Hello, reader! This is my curated list of the best VR games you can play on a PCVR system. The list isn't in any particular order, but I've split it into sections - games that are easy to run and easy to play, games that require a powerful PC, and games that don't fall into the "normal" gameplay of VR titles.
Many of these games are fan-made ports of regular games. That's because the goal is to collect the best games. Unfortunately, most commercial VR games are indie titles, and they tend to suffer from questionable mechanics, questionable design, or short length. If you're put off by blurry textures in VR games, you might find yourself disappointed.
Typically, guides like this focus on the Quest, but Quest games tend to suffer from being downgraded. On PC, you can mod games and adapt them to your tastes, and that's what I'd like to show people.
One thing to note is that I've been using VR for many years. While "VR sickness" is much, much rarer on modern headsets, some people have an innate sensitivity to certain kinds of movement. I'll note anything that stands out to me as potentially nauseating, but I might miss some, so if you're sensitive -- be warned.
When it comes to VR comfort options, I recommend first disabling all of them, and then testing each one individually to see what's helpful. Certain older VR titles include techniques like "movement vignette" enabled by default - and everyone I know finds this nauseating, including me. Again, be warned!
The only one I can recommend to everyone is Snap Turning, which replaces smooth turning with a quick shift. This is super useful in games where you want to turn around fast without needing to physically spin around.
Half-Life Alyx, released in 2020, is a prequel to Half-Life 2 and serves as a great introduction to VR games. It features compelling gameplay, cleverly designed levels, and an interesting story. It is designed from the ground up for VR, and so makes great use of the ways you can interact with the game world in VR.
On this list, HL:A is an outlier. Being a modern game with high production values, Half-Life Alyx is fairly expensive, although it does go on sale from time to time. As it is optimized for VR, the system requirements are not overly high - but it does require reasonably modern hardware.
If you're new to VR as a whole, I would recommend using Half-Life: Alyx to check your ability to tolerate different kinds of locomotion and VR comfort options. For example, teleport movement is almost never supported by fan-made VR ports, as it requires changes to both the game engine and game design, so I highly recommend playing with direct locomotion (movement using the analogue sticks of your controller) first and acclimatizing yourself to it.
You can access a variety of user-created content through the Steam Workshop for HL:A as well, with entire fan-made new level packs of fairly decent length. Simply subscribe to them on the Steam Workshop page and Steam will download them for you. You can access them from the menu in-game. Easy!
Half-Life 2, released in 2004, was a revolution in the first-person shooter genre. It introduced a realistic physics system and brought along an interesting story-telling technique and highly refined gameplay. Today, Half-Life 2 is still a lot of fun to play through - especially in VR.
By downloading the Half-Life 2: VR Mod from Steam, you get a version of the game comprehensively ported to VR with no compromises. It plays similarly to Half-Life: Alyx, and is arguably more intense in the larger gunfights. You can also play through Half-Life 2's two sequels, Episode One and Episode Two. The VR Mod for Half-Life 2 is fantastic, and I think it's a must-play for anyone interested in VR games.
One thing to note is that while Half-Life 2 is known for having an active mod scene and many large projects, very few of these mods are compatible with the VR version due to changes to the game binaries. While it's thanks to this dedicated community that the VR version is available, there is unfortunately no way to play major projects like Entropy: Zero or commercial projects like Black Mesa. I hope that this will be resolved some day.
Quake, released in 1996, was a landmark in the first-person shooter genre and the first to introduce fully 3D levels and rendering. While today, Quake is mostly known as a multiplayer-focused game, it has a single-player scenario with fantastic level design and a dedicated fan community producing new content for the game.
Thanks to an excellent fan-made VR port, you can play Quake in VR with very little setup. As a game promoting 3D graphics at its dawn, the level design makes great use of 3D space, creating especially memorable scenarios in VR. The port is compatible with most user-made content as well, providing many additional levels and different takes on Quake, including the fantastic Arcane Dimensions mod.
Quake is very cheap on Steam, and the new "remastered" version comes with new levels, improved graphics, and music. Previous releases of Quake didn't include the soundtrack, composed by the famous Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, which adds incredible ambience.
Here's how I recommend playing Quake in VR.
