Virtual reality games are highly immersive gaming experiences. The games are viewed through VR headsets that cover players' eyes and ears, transporting them directly into the world of the game through visuals and audio. We researched some of the best VR games on the market; if you’re looking for a hyper-realistic, engaging gaming experience you can experience through your headset at home, you’ll want to try out these titles.
As VR technology is relatively new, game designers are still exploring the limits of VR gaming and adding features to games to make them even more realistic, atmospheric, and collaborative. VR gaming used to be a fairly solitary experience, with one player wearing the headset and immersing themselves in the game. Some of the best VR games now include multi-player modes that allow players to team up with their friends with VR headsets. There are even some VR party games that can be played with a group of friends; one person wears the headset and the other party members interact with them.
Depending on what VR experience you’re searching for, there are plenty of exciting games to choose from. However, there are a few games that stand out above the rest in terms of quality, price, and experience.
Best VR Games Comparison Table
Product FAQ
1. What Are VR Games?
VR games are video games that are viewed and played with a virtual reality headset, including the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, as well as motion controllers that you hold in your hands.
Unlike video games that one plays on a computer or TV, VR games shut out light and sound of the real world so players can completely focus on the game. Players can remain seated on their couch while their character walks, jumps, and explores the environment of the game; the player's brain will register the movement as though the player is walking and jumping in real life. Although this false sensation is exhilarating, it can cause motion sickness. Players may need to take breaks or adjust the settings of the game to prevent dizziness.
2. How Do VR Games Work?
The VR headset completely surrounds your field of vision, allowing you to see through your character’s eyes. The movements you make in real life while playing the game control the movements of the character you play, giving you a uniquely realistic gaming experience. The best VR games pull you so deeply into the world that you may even forget you're playing a game.
3. Where Can You Buy the Games?
Many VR games can be purchased on Amazon. You will need an appropriate gaming system to play the game, a headset to view the game and, in some cases, motion controllers to play the games. For some games, you can buy special controllers that mimic the feeling of the weapon or device used in the game for an even more realistic sensory experience.
4. What Types of VR Games Can You Play?
Some games are VR versions of already existing video games that allow you to immerse yourself further in the world of the game you already know and love. Other VR games create new worlds and environments that have been designed solely for the VR experience.
Each of these options has its benefits; it can be thrilling to dive back into the familiar world of a beloved game and see characters and settings from a new, hyper-realistic perspective. For example, seeing life-size dragons swooping overhead in Skyrim VR is far more awe-inspiring than watching them in the original game. However, some of the best VR games explore new, unexpected worlds.
There are single-player VR games that you can play on your own, and multi-player games for when you want to team up with friends and collaborate on missions. Just as there are different genres and categories of video games, including survival horror, comedy, action RPG, and first-person shooter, there are various genres of VR games. Since the games are so immersive, whatever type of game you pick to play on any given day may depend on your mood.
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How We Reviewed
We researched various titles that have been released in recent years, combing through critic and user reviews to find the best of the best VR games. To pick out our list of the Top 10 Best VR Games, we evaluated games and ranked them based on their features, pros & cons, price, and where you can buy them.
Overall Price Range of The Games
Prices for VR games range from around $15 to $40. Higher-priced items often indicate longer-length games, more extensive worlds, extra side missions and unique features.
What We Reviewed
- Skyrim reimagines the open-world fantasy epic, pushing the gameplay and technology of a virtual world to new heights
- Play any type of character you can imagine, and do whatever you want; the legendary freedom of choice, storytelling, and...
- Skyrim’s game engine brings to life a complete virtual world with rolling clouds, rugged mountains, bustling cities,...
About the Game
Skyrim VR is a VR version of the sprawling, open-world Skyrim game.
Players explore a magical world, equip their character with weapons and spells, complete side missions for townspeople, and eventually take down a world-eating dragon.
PROS
CONS
- Traverse an unnerving alien world as you search for survivors and a way home.
- Master various weapons - from charged plasma rifles to a railgun - in the fight through packs of hostile alien life.
- Explore and fight together with a friend in 2 player co-op.
About the Game
Farpoint is a first-person shooter VR experience that lets players explore a harsh alien landscape where they search for survivors and attempt to find a way home.
The game can be played alone or with a friend in 2-player co-op.
PROS
CONS
- Blurring the lines between cautious strategy and unbridled mayhem, SUPERHOT VR is the definitive VR FPS in which time...
- Decisive winner of dozens of VR Game of the Year awards, SUPERHOT VR is a title reimagined and redesigned from the...
