From comics to live-action TV to animation, the satirical superhero universe of “The Boys” has conquered multiple mediums and is now about to cross over into uncharted territory: its own video game.
Based on the comic book series of the same name, Amazon’s “The Boys” TV series is being adapted into a stealth-action VR game by Brazilian game studio Arvore and published by Sony Pictures Virtual Reality. Titled “The Boys: Trigger Warning,” the game is set to launch in 2026 and is now available to pre-order at a promotional price of $23.99 USD on the Meta Quest storefront and to wishlist on the PlayStation Store.
Per the game’s description, “The Boys: Trigger Warning” “introduces an original character who accidentally uncovers a grotesque Vought secret that turns a family outing into carnage. Forced to become a Supe, the player joins The Boys to infiltrate Vought and take revenge in the most chaotic way possible. Blending stealth and combat with the franchise’s signature dark humor, the VR title delivers a new story rooted in the world fans love.”
“Trigger Warning” was created in collaboration with “The Boys” TV series creator and showrunner Eric Kripke and will feature some of series cast members reprising their roles, including Laz Alonso as Mother’s Milk, Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett and P.J. Byrne as Adam Bourke, as well as Jensen Ackles appearing as a “twisted interpretation of Soldier Boy, created exclusively for the game,” per the developers.
“The Boys: Trigger Warning”
While “The Boys” has been incorporated into other video games — Antony Starr’s Homelander character appeared in “Mortal Kombat 1” — this will mark the first-ever game built entirely around “The Boys” universe.
“We lean into everything fans expect from ‘The Boys,’ and we worked closely with the producers of the show to bring that tone into the game,” Arvore CEO and founder Ricardo Justus told Variety. “The show’s characteristic violence feels even more absurd and physical here because VR puts you right in the middle of it. And beyond the surface interactions, the game has a strong narrative element that places you in the shoes of someone who actually suffers the consequences of Vought’s actions. We also built a lot of environmental storytelling into the experience. As you explore, you find layers of humor, social commentary, and visual easter eggs that echo the show’s satirical voice. That world comes to life even more with many of the original actors reprising their roles, which gives the scenes an authenticity and energy fans will recognize immediately. The mix of chaos, moral tension, dark humor, and spectacle is what makes ‘The Boys’ unique, and that is exactly what makes it so fun to translate into VR.”
Creative director Ricardo Laganaro said the collaborative process on “The Boys: Trigger Warning” “became much deeper than we initially expected” in large part due to the fact “The Boys” series creator and showrunner Eric Kripke and his writing team “embraced a true creative partnership” with the game studio.
“From the earliest story discussions, we built a relationship of trust that let us go far beyond the typical approval process in licensed games,” Laganaro said. “They did not just review ideas; they helped shape characters and scenes with us, and even wrote dialogue, which made the story genuinely feel like it belonged within ‘The Boys’ universe. That trust also gave us room to introduce new characters and original antagonists in ways that still felt true to the world, and it allowed us to create meaningful interactions with the show’s iconic characters, always with guidance from the series writers to keep every moment authentic. And on top of that, they shared extensive production design materials from the show, which helped us bring locations such as The Seven’s conference room and Voughtland to life with great accuracy, while still giving fans the freedom to explore them in ways only a VR experience can reveal.”
The announcement of “The Boys: Trigger Warning” comes on the heels of Amazon’s reveal of an April 8 premiere date for the fifth and final season of “The Boys.” Hailing from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, “The Boys” TV franchise consists of the main series, as well as spinoffs “Gen V,” “The Boys Presents: Diabolical,” the upcoming prequel “Vought Rising” and a still-in-development Mexico-set show.
“We’re thrilled to work with Arvore to bring ‘The Boys: Trigger Warning’ to life in VR,” Sony Pictures Entertainment senior vice president Lance Sloane said. “Having the show’s creators involved in shaping the experience allows us to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling, and we’re grateful to collaborate with our friends at Meta and PlayStation to deliver it to fans.”
Watch the trailer for “The Boys: Trigger Warning” via the video below.
See below for more from Variety‘s conversation with Arvore’s Ricardo Justus and “Trigger Warning” creative director Ricardo Laganaro.
How did the decision to make the first “The Boys” video game be a VR game come about?
Justus: Almost three years ago, we at Arvore were experimenting with different prototypes that explored how to let players use superpowers in VR in a natural way that actually felt empowering. Everyone at the studio is a fan of “The Boys,” and the more we played with those prototypes, the more it became clear that the world of the show would be an ideal match. “The Boys” mixes power fantasy with tension and dark humor, and VR gives you the chance to experience all of that from inside the chaos. It is not just watching a Supe blow up a room, it is being there with your hands up while everything goes wrong.
