Virtual reality is officially on the market. Many consumers have finally been able to see what the fuss is about, and the results have been very positive. As an increasing number of consumers have received their headsets, the major question has become: what virtual reality games are worth buying?
There are already hundreds of virtual reality games available for both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, and unsurprisingly not all of them are worth your hard-earned money. We've sifted through the choices to figure out which games paint the best picture for the future of virtual reality. These games can be seen in the gallery below:
VR: The Best HTC Vive and Oculus Rift Games Available Right Now
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Apollo 11 VR
Genre: Sci-fi Narrative
rnStyle: Seated
rnHeadsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
rnWhat You Do: You assume control of one of the astronauts responsible for the first Moon landing. You get to witness the historical event from a first-person perspective, all the while you listen to voice narration offering context to each major element of the Apollo 11 mission.
rnWhy It's Recommended: It's one of the first compelling story pieces available for virtual reality. Visiting space is one of the first things consumers request when talking about virtual reality, and there is no better way to experience that right now than with Apollo 11 VR. -
AudioShield
Genre: Rhythm
rnStyle: Standing
rnHeadsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
rnWhat You Do: Both of your hands are equipped with colored shields that are capable of deflecting incoming musical notes of the same color. These musical notes are derived from any song that you have on your computer, and you're tasked with defending yourself from these rhythm-based notes, each of which are color coded for either hand.
rnWhy It's Recommended: AudioShield is an aesthetically pleasant and simple game that immerses you in music. It's received a lot of positive attention for being highly replayable as well as great exercise. -
Chronos
Genre: Action Adventure
rnStyle: Sitting
rnHeadsets: Oculus Rift
rnWhat You Do: You explore ancient ruins, solving puzzles and combating extraordinary creatures. Leveling includes an aging mechanic, and there are plenty of secrets to be discovered.
rnWhy It's Recommended: Chronos is one of the first compelling adventure experiences for virtual reality. It's a more traditional game that makes you feel like a part of the action with its isometric headset-mounted camera angle. -
Elite Dangerous
Genre: Space Combat and Trade
rnStyle: Seated
rnHeadsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
rnWhat You Do: You fly around space combating enemies in search of glory and treasure. Along your journey you will battle alongside other players and even trade with them.
rnWhy It's Recommended: Elite Dangerous is the first complete AAA experience to hit virtual reality. It's also a multiplayer game, which is currently not common with virtual reality titles. -
Final Approach
Genre: Flight Strategy
rnStyle: Seated, Standing, Room-Scale
rnHeadsets: HTC Vive
rnWhat You Do: You take control of the skies as traffic control, directing fiery planes, rescue helicopters, and low-fuel commercial planes to a safe destination. Additional modes of play allow for other ways to control and manage in-flight aircraft.
rnWhy It's Recommended: Final Approach has been widely recognized as the most enjoyable strategy game available for virtual reality. While most games use first-person viewpoints, Final Approach allows you to control the action from above and manipulate the action from the palm of your hands. -
Job Simulator
Genre: Simulation
rnStyle: Room-Scale
rnHeadsets: HTC Vive
rnWhat You Do: You perform menial tasks given to you while behind a cash register, inside a kitchen, at an office, and more.
rnWhy It's Recommended: More than any other currently available virtual reality game, Job Simulator showcases that virtual reality makes even the most simple tasks enjoyable. It's easy to hop in and play around with the various objects in your environment, making it a great game for consumers of all audiences no matter their mood. -
Lucky\'s Tale
Genre: 3D Platformer
rnStyle: Seated
rnHeadsets: Oculus Rift
rnWhat You Do: You control Lucky as he adventures through colorful environments. You'll use a variety of platforming maneuvers to get from place-to-place.
rnWhy It's Recommended: Lucky's Tale is a great family-friendly game that shows potential for one of gaming's most traditional genres. -
Minecraft
Genre: Sandbox
rnStyle: Seated
rnHeadsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
rnWhat You Do: You emerge in a block-based world that can be manipulated with a variety of tools. It's up to you to decide whether you want to create, destroy, or survive.
rnWhy It's Recommended: Minecraft is one of the best-selling games of all-time, and functions well in virtual reality. Building large structures is made easier with virtual reality viewpoint control, making this a compelling purchase for Minecraft fanatics. -
Space Pirate Trainer
Genre: Shooting Gallery
rnStyle: Room-Scale
rnHeadsets: HTC Vive
rnWhat You Do: Equipped with two pistols and a shield, you must survive waves of attacks by alien drones while on top of a futuristic skyscraper.
rnWhy It's Recommended: Space PIrate Trainer makes a strong case for room-scale. While shooting galleries have been relatively monotonous in the past, being able to physically dodge and aim weapons as well as a shield makes for a very powerful experience. -
Vanishing Realms
Genre: Adventure
rnStyle: Room-Scale
rnHeadsets: HTC Vive
rnWhat You Do: You explore dungeons guarded by undead foes. Traps and puzzles stand between you and discovering the secrets of this world.
rnWhy It's Recommended: Vanishing Realms offers you a strong presence in the game world. Its visual style and audio help to immerse you in the adventure, and ensure that your mind is convinced that you're there.
