Last Updated: December 26, 2025.

At UploadVR, we regularly publish articles from freelance writers and if you're looking to write for us, here's what you need to know.

Our regular duties often involve considering pitches from freelance writers. As a leading voice across XR media, our goal is to deliver informative articles filled with expertise, original reporting, fresh perspectives and other insights across VR/AR/MR. While the biggest stories and games will be covered by our internal staff, we're open to suggestions elsewhere too.

With that said, here are some key details to keep in mind.

How To Pitch Us In The Email

Here are some general guidelines we recommend following when pitching UploadVR.

• Clearly label your email subject as a pitch - To avoid your email getting lost, we'd normally advise adding “Pitch:” to your email's subject line while mentioning the game's name.
• Include your headline - Headlines are ultimately reflective of your wider article. We want to know which game is this referring to and what's the hook of your piece. We don't enforce a strict character limit, so you don't need to make these too short, but we're also not after headlines that read like an entire paragraph. You don't need to put the headline in the subject line either, as long as it's in the main body.
• Outline your pitch - Tell us how you plan to follow through with your pitch. Summarize your angle, how you intend to approach the article, and the structure you expect to follow.
• Keep it concise - If you need four or five paragraphs to explain your pitch, we advise reframing it. We don't need you to outline every individual aspect providing the key points are addressed, brevity is an art form in itself. Ideally, keep your pitch within one or two paragraphs when sending an email over.
• Sell the idea to us - This effectively comes down to two points. Why are you the best person to tell this story, and why do you believe this will interest our audience?
• Do not use Generative AI - Please do not use generative AI to write your email pitch in any form. It's incredibly obvious, we will not respond to these emails, and this will significantly impact our likelihood of working with you. We also reserve the right to remove any articles written using generative AI without prior disclosure.
• Link your previous work - If we haven't worked together before, please include links to a portfolio, personal blog, or author profiles for other outlets. We're open to working with new authors, but it always helps to have a sample of your previous work.

Where To Send Your Pitch

There are two ways to send your pitch. While our Contact Us page goes to the whole team, we'd normally suggest directly emailing our Editor-in-Chief, Ian Hamilton.

• Ian Hamilton: ian@uploadvr.com

You can also use our general inbox, tips@uploadvr.com, which goes to the wider editorial team. However, we generally suggest directly contacting editors instead, since that inbox is where we recommend readers/developers/publishers/PR etc. to send in relevant news stories and updates.

What We're Interested In Commissioning

• Original reporting and interviews - If you've got a high-interest story where you've directly spoken with different sources, we're always willing to hear your pitch. If you're pitching interviews for a game that's not publicly launched, we'd ideally need you to have gone hands-on with it first.
• Community-driven features - Do you have an intriguing tale you'd like to share about an existing VR community? Whether that's social VR platforms like VRChat or more traditional multiplayer games, we're interested in hearing these stories.
  • Why VR? Flying Through The Eiffel Tower With Your Sister.
• Reviews, impressions, previews - Reviews and impressions are the most commonly commissioned articles by UploadVR. Though we work with an existing freelance pool of writers, we're open to hearing from more people if you've got a specific interest in any niche genres.

What We Currently Aren't Looking For

• Anything that isn't related to VR/MR/AR/XR - This may sound obvious, but we regularly receive pitches that have nothing to do with the XR industry. We won't cover more traditional gaming unless a game has VR support, or anything outside XR technology. If your pitch only peripherally relates to XR, we probably won't accept it.
• Op-eds - While we welcome unique perspectives, op-eds (that aren't interview-driven) about big games or new hardware are largely matters UploadVR prefers to keep to its staff.
• Q&A interviews - We're open to interview pitches, but we don't want these features presented in a standard question and answer format. Here are some examples of our preferred approach.
  • How Into The Radius 2 Hit Nearly $3M Revenue So Far On Steam Early Access
  • Batman: Arkham Shadow Devs Talk Rescue Vision, Remote Work & New Game+
• Stories you've already written - This rule is mostly to avoid wasting your time. Editors may agree to a pitch while also requesting changes to your approach, which could involve significant rewrites if you've already completed your article. We'll always aim to help you shape these stories if guidance is needed.
• Articles about Web3/Crypto/Generative AI/Gambling - Though UploadVR has covered how select XR apps use generative AI in the past, this is not a subject we'll ever commission.

Our Rates

As of December 13, 2025, UploadVR pays the following USD rates for these types of articles with the following suggested word counts.

• News - $50 (200–300 words)
• Previews/Impressions - $150 (500–700 words)
• Reviews - $250 (minimum 900 words)
  • Review-in-progress - We pay an extra $60 minimum for a one-off update. This is negotiable depending on the scope.
• Features - Rates are negotiable due to how varied they can be, but we start from a minimum rate of $175. Please note that feature pitches are not a current priority for us, though we'll still consider them.

Other Details

We occasionally take unpaid guest articles or editorials from XR experts like developers, researchers, and engineers looking to share something of broad interest to our community.

• Devin Reimer: Why Every VR Developer Needs A Hand Tracking Plan
• Don Carson: Cultivating Magic: The Art And Principles Of Walkabout Mini Golf Course Design
• Yacine Salmi: Sweet Surrender: A PlayStation VR2 Post-Mortem

Guest articles like this are not something that would apply to freelance journalists. However, if you're an industry expert looking to share your insights, you can email Ian Hamilton (ian@uploadvr.com) about this.

We also have a separate marketing department with a different pool of writers producing labeled “Sponsored” content adhering to our public guidelines. We do not commission writers who have worked on editorial articles with us for sponsored content. Potential marketing partners can email Beck Gibson (beck@uploadvr.com) with inquiries, this is not something handled by Ian.

For everything else that's not been addressed above, please email Ian or use the Contact Us form.

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Welcome to the last entry of UploadVR's Best of VR Awards for 2025.

The year's almost over and we're once again celebrating this year's best releases across the VR and wider XR industry, highlighting some exceptional releases across software and hardware alike. Just like we always do, each category features one clear winner and varying numbers of honorable mentions. Excluding our specific early access categories, all of our winners are currently in full release.

Like last year, we've split the awards across multiple rounds. Our first round covered platform favorites for Quest, PC VR, PlayStation VR2, and Apple Vision Pro, joined by our favorite exploratory experience. It's here where we recognized Ghost Town, Roboquest VR, Arken Age, Gears & Goo, and The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up.

Round two is where we focused on achievements across mixed reality, hand tracking, and early access releases. Our winners across these categories were Jigsaw Night, Laser Dance, Forefront, Little Critters, and Figmin XR.

Which leaves us with some of our biggest picks still to come, the moment we've all been waiting for. Here are UploadVR's Best of VR Awards 2025.

Best Virtual Place 2025

A small number of software packages in virtual reality have grown so large and diverse that calling them games doesn't really apply anymore. They are places, vast, with interconnected systems that make spending significant time there a delight for many. VRChat and No Man's Sky come to mind as candidates for this category in future years, and both were considered to inaugurate this award category at UploadVR.

Walkabout Mini Golf is UploadVR's Best Virtual Place 2025.

In 2025, Walkabout grew from a game to a place as mini golf became secondary to the best place where people congregate in virtual reality.

The artists at Mighty Coconut entered the year realizing Elvis as a course to play on and ended it with the best physical illustration of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ever made. In between, Walkabout's creative director and mastermind Lucas Martell took golfers to the seat of the gods at Mount Olympus, face-to-face with dinos at Raptor Cliff's, sneaking into a Mother Goose-inspired theme park at Forgotten Fairyland, and up close with Neko Atsume kitties all over a tiny Tokyo. While Walkabout's courses always had secrets, like hidden balls and skeletons, now they've started adding playable activities like slingshots and chess. Designers continue rooting around the backstage areas as they add the foundations for future activities and new secrets to discover in places players have been hundreds of times.

The design team spent days together in December roughing out courses that will open starting in 2027. From release in 2020 for standalone VR headsets, we see other developers following the precedents set by Walkabout – guest mode for paid add-ons, private rooms by default, and support for a single controller.

Whether you're looking to introduce yourself to virtual reality or get lost in there for days, Walkabout Mini Golf is the right onboarding experience for most people and a great place to be.

Best VR Developer

We've seen some impressive work from VR developers this year. Mighty Coconut keeps releasing regular DLC courses for Walkabout Mini Golf, Flat2VR Studios continues to deliver impressive VR adaptations like Roboquest VR, while nDreams Elevation and Fireproof Games both showed strong VR-focused gameplay design across Reach and Ghost Town respectively.

This time, our Best VR Developer award goes to VitruviusVR for its work on Arken Age. We previously discussed what we loved about Arken Age when giving it our Best PlayStation VR2 Game of the Year award, praising its exemplary approach to VR-first gameplay design. However, it's a testament to the studio's strength that it did so while leveraging the strengths of each platform so effectively. For that reason, we're giving them this year's award.

Best New Hardware

This year saw Meta break its three-year streak of new VR headset releases, Apple upgrade its “spatial computer” with a new chip and strap, Samsung launch the first product running Google's Android XR, and Bigscreen refine its ultralight headset with improved and adjustable lenses.

Bigscreen and Apple deserve mentioning here, even though they aren't our winners.

Beyond 2's lenses fix a crucial flaw of the original to make it a viable optical experience for far more people, but the device still requires SteamVR Tracking base stations, an expensive technology that Valve itself is abandoning.

Meanwhile, the M5 Vision Pro's Dual Knit Band is a truly innovative approach to headset ergonomics, combining the benefits of a comfortable soft strap and counterbalance in one design, plus the ability to tighten both bands with a single dial. But other than this, it's a minimum-effort upgrade.

Our winner this year is Meta Neural Band included with Meta Ray-Ban Display. Surface electromyography (sEMG) is not a completely new input technology, but Meta Neural Band brings it to a sleek, lightweight, and flexible wristband with all-day battery life and IPX4 water resistance.

Meta Neural Band makes it practical and comfortable to control a smart glasses HUD without needing to constantly use voice commands, wear a giant ring, or wave your hands around. And for this, it wins our Best Hardware Award for 2025.

Best New Multiplayer Game

Social gameplay remains one of VR's most appealing strengths, and this year continued providing strong contenders. While Breachers would have been in contention if it wasn't in early access, plenty of multiplayer games either launched or finally reached full release.

For racing fans, VRacer Hoverbike entered full release and reached new platforms. Pixel Dungeon was an early highlight, Glassbreakers took us back to the world of Moss, and Titan Isles is a highly compelling co-op adventure. Then we have Deadly Delivery, Table Troopers, Elements Divided, GRIM, and Rogue Piñatas.

Ultimately, our winner for VR Multiplayer Game of the Year 2025 is Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked. Resolution Games brought back 2021's hit in style, and we considered it a “mostly natural crossover and a fitting evolution” on Demeo. If you can't commit to a real-life tabletop campaign, this is an excellent option that flatscreen players can also join in on.

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked Review

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is a mostly natural crossover and a fitting evolution for the VR tabletop RPG.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

VR Game Of The Year 2025

And so, we now move onto one of our biggest categories. Our previous awards looked at games for individual platforms across Quest, PC VR, PlayStation VR2, and Apple Vision Pro. This is what we believe stands out as the absolute best of the best across all four.

