The Lab

Released Apr 2016

Welcome to The Lab, a compilation of Valve’s room-scale VR experiments set in a pocket universe within Aperture Science. Fix a robot, defend a castle, adopt a mechanical dog, and more. Still not sold? It’s free!

94% positive · 6,701 reviews

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Where to get it

Free on Steam

Steam Free

Evaluation

The Lab is a free-to-play VR experience from Valve, released on April 5, 2016. After launch, Valve shipped several feature patches and one major content update — the "Hands-On Update" on August 29, 2019 — which overhauled hand tracking, physics interaction, audio, and engine performance. That update represented a significant modernization effort, roughly three years after the original release. The last recorded developer communication of any kind was a minor bug fix on August 26, 2021, addressing performance and localization issues. Since then — nearly five years as of June 2026 — there have been no announcements, patches, or roadmap posts from Valve regarding The Lab. No unreleased DLC is listed on the store, and no future content has been announced. The 2019 Hands-On Update post did not reference any planned follow-up content; it reads as a completion of a modernization effort rather than the beginning of an ongoing content cycle. With only one major content drop across the game's full history and developer communications having ceased since August 2021, the game is best understood as a finished product that has reached the end of its active update cycle.

Evidence

The Hands-On Update overhauled hand tracking, physics, audio, and engine performance. Framed as a modernization of the 2016 release, with no mention of future planned content.

news post · Aug 29, 2019 source content shipped

high

Appliance of Science Update added leaderboards and new game modes to Longbow, Xortex, and Slingshot shortly after launch.

news post · Jun 6, 2016 source content shipped

medium

Media

Details

Developer

Valve

Publisher

Valve

Achievements

Platform

Windows

Controller

—

Steam Deck

Unsupported

Players

Single-player

Free to Play VR Action First-Person Adventure Funny Sandbox Casual Family Friendly Sci-fi FPS Puzzle Shooter Strategy Memes

About this game

Set in a pocket universe of Aperture Science, The Lab offers a wide range of ways to enjoy VR, all in one application.

Slingshot

Begin your career as a Calibration Trainee by recklessly destroying everything in the Aperture Storage Annex using the Core Calibration slingshot.

Longbow

Use your archery skills to defend your noble castle gate from a rampaging but adorable and equally noble horde of attackers.

Xortex

Are you a bad enough dude to become a Xortex ace? Relive the golden era of gaming -- only this time, it's all around you.

Postcards

Visit exotic, far-off locales from the comfort of your own head.

Human Medical Scan

Explore the intricate beauty of the human body through a highly detailed model created from a series of CT medical scans.

Solar System

Why watch shows about the vast majesty of space when you can jump in and see it for yourself? Have educational space-fun while putting Neil Degrasse-Tyson out of business.

Robot Repair

Can you repair a robot? Good, because Aperture Science's Human Diversity Outreach Program is now hiring.

Secret Shop

The fantasy equivalent of a twenty-four-hour convenience store is now open for business! Peruse artifacts, shop for familiars and cast a spell or two at Dota's Secret Shop!