I went through the claustrophobic VR horror of Tunnels on Quest 3

Image: Mastiff LLC

Tunnels, a new VR horror title, just landed on Meta Quest. Naturally, I had to see how deep the chills go in these VR mine shafts.

Back in 2005, director Neil Marshall’s The Descent delivered a masterclass in claustrophobic horror, playing on our primal fears of darkness, tight spaces, and the unknown. A group of women embarks on a caving expedition — until a sudden cave-in blocks their path and forces them deeper into uncharted tunnels. It’s not long before they realize they aren’t alone down there.

If you’ve ever wanted to experience that same brand of suffocating horror firsthand, Tunnels is your ticket — either solo or in multiplayer. I spent an hour crawling through the depths of an abandoned mine on Meta Quest 3 to find out if the scares translate to VR.

Crawling, climbing, sprinting: How you move through Tunnels

Tunnels wastes no time dropping you underground. My first steps into the mine are at least decently lit. Over the radio, I get my mission briefing while also learning the basics of movement. The goal: make my way through the mine, plant a few charges, and help my employer seal the place for good.

Sometimes I can only find my way around the dark caves with the help of the glowing crystals. | Image: Mastiff LLC

The controls are standard VR fare at first — gripping walls or ropes with the grip button, grabbing my flashlight from over my shoulder. Then, Tunnels starts to mix things up: sprinting and crawling aren’t just a button press. To pick up speed, I have to physically swing my arms.

When I have to crawl through tight spaces, the system gets clever. I reach forward, grip the ground, and pull myself along. It means both hands are occupied — so forget about keeping the flashlight steady while you scramble.

Speaking of, the flashlight isn’t just for illuminating passages — it has another trick up its sleeve (more on that soon). Swimming also uses the grip buttons; I have to haul myself forward through flooded, narrow tunnels.

So much for an abandoned mine…

After a brisk tutorial, a misstep sends me tumbling a few levels down. Now I’ve got to claw my way back up. In these cramped corridors, my flickering flashlight is the only thing keeping the darkness at bay. Run out of batteries, and you’re left with a faint whirring when you hit the switch — otherwise, it’s just you and the void.

This is exactly the kind of encounter you want in a dark cave. | Image: Mastiff LLC

Crawling through these tunnels ratchets up the discomfort fast. Every inch forward, the walls seem to close in; the sense of confinement is almost physical. Then I hear something — a scraping, a shuffle somewhere up ahead. My breathing quickens as I try to squeeze through an especially narrow gap.

Light barely filters through the rocks now, and my field of vision shrinks. In the distance, I catch a glimpse of something moving — gone in a blink. Not alone, then. Panic starts to creep in, and I push myself to move faster. The sounds keep coming, behind me, beside me, overhead.

The tunnels branch and twist. I peek left, then right. Nothing. Just darkness behind me, too. Before I can move again, a spider-like thing lunges out, jaws wide, and shrieks — my flashlight flickers, and it vanishes as suddenly as it appeared.

My unreliable companion: The flashlight

One thing’s clear: the monsters down here hate the light. In this claustrophobic maze, the flashlight is less a tool and more a lifeline. Naturally, batteries are as rare as typewriter ribbons in the original Resident Evil, so you’re forced to navigate mostly in the dark to conserve power.

The flashlight battery doesn’t last long, and it’s the only chance I have of driving the cave monsters away. | Image: Mastiff LLC

After a frantic crawl toward a distant glimmer, I finally make it to a safe, well-lit room. For the first time since my fall, I can radio my partner for help.

But the respite is short. After squeezing through another crawlspace, I find myself at the edge of an underground lake. The water is still and black. I know I have to swim across, but I’m certain something’s waiting for me beneath the surface. With shaking hands, I lower myself in—and almost immediately, some new horror echoes through the water.

Solid VR horror — With a few immersion breakers

If you’re into VR horror, Tunnels will probably scratch the itch. The setting is tense, the voice acting is decent, and the sound design keeps you on edge. But it’s not without issues. The game’s relentless darkness really shows off just how mediocre the Quest 3’s LCD black levels are; instead of true black, you get a constant, murky gray.

Graphics and lighting are also just okay. In scenes where the lighting is minimal — and that’s most of Tunnels — better effects could have really amped up the atmosphere.

The biggest problems are technical. More than once, I got stuck on rocks or underwater plants and had to wriggle free. Sometimes, crawling hitboxes are finicky, leaving me swiping at the air for several seconds before the game lets me move on. Stuff like this kills the immersion in a hurry.

If you want to check it out for yourself, Tunnels has been available since May 15 for $15 in the Meta Horizon Store. There’s a single-player campaign and a free multiplayer mode.

What do you think of Tunnels? Join the conversation on Facebook, Bluesky or X or share your opinion in the comments below.

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