2025's been another year when the releases seemingly never end, and that's been especially true these last few months. Hotel Infinity, Roboquest VR, Marvel’s Deadpool VR, Demeo x D&D, Ghost Town, Reach, Arken Age, Lumines Arise, there's a lot to choose from, but we can ultimately only crown one title.

Same as our best PlayStation VR2 game, our winner for VR Game of the Year 2025 is Arken Age. Ghost Town and Roboquest VR have their own individual strengths on Quest and PC VR, yet Arken Age graced each of its platforms with some of the best VR focused design we've seen in 2025.

“Arken Age delivers clever VR-first gameplay design for a great sci-fi adventure,” we said at the time, praising its vibrant presentation and rewarding combat. As mentioned before, our appreciation for VitruviusVR's action-adventure has only grown since launch, and it's a strong choice no matter your headset.

Arken Age Review: Satisfying Sci-Fi Adventure With Great VR Design

Arken Age delivers a satisfying sci-fi adventure with clever VR-oriented design, and it’s out now on PlayStation VR2 and Steam.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Most Anticipated Game Of 2026

So then, what's next? 2025's brought a strong line-up across Quest, PC VR, and PS VR2, and we've seen plenty of promising VR and MR games on the way in 2026.

Some games are already in early access and are currently scheduled or likely to receive full releases next year. That includes Unseen Diplomacy 2, Into The Radius 2, Bootstrap Island, Laser Dance, Pocket Lands, and Forefront.

Several VR adaptations of existing series are on the way too, like Evangelion: Δ Cross Reflections, The Boys: Trigger Warning, Little Nightmares VR, and Orcs Must Die! By The Blade. Then we have Guardians Planetfall, Knights of Fiona, Automa, Aces of Thunder, and Remnant Protocol. Many potential contenders, but what's our top pick?

Our Most Anticipated Game of 2026 goes to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City, an action-adventure that supports single-player and up to four-player co-op. We've already had a brief look at what's to come, and we can't wait to see how Cortopia Studios adapts the iconic series on Quest 3 and PC VR.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City Hands-On At Home In The Sewers

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City makes you want to live in the sewers.

UploadVRIan Hamilton

MR Clean could be the PowerWash Simulator of mixed reality, and it's heading to Quest 3/3S next year.

Developed by PotamWorks (Smash Drums), MR Clean is a roomscale mixed reality cleaning game designed around hand tracking controls, where you clear virtual dirt off your walls, floors, and furniture. This also comes with a 'Virtual Objects Mode' where you clean detailed 3D models piece by piece, alongside a two-player 'Party Mode' you can play locally.

It's originally inspired by a mixed reality experiment created in Smash Drums, where you can splatter your room with virtual paint.

“While the painting mechanic became a natural fit for Smash Drums, and one of its more iconic environments, the cleaning phase ultimately didn’t align with a game built around chaos and rock ’n’ roll,” states PotamWorks, who revived the idea for the Meta Horizon Start Developer Competition 2025.

Collaborative content and themed challenges are also planned for the upcoming game. Crossovers have already been confirmed with Red Matter 2, Ancient Dungeon, Deisim, Smash Drums, “and over 15 other fan-favorite experiences.” Finally, PotamWorks states MR Clean will also be compatible with the Quest's Travel Mode.

MR Clean is heading to Quest 3/3S in Q1 2026.

Our second round of UploadVR's Best of 2025 awards is now live.

We kicked things off earlier today with our favorite games this year across individual platforms: Quest, PC VR, PlayStation VR2, and Apple Vision Pro. This also discussed our top immersive entertainment titles outside of gaming, looking to more film-adjacent experiences.

Now, we're focusing on mixed reality apps and games as developers continue to embrace this approach. We're also diving into the best uses of hand tracking across the year, alongside dedicated early access categories for both mixed reality and VR games. While most of our categories are only applicable for full releases, Best Hand Tracking also factors in early access launches.

So then, onto round two. Here are our favorite hand tracking, mixed reality, and early access experiences in 2025.

Best Hand Tracking Game

Demeo x D&D is a great game but fundamentally similar to the same experience we've already had in Demeo, and Dimensional Double Shift unlocks the fun of Job Simulator in multiplayer after it left open beta. Hidden Memories of the Gardens Between, Banners & Bastions, Little Critters, and Pocket Lands all caught our eye this year.

There's one game, though, that stands out in 2025 – Jigsaw Night. You can grab the pieces whether they are close or far away and easily hand them to friends. At any time you can also pick up a controller and use it for more precise grabbing of faraway objects. This robust support, alongside other features like LIV integration, colocation, and puzzling with your own photos, means that solo developer Steve Lukas' project is an absolute delight to spend time in and a strong reason to bring just your headset with you.

Best Early Access Mixed Reality Game

We've seen some intriguing first looks at mixed reality games in early access this year. Pocket Lands has been a recent favorite where you create Minecraft-esque worlds, while Loop One: Done is an MR automation game where you record loops with drones and robots. We'd also note Super RC, Jigsaw Night, Galactic Traffic Control, and Healer.

This time around, Laser Dance takes our award for the Best Early Access Mixed Reality Game of 2025. Thomas Van Bouwel delivered what we called “the first essential mixed reality game” and a go-to party game in our review. Offering an instantly relatable premise that feels ripped out of a spy film, it's one of the first experiences anyone should try when putting on a headset.

Laser Dance Early Access Review: The Mixed Reality Game Quest 3 Needs

Laser Dance in early access is the first essential mixed reality game.

UploadVRIan Hamilton

Best Early Access VR Game

Whether it's to gather community feedback or bring in crucial funding, more developers continue choosing early access launches across Quest and Steam, and 2025 has plenty of picks.

This year brought us a sequel to one of VR's earliest roomscale hits with Unseen Diplomacy 2, Another Axiom followed up on Gorilla Tag with Orion Drift, and Final Fury continues showing promise. Rounding this out is Boxing Underdog, The Pirate: Republic of Nassau, How to God, ZIX, and Out of Sight VR.

For 2025, Forefront is UploadVR's Best Early Access VR Game of the Year. Triangle Factory's latest game following Breachers provides a 32-player shooter comparable to EA's Battlefield series. “Combat is exciting and tense, its VR gunplay is tactile and satisfying, and its environments are dynamic and engaging,” we said at the time, and we'll continue watching its next moves.

Forefront Hands-On: The Battlefield Multiplayer Experience In VR

Forefront in early access brings excitingly tense, large-scale multiplayer warfare reminiscent of Battlefield to VR.

UploadVRJames Tocchio

Best Mixed Reality Game

As mixed reality continues to find its footing, we're continuing to see intriguing projects emerge from across the board. What we're seeing today feels like an early look at what we can expect in the years ahead. We're focused on games where mixed reality is the clear focus, and not an optional extra in otherwise fully immersive games.

On Quest 3, Star Wars: Beyond Victory took us back to a galaxy far, far away once again. We explored new worlds in Mythic Realms, raised a fluffy companion in Stay: Forever Home, while both Banners & Bastions and Table Troopers delivered strong tabletop style thrills. Other titles include Project AEROES, BEATABLE, Crystal Commanders, and Detective VR.

This year, our winner for Best Mixed Reality Game is Little Critters by Purple Yonder. Following the studio's work on Little Cities, we found an innovative take on the tower defense genre that puts you front and center in the fight. Its compelling gameplay has real impact, there's great strategic depth, and Little Critters keeps us coming back for more.

Little Critters Is A Tower Defense Game That Hits Home

Little Critters delivers a frenetic, accessible tower defense game in mixed reality today on Quest 3 and 3S.

UploadVRJosh Petersel

Best Mixed Reality App - Figmin XR

Apps like Pencil continue to show promise building out from innovative ideas – you can learn to draw Walkabout Mini Golf characters with a good old-fashioned pencil in hand and a headset on your head, and that's pretty cool.

Our award for best mixed reality app of 2025, though, goes to the gradually improving spatial playground Figmin XR. The app won last year too, and this year solo developer Javier Davalos essentially brought Tilt Brush to iPhone with the launch of Figmin XR there. Last year, we were able to get a pretty impressive colocation experience going in Figmin XR from Quest to Vision Pro.

This year, I single-handedly logged in with iPhone to the same virtual room as my headset. I could hold a digital object with my finger pressed to the iPhone and carry it around without even looking at it. Capturing mixed reality videos of Figmin playgrounds from iPhone could be a big use of this integration, or to let a friend or family member see into a spatial creation when they aren't in a headset.

How Figmin XR’s Colocation Works And Why Other Apps Need To Emulate It

How to use Figmin XR’s “scene center” menu to colocate headsets from Apple, Meta and others.

UploadVRIan Hamilton

2025 is nearly over, and this year's seen us explore many new locations across VR and mixed reality. Today, we're highlighting some of our favorites.

Like last year, we're splitting the UploadVR editorial team's top picks for 2025's best titles across three articles. This first one looks toward the best games across four platforms: Apple Vision Pro, PC VR, PlayStation VR2, and Meta Quest. We're also discussing our top immersive entertainment experiences beyond gaming, too.

The next article will focus on mixed reality apps and games, alongside a focus on this year's best uses of hand tracking. Because only fully released games normally count, tomorrow will also include our early access categories.

Finally, our last article features our biggest awards for 2025. In line with last year, this includes the Best VR Game Of The Year across any platform, Best VR Hardware, Best Developer, Best Multiplayer, Best Virtual Place, and Most Anticipated VR Game for 2026.

So, let's begin with the first round for our best of 2025 awards.

Best Exploratory Experience

2025's been another eye-opener in how filmmakers use immersive tech to deliver compelling narratives. On Apple Vision Pro in particular, Apple Immersive Video saw projects like the Metallica concert experience, Bono: Stories of Surrender, MotoGP Tour De Force, and D-Day: The Camera Soldier.

Some experiences touch upon heavier themes: The Reality of Hope used VRChat to cover a life-saving friendship, Reflections of Little Red Dot examined Singapore's history, while Soul Paint encourages introspection. Other notable projects include Touching The Sky, Alien Perspective, and Black Cats & Chequered Flags.

This year's award goes to The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up, a free-roaming VR experience based on a Taiwanese short story. While you can't influence what happens, most scenes are fully explorable as you witness the narrative unfold. It feels like walking into a movie, going that extra immersive mile while backing that up with a compelling narrative.

The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up Feels Like Walking Into A Movie

The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up adapts the Taiwanese short story into a free-roaming VR experience.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Favorite New Apple Vision Pro Game

Apple developers only started supporting tracked controllers near the end of 2025 as games like Pickle Pro started supporting the input method. Big name title Glassbreakers made its way to Apple Vision Pro in 2025, alongside the winner of Apple's own selection for best of the year, puzzler Porta Nubi.

Gears & Goo from Resolution Games is our winner for Best New Apple Vision Pro Game. Resolution's developers adapted tower defense to Apple's gaze and pinch interface with a challenging multi-hour campaign, and we'd love to see more Gears & Goo in the future.

Gears & Goo Reimagines Tower Defense For Hand & Eye Tracking On Apple Vision Pro

Gears & Goo is out now on Apple Arcade for Vision Pro, and it’s a must-play for subscribers and strategy fans.

