A virtual reality version co-developed and published by MyDearest Inc., dubbed The Exit 8 VR, released on 11 July 2024 for the Meta Quest 2, Pro and 3.

The Exit 8 is a first-person three-dimensional (3D) walking simulator type game with elements of puzzle and psychological horror.

[3] The core gameplay of The Exit 8 is similar to games like spot the difference, where the player must look out for and identify anomalies in the room's layout.

Additionally, due to wanting to keep the development of the game short and low budget, they opted instead to incorporate the "proceed or turn back" mechanic.

[15][16] The game was first announced on 3 November 2023 with a trailer posted on the developer's twitter account, with the release planned for later that month in both Japanese and English.

[13] This would later be added upon in late-February 2024, where the developer sent an announcement on their Twitter account that they would be accepting submissions for these guest advertisements to appear in a sequel to The Exit 8.

[33] In the following month, Kotake Create launched a Steam page for the sequel under the name Platform 8, with a release window of between "the end of April or beginning of May".

[25] Following the release of Platform 8, Kotake Create stated that they do not want to make any more sequels in this series, feeling that they are satisfied with the games and wanted to continue working on Strange Shadows, the horror adventure game which Kotake Create paused development on to instead develop The Exit 8, planned for 2025.

Meriel Green from Gamezebo described how the game "effortlessly" connects to fears many people have, being getting lost in a subway, adding on that the passageway gave off an "profoundly unsettling vibe".

She further commented on how lifelike the environment was and going as far to claim that the gameplay could be mistaken for real footage, which she mentioned further layered on the game's sense of dread.

[42] Jordan Helm from Hardcore Gamer commented on how the game utilises discomfort to create uncertainty and distrust in what the player maybe witnessing.

In Lada's review, she mentioned that if you were good and lucky with the game it would only take the player around "15-30 minutes" to complete, adding further that "once you’ve played it enough times, you’ll have done it all and have no reason to return".

[39] Jordan Helm remarked that he hoped that Kotake Create would use the game as a foundation for a more ambitious and bolder project in the future.

However, Helm added that Kotake created a "fifteen-minute experience with more warranted involvement and intriguing design" than other games with a longer play time.

[45][46] Similar to the original version, The Exit 8 VR was generally well received by critics, with many claiming the use of virtual reality helped enhance the gameplay and environment.

In her review for UploadVR, Alicia Haddick described how she felt that this version heightened the overall sense of unease when playing, calling the game a "natural fit" for the Quest headset.

Pulling from her memories of visiting Nogizaka Station in Tokyo, Haddick felt returning to a familiar location that was "distinctly off" was improved by the immersion of virtual reality, stating that the tension of playing was heightened when wearing the headset.

[41] Hisui Mizuki from Real Sound wrote how whislt they thought the visuals were on par with the original version, the atmosphere of the VR version was comparable to real life, adding that due to the sounds of the lights and footsteps being heard in 3D made the sense of lonliness when playing stronger.

Verity Townsend from Automaton Media speculated that the developers of the copycat were taking advantage of the fact that the original game was not released on consoles.

[3] Described as a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and dressed in work clothes and a briefcase, the passer-by only walks down the hallway and can occasionally be one of the game's many anomalies,[8] but never actually interacts with the player.

Alternatively, Fujiwara also posited the idea the feelings may derive from the "mere-exposure effect", which caused players to like the character just from walking past them over and over.

[35] To celebrate The Exit 8 reaching 1 million downloads, a line of merchandise featuring the passer-by would be sold in Ikebukuro Parco department stores for a limited time between 23 August and 30 September 2024.

[24] In mid-April 2024, Japanese pharmaceutical company Earth Corporation [ja] (アース製薬) launched a web commercial parodying the game to advertise their mouthwash product, Mondamin.