Desert Bus VR

Desert Bus VR

Dinosaur Games · November 27, 2017 · Psychological Horror, Free to Play, Automobile Sim, VR, Simulation

Desert Bus VR is free to play — no purchase needed. We track it so you know if that ever changes.

PC
Very Positive87% · 1,731
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →

Screenshots

Desert Bus VR price

Desert Bus VR is free to play — there is no purchase price, on Steam or anywhere else we track. We keep watching it, so if it ever stops being free the price history on this page will show when that happened and what it changed to.

About Desert Bus VR

✦ AI summary

Desert Bus VR puts you behind the wheel of a commercial passenger bus for a grueling eight-hour journey across the desert at a thrilling 45mph, available in both VR and standard formats. This faithful revival of the legendary 1998 Penn and Teller cult classic lets you experience authentic bus driving with a radio hosted by Penn Jillette himself, realistic towing consequences, and up to four-player multiplayer where passengers can wave and throw paper at you.

Desert Bus is back and better than ever! The 1998 Penn and Teller cult hit mini-game is coming to virtual reality, so you can fully immerse yourself in the thrilling eight-hour trip from Arizona to Nevada. It’s almost like you’re driving the “wheel” thing! Desert Bus VR can also be played in standard digital reality if you don’t own a VR headset.

FEATURES

Put the Pedal to the Metal
Show everyone who rules the road as you take the wheel of a commercial passenger bus. With blistering speeds of up to 45mph and a prominent passenger side misalignment, only the hardest drivers can make it to Nevada and back!

Getting Towed Has Never Been More Fun
Experience the realistic consequences of driving off the road with a tow service that takes you back to the start in real time!

Play Non-Stop for Hours of Amusement
Enjoy the action-packed eight-hour road trip from Tuscon to Las Vegas. When you make it to Nevada, turn around and do it all again!

Fill the Crushing, Oppressive Silence
Tune in to a variety of engaging radio programs, including one featuring the dulcet tones of Penn Jillette himself. You can even turn the radio on and off!

Get the Authentic Bus Driving Experience
Learn what it’s like to be a REAL bus driver with exciting gameplay that allows you to honk the horn and open the bus door! Tap the fully-interactive air freshener for some hardcore, pine-scented* action!

*Purchase of air freshener required for full effect.

Join Your Friends on This Road Trip
Play with up to four friends in Desert Bus VR’s groundbreaking new multiplayer mode. Passengers can sit, wave, and even throw wads of paper at the driver!

Desert Bus for Hope
Desert Bus VR was made in-part to support Desert Bus for Hope, a volunteer organization that holds the eponymous annual event to raise money for game industry charity Child’s Play. Participants play Desert Bus in a telethon-style stream, with others pledging donations in exchange for incentives that can include everything from prizes to increasing the length of the Desert Bus play time.

Desert Bus VR released on November 27, 2017 – the date selected by Robert “DoctorBobtastic” Nix, the winning donor during the Desert Bus for Hope 2017 “Choose the Desert Bus VR Release Date” charity drive. November 27th is also Robert’s birthday, so if you see him on that day this year, or any other year for that matter, be sure to give him a nice, big cake.

He also chose to make the driver’s default signature Bill “BWOS” Watt, a tribute to the late LoadingReadyRun crew member. This will be patched in with a future update that also includes the winning stickers Desert Bus Sticker Art donation drive. Thanks to the great artists who contributed!

Desert Bus VR — game info

Platforms
Windows
Steam Deck
Playable
Player modes
Single-player, Online PvP
Controller
Partial controller support
PC Game Pass
Not included

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

✦ AI summary

Players praise the game for being immersive and engaging enough to hold attention even through lengthy sessions, with some noting it's relaxing and doesn't require constant focus. Common complaints center on the game's extreme length and the patience required to complete it, though some players find this meditative quality appealing rather than tedious.

Recommended Aug 22, 2026
never doing this ♥♥♥♥ again
2 found this helpful
Recommended Aug 18, 2026
Desert Bus VR is one of the strangest games I have played because the entire idea is built around doing something incredibly boring on purpose. I am driving a bus through the desert from Tucson to Las Vegas, and the trip takes around eight hours in real time. There are no exciting races, no enemies and no big story waiting for me at the end. I just have to keep the bus on the road and make it to the other side. That sounds terrible on paper, but I actually think there is something weirdly entertaining about how seriously the game commits to the joke. The driving itself is extremely basic. The bus can reach 45 miles per hour, the road is almost completely straight and the bus has a slight tendency to pull to one side, meaning I have to keep making small corrections. If I drive off the road, I get towed back to the start and have to watch the whole process happen in real time. I like that because the game never tries to hide what it is. It takes the original joke and turns the lack of excitement into the main challenge. Even opening the bus door and using the horn are treated like important features. The VR side makes the experience a little more interesting for me. Being able to s…
2 found this helpful
Recommended Jul 14, 2026
Amazing. Simply amazing. No other way to describe it.
1 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 19, 2026
Very awesome game that does charity
Not recommended Sep 6, 2026
vr does not work it just crashes and overall not very well made
Not recommended Aug 30, 2026
this is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ horse ass buffalo puke israel test piece of ♥♥♥♥ game i took 9 ounces of bull testosterone during my 10 hours playing this "game"

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