HTC Vive
Beat Saber
Who could have predicted that a dancing game that uses two virtual lightsabers would be among VR’s biggest hits? Beat Saber tasks you with slashing incoming blocks using color-coded saber swings, and the intensity varies depending on the song you select. There are plenty of options for customization even including your own songs on PC, and you’ll be able to get a great workout by merely doing what you’ve already pretended you could do for decades: Swing a lightsaber. With content added regularly, Beat Saber is a game you’ll be playing for months or years on end.
Fallout 4 VR
It’s Fallout 4 and it’s in VR. This isn’t a sampler or a teaser of what a full Fallout game could be like in virtual reality, but the entire Fallout 4 experience made playable on the HTC Vive. From killing mutant creatures to building your dream community, you can do it all from behind the headset, which should make some of the game’s more emotional choices even more impactful. Of course, you could also just go out and cause as much mayhem as possible. It’s up to you.
Read our full Fallout 4 VR review
Doom VFR
Want to enter the world of 2016’s Doom and look demons in the eyes as you rip their jaws in half and stomp on their mutilated corpses? With Doom VFR, you totally can. Rather than turn the existing game into a VR shooting gallery, Id Software created an entirely new story for Doom VFR, which sees you working on demon cleanup duty to stop an outbreak from destroying a Mars-based research center. Most importantly, however, it just gives you an excuse to kick some demon ass.
Superhot VR
One of the most unique first-person shooters and adventure games ever made, the original Superhot’s hook — a world that only moves when you move — creates a sense of tactical awareness not typically seen in the genre. The VR version builds on that great foundation, and updates have added additional challenges, levels, and even an option to beat the game without ever firing a gun. Speed and careful planning will be necessary to make it out alive.
Creed: Rise to Glory
The film Creed II sees Adonis Creed facing off against Ivan Drago’s son in a battle that mirrors the plot of the objectively great Rocky IV, and in preparation for his most important fight to date, Creed must train to be the best boxer on the planet. Creed: Rise to Glory lets you do just that, with vicious punching controls, player-versus-player fights, and training alongside the legendary Rocky Balboa. You can even visit some of the films’ famous locations to really get in the mindset of a Philadelphian fighter. Now cut me, Mick!
Arizona Sunshine
Don’t let the benign title fool you: Arizona Sunshine is all about zombies. The desert western setting is merely a backdrop for the vicious undead looking to eat you, bones and all, and you can take a friend along for the ride as you attempt to survive. Unlike some similar VR shooters, you are free to move around the environment naturally in Arizona Sunshine, and you have access to more than two dozen weapons to slaughter the zombies you encounter.
Oculus Quest
BoxVR
The Oculus Quest’s wires-free, self-contained design makes it the perfect VR headset to use for fitness, and BoxVR is one of the most effective exercising games on the platform. Rather than battle against another boxer, BoxVR has you practice your various punches against incoming symbols. You also must dodge out of the way of approaching walls, and block attacks to keep your score as high as possible. As you do this, the game keeps full track of your calories burnt, and the total accumulates for a week, which lets you easily keep track of fitness progress.
Dance Central
Who said you needed a camera or Wii Remote to play Dance Central? In the VR version available on Oculus Quest, nearly anywhere can be a dance party as you jam along to the beat and try to strike all the correct poses. Complete with online multiplayer, 32 different songs, and the lively art style we have come to expect from the Dance Central games, its debut on Oculus Quest will let you boogie to your favorite tunes in your bedroom or the middle of the park. Just don’t get too surprised at the looks you receive.
Apex Construct
The Oculus Quest is great for shorter game experiences, but it’s still perfectly capable of handling larger story-driven games, as well. Apex Construct is a futuristic action game filled with bow-and-shield combat, as well as secrets to find and upgrades to unlock. It’s a full-fledged adventure that doesn’t sacrifice its action, story, or world-building in the move to a portable platform, and it’s the perfect game to play when you want to experience something a little bit deeper than Dance Central or BoxVR.
