REVIEW: Irusu Cricket VR (2026 Video Game) on MetaQuest VR

Review by Jon Donnis

Cricket has always been a sport that relies heavily on timing, patience and instinct, so bringing it into virtual reality makes a lot of sense. After spending time with Irusu Cricket VR, the biggest impression is that it captures the feeling of being at the crease better than many traditional cricket games can. Picking up the bat, watching the ball come towards you and trying to time the perfect shot creates a genuine sense of involvement.

That does not mean it is a perfect cricket simulation. As an early access release, Irusu Cricket VR still feels like a game with plenty of room to grow. There are moments where the experience feels convincing and immersive, but there are also areas that need more polish before it can truly compete with the best VR sports experiences.

The strongest part of Irusu Cricket VR is the simple enjoyment of batting. There is something satisfying about physically swinging the "bat" and seeing the results of your own movement.

(You will need an attachment so your controller feels more like a bat. See https://amzn.to/4yBuTiI)

A well-timed shot feels rewarding, especially when you connect cleanly and watch the ball race away. The motion controls work well for creating the feeling of actually being involved rather than just pressing buttons and watching an animation play out.

The stadium environments also help make the experience more immersive. Being surrounded by a cricket ground, with the atmosphere and crowd reactions around you, adds to the feeling that you are actually participating in a match. For cricket fans who have wanted a more active and physical experience, this is where Irusu Cricket VR has its biggest appeal.

The game is also easy to pick up and play. You do not need to spend hours learning complicated controls before enjoying it, making it accessible for both experienced cricket fans and people who are simply curious about trying a VR sports game. The different match lengths and practice options provide a good starting point, while the customisation features give players something to work towards.

However, there is still a noticeable gap between what Irusu Cricket VR is now and what it could become. The batting physics need further improvement, with more consistency needed in how the game interprets swings and contact with the ball. When it works, it feels great, but there are times when the experience does not quite match the realism it is aiming for.

The AI also needs more development. Facing different bowling styles adds variety, but the bowlers, fielders and overall match behaviour need to become more intelligent to make games feel less predictable. Improving these areas would make every match feel more competitive and rewarding.

The biggest issue at the moment is replay value. While the core batting experience is enjoyable, more modes and additional ways to play would help keep players coming back. A deeper career structure, more challenges and greater variety would help turn Irusu Cricket VR from a promising VR experience into a complete cricket game.

At this stage, Irusu Cricket VR feels like a strong foundation rather than a finished product. The developers have created something that gets the most important part right, making cricket feel fun and physical in VR. There is genuine potential here, but the final quality will depend on how much further development and refinement the game receives.

For cricket fans with a Meta Quest headset, there is already enjoyment to be found, but this feels like the beginning of the journey rather than the finished article.

Score: 7 out of 10

A promising early access cricket experience with great potential. The foundation is there, but it needs more polish, more content and further improvements to reach its full potential.

Out now on MetaQuest for about £7

https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/irusu-cricket-vr/35374249182188461/

REVIEW: MAVRIX by Matt Jones (2026 Video Game) - Early Access on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

Mountain biking games rarely get the space to breathe, but MAVRIX by Matt Jones goes big straight away. This is not a tight circuit racer or a handful of curated trails. It throws you into a sprawling 100 square kilometre playground and simply says go. Downhill tracks, slopestyle lines, bike parks and open stretches of wilderness all sit side by side, inviting you to carve your own routes instead of following a prescribed path. It feels loose, free and refreshingly confident.

At its heart, MAVRIX is a mix of racer, trick sandbox and social space. One minute you are blasting down a timed downhill run chasing a leaderboard spot, the next you are stitching together your own line over jumps and berms just to see what works. Then a mate drops in and suddenly you are riding together, hunting hidden challenges or trying to sync huge sends for the laugh of it. That sense of shared play gives the world a bit of life. It never feels like a sterile menu driven experience.

The physics system is easily the headline act. Dual stick controls split braking and body movement in a way that takes a little learning, but once it clicks, it feels great. You feather the brakes, shift your weight, and manage the suspension with a surprising level of intention. Landings have heft. Drifts feel earned. Even a simple bunny hop has a bit of character. The recent console updates help too, with the bike and rider feeling more grounded thanks to suspension tuning and improved turning physics. Being able to move the rider's body to tighten a corner adds just enough finesse to separate good runs from great ones.

Tricks and the new Slopestyle mode are another strong addition. Three fresh slopestyle courses join the existing jump trails, and the fact that those older trails can now host competitions makes the whole map feel more useful. Instead of isolated arenas, everything connects. You start looking at the landscape differently, spotting transfers and creative lines that were not obvious before. It leans into the playful side of mountain biking, which suits the game well.