UploadVRIan Hamilton

Favorite New Quest Game

Even without a new Quest headset launch, this year certainly hasn't lacked for games across Meta's standalone ecosystem.

Many of 2025's best Quest games left it late. Alongside big names like Marvel’s Deadpool VR and Thief VR, these last few months also saw Glassbreakers, Arken Age, Hotel Infinity, Reach, Of Lies and Rain, Demeo x D&D, Titan Isles, and Memoreum arrive. Still, Alien: Rogue Incursion, Pixel Dungeon, and GORN 2 ensured the rest of the year had its fill too.

There can only be one winner, and Ghost Town is 2025's Quest Game of the Year. Fireproof Games delivered what we considered to be an “utterly engrossing supernatural VR adventure” with strong gameplay design and some of the best visuals we've seen yet on Quest 3.

It's a highly worthy follow-up to Fireproof's previous hit, The Room VR: A Dark Matter, and we'd dearly love to see more of this world in the future.

Ghost Town Review: An Utterly Engrossing Supernatural VR Adventure

Ghost Town is a brilliant supernatural puzzle adventure from The Room VR studio that you won’t want to miss.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Favorite New PC VR Game

All eyes might be on Valve with next year's Steam Frame launch, but 2025's still seen some great PC VR releases. Leading a handful of exclusives were Vertigo 2: Into The Aether, BattleGroupVR2, and Lushfoil Photography Sim.

They were joined by multiplatform hits like Of Lies and Rain, Lumines Arise, Demeo x D&D, Arken Age, Reach, Thief VR, Ghost Town, and The Midnight Walk. That's before mentioning slightly older games coming to PC VR like Vendetta Forever, Zero Caliber 2, and Dungeons of Eternity.

For 2025, Roboquest VR is our PC VR Game of the Year. Flat2VR Studios' exhilarating conversion of RyseUp Studios' 2023 FPS roguelite feels like it was natively designed for the platform, and we called it “an instant classic” in our review.

Roboquest VR Review: An Instant Classic

Roboquest VR takes an already exhilarating FPS roguelite and delivers a near-flawless VR adaptation.

UploadVRJames Galizio

Favorite New PlayStation VR2 Game

It's another year when PlayStation VR2 relied on third party publishers - Climate Station aside - and the hits continued coming. 2025 provided a strong library like Hitman, Maestro, Of Lies and Rain, Demeo x D&D, Reach, Lumines Arise, UNDERDOGS, and Roboquest VR. We're also not forgetting Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate, which has gradually improved with updates.

For 2025, Arken Age is our PlayStation VR2 Game of the Year. VitruviusVR delivered a strong sci-fi action-adventure with tactile VR-first gameplay design. While it's also a solid PC VR and Quest 3 game, Arken Age benefits from Sony's headset with strong haptic feedback and PS5 Pro enhancements. Our appreciation's grown since launch and if you love action titles, it's an essential buy.

Arken Age Review: Satisfying Sci-Fi Adventure With Great VR Design

Arken Age delivers a satisfying sci-fi adventure with clever VR-oriented design, and it’s out now on PlayStation VR2 and Steam.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

There are FOUR lights!
But besides that, we have AMD news on Redstone, their B650 chipset and so much DDR pricing and related news that you'll platz.  Oh, Kohler has got a…

Iron Rebellion prepares for the future with today's update, giving the multiplayer VR mech game overhauled AI units, new modes, and more.

Now available on Quest and Steam, developer Black Beach Studio describes today's 'Foundations Update' as a “meaningful step toward the next phase of the game’s development.” This introduces Abandoned Sector 9, an official new map originally created by a community Discord member, Kforce, that's since been revamped by the studio's lead artist.

Stating Abandoned Sector 9 represents the team’s updated visual direction, Black Beach Studio calls it the “highest-fidelity environment ever produced” for Iron Rebellion. This map features flooded alleyways, fractured overpasses, and broken megastructures across a dense battleground, which the studio advised offers a preview of this universe's future.

This update also introduces a complete AI systems overhaul to help Iron Rebellion's expanding PvE direction. “With new behavior profiles, adaptive threat response, and moment-to-moment context awareness, AI units now support more reactive, varied, and engaging encounters across every existing mode and all future cooperative experiences,” states the team.

Two new gameplay modes are live: Death Match is a timed free-for-all mode, while Gun Game sees you advance your loadout by killing enemies using a randomly selected mech class.

Finally, Iron Rebellion also received a full networking rewrite that the developer states separates the backend from its previous team-dependent structure, allowing them to introduce new game types in upcoming updates.

“This update moves us one step closer to the types of experiences we want to build,” said Justin Spice, Founder of Black Beach Studio in a prepared statement. “The new AI opens up design space we didn’t have before, and Sector 9 shows where we’re taking the world visually. There’s a lot ahead, and this update is an important part of getting there.”

Iron Rebellion is out now on the Meta Quest platform and Steam.

A free-roam immersive VR installation in New York City explores the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1912.

Titanic: Echoes From The Past is from Eclipso, a company focused on large-scale location-based experiences. The experience lasts over half an hour as it places guests in walk-around virtual reality aboard a modern ocean research vessel investigating what remains of the infamous sinking in the North Atlantic in April 1912.

The Titanic Experience

After a brief narrative setup establishing guests as explorers aboard a research vessel, the experience begins with a 3,800 meter descent to the Titanic wreck site alongside a deep-sea submersible. The mangled remains of the ship are scattered across the ocean floor, immediately setting a somber tone. From there, the experience transitions into a dramatized retelling of the ship’s ill-fated maiden voyage, following the fictionalized perspective of an actual passenger.

VR’s ability to convey scale is on full display inside the engine room. The ship’s massive steam-powered machinery towers overhead, with enormous rotating components working in unison to propel the vessel forward. Standing beneath them, it becomes easy to grasp the raw industrial power required to move a ship of this size across the Atlantic.

After leaving the engine room, guests step out onto the boat deck, with the ocean stretching out in every direction. This is one of the first moments where the size of the ship really lands. There is room to walk, pause, and look around, and the openness of the deck contrasts sharply with the enclosed spaces below.

Captain Edward Smith is introduced shortly thereafter, and guests are free to walk the deck alongside him. Nothing feels rushed. The experience allows time to explore at your own pace, as well as interact with certain items in each scene. A brief stop at the ship’s gymnasium offers a quieter moment, providing a glimpse into daily life aboard Titanic before everything changed.

The experience then moves to the Grand Staircase, one of the most recognizable locations on the ship. Standing beneath the glass and wrought iron dome, the scale is striking. Characters move through the space at full human scale, carrying on conversations you can listen in on as you pass. The scene lets the environment and its occupants do the storytelling.

The penultimate sequence takes place on the bridge during the moments leading up to the collision. Guests are close enough to watch the iceberg slide past the ship, its size hard to ignore as it looms nearby. After that, you're given one last look at the ship as it looked before setting to sea.

The Technology of the Experience

Eclipso’s New York City location occupies a 10,000 square foot space on the west side of Manhattan. Guests arrive and are staged in a hallway that provides background information on Titanic before entering the experience. When ready, they are fitted with a headset by an Eclipso staff member.

The facility uses HTC Vive Focus 3 standalone VR headsets. Each headset is paired with plastic ear coverings that help direct audio toward the ears while also reducing ambient noise from other guests. The result is a more focused audio experience without fully isolating participants from their surroundings.

What stands out immediately is how simple and friction-free the setup process is. Guests are not required to wear body trackers, attach external sensors, or strap on a PC backpack. Within roughly a minute of putting on the headset, participants are free to begin exploring. According to staff on site, the majority of guests at this location have never used a VR headset before, making ease of use a clear priority.

During a scene where guests are transported downward through an opening in the wreck, a holographic grid appears beneath them, grounding the visuals and helping reduce potential motion discomfort. It is a touch that reflects thoughtful design choices aimed at keeping the experience comfortable without breaking immersion.

The Shared Experience

The combination of simple, effective VR hardware and thoughtfully designed software creates a totally compelling experience. As I moved through the various scenes, I found myself deliberately pushing toward the edges of the physical space, trying to trigger the virtual boundary system. More often than not I was able to walk freely without interruption. I only encountered the boundary wall in a few cases and, had I not been actively testing the limits of the space, I likely would not have noticed the boundaries at all. The experience is so freeing many might try to test those limits.

Other participants appear as ghost-like outlined human forms. I was surprised by how much interaction naturally occurred between us. Because the space is so large, we were often spread out, focused on different details within the same scene. More than once, we called out to each other to come take a look at something nearby. The simple white outline made it easy to understand where others were positioned without introducing a complex avatar that might have pulled attention away from the environment itself.

Impact & Memories

There's an open seating area with a large window to look into most of the VR space for people who might not be interested in experiencing it themselves. There are no monitors, though, showing into VR, so it's possible some fear of missing out will set in for anybody seeing their group walk out into the space in their headsets.

After completing the experience, I spent some time watching other groups as they finished their sessions. I could tell one group had reached the staircase scene because they started dancing together. Watching that kind of immersion engaging with a historical event that occurred more than a century ago reinforced immersive VR's use as a powerful tool for learning, even as its entertainment value remains obvious. In a shared, guided setting like this, immersive technology can make history feel more immediate and memorable in ways traditional museum exhibits often struggle to match.

An Eclipso staff member told me they've had success with schools booking class trips to the facility, and the response has been positive from students and educators alike. Observing reactions firsthand, it's easy to understand why. The experience demonstrates how immersive VR can complement existing approaches to teaching history by creating moments that students can experience with a sense of scale and presence, and that they are likely to remember long after they leave.

Final Thoughts

Titanic: Echoes From The Past lets the environment lead. The experience is guided by narration leaving room to look around, walk around, and absorb the scale of each location. Standing beneath the engines or walking the deck works because VR used in this way gives you the time and perspective to take those moments in.

The experience is also exceedingly easy to get into and that really matters. Setup is quick, the headset never becomes a distraction, and nothing about the process feels intimidating. Watching first-time VR users move comfortably through the space makes it clear ease-of-use was a real priority here, and not an afterthought.

By the time it was over, I felt like I had actually spent time in a place rather than simply having observed a retelling. The immersion worked. Leaving the location in Manhattan, I realized I had visited a ship and taken in its scale and atmosphere without the romance of James Cameron's direction or the historical characterizations of people like the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown. VR's scale and the immense freedom to walk openly across the Titanic gave me a deep and lasting sense of having been aboard the ship in a place it never reached.

Eclipso operates a network of locations in other major cities with additional experiences planned for New York and elsewhere. Tickets to Titanic: Echoes From The Past start at $31 per person at writing time with quotes upon request for group outings.

On Point, an arcade shooter inspired by WarioWare, gets new game modes and more with its full release on Quest and PC VR.

Launched last year in early access, On Point is a '90s-inspired VR light-gun shooter by Australian developer Actuator Digital. It's now entering full release with a considerable revamp, introducing two new modes: 'One-Off' lets you play individual mini-games of your choice, while 'Marathon' sees you try getting through all 115 mini-games in a row.

Several existing modes have been reworked, and you now earn arcade tickets as you play to unlock more options. There are also new environments and 60 more mini-games to choose from, some of which are variants of the existing options. Other changes include remade menus for an improved UI, additional accessibility options, new leaderboards and balancing tweaks.

