Climbers: we can all stop training and feeling scared while climbing on real rock. Finally, we can now chase the epic ascents we’ve always dreamt of from the comfort of our very own couches.

With German video game developer Crytek’s latest virtual reality video game, The Climb, you can simply slap on an Oculus Rift headset and scale the limestone cliffs of Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay without even the thought of leaving your room.

Crytek game the climb

All photos: Crytek

And gear? Who needs that when you can instead invest your money in high-end gaming consoles that will let you free solo the cliffs of Videogamelandia. Yes—we can finally all release the Alex Honnold-ness inside us all. Thanks to the arrival of The Climb, you can forever drop your grip trainer and instead grab either an Xbox One or Oculus Touch controller and send harder than ever before.

The developers at Crytek describe their state-of-the-art game as an

unrivaled adrenaline rush of free solo rock climbing

that will let us

encounter the majesty of nature like never before.

Basically, what that means is those cute little Yosemite Valley sunrises and sigh-inspiring Buttermilks sunsets you’ve experienced while climbing won’t look half as inspiring as the 360-degree views you’ll witness in this game. They’re starting with jaw-dropping destinations in Asia, and will subsequently add more areas following the game’s official release in 2016, for which a date has yet to be formally set.

Crytek game the climb

Crytek The Climb Game

See those letters? They tell us where to go next; sort of like the tape at the gym …

Founder, CEO & President of Crytek, Cevat Yerli, states that

The Climb invites players to experience the intensity of one of the world’s most dangerous sports, and they’ll truly feel the thrill of being thousands of meters above the ground with nothing but their skill and a few precarious handholds to rely on.

And lucky for us, those handholds will feel a lot better given that our virtual selves get to wear fancy gloves while we climb, too. (Not sure these would fit within the price point of a dirtbag’s budget … )

Crytek game The Climb

The game even tells you when you need to re-chalk your hands. AND on harder climbs, failing to do so enough could result in your death fall!

So how do you actually move in the game? In The Climb, your head directs your perspective and hands—meaning that if you turn your head to the left, the camera and your hand will move in that direction. And in order to reach faraway holds, you have to crane your neck and shoulders in that direction … you know, sort of as if you were actually climbing.

Check out the teaser footage of the game play:

While it’s all too easy to mock the premise of this game to people who rock climb, in all seriousness—the technology and graphics of this game are incredible. In fact, the The Climb actually looks like it would be pretty fun to play.

Or … we could just go rock climbing.


Curious to learn more about the video game, The Climb? Visit their website for more details.