There is a pleasing layer of authenticity running through the rest of it. Real world brands let you tweak frames, components and clothing, and the sponsorship system, including the new Red Bull deal, pushes you to grind for contracts like a pro rider would. Add global rankings and competitions with genuine prizes and you have a clear reason to keep pushing for cleaner, faster runs. It is not just messing about in the dirt. There is a bit of purpose behind it all.

Visually and sonically, it does the job nicely. The landscapes are broad and inviting, the parks look the part, and the sound of tyres on dirt and suspension chatter sells the speed. More importantly, it is simply fun. That is the thing that kept pulling me back in. Even after a messy crash or a failed trick line, you just want one more run.

Still, this is early access, and it shows. Bugs crop up, rough edges remain, and there are moments where systems feel unfinished. You can sense that the foundation is strong but the house is not fully built yet. It also wobbles a bit between simulation and arcade. For something marketed as serious and authentic, it sometimes drifts into slightly exaggerated, gamey behaviour. Personally, I did not mind the lighter touch, but hardcore riders looking for a strict sim might raise an eyebrow.

Having played the early access version on PC before this console release, the improvements are obvious. It feels smoother, more considered and generally better put together. The steady updates and clear signs that the developers are listening to players give it a lot of goodwill. You get the sense this is a project that will keep evolving rather than sitting still.

Right now, MAVRIX by Matt Jones is not perfect, but it is promising and already genuinely enjoyable. With its huge world, flexible riding, strong physics and regular updates, it has every chance to cement itself as the go to game for this niche. A bit more polish and it could be something special.

I score MAVRIX by Matt Jones a solid 7.5 out of 10. I look forward to seeing what they have planned next.

Out Now on Xbox

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/mavrix-by-matt-jones-game-preview/9nzx67j81x6f

REVIEW: FreeStyle Football 2 (2026 Video Game) - Closed Beta Test on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

I loaded up FreeStyle Football 2 and my first thought was simple, I loaded it too early and the playtest is not live, ok wait an hour, and.... ok this looks good. The menus are clean, the presentation is smooth, and everything has a bright, street style edge that gives it a bit of personality. On Xbox it runs sharp and sounds great, so before you even start playing it already feels polished and lively, more like a fun arcade kickabout than a serious sim.

The core idea is simple but quite different from the norm. Instead of controlling an entire squad, each player takes charge of a single character in five versus five online matches. Every one of the twelve launch characters comes with their own special skills, whether that is firing off lightning quick passes, lifting team morale, or smashing in a perfectly timed power shot. On paper it adds tactical depth and pushes teamwork to the front. In practice it often does work, especially when everyone sticks to their role and plays with a bit of discipline.

When everything clicks, the game feels fresh. Matches are quick, intense and full of scrappy street football moments. The unique abilities give each character a clear identity, so you start to recognise who should be setting up plays and who should be finishing them. I liked that. It stops everyone feeling the same and encourages coordination rather than just button mashing. Visually, it all ties together nicely. The fields inspired by locations around the world look lively, and the whole thing has a bright, almost festival atmosphere.

There is also a decent amount of content around the edges. A story mode promises ten to twenty hours of single player play, digging into each character's background. You can customise your squad, collect items, and even form clubs to compete in ranked divisions. The companion app features, the management side and the push towards competitive play suggest the developers are serious about building a long term community rather than a throwaway arcade title. Dedicated servers and an eSports focus give it a professional backbone.

Still, for me, the biggest sticking point never went away. I simply do not enjoy football games where you control only one player. The behind the back camera never feels quite right and always leaves me wishing for a wider, more traditional view. Years of FIFA, now EA FC, have set a certain expectation for how football games should handle, and stepping away from that formula feels risky. Instead of feeling immersed, I often felt restricted, like I was watching the action rather than directing it.

Online play also throws up some frustrating moments. I picked a character built to attack, only to find myself placed in defence, which makes those carefully chosen skills almost pointless. It breaks the logic of the system. If most players gravitate towards strikers, which they almost certainly will, you end up with lopsided teams full of people chasing goals and ignoring the rest of the pitch. The concept of one player per person sounds tactical, but in reality it can turn chaotic very quickly.

That leaves FreeStyle Football 2 in an odd place. As a high energy, arcade style take on the sport, it works well in short bursts. Jump in for a few quick matches with mates and it can be good fun. But as something you would sink dozens or even hundreds of hours into, it struggles to compete with the established heavyweights. Outside of the US style arcade crowd, it is hard to see why many players would choose this over the more traditional alternatives.

The training modes were easily the most fun, which is a problem when they are supposed to be there to just get you used to how to play.

Right now, based on the closed beta, it is an interesting experiment with some strong ideas and slick presentation, yet one that never quite fits the way I want to play football games. Unless major changes are made, and the kind of changes needed would alter the very identity of the game, it is not something I see myself returning to at launch.

FreeStyle Football 2 earns a disappointing 5 out of 10.