UnLoop: CM Games’ Retro-Futuristic VR Puzzle Game Brings Ambitious Time Loop Mechanics to Meta

If you’ve ever wished VR puzzle games offered more than just pretty environments and simple block-pushing, UnLoop immediately grabbed my attention. This isn’t just another escape room knock-off or a physics demo in disguise. Coming from CM Games-the Estonian team behind the cult VR survival shooter Into the Radius-UnLoop looks determined to twist the “time loop” mechanic into something genuinely innovative for headset owners, and I’m all in for seeing how that pans out.

UnLoop Aims to Reinvent VR Puzzles with Self-Cooperative Time Loops

Key Takeaways

UnLoop revolves around a “self-coop” time loop system where you coordinate with your own past actions in VR-a rarely attempted design challenge with huge potential for mind-bending puzzles.
Launching Fall 2025 for Meta Quest 2/3/3S and Pico 3/4, with PCVR to follow—clearly targeting the standalone headset crowd before PC enthusiasts.
CM Games is branching out from their gritty survival roots, which signals confidence in VR as a platform for experimental, cerebral gameplay—not just shooters.
Early footage and screens show a distinctly ‘70s retro-future vibe (think chunky terminals, neon-lit corridors) that could help UnLoop stand out in a sea of bland sci-fi aesthetics.

Feature	Specification
Publisher	CM Games
Release Date	Fall 2025 (Meta Quest, Pico); TBA (PCVR)
Genres	VR Puzzle, Sci-Fi, Time Loop
Platforms	Meta Quest 2/3/3S, Pico 3/4, PCVR

To give you a taste of what UnLoop is aiming for, here’s the official teaser trailer. The footage hints at the time loop trickery at the heart of the game—and the sort of atmosphere CM Games is building:

First-person view of a retro-futuristic control room, part of a puzzle environment in UnLoop VR. — UnLoop’s chunky terminals and stark lighting evoke a stylish retro-future—think 2001: A Space Odyssey meets VR puzzling.

So what’s the actual gameplay hook? You play as a spy infiltrating a remote space station, only to get stuck in a temporal anomaly. Every time the loop resets, your past self(s) repeat their previous actions in real time. It’s up to you to anticipate, cooperate, and sometimes outwit your own earlier runs to access new areas, retrieve critical data, and eventually solve the cause of the space-time crisis.

Multiple versions of the player character working together in a space station corridor, demonstrating UnLoop's self-coop time loop mechanic. — Time loop mechanics in action: here’s a glimpse at past and present “yous” collaborating to crack spatial puzzles.

This self-coop time loop concept isn’t new to flat-screen games (fans of The Forgotten City or Outer Wilds know the drill), but it’s shockingly rare in VR—likely because syncing up multiple actions in first-person, physical space is a UX nightmare. If UnLoop nails this, it could be a landmark for VR puzzle design, especially since most VR puzzlers lean on simple object manipulation instead of genuine time-based creativity.

A surveillance hub inside the space station, with layered screens and glowing terminals. — Puzzle variety looks promising—this hub suggests layers of surveillance, hacking, and spatial reasoning beyond just “move the box” gameplay.

I appreciate that CM Games is willing to branch out like this. Coming from the creators of Into the Radius—a game that proved VR can handle slow-burn, systems-driven design—UnLoop’s focus on brainy, atmospheric puzzling shows the studio isn’t afraid to chase big ideas rather than just following the crowd. Their retro-futuristic aesthetic is a smart move too; it’s distinct and avoids the generic “uncanny spaceship” look plaguing so many VR indies.

A player reaching for a glowing data core inside a mysterious VR space station environment. — Every successful loop brings you closer to uncovering the station’s secrets—but expect the puzzles to scale in complexity as “yourself” multiplies.

Of course, VR veterans know there’s always a catch: promising concepts frequently run aground when it comes to real-world usability. How smooth will it feel to coordinate with your own ghostly doubles? Can the Quest 2’s aging hardware keep up with layers of real-time actions, or will this be one of those “plays best on PCVR” situations? And will the story live up to the intrigue, or is it just window dressing for clever mechanics? These are fair questions, but I’m cautiously optimistic given CM’s past technical chops.

A looping holographic map suggests the complexity and layered puzzle design at the heart of UnLoop. — The layered holographic map hints at intricate, multi-stage puzzles that could push VR brainteasers to new heights—if the execution sticks the landing.

What does this mean for VR puzzle fans? If you’re hungry for something smarter and weirder than another “escape the room” experience, UnLoop is one to watch. Its self-coop time loop mechanic promises a kind of mental gymnastics only possible in VR, and its focus on style and narrative is a welcome change from the genre’s usually sterile atmosphere. But as always, the devil’s in the details—if CM Games gets the pacing and usability right, this could be a genuine highlight for 2025’s VR lineup.

TL;DR: UnLoop ditches tired VR puzzle tropes for a wild self-coop time loop mechanic, letting you collaborate with your own past selves to outsmart a mysterious space station. If CM Games executes, this could be one of the smartest, most stylish VR puzzlers in years—but execution is everything, and we’ll be watching closely as development unfolds.

Source: CM Games via GamesPress