While development of VR games has generally slowed down, they’re still consistently innovating and improving. A good VR game is kinetic, has a good sense of flow, and usually pushes the boundaries of contemporary game design.
Blood Trail
Touting itself as”The most violent game in VR”, Blood Trail is a gorey shooter sandbox showcasing some sandboxey thrills. Blood Trail features handcrafted levels, pitting you as a contract killer to eradicate a bloodthirsty cult. As always with Early Access games, you are buying as-is, and while I recommend Blood Trail, development is slow, not seeing a major update since June of 2022.
Beat Saber
For the rhythm game enthusiast, Beat Saber should absolutely be one of your first purchases on the VR platform. Swing legally-distinct light swords to cut blocks to the beat of the music, and really get your body moving!
Beat Saber is also easily moddable, with an active charting community porting over your favorite music for easy play, and also includes extensive difficulty options for a more casual experience.
Half-Life: Alyx
One of the biggest innovators in the VR scene, Valve takes us back to Half Life in this prequel to Half Life 2. Play as Alyx, racing to rescue her Father, Eli Vance, from being imprisoned by the Combine threat.
Easily one of the most interactable worlds in VR, shoot, upgrade, and weave through cover, using everything you can to your advantage. Search through beautifully handcrafted environments for secrets and resources as your make your way through City 17.
Blade and Sorcery
Cast and swing at hordes of enemy wizards and brigands in style. Blade and Sorcery may make you look a little silly outside of the headset, but it’s easily one of the best adaptations of melee combat in the medium.
Find creative new ways to beat the pulp out of your enemies in sandbox or take on the upcoming dungeon crawler mode when Blade and Sorcery hits 1.0 soon!
VTOL VR
Are you a fan of flight sims, or seeking your next thrill? VTOL VR combines semi-realism with arcade style flight for a smooth VR experience, with extra compatibility for HOTAS setups and standard VR controllers. If this is your first rodeo, however, I wouldn’t recommend VTOL as a first step into VR for your stomach.
Contractors Showdown
If you need your battle royale fix, Contractors Showdown is a decent choice in the genre. Featuring some pretty satisfying gunplay and some looting between engagements. Player count in VR games is usually low so be prepared for unfilled lobbies and lengthy matchmaking.
Pavlov
In a similar vein as Contractors, Pavlov is closer to a VR version to Counter Strike than anything else. Some really fun gunplay, and a dedicated community of modders to spice things up with new game modes. Pavlov makes for some good banter with friends or with strangers, and is one of the only VR games with a wider playerbase in-game.
BONEWORKS
One of the best in the genre, BONEWORKS tries to hit a mix of that half-life 2 style campaign with some of the Garry’s Mod sandbox. It comes pretty close to both, making for a fun but ultimately short game. BONELABS, its sequel, improves on every aspect, but both games have unmatched sandbox potential, and a very unique story to boot.
Into the Radius VR
Fans of S.T.A.L.K.E.R might recognize some of the inspiration in Into the Radius, and it hits pretty damn close. Go on expeditions into the exclusion zone after a catastrophic singularity warps reality, finding anomalies and gear to survive the shadowy ghouls and reanimated corpses on your journey to uncover the mysteries of the zone.
Into the Radius drips atmosphere like its spiritual predecessor, and makes a fantastic addition to any VR library.
CONVRGENCE
Very similar to a mix of Into the Radius and Arizona Sunshine, CONVRGENCE mixes both well but falls short in other places. I’m willing to recommend CONVRGENCE, however, because of some fun gunplay and variety in enemies, as well as an I Am Legend style german shepherd companion that really spruces up the game.
Early Access has only just begun for CONVRGENCE, so I recommend you at least keep an eye on it.
UNDERDOGS
Be sure you have enough play space, because UNDERDOGS is some serious arm flailing punching action. Delve deep into the undercroft of metal-on-metal violence, leap into your enemies and give them a thrashing with randomized items in a roguelite style run. Underdogs is one of the best feeling melee-centric VR games out there, and a blast to play- if you have the room for it!
Arizona Sunshine®
One of the early greats of the VR scene, Arizona Sunshine is a great series of compact set pieces and puzzling, connected with some satisfying zombie combat. While its age does start to show a little with some limited interactibility, Arizona Sunshine is still worth going back to for some classic zombie shooting.
Pistol Whip
Pistol whip is another type of VR rhythm game, but instead of dancing or swinging to the beat, you’re pointing and shooting. Taking heavy inspiration from John Wick musically and thematically, shoot baddies to intense electronic and dance beats while dodging bullets and building multiplier. Pistol Whip has less of a modding scene than other rhythm games, but its handcrafted levels are unmatched!
I Expect You To Die
Another early great on the scene, I Expect You To Die is a narrative puzzle game with a helping of super-spy humor. Take part in several spy missions and escapes, and probably die a couple times along the way. True to its name,
I Expect You To Die adds some slapstick humor to your puzzling by trapping and making you think outside of the box for some Houdini escapes! I Expect You To Die is a fantastic game, while it is short, it still makes for an early experience in VR.
GORN
Be true to your inner caveman, solve all your problems with punching. Gorn is simple, its just you and a bunch of hunks of meat in an arena, and all you have to do is beat the pulp out of them until they stop moving. With several different types of unlockable perks and a customizable arena, GORN makes for a solid couple hours spent just wailing on whoever comes at you.
The Room VR: A Dark Matter
For more serious puzzlers, The Room expands on its mobile game roots for your VR pleasure. At its core, The Room is an escape room, solve puzzles and look for clues to the finish line. A very solid entry, albeit short- each puzzle is thoughtfully placed and there’s a lot of creative love put into it, a serious recommendation for fans of the series as well as newcomers.
COMPOUND
For lovers of arcade shooting and roguelites, COMPOUND offers both on a silver platter. COMPOUND boils down VR gunplay to its core components, making reloads quick and easy while dodging bullets from the sewers to the very top of a highrise.
Easily one of the best VR shoot em ups to just pick up and start playing, including a wide array of accessibility options for those who get queasy, and loads of difficulty modifiers for the toughest of you.
The Thrill of the Fight - VR Boxing
The Thrill of the Fight makes punchout look easy, and works up a sweat while you’re at it. Hop in the ring and work your way up the ranks, or just put in some practice rounds for quick exercise. Thrill of the Fight is a fairly accurate representation of boxing for newcomers and experienced boxers alike, and it makes for a fun way to learn the basics or polish up on your form while getting a quick workout.
Duck Season
Don’t read this book by the cover, Duck Season has way more under the surface than it seems. Without spoiling too much, fans of analog horror and horror in general will love what Duck Season has to offer. While the gameplay itself is very much like the lightgun classic, Duck Season shores up on some nostalgic scenes and a creepy story that’ll keep you guessing.
VRChat
VRChat is well known in the scene for offering a place to hang out in VR, whether it's watching movies or even Youtube videos in a movie theater, or drinking virtual beers in a bar with some pals. Community support is wild for VRChat, there’s plenty of games, maps, and characters to masquerade as, and there’s support for your flat-screened friends to join you.
