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Immerse yourself in these great Virtual Reality things to do.
As a whole, video games are already a more engaging way to enjoy modern media. But what makes it seem real is virtual reality. Using buttons and analogue sticks doesn’t give you the same feeling as holding a sword in your hand and seeing it move as you move. The action is exciting, the worlds are huge, and even the most common scary things can stop your heart.
With virtual reality, we can play games to their fullest extent. So why not try the best things there are to try? You might be new to the platform, or you might be an old hand who wants to know what they might be missing. From the HTC Vive to Meta Quest 2, here are the best virtual reality (VR) games ever made.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
The Walking Dead has been made into a lot of different kinds of media, from live-action HBO shows to video games where you make decisions about the story. Why not also VR? You play as a tourist who gets stuck in the swamps of New Orleans, which are now full of zombies.As you move through a dead world, you have to sneak past walkers, get food and water, and make new tools and gear in order to stay alive.
What Saints & Sinners really gets right is ‘pacing.’ Everything is done at the right speed, from how the story goes to how to fight zombies best. Everything seems natural and fair, with just the right amount of each to let you really get into the experience. It’s not often that a game gives this much thought to the VR medium.
Walkabout Mini Golf
There is beauty in simplicity, and Walkabout Mini Golf has both in large amounts. Go through a variety of mini golf courses with low-poly themes and try to get under par. Put through space, past pirate loot, and even to the Island of Myst with one of their reference DLC add-ons. You can look for hidden ball designs or solve puzzles to unlock new putters when you’re not putting.
There is some smart game design going on here that makes the game better in ways you might not even notice. Small features like automatic putter length and adjustable power settings let you play as well as you think you would be able to, which isn’t always the case.
Blade And Sorcery
Blade And Sorcery is one of the older virtual reality games that you can play. At first, it was only about magic, but over time, it changed into a full sword-fighting game based on physics. Now that it has a lot of weapons from the Middle Ages, magical effects, and even dungeons to explore, it sets a high bar for VR combat. In VR games, you can move your arms with the force of an empty hand, which seems strange. The swings of a heavy maul don’t really move the same way because of the weight.
But that doesn’t matter here. Big guns move slowly and hit hard. The handle of a weapon will stop a blade, and the hook on an axe can catch and even pull the edge of a shield away. You can do complicated moves in battle that are only possible in VR, and the game does a great job with them.
Beat Saber
Beat Sabre is the most well-known and best-selling VR game of all time. It is much easier to understand in person. You can use two small knives. Cubes will fly towards you while a song plays. You have to cut through the coloured cubes with each sword in the way shown on the block. It’s a typical rhythm game that takes place in a bright 3D world. It’s easy to understand, fun to play, and will get you pumped up.
If you play on PC, you can also access a huge library of songs and playlists made by the community. From meme songs to dance hits, this gives us what seems like an endless supply of new things to try and learn about. Just make sure to drink enough water. This game really gets you in shape.
Job Simulator
Job Simulator is often thought of as the first VR game, and it came out at the same time as almost every VR gear. And there’s a reason why it’s still the king. In this strange playground game, you have a normal office job. But you’re from a very long time in the future, when the details of each job have become a bit unclear. It’s also not just a job in an office. You can also try working as a car mechanic, a chef, or a clerk at a convenience store.
Even if you don’t like the humour, the play features on each map are so much fun that you won’t forget them. It seems like every item can interact in some way with every gadget, which encourages creativity for each goal. It will keep you so interested that you won’t even remember you’re at home.
I Expect You To Die
I Expect You To Die is a great game for people who are good at puzzles and have always wanted to feel like a smart super spy. Slope Game has a story that goes on over several escape room-style levels. As a secret spy, you have to stop a mad scientist from carrying out his evil plans.
Each level is unique and comes with out-of-the-box solutions to problems that are happening all around you. Each puzzle is hard, and there are often more than one way to solve it. Even though the story isn’t exactly mind-blowing, it fits the theme and mood that the developers were going for. All of these things come together to make what might be one of the most fun VR puzzle games.
It also had a sequel that did pretty well.
Superhot VR
When it first came out, Superhot got people’s attention. This independent game had a very interesting idea for a first-person shooter: time only moves when you do. This gives a fight scene the energy of a nonstop action scene while giving the player time and thought like a puzzle game. Wrap it all up in a cyberpunk story and a unique art style, and the words “SUPER… HOT…” will stay in your mind long after you’ve played the game.
Even though it started out as a regular PC game, it was later changed to work in virtual reality. The movement-time concept goes to a whole new level when you can move your head and your hands freely. You are doing more than just playing in this world; you are actually living in it.
Phasmophobia
This is another VR version of a hit small game. In Phasmophobia, you and up to three other people are sent to check out a spooky house. To figure out what kind of ghost is there, you need to use a number of ghost-hunting tools and your ghost encyclopaedia. Think of it like the game Clue, but much scarier. It’s a great balance that encourages bravery but makes people more scared when they show courage.
Phasmophobia is already very scary, and random strange behaviour causes many people to get scared when they see it. And the scary part is turned up to 11 when it’s all shown in VR. Now you’re in an old hospital, and when you say the person’s name, the ghost whispers in your ear. The level of realism makes a scary multiplayer game that was already fun into one of the best horror games you can play in VR.
Pistol Whip
Pistol Whip is a rhythm-based rails shooter that is often called “Super Hot meets Beat Sabre.” It is a near-perfect mix of the two genres. You move along a track with a gun in your hand. Each level was made by hand to tell a small story, and some of the best dance and EDM songs you’ll ever hear are played in the background. Along the track, enemies will try to shoot you, so you’ll have to dodge and fire back to the beat of the song.
It can be changed in a surprising number of ways, from easy tweaks to new mechanics and weapons. The neon style and unique story behind each track make each level very engaging for its setting, and the fact that the game is based on rhythm means that the action will always be fun. It’s a great example of how fun virtual reality can be, condensed into four-minute segments.
Half-Life: Alyx
Half-Life: Alyx is what you get when you mix one of the most popular PC game makers of the past with one of the most immersive gaming platforms of the present. Based on the Half-Life games, Half-Life: Alyx is a sci-fi action-adventure game. You play as Alyx, who is looking for her father and finds a much bigger plan than she expected.
This game takes everything we love about a story-driven shooter adventure and puts it all together in a way that works perfectly from a VR point of view. Use your freedom of movement during intense battle sequences, feel and control your weapons and equipment in ways that aren’t possible on a flat screen, and use the true 3D perspective to solve unique puzzles. Half-Life: Alyx has amazing graphics, great music, and a story that will really pull you in. It will make you wonder if it’s worth the eye strain to put on the VR headset for another hour.