We previously interviewed Actuator Digital around the early access launch, discussing the risks of making indie VR games with CEO Sebastiaan Fehr. This also touched upon On Point's inspirations, why the studio picked a more cartoonish approach, and more. You can find that in full here.

On Point is out now on the Meta Quest platform and SteamVR.

On Point Studio Discuss Inspirations & Indie VR’s Perils

On Point is out now on Quest & Steam, and we interviewed Actuator Digital about its 90s-inspired arcade shooter and the risks of making VR indie games.

UploadVRSarah Thwaites

Need to find the best PC VR games on Steam, Rift, and Viveport? We’ve got you covered with our top 25 list.

The PC VR landscape has changed dramatically over the years. It used to be the front-and-center focus for the entire industry, though new headsets across different categories have since seen developers and publishers split their attention. Still, we’re often rewarded with various new gems every year that push the fidelity of VR experiences in ways lesser hardware can't manage. And with Steam Frame on the way in 2026, we're hoping to see more titles than ever make the leap.

What’s nice about the best PC VR games list, then, is that even the older games on this list from nine years ago remain some of the best-looking and playing titles in all of VR today. You’ll find most of these experiences on SteamVR, though some can be found on Rift (now called Meta Link), Viveport, GOG, or EGS. While new Rift releases are few and far between these days, some exclusives remain that are too good to ignore.

It's worth noting that we don't include modded PC games in this list, so nothing that requires the Unreal Engine VR Injector or other methods is present. Everything included here was designed for official PC VR support, though we may touch upon modding support within these games. We've tried to keep our recommendations varied so there's something for everyone, and this list is in alphabetical order instead of ranked preference.

For now, these are our top 25 best PC VR games on SteamVR, Rift, and Viveport.

Arken Age

Arken Age is a game that's paid clear attention to evolutions in VR gameplay design across the last decade and utilizes those to its advantage. Developer VitruviusVR has delivered a satisfying sci-fi action-adventure where you defend this fantasy world against mechanical creatures.

Offering a sizable campaign with room for a follow-up, that's all assisted by a vibrant presentation with great visuals and strong audio design. It's one of our favorite VR games of 2025, and Arken Age is an absolute must for action fans.

• Platforms: Steam

Arken Age Review: Satisfying Sci-Fi Adventure With Great VR Design

Arken Age delivers a satisfying sci-fi adventure with clever VR-oriented design, and it’s out now on PlayStation VR2 and Steam.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Asgard’s Wrath

Asgard’s Wrath might not have Skyrim levels of content but, for our money, the focus on native VR sword fighting and character progression makes this the more important of the two VR games. This is an immaculately produced Norse adventure split into three parts that captures the heart of the RPG genre.

Asgard's Wrath realizes it in its full glory using the power of PC VR, helping it vanquish its opponents in the fight for the best PC VR games to this day. While a sequel later followed in 2023, Asgard's Wrath 2 has remained Quest exclusive with seemingly no chance of a PC VR port.

• Platforms: Rift

Asgard’s Wrath Review: VR’s Best And Most Ambitious Game Yet

The massive action-adventure RPG from Sanzaru Games, Asgard’s Wrath, is finally releasing on October 10th and we’ve spent the better part of the last few days immersing ourselves in the annals of Norse mythology to bring you our full, comprehensive review. Let me be extremely and immediately clear:

UploadVRDavid Jagneaux

Beat Saber

Beat Saber has become such a sensation on basically every headset that it’s easy to forget the game’s humble beginnings as an early-access PC VR title. Despite Beat Games’ acquisition by Meta, the PC VR version of the game remains the sharpest place to play Beat Saber. Still one of the best PC VR games, then, but Beat Saber is a must wherever you enjoy VR.

There's been plenty of new DLC added to Beat Saber over the years, including music packs or individual songs featuring high-profile artists like Lady Gaga, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Billie Eilish, Metallica, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, Coldplay, and more. We can't forget the various free updates, and there are plenty of PC VR mods you can dive into as well.

• Platforms: Steam, Rift

Beat Saber Review 2022: Seminal VR Title Remains As Relevant As Ever

With regular updates, DLC releases and changes to the game since launch, Beat Saber remains VR’s poster child. Read on for our updated Beat Saber review for Quest 2, PSVR and PC VR. Years of Dominance It’s hard to understate Beat Saber’s influence on the VR industry.

UploadVRHarry Baker

Blade & Sorcery

Blade & Sorcery had been missing for several years from this list, but 2024's full release brought this back to our spotlight once more after nearly six years in early access. A PC VR medieval fantasy with full physics-driven melee combat and built-in mod support, further updates are planned even as the studio begins working on its next game.

If you've not played since the early access days, WarpFrog's early hit feels better than ever thanks to the Crystal Hunt campaign mode with an original biome and loot collecting. This new progression system gives you something to work towards while maintaining that sandbox spirit, and you'll gradually become more powerful through new magical skills.

• Platforms: Steam, Viveport

Blade & Sorcery Review: Still One Of VR’s Best Combat Games

Blade & Sorcery recently entered full release after nearly six years, and it’s still one of VR’s better combat games.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Boneworks

Of all the physics-driven VR combat and puzzle games out there, Boneworks remains one of the most polished and impressive. Its single-player campaign offers plenty of fun sandboxes to experiment with, whether you're swinging robotic headcrabs around by their legs or beating up mindless zombies with a broom handle.

Or you can just rely on the classics and find a lethally accurate shooter. Boneworks is a great PC VR game and offered a glimpse of where the future of VR interactivity is headed. Stress Level Zero followed it up back in 2022 with Bonelab, which is also available on PC VR.

• Platforms: Steam, Rift

Boneworks Review: A Stunning Showcase Of Physical Interaction That Tests VR’s Limits

Boneworks shows its hand about 10 minutes into its campaign. Midway through your introductory tour — a tutorial humorously fashioned as a history of VR interaction — it drops a key bit of advice: “If you physically imagine you are holding the heavy object, you will have an easier time moving it.

UploadVRJamie Feltham

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked

For the longest time, Demeo held a seemingly permanent spot on this list. We considered Resolution Games' 2021 tabletop game to be a genuine hit, delivering a first-rate four-player multiplayer VR experience that few games – flatscreen or VR – have ever really matched. Demeo Battles doesn't scratch the same itch as a PvP spin-off, though Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked stylishly surpassed the original.

While Battlemarked doesn't use a Dungeon Master (DM) system, what's here is an incredibly natural crossover with Wizards of the Coast's successful tabletop RPG. It evolves on the original Demeo's formula in style, letting you and a group of friends traverse dungeons with more narrative-driven campaigns. No matter the platform, it's a must have co-op experience.

• Platforms: Steam

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked Review

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is a mostly natural crossover and a fitting evolution for the VR tabletop RPG.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Dungeons of Eternity

If you're looking for a fantasy action RPG that you can play with a group of friends, Dungeons of Eternity is the obvious pick. This first-person immersive experience feels significantly polished, allowing you and up to three more friends (Quest crossplay also supported) to explore various hack-n-slash combat options while clearing rooms in true “dungeon crawler” style.

It caters to many styles of play, pairing a rewarding progression system with endless randomly generated dungeons. There's a good reason why we named it our Best New Multiplayer VR Game for 2023, and further updates continue arriving two years on. With its PC VR launch, Dungeons of Eternity feels better than ever.

• Platforms: Steam

Dungeons Of Eternity Feels Better Than Ever On PC VR

Dungeons of Eternity remains one of the best co-op action games in VR, and it’s even better with its recent Steam release.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Eye of the Temple

Eye of the Temple is one of the best examples of a game that puts VR-first design front and center, resulting in a triumphant room-scale platformer. You begin the Indiana Jones-inspired adventure outside a large temple. With a whip in your right hand and a torch in your left, you'll begin to navigate deeper into the temple by completing puzzles and platforming obstacles.

Every movement you make in Eye of the Temple is a real, physical movement through your play space. Some clever design trickery means that you'll always stay within your boundary and never run out of space to move – a bit like Tea for God. On PC VR, this may require a little more cable management if you've got a wired headset, but the game is nonetheless a thrill to play and incredibly well-designed. Fair warning though: it does require a minimum 2m x 2m play space.

• Platforms: Steam

Eye Of The Temple Review: A Triumphant Room-Scale Adventure

Eye of the Temple is out today on Quest. Here’s our full review:

UploadVRHarry Baker

Ghost Town

Ghost Town is one of our favorite new VR games so far in 2025, and it's a strong return for Fireproof Games following The Room VR: A Dark Matter. Set in the '80s, this story focuses on a witch turned ghost hunter and exorcist called Edith Penrose, who now heads up a paranormal detective agency with her flatmate across London.

It's a brilliant supernatural puzzler that delivers a thoroughly compelling mystery, strong visuals, and intuitive puzzles that never feel too difficult or too easy. Our only complaint is that we wished it lasted longer, but don't let that deter you. If you're a fan of narrative-driven adventures, we highly recommend checking out Ghost Town. If you need more convincing, there's also a free PC VR demo.

• Platforms: Steam

Ghost Town Review: An Utterly Engrossing Supernatural VR Adventure

Ghost Town is a brilliant supernatural puzzle adventure from The Room VR studio that you won’t want to miss.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Half-Life: Alyx

It might not technically be Half-Life 3 but make no mistake, Half-Life: Alyx from Valve is a full-sized adventure worthy of the series’ past releases. Giving it top marks in 2020, we believe that “what it does right, it almost always does the best.” Playing as Alyx Vance, you fight through City 17 in a highly polished adventure fully designed for VR, relying on classic series elements and introducing plenty of new features.

It’s 10+ hours of immaculate, AAA-level VR shootouts, puzzles, and narrative design, featuring some of the best firefights you can have inside a headset, and offers truly memorable moments within. Half-Life: Alyx is arguably the best PC VR game yet, and we hope to see more from Valve when Steam Frame arrives in 2026.

• Platforms: Steam

Half-Life: Alyx Review - Supremely Polished, Surprisingly Familiar, Occasionally Awkward And Unshakably Essential VR

Second chances. Not everyone gets one. And yet, in Half-Life: Alyx, Valve finds itself with an embarrassment of them. Forget all that ‘back from the dead’ stuff for a minute; you don’t need me to tell you Half-Life has been away for a very long time. More pressing is

UploadVRJamie Feltham

Kayak VR: Mirage

Kayak VR is a quiet highlight on this list, offering a stunning visual presentation and a relaxing experience across four locations: Papagayo, Antarctica, Bjørnøya, and Australia. There's a competitive multiplayer mode, but it's free roam where the game shines, allowing you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view.

It may not feature a fully fledged campaign or an extensive selection of game modes, yet Kayak VR is one of the most relaxing VR experiences available on the platform and a joy to look at from every angle. That's only improved with the Soča Valley and Yucatán DLC adding two new environments, and a real-time multiplayer update also appeared.

• Platforms: Steam, Viveport

Kayak VR: Mirage PS VR2 Review – Calm Waters Ahead

Following its PC VR release last year, Kayak VR: Mirage now arrives on PlayStation VR2.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Lone Echo + Lone Echo 2

Packed with strong production values, 2017's Lone Echo provides a “winning blend of intuitive movement, discovery-based gameplay, and character-driven storytelling,” using zero-gravity traversal and thoughtful character interactions to deliver a compelling campaign. It’s slow-paced, but the focus on building a link between your character and those around him pays off, as does the enormous spectacle of it all.