At the same time, Sony Pictures Virtual Reality had already been exploring how to bring some of its biggest franchises into immersive formats, including “The Boys,” and Arvore had already been identified as a strong potential partner because of our VR expertise and shared creative vision. Once we shared our prototypes with them, it was clear that our work and their vision clicked. That started a very collaborative process, and over several months, we refined the concept together with Sony, Meta, PlayStation and the producers of the show. The project was really born from that close collaboration.
Laganaro: What excited us from the beginning was the idea that superpowers in VR could feel truly physical, not symbolic or animated, but something the player performs with their own body. That immediately opened a narrative door for us, and we started imagining a world where powers were not just visual effects, but actions the player embodies, with all the chaos and responsibility that come with it in this world. So, before “The Boys” was even on the table, we were developing a dark, critical parody of superhero culture, and because we were not tied to any existing universe, we could experiment freely on a tonal, mechanical and narrative level. And inside those early prototypes, something interesting happened: several people on the team said, “This feels like it could exist in ‘The Boys.’” So, when we finally showed Sony Pictures Virtual Reality a rough version of what we were doing, the connection was immediate. The tone, the mechanics, the irreverence — they all lined up with the DNA of the show.
How much input was there from “The Boys” producers and Amazon on what the game would include?
Justus: The collaboration with the show’s producers and creator was very close, and they were directly involved throughout the project. They trusted us to build something bold, and at the same time, they guided us on tone, character authenticity, and what truly feels like “The Boys.” We set out to tell a new story that runs in parallel with the events of the show, mixing new characters created for the game with fan favorites. From the start, we aligned with the producers on the major story beats, how each character would fit into the plot, and the overall spirit of the powers. The show’s writers helped bring the dialogue to life, working with us to write and refine many scenes, ensuring that every character sounded true to the show. They collaborated directly with our narrative design team throughout the project. They also gave us the space to push ideas that made sense for gameplay and stepped in whenever something needed to stay anchored to the show’s identity. It has been a very open and genuinely rewarding partnership.
Laganaro: The collaboration became much deeper than we initially expected, largely because Eric Kripke and his writing team embraced a true creative partnership. From the earliest story discussions, we built a relationship of trust that let us go far beyond the typical approval process in licensed games. They did not just review ideas; they helped shape characters and scenes with us, and even wrote dialogue, which made the story genuinely feel like it belonged within “The Boys” universe. That trust also gave us room to introduce new characters and original antagonists in ways that still felt true to the world, and it allowed us to create meaningful interactions with the show’s iconic characters, always with guidance from the series writers to keep every moment authentic. And on top of that, they shared extensive production design materials from the show, which helped us bring locations such as The Seven’s conference room and Voughtland to life with great accuracy, while still giving fans the freedom to explore them in ways only a VR experience can reveal.
The tone of “The Boys” is very specific — satirical, violent, explicit, humorous, thought-provoking, political. Can you tease how the tone will be captured in the game?
Justus: We lean into everything fans expect from “The Boys,” and we worked closely with the producers of the show to bring that tone into the game. The show’s characteristic violence feels even more absurd and physical here because VR puts you right in the middle of it. And beyond the surface interactions, the game has a strong narrative element that places you in the shoes of someone who actually suffers the consequences of Vought’s actions. We also built a lot of environmental storytelling into the experience. As you explore, you find layers of humor, social commentary and visual easter eggs that echo the show’s satirical voice. That world comes to life even more with many of the original actors reprising their roles, which gives the scenes an authenticity and energy fans will recognize immediately. The mix of chaos, moral tension, dark humor and spectacle is what makes “The Boys” unique, and that is exactly what makes it so fun to translate into VR.
Laganaro: One of the ways we bring “The Boys” tone into a video game is by making sure the satire, the violence, the explicit moments and the dark humor are not just things the player watches, but things the player actually does. If in cinema we say “show, don’t tell,” in our case it becomes “play, don’t show.” So, if you are surrounded by guards in combat and your power is telekinesis, the question becomes: why simply shoot at them when you can tear off a limb and use it as improvised ammunition? The same goes for presence. VR lets us put players in situations they cannot look away from, so in the first minutes of the game, you witness a grotesque secret about our antagonists inside Vought in a way that hits you viscerally. And when it comes to “The Boys” signature blend of brutality and absurdity, we even built one of the game’s most violent moments inside a childish, propaganda-filled amusement ride inspired by characters fans will immediately recognize from the show. Our goal was always to capture the tone not by imitating the series, but by translating its spirit into actions only a game, and especially a VR game, can deliver.