- This title requires Move Controllers
About the Game
Superhot VR is a puzzle game that plays with the concept of time as you square off against faceless assassins who are determined to kill you. Whenever you stand still in real life, time in the game moves in slow motion.
When you start moving, time moves at a regular speed. You have to plan what actions to take in the time between movements in order to thwart their attacks.
PROS
CONS
- Experience free flight as you soar through the skies of Paris in virtual reality.
- Dive, pilot, and lead your team to victory in adrenaline-filled multiplayer with up to six players.
- Explore Paris from a brand-new point of view as you soar over magnificent landmarks.
About the Game
Unlike the other best VR games, this game is best played in a group. Communication is key; one player wears a VR headset and tries to defuse a complex bomb while their “bomb-defusing expert” friends shout instructions. The bomb-defuser is the only one who can see the bomb, and the experts are the only ones with access to the defusing instructions; they must swap information and act quickly before the timer runs out.
PROS
CONS
- Freedom and Liberty Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests....
- Be whoever you want with the special character system. From a power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker,...
- New next generation graphics and lighting engine brings to life the world of fallout. From the blasted forests of the...
About the Game
An open-world role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic Boston with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests to complete.
The player explores a version of our world that has been ravaged by nuclear warfare.
PROS
CONS
- Playable in both VR and non-VR, serve as an officer with hand tracking with full-body avatars and lip-sync.
- Operate as a crew to make strategic decisions and coordinate actions as Captain, Helm, Tactical or Engineer.
- Take command of the unique U.S.S. Aegis, the first ship of her kind.
About the Game
This game launches the player directly into the Star Trek universe, where they and other teammates operate as a crew to command a ship through galactic adventures.
The game can be played solo or with a group of random teammates who take on various roles within the crew.
PROS
CONS
- Fully voiced, 3D Rick and Morty goodness
- Help Rick (or don't) and explore multiple strange dimensions
- Probe, prod, throw, and smash iconic items like the Plumbus
About the Game
This is a VR game based on the Rick & Morty cartoon on Adult Swim. Gamers play as a clone of timid, stuttering Morty and help crazy, universe-hopping grandpa Rick with his everyday tasks, which escalate in intensity and absurdity.
Characters from the show populate the game, and witty banter abounds.
PROS
CONS
- Real-life weapon handling: Using PS Move controllers or the PS VR Aim Controller, handle a range of weapons with...
- Full-size campaign: Built in VR-sized chunks that together form a full narrative
- Free exploration: Move around freely to explore treacherous canyons, deep, dark mines, and more
About the Game
This is a first-person shooter game built exclusively for VR; you play as an outlaw in a post-apocalyptic southwestern America overrun by zombies.
PROS
CONS
- English (Publication Language)
About the Game
This is the virtual reality version of Minecraft, a game where you play as a character in a block-based world, build landscapes and structures, mine materials, fight enemies, and explore.
PROS
CONS
- Delivers an experience reminiscent of the series' signature gameplay including exploration, puzzles and realistic tense...
- Complete refresh of the gameplay system to propel the survival horror experience to the next level
- A new shift for the series to first person view brings the terrifying horror directly up close and personal
About the Game
A survival horror game where players immerse themselves into a dark and foreboding plantation mansion in Louisiana.
As they explore the house, they encounter a creepy family of cannibals and other sinister creatures. This game is more frightening and foreboding than the other best VR games.
PROS
CONS
The Verdict: Best of the Best VR Games
Our picks for the best VR games are all highly immersive, creating intensely realistic gaming experiences that are personal for every player. Because of this, it’s difficult to choose which of these best VR games is the actual best. It depends on whether someone wants a gentler, explorative gaming experience or a thrilling, challenging game that keeps them on the edge of their seat.
However, out of these Top 10 Best VR Games, our best of the bunch is Resident Evil 7. For the relatively low price, the game offers a realistic, haunting, and even terrifying experience complete with a satisfying narrative through-line and intriguing characters. Players who love scary movies and enjoy exploring haunted houses will love creeping through the dark, eerie halls of the plantation. That said, the game is violent, intense and not for the faint of heart, especially in VR form.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes are more social game experiences that can be played with groups of friends, while Minecraft VR is an enjoyable, lighter experience that offers endless hours of entertainment and appeals to a wide variety of players.
Farpoint, Superhot and Arizona Sunshine all get credit for creating new worlds and scenarios that are designed for VR and fun to explore, although Superhot gains bonus points for featuring an inventive premise that plays with time rather than a standard first-person shooter targeting aliens or zombies.
In the end, the decision of which of these best VR games you want to play is up to you. When picking your game, carefully consider which world you would personally like to spend time exploring.
Last update on 2021-02-28 at 08:47 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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