Ready at Dawn went further with Lone Echo 2, and the original game spawned a standalone multiplayer spin-off game, Echo VR, which was one of VR's most fun and original multiplayer experiences. Sadly, that shut down in August 2023, followed by the studio itself a year later. The single-player experiences remain untouched, forming two of the best PC VR games on Rift.

• Lone Echo Platforms: Rift
• Lone Echo 2 Platforms: Rift

Lone Echo Review: A New Kind Of Space Odyssey

Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and H.G. Wells could only dream of the words they envisioned when they began penning sci-fi classics. Some of those would come to life inside our TV screens and movie theaters in the decades that followed, but the futures they painted are still far

UploadVRJamie Feltham

Moss & Moss: Book 2

Though Moss and Moss: Book 2 are separate games, we've also included them as one entry on this list as they flow into each other - Book 2 picks up the story moments after the end of Book 1. Moss helped prove that third-person VR experiences can make for some of the absolute best content out on the platform right now. You guide an adorable little mouse named Quill through diorama-sized levels, solving puzzles and taking on fearsome critters in sword-based combat.

While it's mechanically refined, Moss’ real claim to fame is the bond you build with Quill over the course of the adventure. Playing as a larger companion to the tiny protagonist, you really start to connect with her as you work together to overcome obstacles. It feels very much like a team effort, which is quite a remarkable feeling in itself.

Book 2 is technically a stronger, longer sequel, but realistically feels more like a continuation of the same journey instead of a completely fresh adventure. That being said, it does add some new mechanics that innovate on the original's combat, as well as offering a wider range of environments. The Moss series is not one to miss, and a MOBA-like entry Glassbreakers will follow later this year too.

• Platforms: Steam
  • Book 1 on its own is also on Viveport and Rift.

Moss Review: Quill is The Little Mouse That Could

Review Update for Rift and Vive: Luckily the PC port of Moss is just as wonderful as I’d hoped when I found out it was coming. The upgraded visual clarity is noticeable, especially in the environments themselves, and having a larger tracked space means I can more easily look

UploadVRDavid Jagneaux

No Man’s Sky

No Man's Sky is notorious for its rocky launch in 2016. Since then, however, the game has received VR support and a wealth of updates that have turned it into an expansive survival space simulator. Various updates also overhauled many of the VR mechanics, adding new interaction methods and immersive menus, and the post-launch updates haven't stopped.

Recent updates have even improved the image quality, performance, and enhanced rendering, so the game looks better than ever. If you are keen to explore an infinite, endless universe in VR, look no further—No Man's Sky is the perfect fit. It’s impossible to deny No Man’s Sky its place on the best PC VR games list.

• Platforms: Steam

No Man’s Sky PS VR2 Review: Jumping to Hyperspeed

No Man’s Sky added PS VR2 support to coincide with the headset’s launch last month, but how does the game hold up?

UploadVRSam Harrison

Onward

If Pavlov is VR’s answer to Counter-Strike, then Onward is closer to something like Arma, with a focus on hyperrealism that paved the way for the mechanical complexity VR can add to the shooter genre. Following nearly nine years in early access, Onward finally entered full release in 2025 after the major Onward 2.0 launch, and it still deserves a place on the best PC VR games list.

However, its journey has come to an end after Meta closed Downpour Interactive and merged the staff into Camouflaj (Batman: Arkham Shadow) three months after the 2.0 update. Servers remain online, though no further developer support is coming beyond critical bug fixes. It's a massive shame as even now, Onward still has some of the best fundamental VR mechanics we've seen in a VR shooter.

• Platforms: Steam, Rift

Onward Update 2.0 Is Out Now, Overhauling Every Weapon

Onward Update 2.0 is out now, bringing a graphical overhaul of every weapon and item, new weapons, a remastered classic map, a new map, and more.

UploadVRDavid Heaney

Pavlov VR

Valve isn’t bringing Counter-Strike to VR anytime soon but, fortunately, we have a worthy replacement in Pavlov VR. Consistently developed over multiple years, Pavlov has turned into the fast-paced competitive shooter to beat, with tons of weapons and environments spanning multiple eras and new game modes being added at a dizzying pace.

Much like Onward and Blade & Sorcery, Pavlov spent many years in early access before receiving its full release and has cross-platform multiplayer with the PlayStation VR2 version. For multiplayer fans, it’s one of the better PC VR shooter games out there today and one that's still receiving the occasional updates.

• Platforms: Steam

Pavlov VR Review – Straight Shooter On PSVR 2

Pavlov is a solid VR multiplayer shooter that thrives in its tactile interactions and gunplay.

UploadVRJames Bentley

Pistol Whip

Rhythm games are a dime a dozen in VR but, for our money, Pistol Whip from Cloudhead Games is the most inventive and overall best of the lot. One of VR's longest-running and well-updated games across all platforms, it's a beautiful intersection between rhythm games, Superhot-like action, and Matrix-style cinematic flair.

You'll move along on-rails scenes with enemies popping up to a pumping soundtrack. Your task is not just to shoot the enemies as they approach but to do so in time with the beat of the music. It's a fantastic concept that continued expanding for many years with numerous free content updates, and it's comfortably in our list of the best PC VR games.

• Platforms: Steam, Rift

Pistol Whip 2023 Review: Better Than Ever

Pistol Whip has only grown since its release in 2019. Here’s our 2023 Pistol Whip review, covering everything added to the game since launch:

UploadVRHarry Baker

Roboquest VR

Initially developed by RyseUp Studios, Roboquest is an FPS roguelite that first appeared on flatscreen platforms back in 2023. Already a great shooter in its own right, Flat2VR Studios took that a step further with its exhilarating adaptation. If we didn't already know it was a flatscreen game, you'd be hard pressed to and we called it “an instant classic” in our review.

Roboquest VR feels like it was natively designed for the platform, being completely rebuilt with key gameplay adjustments such as manual reloading. With a strong soundtrack, highly satisfying gameplay and considerable polish, it's incredibly impressive conversion earns a place on this list. Now all we need is the two player co-op update to arrive.

• Platforms: Steam

Roboquest VR Review: An Instant Classic

Roboquest VR takes an already exhilarating FPS roguelite and delivers a near-flawless VR adaptation.

UploadVRJames Galizio

Star Wars: Squadrons

We still can’t quite believe Star Wars: Squadrons was a thing. A full Star Wars flight action game with both a single-player campaign and a huge multiplayer component… in VR? Are we sure we’re not dreaming?

Well, if we are, we don’t want to wake up because Squadrons’ highly immersive cockpits and blistering space dogfighting make for everything we ever wanted out of VR in the first place, making this, in turn, one of the best PC VR games.

• Platforms: Steam

Star Wars: Squadrons VR Review - The Galaxy’s Finest Space Combat

Star Wars: Squadrons is finally here and it absolutely delivers. From the incredible set piece moments, excellent new characters, and fantastic VR space combat, this is an adrenaline-fueled blast in the galaxy far, far away that you won’t want to miss. Here’s our Star Wars: Squadrons VR review

UploadVRDavid Jagneaux

Stormland

Insomniac's last major VR release before Sony acquired the studio in 2019, Stormland is a sprawling open-world action-adventure shooter with support for 2-player co-op. One of the few AAA made-for-VR games available on PC, it launched six months after the Rift S and alongside the Oculus Link feature of the original Oculus Quest.

It's not a complete triumph, and some issues do emerge across this campaign, yet Stormland still shines with its smooth combat, high production values, and strong UI interactions. Don't wait around if you're interested in grabbing this, though; Insomniac's full VR library keeps getting delisted and relisted from Meta's PC VR store.

• Platforms: Rift

Stormland Review: VR’s Slickest Shooter Yet (But Not Without Issue)

Brimming with features, boasting infinite hours of play, and unrivaled in visual polish, Stormland is as slick a VR shooter as you can find right now. It’s a burgeoning game that, at its best, glides straight over the competition’s head before sliding into a slipstream and leaving them

UploadVRJamie Feltham

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR

Skyrim VR successfully transplants the entire RPG into headsets with full motion controls. It’s not the most in-depth implementation, but just that fact alone makes this something you won’t want to miss in VR.

Along with bestowing you with a keen sense of adventure, there are bits of Skyrim that work incredibly well in VR. That includes the moment you first encounter a dragon or inspect a sword you’ve worked hard to earn in tireless detail. There are better, more native VR games out there, but Skyrim VR is Skyrim… in VR, and that makes it worth a look.

• Platforms: Steam

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR (Rift and Vive) Review – Become the Dragonborn

Editor’s Note: This is the review for the PC VR version of the game (for Rift, Vive, and Windows VR headsets) so if you’re looking for a review that focuses on the PSVR version then you can find that here. The two games are different enough to warrant

UploadVRDavid Jagneaux

The Gallery - Episodes 1 & 2

We’re grouping the first two installments of Cloudhead Games’ compelling adventure series together, since the first episode is on the shorter side and the two together cost about as much as a normal VR game.

The Gallery has its roots in Henson-esque dark fantasy, transporting you to amazing worlds of impossible landscapes and crazy characters on the hunt for your sister. The imaginative design makes these some of the best PC VR games despite their age. We’re just hoping Cloudhead one day gets to make Episode 3.

• Platforms: Steam, Viveport, Rift

The Gallery - Call of the Starseed Review: Awe Inspiring Mystery

After you’ve been playing and critiquing games for a while, you start to get a bit jaded. You start to recognize a lot of the little tropes and tricks that developers use to try and catch an audience by surprise. Plot twists, good guys turning bad, and the whole

UploadVRDavid Jagneaux

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners from Skydance Interactive is a PC VR essential, delivering some of the best design and user interaction you’ll find in VR. Released in 2020, “it’s a zombie apocalypse within your grasp – a living, breathing virtual ruin with player-driven highs that easily outshine its experimental lows.” It sets the bar for VR zombie games using Boneworks-style, physics-based combat.

The game will have you wrestling with undead hordes, packing its action into a full, meaty VR campaign that sees you trekking through the remains of New Orleans. Add in side missions and the ability to kill zombies with a spoon, and you have one of the deepest native VR games on the market. Though it wasn't as well received, Saints & Sinners later got a sequel with Chapter 2: Retribution.

• Platforms: Steam, Rift, Viveport

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Review - The Best Zombie Apocalypse To Date (Updated 2021)

With two big updates under its belt, there’s never been a better time to get into The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. Read on for our 2021 The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners review! Note: This is an updated review based on The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners after its second free

UploadVRJamie Feltham

UNDERDOGS

One Hamsa's VR mech brawler roguelike made a big impact last year, earning our Best PC VR Game of 2024 award. UNDERDOGS is a physics-based brawler that uses arm-based locomotion and a comic book-style presentation. This 22nd-century underground roguelike fighter set a new benchmark for VR arena combat.

Between its stylish visuals, grimy soundscape, and unique character, UNDERDOGS feels fresh and exciting. Numerous post-launch updates have taken this further, such as 'Sandboxxer' with its level editor, while the more recent 'Rampage' mode added an endless endurance mode. More updates are coming, with a multiplayer mode next on the list.