- You'll need Quakespasm-OpenVR , which is the engine capable of running Quake in VR.
- Personally, I recommend following their instructions for downloading the enhanced model packs, but skip HD textures for a more cohesive aesthetic experience.
Once you load into the game, you'll also want to change some settings.
- I recommend opening the console with
~(the tilde key) and enteringgl_texture_anisotropy "8"to increase the quality of the texture filtering. Even with the low resolution textures, the distant texture blurring is surprisingly noticeable.
Doom, released in 1993, essentially established the first-person shooter genre. It was super popular in the US as a result. Today, Doom still lives on in the hearts and minds of fans, due to having a moddable structure and an open-source engine.
As a result, Doom has a very nice VR port. Combined with a few user-made mods, the experience is surprisingly well-suited to VR! It's effortlessly playable, surprisingly immersive, and a lot of fun. Not bad for a game that wasn't made with "real" 3D in mind!
In the past, Doom was exceptionally cheap on Steam, and went on sale often. Since the "remastered" version was released, it is a little more expensive, but comes with a lot of content.
Here's how I recommend playing Doom in VR.
- You'll need GZDoom-VR, which is the engine capable of running Doom in VR.
- You'll want to grab Voxel Doom 2, which contains voxelized models for the base game and sequel. The original game's models are 2D sprite art, which hinders playability in VR.
- You'll also want Doom Voxel Weapons Pack Plus, which contains weapon models. Without this, you won't be able to aim your weapons properly.
- For immersion's sake, I recommend grabbing the high-quality sound packs. They remaster the sound effects, which originally are quite crunchy. There are two of them - one contains the PC sound effects, and the other contains the PlayStation sound effects. Personally, I prefer the PlayStation sound effects.
- Optionally, I also recommend grabbing the PSX Doom soundtrack mod. The console versions of Doom came with ambient soundtracks. I feel like they fit the pacing and atmosphere of Doom in VR better.
- To use mods in Doom, the easiest way I've found is with the Doom Launcher. The setup process is a little involved, but it's worth it due to there being tons of Doom mods.
On the first launch, run gzdoomvr.exe and set the renderer to OpenGL - Vulkan doesn't work. Once you load into the game, you'll also want to change some settings.
- First, go to the control settings and scroll all the way down, and map Toggle Run to the thumbstick click. Otherwise, you won't be able to move fast.
- Secondly, go to the automap control settings and bind Toggle Automap to a button. One of the buttons is bound to pause by default, and I recommend replacing that one. This will allow you to see a map in-game, which is helpful for seeing which areas you have and haven't explored.
- Third, go to the automap settings menu, and change the overlay mode to overlay only. This changes the automap to have an invisible background. In VR, the automap is projected in front of you, so this change allows you to view it while playing.
If you get it all working, you'll find yourself in Doom, surrounded by 3D enemies and surprisingly good sound design for an early 90s title. Enjoy blasting your way through the demonic hordes!
One thing to note is that, with the current version of the VR port, there is an issue where the player cannot turn while the game is paused, which translates to the menu and world following you around when you turn your head. That can be a bit disorientating if you're not prepared for it. You can turn on a menu background or background blur in the options to mitigate the problem.
If this is your first time playing Doom, and you've played other shooters before, I recommend playing on Ultra-Violence and only saving/loading when it feels tedious. While Doom can get very difficult, the first 2 episodes have a fairly tame difficulty. The third episode is slightly more difficult, but the levels can get very long. The fourth episode is extremely hard, at least to start with. The second game is much milder, but the difficulty ramps up.
Doom has tons of extra content available, created by fans. However, content with custom enemies and weapons will fall back to sprites, which makes it harder to play in VR. If you enjoyed going through Doom, I highly recommend Ancient Aliens, Alien Vendetta (with the MIDI pack), SIGIL, and the Japanese Community Project as working perfectly in VR.
Far Cry, released in 2004, is a first-person shooter where the focus is on vast jungle levels with enemies that act tactically. The developer, Crytek, went on to make the famous Crysis series, and the Far Cry series continued at Ubisoft. While the original game is not particularly famous for having a big modding scene, it did come with support for mods.
