Puzzling Places adds Journey Mode, remastered puzzles, improved hand tracking, and more in a free update.
The VR jigsaw game developed by Realities.io, known for turning real-world locations into tactile 3D puzzles, is rolling out a major update for the holiday season. Its star feature is Journey Mode. This is a new way to play designed to provide a gentler, less effortful experience.
Instead of the game’s usual loop where players retrieve all the pieces of a disassembled puzzle at once, Journey mode starts with one piece in the middle and can only add a small set of pieces at a time. Players then attach pieces to grow the center, allowing the scene to gradually assemble roughly along the guide.
Hand tracking has also been overhauled in today’s update, and Realities.io says it has been optimized for sharper responsiveness and more intuitive reactions. In addition to updated tutorials, we’ve added “natural gestures” such as poking to examine puzzle pieces, dragging to switch tabs, and a “throwback” motion to return pieces to the staging area.
Improvements in quality of life are also promised. This includes the addition of new in-game menus, an updated start screen with quick start options, personalized stats, and customized puzzle pack recommendations. The Puzzling Places library now has more readable thumbnails for easier browsing, and ratings for puzzles and packs are now available directly from the storefront.
Finally, the base game’s puzzle lineup has been updated, replacing older puzzles with community favorites. Four puzzles have also been remastered with new animations and effects.
The Puzzling Places Holiday Update is currently available as a free download on Quest, PS VR2, and Pico. The game is also available on Apple Vision Pro and will be coming to Steam at a later date.
