screen counterparts because the game needs to render at high resolution for two eyes simultaneously.

If you are running Meta Quest 3 via Air Link or Virtual Desktop wirelessly, your router matters too. A Wi-Fi 6 router on the 5 GHz band in the same room as your play space will serve you much better than an older router across the house.

Mature Content and Age Rating

Lords of Illusion has confirmed that EXD includes combat with visible blood effects and contains strong language including profanity. This is not a game designed for younger audiences. The combat system is physical and visceral by design, blood effects are part of that, and the tone of the story is mature.

If you are setting up a shared VR space or a household where younger people have access, this is worth knowing before you install.

VR Headset Compatibility Breakdown

Not all headsets listed offer the same experience. Here is a practical look at each supported platform:

Valve Index

This is the top-tier option for EXD. The Index offers the widest field of view among the listed headsets, the best audio solution with built-in off-ear speakers, and full finger-tracking through the Knuckles controllers. The telekinesis and gesture-based magic systems in EXD map directly to the Index’s controller capabilities. If you have this hardware, it is likely the intended experience.

Meta Quest 3 (PC Link)

The Quest 3 is the recommended standalone headset for EXD via PC Link. Its pancake lenses produce sharper visuals than the Fresnel lenses on older headsets, and its higher resolution display makes the game’s detailed environments easier to appreciate. Virtual Desktop support means you can play wirelessly, which removes cable management from your concern list.

HTC Vive Pro

A solid professional-grade headset. The Vive Pro has good tracking and audio, though it uses older controller designs. The wand controllers lack analog grip sensitivity compared to Index Knuckles, so some gesture interactions may feel less precise. Still a capable platform for the game.

Oculus Rift S

The Rift S is on the lower end of this list by today’s standards. Its inside-out tracking is functional but less precise than the lighthouse tracking used by the Index and Vive Pro. For a physics-heavy game like EXD, tracking accuracy matters. You can play on Rift S at minimum settings, but the experience gap compared to Quest 3 or Index will be noticeable.

Meta Quest 2 (PC Link)

Quest 2 meets minimum spec for EXD. The headset has been around since 2020 and its resolution and refresh rate ceiling are lower than Quest 3. At minimum graphics settings, it should be playable. If you are buying hardware specifically for this game, jumping to Quest 3 is worth the cost difference.

How EXD Compares to Other VR Action RPGs

VR RPGs are a growing category. A few points of comparison help situate what EXD is trying to do.

Asgard’s Wrath 2 is the current benchmark for VR action RPGs. It has a massive world, deep combat, and genuinely good storytelling for the medium. EXD targets a similar level of ambition but with a different combat philosophy. Where Asgard’s Wrath leans on weapon swapping and god powers, EXD centers the experience on telekinetic physics and elemental hands-on magic.

Lone Echo 2 is another reference point for VR immersion and physics interaction. It is not a combat game, but it shows what full-body physical interaction in VR can feel like when done well. EXD seems to apply that same physical commitment to a combat context.

Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate mixes time-manipulation with VR adventure, similar in concept to the Timelox mechanic in EXD. Execution is everything in that type of mechanic, and EXD will be judged partly on how satisfying the time-slow effect feels during combat.

EXD’s unique position is combining all three of those ideas: deep RPG structure, physical VR interaction, and time-manipulation combat in a single package with a distinctive visual identity.

What We Do Not Know Yet

As of Q1 2026, several important questions remain unanswered about EXD:

• Game length: No confirmed playtime. For a VR RPG with exploration, puzzles, and combat, 10 to 20 hours would be a reasonable target. Less than that would feel thin.
• Level scaling: Does Max become stronger through leveling, stat upgrades, or purely through the weapons and artifacts he finds?
• Replayability: Are there multiple endings tied to choices? Are artifacts randomized per run? Is there a new game plus mode?
• Multiplayer: Nothing confirmed. This appears to be a single-player experience.
• Post-launch support: Lords of Illusion has not announced DLC or update plans.
• Comfort settings: VR sickness is a real barrier for some players. The availability of vignetting, snap turning, comfort options, and seated play modes will determine how accessible the game is.

These are not criticisms. They are open questions that will matter to different players for different reasons. I will update this article as answers become available.

Tips Before You Play

If you are planning to buy EXD when it releases, here is what I would recommend doing before you load up the game for the first time.

Set up your play space properly. EXD is a physics-driven game where you will be physically reaching, swinging, and pushing. You need a clear area of at least 2 meters by 2 meters. Mark your guardian boundary carefully and give yourself a little extra buffer beyond it.

Calibrate your headset height. Telekinesis targeting in VR is sensitive to height calibration. If the game thinks your hands are higher or lower than they actually are, precision throws and grabs will feel off. Take the extra minute to set floor level correctly before starting.

Start with snap turning, not smooth turning. Even if you usually play with smooth locomotion in VR, give snap turning a session before switching. EXD’s combat is fast. Snap turning removes latency from your turns, which helps in reactive fights.

Learn the elemental charging before combat. The Quantum Glove magic system requires holding a charge before releasing. Practice the charging gesture in a safe area first. Going into your first fight without that muscle memory means you will lose the glove’s power at the worst moment.

Check your PC before your headset. VR frame drops are worse than monitor frame drops. A stuttery VR frame is disorienting and can cause motion sickness. Make sure background applications are closed, your GPU drivers are current, and your headset cable or wireless connection is stable before launching.