Thanks to this mod support, a solid fan-made VR port was made, and the result is incredibly fun. With the rustling of bushes and trees sometimes revealing an enemy sneaking up behind you, and graphics that hold up well for a game from 2004, it's a unique and immersive game. It's also quite long, with 20 stages (chapters) and a wide variety of enemy encounters, ranging from long-range sniper battles to sneaking through enemy facilities.
Just follow the instructions on the mod page: https://github.com/fholger/farcry_vrmod
Halo: Combat Evolved, released in 2001, was a milestone in the FPS genre. With a unique gameplay style that took ideas from space sims and strategy games, and a compelling story, Halo left an impact on the FPS genre that can still be felt today. While Halo's multiplayer is still popular even today, the singleplayer campaign is our main focus, and full of fun set-pieces and exciting scenarios - which are especially good in VR.
Thanks to some dedicated fans, you can play Halo in VR with some short setup. This version of the game supports the original singleplayer campaign and fan-made singleplayer levels. Note that some parts of the game, like vehicles and turrets, will force you into third-person mode, which can cause nausea, so it is a bit less VR-perfect than some others on this list.
One other major catch is that the version of Halo you can purchase on Steam currently is part of the "Master Chief Collection", which reworks the game code and isn't compatible with the VR mod. You'll need to download and install the original PC version files. Bungie provided these for free through the 2010s, and they have been mirrored on fan sites, so I will link to them below for the setup procedure.
Here's how I recommend playing Halo in VR.
- You'll need Halo: Combat Evolved and the 1.0.10 patch. To install, you will need a CD key, which can be found in the original game packaging. If you've bought the MCC version, I would recommend just looking for one online.
- You'll want to grab Chimera. (direct link) Chimera is a fan-made patch for this version of Halo that fixes a number of issues, including fixes to bad framerate interpolation which can cause problems in VR.
- I highly recommend DSOAL - install to the Halo folder. This adds in HRTF audio processing, which makes the game sound much more immersive in VR.
- Finally, install HaloCEVR and follow the instructions on the mod page.
- Optionally, you can also install Halo CE Refined, which fixes many graphical bugs and inconsistencies compared to the original Xbox version. However, at the time of writing, there is a bug with the sniper rifle that makes it invisible in VR.
If you get it up and running, you'll be running around blasting through shields and slapping around small fry in no time! Halo's campaign is really fun in VR!
A fast paced shooter where you fight hordes of enemies - in other words, a boomer shooter. It's a little like Doom, but focused on big open areas and encounters with tons of enemies. Even if you're not super interested in boomer shooters, I would highly recommend it as a co-op game to play with a friend.
A puzzle game with an interesting story. It has a good VR port and is well-regarded. It's really down to your tastes whether you should play this or not. I personally didn't get into it, but that's really more on me, and on an objective level I see no reason to not recommend it.
An indie horror game that was the predecessor to the well-regarded Amnesia series. It has a solid fan-made VR port. The atmosphere of the game comes through incredibly well in VR, and I would highly recommend it... However, the first game is the "first episode" of the series, and the story is completed in the sequels, which do not have VR ports.
A first-person survival horror shooter, and black sheep of the Doom series. Released in 2004, it reimagined Doom as a tense corridor shooter with thick atmosphere and tense battles. This is one of the best VR ports I've ever played - unfortunately, the last time I played it was on the Oculus Rift, and since then I haven't found an updated version of it to recommend in this guide.
An indie shooter designed for VR with a unique focus on physics-based interactions. Run, jump, crawl, and climb your way through various levels with a physically simulated body that you can hoist up ledges. It's tough to recommend because the physics-based interaction feels clunky and can be disorientating, and the main campaign doesn't have a lot of content. Boneworks's sequel, Bonelab, improves on the clunkiness, but has even less structured content. However, it's possible to play through Boneworks within Bonelab using fan-made mods.
A challenging rhythm game with fast-paced gameplay and impressive visuals. I've heard great things about this, but I simply haven't played it.
A futuristic anti-gravity racing game heavily inspired by the Wipeout series. I've heard great things about this, but I simply haven't played it.
