Meta: Find out here if 2025 will be the year when virtual reality (VR) and its many applications will become more mainstream in gaming than ever.
According to popular belief, which is largely based on current emerging trends, 2025 could very well be the year when VR (virtual reality) becomes more mainstream in the gaming world than ever. However, similar statements were also made in 2024, 2023, and previous years.
Here is a closer look at why so many experts, gamers, and industry/tech insiders believe that next year will be VR’s year to break through into the mainstream. If true, it will totally reshape how we interact with games and provide a uniquely immersive experience like no other technology.
What are the biggest trends and technologies that will help make VR and AR more mainstream in 2025?
Virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality (VR, AR, and MR) technology and computer-generated 3D worlds like the Metaverse and other immersive, web-based environments were more popular in 2024 than in previous years, and 2025 is expected to be the year when VR and its many applications will become even more mainstream.
Here are five reasons why 2025 could be the year when things really take off for VR:
- Consumer adoption – around 60% of VR tech stakeholders and businesses project that the consumer industry will be more engaged in virtual reality and augmented reality games
- Market growth – if the expert analyst projections of mass consumer adoption prove correct, the total global VR gaming market could potentially climb to around $571 billion by the end of next year
- User base – by the end of next year, the total number of people frequently playing VR games and immersing themselves in virtual reality worlds will climb to around 216 million globally
- Cheaper/better VR tech – lighter, more robust, highly sophisticated, powerful, and versatile VR/AR hardware [and software] will hit the market, and existing wearable devices (including full body suits and other haptic sensory-driven devices) will become slightly more affordable for the masses, making VR more accessible to broader gaming audiences
- Online consumerism and retail will likely take off – especially with the mass adoption and incorporation of cryptocurrency transactions facilitated by highly encrypted end-to-end blockchain technology in VR worlds. In other words, it will be easier and more commonplace for people to purchase products, services, and content when immersed in their favourite virtual worlds
Although most people are optimistic about VR going mainstream in 2025, critics believe that augmented reality and virtual reality may not truly become a part of our everyday lives until the end of the decade, despite the demand and appetite for this kind of technology, particularly in the gaming industry.
Will real-money live dealer casino games and online slots ever be available to play in virtual reality worlds?
Yes. According to these same industry insiders, online casinos and other iGaming sites (e.g., dedicated poker sites and online sportsbooks) will soon be accessible from within the virtual reality realm. Therefore, next year could be the year that online casino players will be able to play their favourite live dealer games using a wearable VR headset.
Some of the dedicated researchers working on casinos.com reviewing the bonuses widely available for new players on all of their featured iGaming sites also believe that VR live dealer casinos and VR slots will become a reality sooner rather than later.
In fact, some market-leading online casino software providers and game development studios are already working closely with console manufacturers, iGaming website operators, industry regulators, mobile app, and VR tech companies to make VR casinos an actual thing.
It would completely revolutionise how people play live dealer roulette, blackjack, poker, craps and roulette, and would transform how we interact with our favourite feature-rich, computer-generated online slot machines, putting us much closer to the action, enabling us to experience content from award-winning providers like Playtech, NetEnt, Blueprint, Red Tiger, Games Global, IGT, Play’n GO, Relax Gaming, Yggdrasil, Thunderkick, ELK Studios, in a completely unique way.
This kind of technology used at online casinos would make it feel like you are physically present in an actual land-based casino and push the boundaries of what is possible in iGaming. Hyperrealistic animations, useful statistics, responsive in-game player controls, and customisable filters and settings, all presented as digital overlays, would take the experience to exciting new levels, but whether this all happens next year remains to be seen.
Final thoughts
Forward-thinking leaders in the iGaming and video gaming industries continue looking for new ways to enhance the UX (user experience) and make safer environments. Virtual reality and its many applications and possibilities could very well be the answer to a better gaming future.
There’s no denying that VR technology these days is far more advanced than just ten years ago, and with the rate at which it’s currently advancing, there’s a good chance that mass adoption will happen very soon.
VR/AR technology in the iGaming industry is closer than ever, and it will be exciting to see what happens in 2025 and whether next year will be the year when things really start to take off.
