These are the best VR games you can play today

It feels like VR games have been in the pipeline forever, with the promise of more immersive gaming always just around the corner. The last few decades have seen some ambitious attempts, with enormous headsets, treadmills, and VR gloves — all designed to increase our sense of immersion in digital worlds.

Movies in the 90s were nearly obsessed with the immersive potential of technology, with titles like The Lawnmower Man, Strange Days, Existenz, and The Matrix presenting protagonists sucked into virtual worlds, for better or worse. Then there’s the proliferation of cyberpunk throughout the 80s.

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Nothing really translated to the real world until just a few years ago when something finally clicked. (Facebook buying VR giant Oculus in 2014 surely didn’t hurt, though the writing was already on the wall by then).

Now virtual reality is popping up nearly everywhere, including in the delivery of news and in the art world. Canada’s National Film Board has put out some fascinating VR documentaries, like Bear 71, which follows a tagged grizzly bear in Banff National Park.

Still, it’s hard to think of VR without thinking of the potential for gaming. And the industry has certainly noticed VR’s potential, working quickly to put out some impressive titles. VR is certainly still in its infancy, with many competing platforms (at wildly varying levels of quality). No doubt, there are more major developments to come, but for now, we at DGiT want to point you to the best VR games to check out today.

We’ve aimed to offer a wide selection, so that there’s something for everyone, whether you’re using the Oculus Rift or Playstation VR, or a smartphone platform like Google Daydream or Samsung Gear.

So let’s dive in and have a look at the best VR games on the market.

Fallout 4
Price: $29.99
DOWNLOAD ON STEAM
Have a long and exciting wander through Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic Boston, one of the few open-world VR environments available. Fallout 4 wasn’t designed with VR in mind, but it translates reasonably well. The stunning graphics make you feel like you’re in the game and there’s something really satisfying about wearing a virtual Pip-Boy on your wrist as you complete missions. Unfortunately the controls are more than a little wonky, but still, seeing the Fallout world in VR for the first time is beyond breathtaking.Available on HTC Vive.
DOWNLOAD ON STEAM
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Price: $29.99
DOWNLOAD FROM THE PLAYSTATION STORE
Depending on your attitude towards voluntary scares, horror can either be the best or worst use of VR. If you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy the bone-chilling novelty of immersing yourself in horror environments. You couldn’t ask for much better than Resident Evil 7 on that front. One of the first blockbuster VR games, Resident Evil 7 looks incredible. Granted, you lose some of that photorealism in VR mode, but feeling like you’re physically present in those spooky environments more than makes up for the loss of image quality. It certainly doesn’t threaten the game’s standing as one of the best VR games out there. Available for Playstation VR.
DOWNLOAD FROM THE PLAYSTATION STORE
Robo Recall
Price: $29.99
DOWNLOAD FROM OCULUS
In a tech-heavy future, you work in robot repair until a violent robot revolt pushes you to become a hero, taking out the defective killing machines in droves. Plenty of tricky features keep things interesting, like slowing down time to take out robots, and catching their bullets out of the air. And you’ll also have access to all kinds of wild mods so that this VR game never gets boring. Available on Oculus Rift.
DOWNLOAD FROM OCULUS
InMind VR
Price: FREE
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
This is an arcade shooter with a twist, as you’ll be travelling the neural pathways of a human brain, looking for physical abnormalities. When you find them, you’ll open fire to neutralize them and restore the brain to full health. This is a fun and simple game that you can get for free on even the very affordable Google Cardboard, making this not only one of the best VR games, but it's also free. Available for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Google Cardboard.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Proton Pulse
Price: $2.99
DOWNLOAD FROM OCULUS
I’m a sucker for Pong, so I couldn’t resist including Proton Pulse. Use your head movements to control your paddle and send objects back where they came from. This is a great looking spin on a classic, and one of the best VR games you’ll get your hands on. At $2.99, it won’t break the bank, either. Available on HTC Vive, Samsung Gear, Oculus Rift, Playstation VR, and Google Cardboard.
DOWNLOAD FROM OCULUS
Wands
Price: FREE
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Get your wizard’s duel on in this magical fighting game. In this first-person game, you can battle other players online, using your magic wand to cast spells and kick butt. The more experience you get, the better you’ll be at loading up your wand with new skills and spells. The graphics are good, though not amazing, but the gameplay is fun enough to more than make up for it and make this one of the best VR games you’ll find. Available on Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Wands
Lone Echo
Price: $39.99
DOWNLOAD FROM OCULUS
Play as an AI in this futuristic detective story set on a mining rig on the rings of Saturn. One of the main draws of this game is how it uses the full potential of the Oculus platform and controls to let you explore space in a striking bit of audiovisual storytelling. Don’t miss one of the best VR games to come out in a while. Available for Oculus Touch.
DOWNLOAD FROM OCULUS
The Invisible Hours
Price: $29.99
DOWNLOAD ON STEAM
The Invisible Hours feels as much like an immersive film as a game. Your role as a player is largely limited to deciding where to be and when to see events unfold in this gripping murder mystery, in which everyone is a suspect and no one is safe. Available for HTC Vive, Oculus Touch, Playstation VR, and Windows MR.
DOWNLOAD ON STEAM
The Invisible Hours
Land's End
Price: $4.99
DOWNLOAD FROM OCULUS
Land’s End is a great little puzzle game from the creators of Monument Valley, and it’s absolutely charming and full of whimsical visuals. Available for Samsung Gear and Oculus Go.
DOWNLOAD FROM OCULUS
Battlezone
Price: $34.99
DOWNLOAD FROM THE PLAYSTATION STORE
Relive the excitement of the classic arcade game in Battlezone, one of the best VR games around, and so much more than just a reboot. This shooting game takes full advantage of the VR platform by letting you pick off your opponents as you spot them with your peripheral vision. Play with up to three friends in co-op multiplayer mode while you strategize to beat your enemies. Available for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Playstation VR.
DOWNLOAD FROM THE PLAYSTATION STORE

Wrap up

Those are our picks of the best VR games you can get your hands on.

We cast a wide net, making sure to catch all the top titles for each platform, so there are plenty more out there worth your time.

What are your favorite VR games? What do you look for in a VR experience? Let us know in the comments!

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