Three of the game's V.I.P. Bots are not based on video game characters, and are instead references to non-gaming products made by Sony. The Bots in question are "Forgotten Mascot" (based on Polygon Man, the intended mascot of the original PlayStation), "Pup Pal" and "Pup Pal +" (respectively based on the ERS-110 and ERS-1000 from AIBO, a series of robot dogs designed and manufactured by Sony).

The description for the V.I.P. Bot "Spinning Marsupial" (based on the titular character from the Crash Bandicoot series) says "Not to be confused with a naughty dog." This is a reference to Naughty Dog, the developers behind the first three games in the series as well as Crash Team Racing.

To promote the release of Astro Bot, its predecessor Astro's Playroom received a free content update on July 7, 2024. This update added new artifacts to the Gatcha machine based on various PlayStation 5 accessories (such as the PlayStation VR2 headset and the PlayStation Portal) that could be accessed through a new room in the PlayStation Labo, and a brand new mission room that displayed the countdown to Astro Bot's release.

Additionally, four new Bots were added to be rescued, one for each world and each one based on a PlayStation character. The Bots in question were based on Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower from Bloodborne, Selene Vassos from Returnal, a racer from the Gran Turismo series, and a Pipo Monkey from the Ape Escape series. The four Bots collected in Astro's Playroom could then be transferred to the starting crew of Astro Bot, where they would respectively unlock the V.I.P. Bots "Nightmare Guardian", "Stranded Scout", "Pro Driver", and "Greedy Ape".

Concept art for the game suggests that there were plans to include V.I.P. Bots based on Sweet Tooth from the Twisted Metal series and Princess Plump from the Fat Princess series at some point in development, but were ultimately scrapped.

When Astro Bot released, many players noted how there was no reference to Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII despite how important that game was to the original PlayStation, or any sort of Square Enix content in the game for that matter. During an interview with Game File, Nicolas Doucet (studio head of Team Asobi) hinted that the team had considered adding a cameo from Cloud, but were unable to get permission from Square Enix, stating it was "difficult to comment on that".

The V.I.P. Bots "Dad of Boy" and "Boy" (based on Kratos and Atreus from God of War respectively) are named in reference to the "Dad of Boy" meme, where following the release of the 2018 God of War game, many players began making jokes about the amount of times Kratos referred to Atreus as "boy" in the game.

On September 4, 2024, Sony's chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki told the Financial Times that the company believed they didn't have enough original IPs across its video game, film and anime operations that it had "fostered from the beginning". This statement drew puzzled reactions in regards to PlayStation, as just two days later on September 6, their new big-budget IP Concord was shut down a mere two weeks after launch, while Astro Bot was released the same day and featured references to numerous dormant video game IPs that Sony owns. These include IPs dating back to the 1990's and many that were previously abandoned due to either low sales or a shift in focus.

The description for the V.I.P. Bot "Watermelon Buster" (based on Raiden from the Metal Gear series and specifically his appearance in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance) simply reads "Nanomachines, son!" This is a reference to the final boss fight in that game, where Spoiler:after Raiden asks him why he won't die, Senator Armstrong responds "Nanomachines, son!", with the scene and line becoming an internet meme.

In Astro Bot, the V.I.P. Bot "Brave Biker" is based on Deacon St. John, the main protagonist of Days Gone. While the game's developer Bend Studio praised the cameo, the game's writer and co-director John Garvin did not. He claimed that the character had been "reduced to promoting other games" and sarcastically remarked about how Bend Studio was "protecting its legacy", starting a back-and-forth argument with fans on Twitter. This negative response stemmed from complaints and tensions with Bend Studio and its workplace culture that Garvin tweeted about in a rant in 2022, two years after departing from the studio. He blamed Days Gone's mixed-to-average reception on bugs, critics who didn't even play the game, and "woke reviewers" who did, prompting Bend Studio to release a statement distancing themselves from him and his views.

The V.I.P. Bot "Robotic Sucker" (based on the titular character from Mister Mosquito) is depicted irritating Astro Bot as he is trying to take a bath. This appears to be a reference to Stage 4 of Mister Mosquito, which infamously involves the player attempting to suck blood from Rena Yamada as she is trying to take a bath.

To promote the release of the game, the 400th issue of Edge magazine featured ten variant covers based on the game's V.I.P. Bots, with different covers available through different means:

• Subscribers of the magazine could receive variants based on Bloodborne or The Last Guardian.
• Purchasing from UK retail would grant access to variants based on Shadow of the Colossus, Journey, God of War, and Returnal.
• Purchasing from overseas retail would grant access to variants based on Horizon, Gran Turismo, Ghost of Tsushima, and Ratchet & Clank.