Sony’s PlayStation VR was one of the hottest-selling Black Friday items. Several years into its run, the PlayStation 4’s virtual reality headset has one of the strongest libraries of any headset thanks to its Sony-backed exclusives and relatively low bar of entry. While it isn’t quite as immersive as the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive due to its less powerful specs, it’s a fantastic entry-level VR headset with a lot of great experiences to offer. Nearly every genre is represented on PSVR in some shape or form, which really shows how far virtual reality has come in a short period of time. If you just picked up a PlayStation VR for the holidays, or have owned one and just want to pick up a new game or two, here is a list of the 10 best PSVR games.
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10 Best PSVR Games | Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
While most virtual reality titles are played from a first-person perspective, SIE Japan Studio’s adorable platformer proves that third-person experiences can shine as well. Astro Bot: Rescue Mission sees the cute robots return from Playroom VR, and it’s some of the most pure platforming fun on a Sony platform since Crash Bandicoot. Levels are pretty straightforward by design, but the game regularly and cleverly plays with perspective and hides collectibles in the form of your robot buddies in far-off corners. Beating this 100% will provide quite the challenge, but one that will leave you smiling the entire time.
10 Best PSVR Games | Beat Saber
Beat Saber has become one of virtual reality’s most popular titles and for good reason as the rhythm game is a blast to play. Players wield lightsaber-like beams that they use to slice through oncoming notes like if Rock Band was mixed with Star Wars. It gets tricky as players are asked to avoid walls and slice in certain directions, but it all combines into one of the most simple and satisfying experiences in VR.
10 Best PSVR Games | Blood and Truth
Another one of Sony’s great exclusives, this first-person shooter tells the story of a former soldier that is trying to save his family from a dangerous crime boss. It’s based upon the London Heist level in PlayStation VR Worlds, and is essentially an interactive summer blockbuster. With plenty of big moments and novel uses of the VR medium, Blood and Truth is one of virtual reality’s most memorable action games.
10 Best PSVR Games | Superhot VR
Superhot VR on the PSVR may be one of the weaker versions of the game because of the semi-erratic Move controller tracking, but it’s undeniably an incredible time. Ducking and weaving in real life to avoid bullets while shooting and bashing every red dude you see is the best way to feel like John Wick. Superhot is one of those ideas that works incredibly well in both VR and non-VR settings, but it’s a little hard to go back after experiencing it in virtual reality.
10 Best PSVR Games | I Expect You To Die
I Expect You To Die is a fantastic escape room title that only lasts a few hours. It takes all of the goofy interactivity that makes games like Job Simulator so fun to play, but forces players to apply critical thinking to their scenario as well. All of the scenarios send the player on secret agent missions, and there are a lot of fun spy film tropes to experience as well.
10 Best PSVR Games | Moss
Developed by Polyarc, this cute adventure game has players aiding a small mouse named Quill on his fantastic journey. Players view the world of Moss and take an active role beyond controlling Quill as they manipulate the world to help solve puzzles. Similar to Astro Bot, this game works because it acknowledge’s the player’s role in the game and they’re not just peering into the world as some sort of god. With fun puzzle solving and some enjoyable action sequences, this is one PSVR title worth experiencing.
10 Best PSVR Games | Rez Infinite
Easily the best launch title for PlayStation VR, Rez Infinite makes Rez feel like it was always designed to be played in virtual reality. The musical shooter has players aiming by just looking around the 3D environments and it makes the shooting more intuitive than ever before. A real highlight is the game’s “Area X” level, which is the only new content in this port. It shows the true capabilities of VR and offers up such an overload of audiovisual inputs that it can be a highly emotional experience for some players.
10 Best PSVR Games | Tetris Effect
While Tetris Effect is playable without VR, you would be doing yourself a disservice by doing so. Much like Rez Infinite, which was also produced by the eccentric Tetsuya Mizuguchi, this provides an incredible audiovisual experience with neon-filled backgrounds. They help players get into a groove while playing a familiar game that they have experienced for decades and helps it feel like a fresh experience. It winds up being an incredible experience and it won a few Game of the Year awards as a result. It’s the perfect blend of old and new with a colorful coat of paint over top that shines in virtual reality.
10 Best PSVR Games | The Invisible Hours
Developed by the talented team at Tequila Works, The Invisible Hours is an awesome murder mystery that is unlike anything else on PSVR. Described as “immersive theater” by the developer, players get to experience a number of stories that take place within a mansion that all wind up being tied together. It’s quite the passive experience, as players don’t actually interact with the world beyond choosing who to follow. It’s highly replayable since you can’t view everyone in a single playthrough, which is a good thing since it only takes an hour to complete on your first run.
10 Best PSVR Games | Thumper
Thumper is another title that is playable without virtual reality but is remarkably better when wearing a headset. This “rhythm violence” game has players steering an intergalactic beetle down a lane at high speeds and having to quickly grind edges and avoid obstacles. Developer Drool’s excellent debut is taken to the next level when played with good headphones and a headset as its fast-paced action becomes quite the audiovisual sight for fans to experience.
