These are the best VR games 2021 has to offer, for a range of headsets and tastes.
On the lookout for the best VR games of 2021? Well, we can help you there. Virtual reality allows you to immerse yourself entirely in a game world more than any other platform and as VR slides ever more into the mainstream we’re seeing more choice of games than ever before. Regardless of which VR headset you’re using, there’s a wide array of games for you to choose from and the best VR games will allow you to experience high-quality, high-octane gaming moments you’d be hard-pushed to find anywhere else. From frenetic first-person shooters to more laidback puzzle experiences (and even something in-between) we think you’ll find the best VR game for you in this list. So, whether you’re a PC gamer using the Valve Index or you’ve just plugged your PlayStation VR into your PS4 or PS5, we have something for you here so keep reading to find the best VR games of 2021. If nothing grabs your attention right now, do check back later as we update this list when new excellent VR games are released and earn a place. This comedy game is from the team at Squanch Games, which was founded by Justin Roiland (the co-creator of Rick & Morty). And because of that fact this game very much feels like a Rick & Morty space adventure but with different characters. Ridiculous missions, hilarious voices, fun, colorful and bizarre stories, worlds and alien races. It’s been around since 2019 on the Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One, but it came to Oculus VR headsets in June 2020. It gets around some of the tricky (and not to mention vomit-inducing) movement issues that are common in other games by placing you in a chair that serves as the game’s user interface and you can control the main character, Trover, from a distance as well as teleport your chair to different spots in the game. Star Wars: Squadrons from Motive Studios is a VR game that will fulfil the childhood dreams of many. Letting you play as both Rebel and Imperial pilots, this ship-to-ship combat-focused flight sim is ideal for VR. The game has a single-player campaign as well as multiplayer modes and although it’s not a VR-exclusive title, playing in a VR headset really only adds to the excitement that you experience when whizzing around space in an X-Wing or a TIE Fighter. Sure, it doesn’t have a huge degree of breadth, but really it’s depth of immersion that you’re looking for with Star Wars: Squadrons and it definitely provides that. Some were afraid that Half-Life: Alyx, one of Valve’s first VR games and the first new entry in the series in over a decade, might not live up to the expectations. But, without a shadow of a doubt, this is a Half-Life game that fills the roomy shoes that Valve left behind in 2007. It’s that good. It is, like its forebears, a mind-bending joyride with a physics system to die for. The inventive, head-scratching scientific puzzles you’re used to from the PC games? They’re here. Tense jaunts through zombie-infested death pits that instil terror better than most ‘horror’ games? Alyx has got that in droves. If you’re looking for the one VR game to play in 2021, it’s Half-Life: Alyx. It’s available for free with the purchase of a Valve Index and HTC Vive Cosmos Elite. The action-adventure survival game that is No Man’s Sky by Hello Games was one of the VR world’s most anticipated releases of 2019. That’s not only because the original No Man’s Sky game seems perfectly poised for the VR experience. Traversing and discovering its generated worlds is already one epic adventure many gamers would gladly immerse in. However, Hello Games has taken it to the next level by making No Man’s Sky’s VR experience better than most other developers have on their games, already making it an excellent contender for being one of the best VR games in 2021. Super addictive first-person shooter Superhot has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a browser-based demo in 2013. It’s found its natural home on VR headsets, where it makes the most of 360-degree tracking by having enemies flank you from all sides. Because time moves in slow-motion when you do, Superhot VR benefits from the flexibility of a bigger playspace. As the difficulty ramps up, you’ll need every inch of cover to dodge incoming fire, bullet-time style, while crushing faceless enemies using guns, shurikens, and – most satisfyingly – your clenched fists. Twisted Pixel, the developers of Wilson’s Heart, are at it again. This time, they brought an intense spy action game into VR, and from the first peeks we’ve had, it looks more like a Mission Impossible game than the actual Mission Impossible games ever did. Released only in 2019, this action-shooter VR game will take you for the ride of your life, one full of impressive production value and lots of freedom of movement. Have you tried out The Void yet? It’s an amazing location-based VR experience from ILMxLAB and now the team has created a home-based VR experience for the Oculus Quest and it’s extremely fun and exciting for Star Wars fans. It’s a narrative-driven game that puts you face-to-face with Vader, offers up light saber training and allows you to explore some of the mystical depths of Mustafa. The best news is, this is just the first part of a three-part series, fingers crossed the next two instalments will be just as good. Having debuted on the Vive back in 2016, Space Pirate Trainer is a space-based shoot-em-up that’s like the laser guns Star-Lord uses in Guardians of the Galaxy mixed with the slow-mo ‘bullet time’ of The Matrix – and if that hasn’t immediately made you want to try it out, I don’t know what will.
