Sandbox VR’s newest experience, Deadwood Origins, sends groups of up to six into a jungle overrun by the undead. The full-body zombie-survival adventure opens September 25 at the chain’s 90-plus locations across the U.S., Canada, and Hong Kong, with bookings open now.
A Full-Body Zombie-Survival Run
Players begin in a remote jungle village that has gone dark, cast as an elite security squad escorting a disease specialist to the source of an outbreak. When infected wildlife brings down their aircraft, the mission turns into a fight for survival across a crash site, an abandoned village, a moving gondola, and the ruins of an ancient temple. Along the way the squad battles infected monkeys, dogs, bats, and snakes, hordes of the undead, and a massive serpent, working together to reach a way out. Sandbox VR rates it 5 out of 5 for intensity.
The experience runs on Sandbox VR’s full-body platform: motion tracking, haptic vests, headsets, and physical props, with two to six players moving through the space together and able to see one another the whole time. Deadwood Origins is the fourth chapter in the Deadwood series, and it is a prequel, rewinding to the moment the outbreak began, before Deadwood Mansion, Deadwood Valley, and Deadwood PHOBIA. It plays as a standalone adventure, so no prior Deadwood knowledge is needed.
“Deadwood Origins is the biggest and most ambitious experience we’ve ever made,” said Michael Hampden, SVP of Content and Creative Director at Sandbox VR. “This time we go back to when the nightmare began and take you on an adventure packed with huge visual wow moments, terrifying new enemies, and nonstop surprises.”
Pricing and How to Book
Sandbox VR’s standard pricing is $39 per person on weekdays (Monday through Thursday) and $49 per person on weekends (Friday through Sunday), with the mixed-reality video of your group included free, and prices can vary by location. Sessions are booked online at the Deadwood Origins page, and walk-ins are taken based on availability. Bookings are open now in the U.S., Canada, and Hong Kong for play beginning September 25, and international markets open September 22. You can find your nearest venue through Sandbox VR’s location finder.
A Bigger Bet on Location-Based Horror
Deadwood is Sandbox VR’s zombie franchise and its proof of concept for full-body horror. The three earlier titles have sold more than 2.66 million tickets and generated more than $140 million in sales, and Origins is the fourth chapter. Sandbox VR operates more than 90 venues worldwide and draws over 150,000 guests a month, with a catalog that also includes the horror-adjacent Stranger Things: Catalyst and Squid Game Virtuals, both built with Netflix.
It arrives the same weekend Halloween season hits full stride, and it is a group scare you can book near home rather than travel for. It joins a growing wave of location-based immersive horror we track, from Los Angeles walk-throughs like Creep LA and It’s Alive to escape-room builds, now with a full-body VR squad-survival option in the mix.