Lords of Illusion: The Developer

EXD is both developed and published by Lords of Illusion. This is an independent studio taking on a large-scope VR project entirely in-house. That is a meaningful commitment. Most ambitious VR games at this scale have either major publisher backing or a very experienced team behind them.

Not much is publicly available about Lords of Illusion’s previous work or team size. EXD appears to be their flagship project. For players, that means watching launch reception closely. The ambition here is clear. Whether the execution matches it is something only the release will confirm.

Independent studios building ambitious VR projects is worth supporting when the vision is genuine. The design priorities in EXD, physical interaction, elemental magic, a story about an ordinary person in an extraordinary place, show a team that has thought carefully about what makes VR storytelling different from other mediums.

Personal Take

I have played enough VR RPGs to know what separates the ones worth talking about from the ones that feel like tech demos stretched into a game. The difference is usually whether the core mechanic justifies being in VR at all.

EXD justifies it. The Quantum Glove is not just a gimmick. It is a mechanic that would feel incomplete on a flat screen. Reaching your actual arm out, feeling your grip close around nothing, and then watching an ice spike materialize and fly from your hand toward a Dragonid at full speed, that is a VR experience. The physics interaction, the elemental charging, the physical gestures for different spells, these are all things that require you to be standing inside the world rather than watching it.

The story wrinkle with the First Chosen is the element I am most curious about. A mystery about someone who already failed at your mission, in the same world you are now trying to save, is a setup with real potential. Done well, it recontextualizes everything you find along the way. Every ruin, every abandoned weapon, every cryptic warning becomes part of that backstory.

I am watching this one closely.

Frequently Asked Questions About EXD Extra Dimensional

What is EXD Extra Dimensional?

EXD Extra Dimensional is a VR action RPG developed and published by Lords of Illusion. You play as Max Ventura, a delivery worker who is pulled through a dimensional rift into a fantasy world called Erath. The game features telekinetic combat, elemental magic, physical weapons, and a story about recovering Earth artifacts from a corrupted world.

When does EXD Extra Dimensional release?

EXD is scheduled for release in Q1 2026. No specific date has been confirmed as of this writing.

What VR headsets are compatible with EXD?

EXD supports Valve Index, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive Pro, Meta Quest 2 via PC Link, and Meta Quest 3 via PC Link. Virtual Desktop is also supported for wireless play on compatible headsets.

Do you need a PC to play EXD?

Yes. EXD is a PC VR game. Even if you use a Meta Quest 2 or 3, you need to connect it to a capable PC via Link cable or Virtual Desktop. There is no standalone Quest version confirmed.

What is the Quantum Glove in EXD?

The Quantum Glove is the primary tool given to Max Ventura by the Dimensional Guardians. It grants telekinetic power and channels three types of elemental magic: fire, ice, and lightning. When the Glove’s energy depletes, you must rely on physical weapons found throughout Erath.

What are the Minar Alloy Blades?

The Minar Alloy Blades are close-range melee weapons found in Erath. They are made from a material native to the world and serve as a reliable backup weapon when the Quantum Glove’s energy is low.

What does the Timelox do?

The Timelox is a legendary artifact in EXD that slows time itself. While active, enemies move at a fraction of their normal speed while you continue moving normally. It is a powerful tool for surviving overwhelming encounters or setting up precise attacks.

Is EXD Extra Dimensional multiplayer?

No multiplayer mode has been confirmed. Based on all available information, EXD is a single-player experience.

Who is the First Chosen in EXD?

The First Chosen is a mysterious figure who attempted the same mission as Max Ventura before him and failed. Uncovering the truth about this character is one of the main story threads in the game. No further details have been confirmed about their identity.

What is the minimum GPU for EXD?

The minimum graphics card for EXD is an NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti or AMD RX 5700 XT with at least 8 GB of VRAM. The recommended GPU is an NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti or AMD RX 6900 XT with 12 GB or more of VRAM.

Does EXD have mature content?

Yes. Lords of Illusion describes EXD as containing combat with blood effects and occasional strong language including profanity. It is intended for adult audiences.

Can I play EXD with a standard Xbox controller instead of VR controllers?

Xbox controller support exists for menu navigation and as an accessibility option or hybrid play mode. The core gameplay is designed around VR motion controls, and full gamepad-only play for the main game has not been confirmed by the developer.

How large is EXD in terms of storage?

EXD requires 50 GB of available storage space on your PC.

What makes EXD different from other VR RPGs?

EXD combines advanced VR physics interaction with elemental magic, telekinesis, time-slowing mechanics, and a story about an ordinary person transported to a fantasy world. The art direction draws from classic fantasy painters Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo. The combination of these elements in a single VR title is not something currently available in other games on the market.

What does “Extra Dimensional” mean in the context of EXD?

It refers to the dimensional rift mechanic that brings Max Ventura from Earth into Erath. The game centers on the collision between the two worlds and the contamination caused by Earth artifacts crossing over. The title also signals the broader concept of existing beyond the normal boundaries of your world, which applies to both the story and the VR medium itself.

External Resources

• EXD Extra Dimensional on Steam (official store page, check for latest updates)
• Meta Quest compatibility and PC Link setup guide
• Valve Index official page and setup documentation
• HTC Vive Pro setup and system requirements
• NVIDIA GPU comparison tool for checking EXD compatibility