• Platforms: Steam

UNDERDOGS Review: A New Benchmark For VR Arena Combat

UNDERDOGS sets a new benchmark for VR arena combat. Our full review:

UploadVRPete Austin

Vertigo 2

Vertigo 2 is one of the best PC VR-exclusive experiences available and a masterclass in enthralling, VR-first game design. What's even more impressive is that it's largely put together by one solo developer – Zach Tsiakalis-Brown from Zulubo Productions. It pays homage to Valve classics and seminal VR releases but doesn't fall victim to copying them.

Instead, it forges ahead to create an impressive solo gaming experience in the same vein as Half-Life: Alyx, delivering a strong sequel to Vertigo Remastered. Featuring tactile weapons, creative enemies, and an engaging narrative-driven campaign, it's a shining example of what PC VR still has to offer. Two years later, the Into The Aether expansion delivered a strong conclusion to the series.

• Platforms: Steam

Vertigo 2 Review: Creative & Engaging SteamVR Experience

Vertigo 2 offers a PC VR experience that is constantly creative and undeniably engaging.

UploadVRHarry Baker

If you’re after our best VR game lists beyond the best PC VR games, make sure to check these out too:

• Best Meta Quest 2 Games
• Best Meta Quest 3 Games
• Best PlayStation VR Games
• Best PlayStation VR2 Games

After the best PlayStation VR2 games? Here are our recommendations for the top 25 best PS VR2 games on the PS5 VR headset.

At launch, PlayStation VR2 came running through the door with a fairly hefty library of VR games and several exclusive titles. The PS VR2 library received a few new ports and exclusives across its first year, and it continues receiving new third-party titles as more upcoming VR games eventually arrive. We're continually trying out new experiences to keep our list of the best PS VR2 games updated, so we'll refresh our picks as time goes on.

We’ve tried to represent titles across various genres, showcasing the best picks in each and ranking all 25 games in ascending order. There are some obvious picks and first-party exclusives you might expect to appear, but there’s also a pleasant selection of hidden gems from indie developers as well.

If you own a PS5 Pro, we've also made a list of every PlayStation VR2 game with PS5 Pro enhancements. While it's a rather sparse selection at this time, we've also rounded up every PlayStation VR2 game with hand tracking support if you're interested in trying out controller-free gameplay.

Most of these games are multiplatform and also available on Quest, Steam, or the original PlayStation VR. However, they often offer improved visuals and other upgrades on PS VR2, particularly compared with Quest. Where possible, we'll highlight reviews for each game's PS VR2 editions. If a multiplatform game doesn't have any major differences, we'll link to reviews carried out on other platforms.

With that said, here are our current picks for the top 25 best PS VR2 games available right now.

Alien: Rogue Incursion - Part One

Developed by Survios, Alien: Rogue Incursion - Part One is a single-player, action-horror VR game with an original story. Starring Zula Hendricks as the protagonist, this former Colonial Marine turned Xenomorph hunter focuses on the search for Zula's former squad mate, who's gone missing on the remote mining planet Purdan.

What follows is a commendable yet sometimes flawed entry in the series. Our launch review praised the “immersive atmosphere, engaging storytelling, and captivating emotional character dynamics,” though we criticized some repetitive elements and lack of closure. Even still, Alien: Rogue Incursion delivers a strong choice if you're looking for a new VR action adventure. Just make sure you don't accidentally buy the 'Evolved Edition', that's a flatscreen only version.

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Alien: Rogue Incursion Review - A Promising Yet Imperfect Entry

Alien: Rogue Incursion delivers tense, atmospheric narrative-focused VR action horror that falters in its repetition. Here’s our full review.

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Arizona Sunshine 2

Arizona Sunshine 2 is a fantastic VR campaign featuring pitch-perfect writing, acting, pacing, and outstanding action. It's everything you hope for in a sequel, taking everything that worked in the original and refining it to near perfection. This time, you'll be joined on your adventure by canine companion Buddy, who you'll use for crowd control during intense action sequences and develop a relationship with across the course of the campaign.

This follow-up to one of VR's seminal early hits reanimates the zombie genre and brings with it some of the most engaging and accessible arcade violence we've seen in VR. Plus, the entire campaign is playable in two-player co-op, just like the first game. Whether you're looking to dismember some zombies alone or with friends, Arizona Sunshine 2 is a great pick. And when you're finished, we recommend checking out Arizona Sunshine Remake too.

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Arizona Sunshine 2 Review: Reanimating A Dying Genre

Arizona Sunshine 2 launches this week on Quest, PSVR 2 and PC VR. Here’s our review:

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Arken Age

Arken Age is a game that's paid clear attention to evolutions in VR gameplay design across the last decade and utilizes those to its advantage. Developer VitruviusVR has delivered a satisfying sci-fi action-adventure where you defend this fantasy world against mechanical creatures, offering a sizable campaign with room for a follow-up.

That's all assisted by a vibrant presentation with great visuals and strong audio design, and PS5 Pro owners get a noticeable boost too. Native 90fps gameplay is available with a resolution boost, while both PS5 consoles use dynamic foveated rendering and eye-tracking for aim assist. It's our VR Game of the Year for 2025, and an absolute must for action fans.

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Arken Age Review: Satisfying Sci-Fi Adventure With Great VR Design

Arken Age delivers a satisfying sci-fi adventure with clever VR-oriented design, and it’s out now on PlayStation VR2 and Steam.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Beat Saber

For the longest time, Beat Saber has been VR's poster child and one of its earliest (and continuing) successes. It's always been a natural fit for VR, where you'll slash notes to the beat of the music, dodge obstacles, and try to master a truly spectacular selection of first-class music tracks. It's an empowering, energetic, and addictive VR game.

There's been plenty of new DLC added to Beat Saber over the years, including high-profile artists like Lady Gaga, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, and many more. On PS VR2, Beat Saber delivers improved visuals and great haptic support via the Sense controllers, alongside cross-buy support with the original PSVR version and DLC.

However, we may remove this entry in future list updates. Beat Saber is ending PlayStation VR and PS VR2 support with no further content updates to come, while multiplayer support will end for both headsets on January 21, 2026.

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Beat Saber Review 2022: Seminal VR Title Remains As Relevant As Ever

With regular updates, DLC releases and changes to the game since launch, Beat Saber remains VR’s poster child. Read on for our updated Beat Saber review for Quest 2, PSVR and PC VR. Years of Dominance It’s hard to understate Beat Saber’s influence on the VR industry.

UploadVRHarry Baker

Before Your Eyes

Before Your Eyes is a tragic yet beautiful narrative experience, with the VR version available exclusively on PS VR2. It's a unique 90-minute story with an eye tracking mechanic unlike any other use of the technology so far. You're transported back into the memories of the protagonist, Benny, experiencing them from his first-person perspective as they happened.

The catch is that every time you blink, the story moves forward. Sometimes, it's just a moment, and sometimes, it's a jump forward a few years into the future. What follows is a unique, compelling, and innovative VR experience that demonstrates how the medium can tell stories that movies, games, and other media can't. Plus, it's a controller-free experience with very little artificial movement, making it accessible to almost anyone.

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Before Your Eyes VR Review – Sublime Immersive Narrative

Before Your Eyes is a sublime narrative experience for PSVR 2 that leverages eye tracking technology to tell an emotional story about life, death and everything in between.

UploadVRHarry Baker

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked

For the longest time, Demeo held a seemingly permanent spot on this list. We considered Resolution Games' 2021 tabletop game to be a major hit, delivering a first-rate four-player multiplayer VR experience that few games – flatscreen or VR – have ever matched. Demeo Battles doesn't scratch the same itch as a PvP spin-off, though Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked stylishlly surpasses the original.

While Battlemarked doesn't use a Dungeon Master (DM) system, what's here is an incredibly natural crossover with Wizards of the Coast's successful tabletop RPG. It evolves on the original Demeo's formula well, letting you and a group of friends traverse dungeons with more narrative-driven campaigns. No matter the platform, it's a must have co-op experience.

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Ghost Town

Ghost Town is one of our favorite new VR games in 2025, and it's a strong return for Fireproof Games following The Room VR: A Dark Matter. Set in the '80s, this story focuses on a witch turned ghost hunter and exorcist called Edith Penrose, who now heads up a paranormal detective agency with her flatmate across London.

It's a brilliant supernatural puzzler that delivers a thoroughly compelling mystery, fantastic visuals, and intuitive puzzles that never feel too difficult or too easy. Our only big complaint is that we wished it lasted longer, and it's slightly let down on PS VR2 by using reprojection from 60Hz to 120Hz. Still, don't let that deter you. If you're a fan of narrative-driven adventures, we highly recommend taking a look.

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Ghost Town Review: An Utterly Engrossing Supernatural VR Adventure

Ghost Town is a brilliant supernatural puzzle adventure from The Room VR studio that you won’t want to miss.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Gran Turismo 7

Gran Turismo 7 is one of the most potent racing sims to ever grace VR, and it's available exclusively for PS VR2. While the menus display on a flat screen in the headset, the races and gameplay itself will take place in full, immersive VR - it's a sight to behold.

Not only is the game stunning, it offers fantastic racing simulation with various levels of difficulty, a full campaign, and many other modes, all available in VR. For racing fans, this is an absolute must.

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Gran Turismo 7 PSVR 2 Review – Start Your Engines

Gran Turismo 7, Sony’s flagship racing series, arrives as a PSVR 2 launch title. Available as a free update for existing PS5 owners, here’s our full review. Gran Turismo Sport promised greater things to come on PSVR. With VR support limited to 1v1 races against an AI opponent

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Hitman World of Assassination

Hitman World of Assassination on PlayStation VR2 is technically the fourth time we've seen IO Interactive's series adapted for VR, and this is easily the best edition yet. This latest release improved on the PSVR and original PC VR versions by offering ambidextrous controls, dual-wielding, manual reloading, and roomscale gameplay.

It's a redeemed experience that's further enhanced by improved weapons handling and full physical interactions across these environments, such as poisoning food by pouring a vial of poison onto it. Sadly, plenty of side content doesn't support VR, like the bonus missions. Still, if you're after a lengthy campaign with high replayability, Hitman World of Assassination is an excellent choice.

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Hitman: World Of Assassination Trilogy (PS VR2) Review - A Redeemed Experience

IO Interactive took a few attempts to achieve its objective with Hitman: World of Assassination, out now on PS VR2.

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Horizon Call of the Mountain

As one of the few first-party games with PlayStation VR2 support, Horizon Call of the Mountain quickly left its mark when the headset launched back in 2023. This PS VR2 exclusive is one of the most visually stunning and dense VR experiences available, with some stunning environments that rival Half-Life: Alyx.

While the gameplay isn't necessarily revelatory for VR, it is nonetheless incredibly polished and a stunning experience to behold in the headset as you explore a different side of this world as someone apart from Aloy. We awarded it our Favorite New PS VR2 Game for 2023 and for any PS VR2 owner, Horizon Call of the Mountain is a must-have.

