Driven by the growing use of immersive technologies in education, virtual reality (VR) has become an increasingly prominent environment for supporting English language learning. While existing studies have examined VR in relation to language skills, learner affect, interaction, and instructional outcomes, the overall development of this research area remains insufficiently mapped. To fill this gap, this study provides a science-mapping analysis of VR-assisted English language learning from 2021 to 2025. Following a PRISMA-guided screening procedure, a total of 316 English-language journal articles were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection and analysed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. The analysis covered publication performance, citation impact, country-level distribution, co-cited references, keyword co-occurrence, and citation bursts. The results show a clear increase in research output and influence, with contributions concentrated mainly in a limited number of countries. Co-citation analysis identifies three knowledge bases: receptive learning and outcomes, oral communication and affective engagement, and immersive experience with cognitive-affective involvement. Keyword analysis further reveals themes related to educational design, immersive experience, affective factors, simulation-based instruction, and learner engagement. Burst detection indicates a recent shift toward instruction, acquisition, teachers, and learner perceptions. Overall, the study contributes to the field by clarifying both the intellectual structure and the changing priorities of research on VR-assisted English language learning. It also advances current understanding by showing that VR-assisted English learning is increasingly framed not simply as a novel technological application, but as a pedagogically mediated and context-dependent learning environment.