An indie immersive sim FPS that was quite popular when it released, with a VR mod. However, Cruelty Squad is a visceral game with a deep punk aesthetic and presentation, so it is very difficult to recommend as a VR title. If that doesn't put you off, though...
A wide open sandbox about exploring a randomly generated world, and building whatever you like. The Java version of Minecraft has an extensive modding community, and using the Vivecraft mod, you can experience a comprehensive port of Minecraft to VR. If you like modded Minecraft, why not try it in VR?
Resident Evil 7, released in 2017, is a survival horror game that revitalized the Resident Evil series with its first-person perspective and intense atmosphere. In other words, it's a first-person shooter focused on puzzle solving and with an incredible atmosphere - kind of like Half-Life 2! Despite the 7 in the name, you don't need to have played any of the other games to enjoy it.
Surprisingly, it was also designed from the ground up for VR, being developed with support for Sony's original PlayStation VR in mind. Combined with clever puzzle design and solid game mechanics, it's absolutely one of the best VR games I can recommend next to Half-Life: Alyx.
To play RE7 in VR, you'll need the REFramework mod - the game has no VR support on PC otherwise. Compared to the original PSVR version, REFramework adds in full support for motion controls and works with anything through SteamVR. You can also install a mod to add support for DLSS/FSR2, which improves on the game's default upscaling.
Note that RE7 requires a powerful PC to run, and you might need to lower some graphics settings in order for it to run above 60FPS at typical headset resolutions.
There's a comprehensive installation guide here. The mod itself is located here: https://github.com/praydog/REFramework
Outer Wilds, released in 2019, is an open-world exploration game that has captivated players with its intriguing mysteries and unique time-loop mechanic. While not originally designed for VR, it can be experienced in virtual reality using the excellent NomaiVR mod.
In Outer Wilds, you play as an astronaut exploring a miniature solar system. The game is renowned for its sense of discovery and the interconnectedness of its world, where every clue and piece of information can lead to new revelations. In VR, the vastness of space and the intricacies of each planet feel even more tangible and the result is really immersive and one of the absolute best VR games I can recommend.
To play Outer Wilds in VR, you’ll need to install the NomaiVR mod. A guide on installation is here. The mod adds full VR support, including motion controls and even some extra physics interactions.
Outer Wilds is not particularly demanding in terms of system requirements, but running it in VR does add some overhead. The game frequently goes on sale, so keep an eye out for discounts if you haven’t purchased it before.
Blade and Sorcery, first released in 2018, is a medieval-themed sandbox game about physics-driven combat made for VR. While the original release was just a sandbox, the current version has a campaign mode with RPG elements.
Blade and Sorcery is mainly about fighting AI opponents using a variety of medieval weapons, as well as various magical abilities. The physics simulation makes attacking feel weighty and fun, and you can block and parry attacks using your weapons in a realistic way. Sometimes it can feel a bit gory though, particularly in the way you can shove your sword through an enemy and see them twitching before they die... eww.
There's also a big modding scene for BnS. It primarily focuses on adding new weapons, enemy types and arenas to fight in; more things to play with, but not necessarily more ways to play the game.
It's not an incredibly demanding game, but it does require a powerful CPU to run.
Pavlov, first released in 2017, is a team-based multiplayer VR shooter. Think Counter-Strike, or Call of Duty, or Medal of Honour. Over time, the team has added more game modes and content to the game - besides deathmatch, there's also prop hunt, gun game, infection, TTT, and others.
There's also a big modding scene for Pavlov, so in addition to the game's mostly original maps and weapons, expect to find recreations of stuff from various other games as well, and original content on top of that.
Pavlov is an Unreal Engine 5.1 game, so system requirements are pretty demanding - but it runs on a PS5, so it's not unreasonable.
A procedurally generated open-world about exploring the universe. It has a good VR port, but requires a powerful PC. It is hard for me to recommend because, while it's fun to explore, I don't find it really fun to play.
A famous open-world sword-and-sorcery RPG. It has a mediocre VR port that requires lots of modding to improve. The performance is pretty bad even with mods. Unless you are a die-hard Skyrim fan, I can't recommend it. If you are a die-hard Skyrim fan, make sure to drink water and take a break every few hours. This advice applies both while gaming and in real life.