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Horizon Call of the Mountain Review: A Stunning Showcase For PSVR 2

Horizon Call of the Mountain headlines a strong start for PlayStation VR2, showcasing the headset’s new features through an engaging action-adventure. Here’s our full review. Launch games are critical for any new platform. First impressions only happen once and while PlayStation VR2 boasts impress…

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Kayak VR: Mirage

Kayak VR: Mirage was a highlight of the PS VR2 launch lineup, offering a stunning visual presentation and a relaxing experience across four locations: Papagayo, Antarctica, Bjørnøya, and Australia. There's a competitive multiplayer mode, but it's free roam where the game shines, allowing you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view.

It may not feature a fully fledged campaign or an extensive selection of game modes, yet Kayak VR is one of the most relaxing VR experiences available on the platform and a joy to look at from every angle. That's only improved with the Soča Valley and Yucatán DLCs introducing two new environments, and a real-time multiplayer update also appeared.

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Kayak VR: Mirage PSVR 2 Review – Calm Waters Ahead

Following its PC VR release last year, Kayak VR: Mirage now arrives on PlayStation VR2. Developed by Better Than Life, how does this visually stunning physics-based sim fare on the new PS5 headset? Here’s our full review. Kayak VR is my biggest surprise among the PSVR 2 launch titles.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Lumines Arise

It's almost impossible to discuss Lumines Arise without comparing it to the studio's prior work on Tetris Effect. These two series have always been separate and while your mileage will vary on which game you prefer, the parallels between both are undeniably striking. Either way, Lumines Arise is arguably the long running puzzle series' best entry yet.

Core gameplay remains almost unchanged from prior entries, where you match 2x2 blocks to clear the grid across a campaign mode. Placing a 2D game here may seem strange, yet Lumines Arise's stunning presentation feels even better with its optional PlayStation VR2 support. It's a mesmerizing audiovisual spectacle that truly sings inside a headset.

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Lumines Arise Review: Gorgeous Puzzler That’s Better In VR

Lumines Arise is the puzzle series’ best entry, channeling Tetris Effect with its stunning presentation on PS VR2 and Steam. Our full review.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Metro Awakening

Developed by Vertigo Games, Metro Awakening is an origin story based on the post-apocalyptic series by Dmitry Glukhovsky that takes place five years before Metro 2033. It's an impressive first-person shooter packed with impressive atmospheric immersion, all while delivering a strong narrative that grapples with difficult themes of grief and mental health.

Though our review noted some issues with repetition and sometimes clumsy reloading, combat generally feels satisfying. The enemy AI can offer a considerable challenge as you weigh up being stealthy or going in guns blazing, and it gets our recommendation on PlayStation VR2.

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Metro Awakening Review: A Mesmerizing Tale of Survival in Moscow’s Dark Underworld

Go deep underground into the Metro and experience the dystopian future of a post-nuclear apocalyptic Russia in Metro Awakening.

UploadVRDon Hopper

No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky is notorious for its rocky launch in 2016. Since then, however, the game received VR support and a wealth of updates that have turned it into an expansive survival space simulator. Various updates also overhauled many of the VR mechanics, adding new interaction methods and immersive menus, and the post-launch updates haven't stopped.

On PlayStation VR2, No Man's Sky brings the entire experience to the next generation. Recent updates even improved the image quality and added enhanced rendering, so the game now looks better than ever. If you want to explore an infinite, endless universe in VR, look no further—No Man's Sky is the perfect fit. It's also the first PS VR2 game to use PS5 Pro's PSSR AI upscaling.

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No Man’s Sky PS VR2 Review: Jumping to Hyperspeed

No Man’s Sky added PS VR2 support to coincide with the headset’s launch last month, but how does the game hold up?

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Of Lies And Rain

Developed by Castello Inc., Of Lies and Rain is a near-future narrative-driven FPS where you fight to save humanity from near extinction, using the ability to cross between the real and digital realms. What follows is a memorable narrative-driven adventure that takes roughly over 10 hours to clear, helped by gripping exploration and intriguing puzzle mechanics.

It's arguably even better on PlayStation VR2, boosting some already impressive visuals with native 90fps performance or 120fps if you're using a PS5 Pro. If you need more convincing to jump in, Castello released a free PS VR2 demo that's also available on other platforms.

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Pistol Whip

Pistol Whip is one of VR's longest-running and well-updated games across all platforms. Luckily, it shines on PS VR2, looking fantastic and taking advantage of PS VR2's unique features such as adaptive triggers in the Sense controllers. Headset haptics on PS VR2 also add to the immersion, letting you truly feel each time you get shot and giving those moments a much greater sense of impact.

It's a beautiful intersection between rhythm games, Superhot-like action, and Matrix-style cinematic flair. You'll move along on-rail scenes with enemies popping up to a pumping soundtrack. Your task is not just to shoot the enemies as they approach but to do so in time with the beat of the music. It's a fantastic concept, and developers Cloudhead Games continued expanding the game for years with numerous free content updates.

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Pistol Whip 2023 Review: Better Than Ever

Pistol Whip has only grown since its release in 2019. Here’s our 2023 Pistol Whip review, covering everything added to the game since launch:

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Reach

Marking the debut game from nDreams Elevation, Reach won us over earlier this year on PlayStation VR2 more than any other platform. A cinematic story where you portray a reluctant hero, this adventure sees you unearthing the secrets of an underground civilization as you take down a series of mythical threats.

It's not one we'd recommend for VR newcomers; what's here is an unapologetically high-intensity action game that remains thrilling throughout. Blending this with cinematic thrills, high production values and highly satisfying combat, Reach ultimately won us over with its strong VR-focused design. Two major post-launch updates for all platforms have only strengthened it further.

• PlayStation Store: Reach, Reach & Synapse Bundle

Reach Review: An Incredible Cinematic VR Action-Adventure

Reach is an exemplary action-adventure with strong VR-focused design, and it’s out now on Quest, Steam, and PlayStation VR2.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village marks the second mainline Resident Evil game to get VR support after Resident Evil 7: Biohazard launched with PSVR support in 2017. Much like Biohazard, Village is a phenomenal launch title for PS VR2 and a remarkable horror shooter with a fully fledged campaign that's captivating from start to finish.

It's particularly impressive given that the game was designed for flatscreen platforms first. However, that also means that it features sequences that might be fairly intense for new VR users. Expect your head and field of view to be quickly repositioned, shoved, and moved around without notice. Nonetheless, the well-paced campaign, gorgeous visuals, and engaging gunplay make Resident Evil Village easily one of the best experiences on PS VR2 right now.

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Resident Evil Village PSVR 2 Review – Stunning & Engaging

Resident Evil 8 for PlayStation VR2 features intense action alongside stunning visuals that are “a stark and shocking leap” over standalone.

UploadVRHarry Baker

Resident Evil 4 Remake

Yes, we know - there are two Resident Evil campaigns on the same list. However, both games deserve it. While Village is a fantastic campaign in its own right, the Resident Evil 4 Remake VR Mode is the definitive way to play an all-time classic in VR. It's worth noting this is actually the second version of Resident Evil 4 in VR - the first being Armature's 2021 port of the original for Quest.

This new release lets you experience Capcom's recent remake, featuring updated gameplay and modern visuals, in VR Mode for PS VR2. While the remake doesn't completely escape the trappings of its third-person origins, it nonetheless presents a thrilling, nonstop campaign with excellent action and stunning console-powered visuals. It's Capcom's best Resident Evil campaign in VR to date, and there's a free VR Mode demo available too.

• PlayStation Store: Main Game, VR Mode

Resident Evil 4 Remake VR Review: The Definitive VR Version

Resident Evil 4 Remake’s VR Mode is simply a must for any PSVR 2 owner. Here’s our full review:

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Roboquest VR

Initially developed by RyseUp Studios, Roboquest is an FPS roguelite that first appeared on flatscreen platforms back in 2023. Already a great shooter in its own right, Flat2VR Studios took that a step further with its exhilarating adaptation. If we didn't already know it was a flatscreen game, you'd be hard pressed to and we called it “an instant classic” in our review.

Roboquest VR feels like it was natively designed for the platform, being completely rebuilt with key gameplay adjustments such as manual reloading. With a strong soundtrack, highly satisfying gameplay and considerable polish, it's incredibly impressive conversion earns a place on this list - especially after getting a native 90fps mode. Now all we need is the two player co-op update to arrive.

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Roboquest VR Review: An Instant Classic

Roboquest VR takes an already exhilarating FPS roguelite and delivers a near-flawless VR adaptation.

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Skydance's Behemoth

After its work on The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, Skydance Games followed this up with an original action RPG, Skydance's Behemoth. Inspired by Shadow of the Colossus, this giant killing adventure sees you exploring the Forsaken Lands. Behemoth is ultimately at its best when facing the terrifying foes, and this delivers some truly awe-inspiring moments.

While we won't deny that Skydance's Behemoth had a rough start - we noted a few issues in our own review - things have begun turning around following a slew of post-launch updates. Alongside extensive bug fixes across the first two patches and combat adjustments, it's also added New Game+, plus a boss rush mode and Arena Mode revamp.

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Skydance’s Behemoth Review: Great Boss Fights Deliver Decent VR Action

Skydance’s Behemoth is at its best when facing the titular creatures, though it’s not a completely clean sweep through the Forsaken Lands.

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Synapse

Synapse is a PS VR2 exclusive from veteran VR studio nDreams that will make you feel like a gun-wielding Jedi, thanks to the creative use of the headset's eye-tracking technology.

The highlight of this roguelike shooter is the telekinetic abilities. You can intuitively select items around the environment by just looking at them, then launch them at enemies using motion controls. Gameplay would benefit from a bit more variety but it's a visually stunning release, and the eye-tracking implementation results in some super-satisfying combat.

• PlayStation Store: Synapse, Reach & Synapse Bundle

The Midnight Walk

Following his work on PSVR's Ghost Giant, Olov Redmalm is working in VR once again with a new studio, MoonHood. Featuring optional PlayStation VR2 support, The Midnight Walk marks the team's debut title with a dark puzzle adventure that uses claymation visuals. We found it to be enchanting and bleak in equal measure, comparing it to a twisted fairytale and a Tim Burton film.

It's a memorable adventure and one of the most visually unique experiences you can find in VR gaming right now. Though we noted some small issues and found the puzzles relatively easy, The Midnight Walk delivers a gripping adventure that's worth your time.

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The Midnight Walk Review: Beautifully Dark Clay Adventure

With its gripping dark fantasy world and beautiful claymation visuals, The Midnight Walk is a memorable journey in VR.

UploadVRHenry Stockdale

UNDERDOGS

One Hamsa's VR mech brawler roguelike made a big impact last year, earning our Best PC VR Game of 2024 award. UNDERDOGS is a physics-based brawler that uses arm-based locomotion and a comic book-style presentation. This 22nd century underground roguelike fighter set a new benchmark for VR arena combat.

Between its stylish visuals, grimy soundscape, and unique character, UNDERDOGS feels fresh and exciting. Numerous post-launch updates have taken this further, such as 'Sandboxxer' with its level editor, while the more recent 'Rampage' mode added an endless endurance mode. More updates are coming, with a multiplayer mode next on the list.

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UNDERDOGS Review: A New Benchmark For VR Arena Combat

UNDERDOGS sets a new benchmark for VR arena combat. Our full review:

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Walkabout Mini Golf

Mini golf is actually something that could and should work quite well in VR. Walkabout Mini Golf is all the proof you need; it's an accurate representation of the game that goes beyond what's possible in real life while also remaining authentic throughout.

