Star Trek: Infection
Loading critic reviews...
Finding live streams...
About Star Trek: Infection
Star Trek: Infection is a first-person VR adventure game set in the Star Trek universe, released in December 2025 for SteamVR and Meta Quest 3. Developed by Played With Fire and published by Broken Mirror Games, it casts you as a Vulcan Starfleet officer aboard the derelict U.S.S. Lumen. The ship is overrun by an alien infestation that physically mutates you, granting unstable powers while eroding your sanity. You navigate decaying corridors, solve environmental puzzles, and battle the entity’s influence to survive. The game blends slow-burn horror with sci-fi mystery, emphasizing physical interactions in VR. It’s not a combat-heavy title but a tense, narrative-driven experience focused on survival and consequence.
Gameplay
Infection revolves around a mix of exploration, resource management, and body horror mechanics. You use motion controls to manipulate objects, access terminals, and wield tools like phasers or medkits. The core loop involves investigating the ship’s sectors, uncovering story logs, and fending off the infestation’s physical attacks. Mutations grant abilities like enhanced strength or telekinesis but come with visual and audio distortions, disorienting the player. A sanity meter decays over time, unlocking surreal hallucinations and combat modifiers. Puzzles often require using your mutated form creatively, like bending metal with telekinesis, to progress. Sessions typically last 2-4 hours, with the game’s pacing shifting between quiet investigation and sudden, claustrophobic scares.
What Players Think
PlayPile data shows a mixed reception: 74/100 critic score, 4.3/5 on SteamVR (79% positive), and 4.7/5 on Meta Quest 3 (92% positive). Community moods lean curious (42%) and tense (58%). Average playthrough clocks in at 8.2 hours, with 38% completion rate. Reviews highlight the “eerie, slow-burn atmosphere” and “creepy body horror,” though some note pacing issues. One player wrote, “The mutations feel grossly inventive, but the story meanders.” Achievements (120 total) include tasks like surviving a mutation burst or using a specific ability 10 times. The game’s VR focus splits opinions, Meta Quest users praise immersion, while SteamVR players cite motion sickness risks.
PlayPile's Take
Star Trek: Infection is a niche pick for VR fans who enjoy psychological horror and slow-burn narratives. Priced at $39.99, it offers decent value for its 120 achievements, but its uneven pacing and technical quirks may deter casual players. The mutations and sanity system are its strongest assets, creating a visceral sense of deterioration. It works best as a 10-hour story with short sessions, avoiding burnout from its punishing difficulty spikes. If you crave a Star Trek game that prioritizes atmosphere over action, this is a bold, if flawed, experiment. Not essential, but worth a try if you have the headset.
Game Modes
Single player
Deals
Finding deals...
Achievements
Loading achievements...
Similar Games
Finding similar games...
Buzzing on Bluesky
Checking Bluesky...