Puzzles

I Expect You To Die

The XR School › Puzzles › I Expect You To Die
$24.99 on Meta Quest Schell Games Spy escape room puzzles Quest • Rift • SteamVR • PS VR
First released 30 November 2016 • On Quest since 21 May 2019 • Rated 4.8 from about 6,100 ratings • Everyone 10+

I Expect You To Die

Play an elite secret agent trapped in one deadly situation after another, from a car rigged with traps to a villain's lair. Search, think and use your telekinetic powers to solve each scenario before it solves you. Witty, inventive and played sitting down.

Developer: Schell Games
Price: $24.99 on Meta Quest
Platform: Meta Quest, Rift, SteamVR, PS VR, Windows Mixed Reality
Subject: Logic • Problem solving
7.0
/10
XR School Score
Recommended for Clubs
Clever, funny escape room puzzles • Seated and comfortable • Very highly rated • Two sequels • Cartoon peril • Entertainment first
4.8 • Meta store About 6,100 ratings
Overview

I Expect You To Die is a VR escape room puzzle game developed and published by Schell Games, a studio known for both entertainment and educational games. It first released on Oculus Rift on 30 November 2016, followed by PlayStation VR in December 2016, SteamVR in April 2017 and Windows Mixed Reality in 2018. It arrived on Oculus Quest on 21 May 2019 and costs $24.99 on the Meta store, where it is rated 4.8 from about 6,100 ratings. It is rated Everyone 10+.

You play an elite secret agent in a series of spy missions, each a self contained puzzle room full of gadgets, traps and hazards. You play seated, and can use telekinesis to pick up objects that are out of reach. Success depends on careful observation and thinking ahead, because one wrong move usually ends in a comic, cartoon style failure, after which you simply try again. The game has two sequels, I Expect You To Die 2 and I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine, released in 2023.

Learning From Failure Every mission in I Expect You To Die is designed to be failed and retried. Students quickly learn to observe carefully, form a hypothesis, test it and learn from what goes wrong, a cycle that mirrors scientific thinking and builds resilience.
How a Mission Works
🕵️
Get the briefing
Learn your objective as a secret agent.
🔍
Search
Examine gadgets, drawers and hidden compartments.
✨
Use telekinesis
Pull distant objects to you without leaving your seat.
🔄
Try again
Learn from each failure and find the solution.
Practical Notes The game is played seated, which makes it comfortable and easy to supervise. It is rated Everyone 10+, but includes cartoon peril and spy action, so preview it with younger students in mind. Each copy costs $24.99, and the sequels are sold separately or in bundles.
The Series
Feature
Game
Released
I Expect You To Die
2016 (Quest 2019)
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I Expect You To Die 2
2021
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I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine
17 August 2023 (Quest)
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Classroom Value
Problem solving
8.4
Engagement
9.0
Curriculum links
4.0
Ease of setup
8.5
Suitability for school
6.5
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths
  • Clever, varied puzzles
  • Very highly rated by players
  • Seated play is comfortable
  • Encourages trial, error and resilience
  • Witty humour and spy theme
  • Two sequels for more content
Considerations
  • $24.99 per copy
  • Cartoon peril and spy action
  • Entertainment rather than curriculum content
  • Puzzles can frustrate younger players
For Teachers: Thinking Skills Club Use I Expect You To Die in a KS3 or KS4 thinking skills or puzzle club. One student plays while the group suggests what to try; afterwards, discuss which strategies worked and how failure helped. It is an enjoyable way to practise observation, logic and teamwork.
$24.99
Meta Quest 2, 3, 3S and Pro • Also on Rift, SteamVR and PS VR
Get on Meta Quest → More puzzle apps →
Quick Facts
Developer
Schell Games
First release
30 November 2016 (Rift)
Quest release
21 May 2019
Price
$24.99
Rating
4.8 from about 6,100 ratings
Play style
Seated, single player
Age rating
Everyone 10+
Verdict
I Expect You To Die is one of the best loved puzzle games in VR: clever, funny and comfortable to play seated. It is entertainment first, but its observe, test and retry loop makes it an excellent choice for a thinking skills or puzzle club, where it is recommended.

Gareth Griffiths

Gareth Griffiths is a scientist and the founder of World of Teaching, a free library of over 1,000 teacher made PowerPoints. He set up The XR School to help teachers, schools and parents find virtual and augmented reality apps that genuinely help young people learn, and to give an honest view of what each app teaches, which headsets it needs and what it costs.