This ticks all the boxes. Plenty of courses, extensive multiplayer support, different themes for each level, and, above all, pinpoint physics that are arguably better than the real thing because there are none of the small snags you'd find on the surface of physical courses. Plus, the game receives ongoing support from developers Mighty Coconut, with regular free and paid DLC courses added over time.

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Walkabout Mini Golf Review: Essential VR Worth Scheduling With Friends

Walkbout Mini Golf is out today on PSVR 2 and one of VR’s essential games on any platform. Our review:

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If you’re looking for our best VR game lists outside of the best PlayStation VR2 games, make sure to check these out:

• Best Meta Quest 2 Games
• Best Meta Quest 3 Games
• Best PC VR Games
• Best PlayStation VR Games

Top 25 Best Meta Quest 3 Games

After the best Meta Quest 3 games? These are our top 25 recommendations for gaming on Meta’s latest VR headset.

UploadVRHarry Baker

Meta's Interaction SDK for Unity got a major update that adds new locomotion modes for hand tracking and enables more customizable throwing.

The Interaction SDK is a Unity framework providing high-quality common interactions for controllers and hand tracking. It includes direct object grabbing, distance grabbing, interactable UI elements, gesture detection, and more. This means developers don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and users don’t have to relearn interactions between apps using the SDK.

Meta Interaction SDK is also available for Unreal Engine, but that version is missing many features, including these new additions and improvements.

New Locomotion Options For Hand Tracking

Almost three years ago, the Interaction SDK got a teleportation locomotion system for controller-free hand tracking, with a free demo utilizing it available on the store.

Meta Interaction SDK Gets Hand Tracking Teleport & Demo

Meta added a hand tracking teleportation system to its Interaction SDK, and released a short demo game utilizing it.

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With the v83 update, three new locomotion options for hand tracking have been introduced.

"Telepath" Locomotion

"Telepath" locomotion is like a hybrid between teleportation and smooth locomotion.

You tap your thumb to the side of your index finger to initiate the movement, a microgesture, and instead of teleporting to the location you select, you smoothly slide there.

If there are jumpable obstacles in the path, you'll automatically jump over them.

"Walking Stick" Locomotion

"Walking Stick" locomotion gives the player virtual, optionally invisible walking sticks to push down against the virtual floor to move forwards.

It's somewhat similar to the locomotion system popularized by Gorilla Tag, just optimized for hand tracking and standing height, rather than pretending to be a short creature with controllers.

Climbing

Many VR games include climbing, though most focus on tracked controllers, using the grip trigger to grab on to a hold.

Interaction SDK's climbing supports controller-free hand tracking too, extending the current concept of a Grabbable to a Climbable. On a basic level, the result is essentially the opposite: instead of moving the grabbed object to the player, it moves the player towards the grabbed object.

More Customizable Throwing

Meta says it has improved the throwing system in Interaction SDK with more customization options for different kinds of throwing.

According to Meta, this includes:

• Darts and precision throws
• Bowling and weighted arc motion
• Frisbee-style flight paths
• Cornhole, football, and basketball

As with the locomotion improvements, these new throwing options are optimized for controller-free hand tracking.

Meta Interaction SDK Now Supports Unreal And Non-Meta Headsets

Meta’s Interaction SDK now supports Unreal Engine, and the Unity version now supports non-Meta headsets.

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For over a year now, Interaction SDK has supported non-Meta headsets, so VR developers targeting other platforms should be able to use these new locomotion systems for hand tracking.

Trombone Champ: Unflattened gets an official crossover with indie hit Celeste, adding 10 tracks in a new song pack today.

For the unfamiliar, Celeste is a 2018 flatscreen platformer developed by Maddy Makes Games. Playing as Madeline, you seek to climb Celeste Mountain while a personification of her self-doubt attempts to stop her. It features a soundtrack by composer Lena Raine, this song pack is now officially available in both Trombone Champ and Trombone Champ: Unflattened.

Flat2VR Studios advised that because some included songs originally ran for 10 minutes or more, they have “carefully edited them down for length while keeping the parts that hit.”

You can find the full Celeste Song Pack track list below:

• First Steps
• Madeline and Theo
• Resurrections
• Spirit of Hospitality
• Scattered and Lost
• Starjump
• Reflection
• Confronting Myself
• Heart of the Mountain
• Reach for the Summit.

While Unflattened only receives the Celeste Song Pack, the flatscreen version of Trombone Champ gets two additional DLCs today with 14 songs each. One is based on cartoon platformer Pizza Tower, joined by an Undertale + Deltarune pack. It's worth remembering the latter previously received Unflattened DLC in August, though that only contained six songs.

The Celeste Song Pack for Trombone Champ: Unflattened is out now for $7.99 on Quest, PC VR, and PlayStation VR2.

Street Gods, one of two Norse mythology-inspired VR roguelites coming to Meta Quest in December, emphasizes style and power fantasy over any real impactful combat.

Developer Soul Assembly has a long history with combat-heavy VR titles, like the Drop Dead series, Last Stand, Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister. While it occasionally dabbles in other genres, like working on​ Just Dance VR, action games are its bread and butter. All the aforementioned games, primarily shooters mind you, received mostly the same critical response. Straightforward, albeit shallow, and fun to play with friends.

So, given Soul Assembly's history and the genre we're dipping into, the first thing that surprised me in this game is how forward the story is. Most roguelites deliver the setting in a cursory introduction that just sets the table for the carnage that will ensue. Street Gods surprisingly takes its time with a lengthier than expected multi-part tutorial that arguably takes a bit too long with the setup, but in hindsight turns out to be the best part of the game.

You play as Val, a street-smart graffiti artist who happens upon Mjölnir, the signature weapon of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. As you approach it, Mjölnir inexplicably begins to speak to you. This voice is Thor himself, entrapped in his own weapon for reasons beyond his own understanding. You pick up the hammer and are immediately attacked by what can only be described as Norse zombies, who look ripped straight out of the Drop Dead universe with different clothes on.

It's here that my primary issue with Street Gods comes up. Thor teaches you how to swing and throw Mjölnir to defeat the undead, but nothing really lands. I realize that when playing VR, you are ostensibly always swinging at air, but most melee-heavy games get around this with a combination of controller haptics, sound effects, and visual cues (sparks, blood, enemy reactions, etc.). There is no real crunch here, no impact, no visceral immersion to the combat. The controller haptics are extremely weak, so when unleashing power attacks like shooting lightning from the hammer, it doesn't feel like much of anything because both the haptics and sound effects are so subdued. The 'clank' sound of the hammer on impact is fine, but not enough. It needs more oomph, to be blunt.

Now, this may be by design, since you are imbued with the power(s) of a God in this game, but the power fantasy here is muted by the lack of physicality. This is a fairly lightweight arcade-like experience with a heavily comic book-inspired aesthetic (more on that later). The arcade feel shines through as you tear through enemies like wet paper with all of your various abilities, but I couldn't shake the combat's lifeless energy.

Having said that, Street Gods makes up for its general lack of substance with all kinds of style. As you quickly unlock new abilities, you'll be tossing enemies around with lightning-powered hammer uppercuts, a golden lasso that can yank foes all over the map, unleashing lightning attacks, and so on. The elongated introduction has a stretch where you are falling through the merging of Earth and Asgard, and that sequence is terrific. The game feels cool to play, but that level of cool can be fleeting depending on your personal tastes. I found myself losing interest about 20 minutes into each of my runs because of combat.

This extends to the power-ups. After dispatching all the enemies in an arena, you are presented with a chest with the standard assortment of power-ups and perks: more health, better defense, increased attack power when health is low, and so on. New abilities are unlocked in an arena that lets you practice before you move forward. Occasionally, a new ability would spawn as a perk, like dropping a bomb behind you when you dash, but they are few and far between. All the tropes are here, but at its core, there's nothing new to veteran roguelite players.

One of the tricky things to get right in a game that plays in power fantasies is balancing said fantasy with a sense of peril. Street Gods falls woefully short here. I never felt any real sense of danger during any of my runs. Enemies can spawn all around you, but maybe owing to the limitations of standalone VR, there are never more than a handful onscreen at any given moment and they go down so easily that you hardly ever get hit.

Even as the game ramps up with a few new enemy variations with area of effect attacks, they're still taken out from range simply by throwing Mjölnir (which eventually gets powered up to hit multiple enemies). Health is dropped in droves by enemies upon death too, so even if you do take damage, it's easily nullified. Compare this to Drop Dead: The Cabin, another Soul Assembly title, where restrictions on map traversal and scarcity of supplies make every run a struggle and that is sorely missed here.

Visually, Street Gods is an interesting study in contrasts. The story of the game is the Norse realms are colliding and merging with Earth (Midgard), so you do battle in city streets with otherworldly vines and giant crystals protruding from them. It looks quite nice, but after the umpteenth time in the same map, even with switching things up with different times of day & weather, it gets old pretty quickly. Most of the maps are quite colorful, except for the snow-covered areas. These are blindingly washed out, so much so that I had to turn down the brightness on my Quest.

Occasionally, between levels, you'll travel to a hub between realms to get some exposition from your talking hammer and a rock with paper drawn eyes and a crown representing Loki. This hub area is the nicest looking part of the game by far. You can also damage the vehicles and dumpsters in each level, but like the enemies, the damage just sort of happens. If you are old enough to recall destroying the car in Street Fighter II, same idea here. Frame A, perfectly fine. Frame B, destroyed. With no animation or motion between the two, other than a plume of fire for vehicles.

As stated earlier, the common enemies look ripped straight from a Drop Dead game, with gangly looking movements and a comic book-esque word pop-up when getting hit, but in motion, they don't look great. If they are far away from you, they visibly move at a lower framerate and this frame drop repeats when you knock them far away. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. Graphically, Street Gods is a mixed bag.

The world of Street Gods doesn't take itself too seriously, choosing to lean on the (hopefully) fun combat and powers to keep the player engaged. The exchanges in the hub area are mostly played for laughs, with the voice actors delivering their lines like the straight man in a goofball comedy. Some of it lands, but most of it doesn't. Val and Thor also quip endlessly during combat, with some of their lines clumsily stacking over each other, and after 2 or 3 runs, I had heard them all and was begging for a mute button. Same with the music, which felt very run-of-the-mill and on a short loop. There is a story here, with hints at Val's backstory and questions as to how and why Thor is imprisoned in his own weapon, but the dialogue and the characters are so ho-hum that it's difficult to get invested.

Finally, when I was approaching my first boss fight, I entered the portal and the game crashed after 3 minutes of black screen with music playing. When I reloaded, it just dropped me back into more waves, this time in a new element type (snow) that I hadn't seen yet. I had to let myself die and delete my save data to in essence restart the game to get back to the boss fight, which thankfully loaded on the second attempt. Performance was fine to start, but after that crash, I started to see some stuttering and frame drops when a lot of enemies were onscreen.

Hopefully this can be fixed with patches, but having to restart took me out of the game completely. I put it down for some time before jumping back in.

Street Gods - Final Verdict

If you are an action junkie just here to wreck enemies, there are better roguelites available in VR with more engaging combat than Street Gods. Even as a power fantasy, the lack of weapon variety, uninspired enemies, repetitive locations, and power-ups make Street Gods a struggle to hold your attention for long.

UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.