A well-known open-world post-apocalyptic RPG. Like Skyrim, it has a mediocre VR port that requires mods. However, this game is much less popular than Skyrim, so the mods are fewer and the experience is worse as a result. Unless you are a die-hard Fallout 4 fan, I can't recommend it.
If Fallout: London is ported to Fallout 4 VR, it might be worth playing.
A fast-paced indie first-person shooter in the style of Quake. Unfortunately, it has a poor VR port. It requires a powerful PC to run and has visual issues, like text that's impossible to read and shimmering textures. It also lacks directional audio, so it's much harder to play than on desktop. Overall, it's hard to recommend, but there's still a fun time.
This section is devoted to games which are playable in VR, but are not typical VR games. Anything which is in third person, or played sitting down, without regular VR controls.
Project Wingman, released in 2020, is an indie aerial combat game inspired by the Ace Combat series. Dodge and weave through the sky in a fighter jet! It features an incredible single-player campaign and a roguelike mode. Despite being an indie title, the presentation is top-notch, with the graphics, sound, and gameplay all being excellent. And it supports VR!
Unlike actual flight simulators, it doesn't require extensive knowledge of flight dynamics, so you can easily pick it up and play. However, you will need either a regular controller (i.e. a PS5 DualSense or Xbox controller) or a HOTAS (flight simulator stuff) to play it - VR controllers aren't supported.
You can play through the entire game in VR, and it has 21 missions that take roughly 30 minutes to complete each. This is a game designed in the spirit and tradition of the Ace Combat series, which have no VR versions - if you've played those before, you know what to expect. If you haven't played an aerial combat game before, expect to be blown away by the graphics and the fun of dodging anti-air missiles while listening to the banter and chatter over the radio.
There is no setup required - the VR mods is part of the game itself. However, you do need a fairly powerful PC to run it (like RE7). I recommend sitting down and getting comfortable when you play.
Rez Infinite, released in 2016, is a remastered version of Rez - a rail shooter originally released in 2001. It's a unique blend of rail shooter and rhythm game, where you fly through cyberspace shooting enemies to the beat of a pumping electronic soundtrack. This remastered version adds in VR support.
Rez is a fairly short game, but has an intricate score system that makes it super replayable. Pushing that aside, though, the distinct visual style makes it kind of incredible to play in VR, and it's absolutely worth playing through at least once if you haven't played it before.
When playing Rez Infinite in VR, you have the option to use head tracking for aiming instead of the motion controllers. It feels natural, so I'd recommend giving it a shot, but it's unusual compared to other VR games. In the Area X mode, you can also move around freely, so you'll still need them. You can also play it with a regular controller in VR.
Rez Infinite goes on sale fairly often, and the system requirements are fairly low too. However, a good pair of headphones is recommended to really appreciate the music.
Tetris Effect, released in 2018, is a version of Tetris made by the same team as Rez Infinite. It takes the puzzle game Tetris, which is about fitting falling blocks into complete horizontal lines, and adds various distinct visual styles, a really good soundtrack, and some crazy visual flourishes that are even more impactful in VR. It even has multiplayer!
While it supports VR controllers, this one is probably better played with a regular controller.
Tetris Effect has 30 stages, each with their own visual and musical theme, with a super slick presentation. Like Rez Infinite, it goes on sale fairly often, and the system requirements are modest. I recommend having a good pair of headphones for Tetris Effect, too.
Pseudoregalia, released in 2023, is a Metroidvania platformer that has garnered attention for its intricate movement mechanics and open-ended exploration. Using the UEVR VR injector, you can play the whole game in VR.
It features a labyrinthine castle filled with secrets, enemies, and challenging platforming sections. The game’s standout feature is its advanced movement system, which includes techniques like air braking and bunnyhopping. If you've played Super Mario 64, you'll feel at home here. Visually, the game aims to look like a Nintendo 64 game too. And, surprisingly, it feels totally natural in VR.
This game doesn't support VR controllers, as it was only made to support regular controllers and mouse/keyboard play. Some adjustments may be necessary in the UEVR menu in order to tweak the scale of the HUD to your liking, and apply adjustments to the camera to prevent VR sickness. I recommend using the option to stop the camera from rotating vertically.