EXD - Extra Dimensional is one of the most unique, engaging, and captivating games I've played this year in VR or not. The atmosphere is strong, the world is memorable, the voice acting, though stilted at times, is incredibly charming. It's a visual and audible feast for the senses, even if the meal leaves you feeling shaky, scared, and hungry for more.

Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes is the best VR horror game in quite some time. Much like Batman Arkham Shadow, Half-Life: Alyx, and Metro Awakening before it, Altered Echoes stays faithful to its series while still shining in VR. The gameplay is nothing groundbreaking, but the same can be said for the series as a whole. Altered Echoes keeps it simple and executes at a high level, getting nearly everything right with the exception of limited VR options. These ultimately do not detract from a top notch VR horror experience.

The Amusement's affecting story about a broken family is some of the finest storytelling I've experienced in a VR game. The redirected roomscale movement, once properly understood and embraced, adds a sense of immersion and presence few other games can match. Unfortunately, even with a short runtime, its limited number of environmental puzzle mechanics hold it back from being truly exceptional. It still remains an excellent entry into any VR puzzle lover's library.

Despite a lighter touch on outright terror than some horror fans might wish for, Star Trek: Infection succeeds as both a survival horror game and a Star Trek experience. It captures the unsettling horror that has occasionally appeared within Trek and centers it to great effect in VR. It's a tonally perfect fit for fans of the franchise, and an atmospheric sci-fi scare for everyone else.

Legendary Tales was a solid dark fantasy akin to Dark Souls, but it failed in many aspects to be crowned a true classic RPG in VR. The hostile onboarding, the flimsy hitboxes, the lack of reliable multiplayer. Two years on, Dawn of History course corrects to offer one of the richest role-playing experiences on the medium. With new and revamped systems, it can now be recognized as a best-in-class dungeon crawler. The frankly baffling amount of builds alone makes for an equally cutthroat and entertaining sandbox to create your own legendary tale.

It’s a brief game (about four hours long), and a relatively simple one. It's a journey across floating islands, meandering through seasons of the year and seasons of life accompanied by soft music and a curious little bird. It’s a place of comfort, a place to unwind, where your hands are busy, your mind engaged, and where everything else disappears for a little while. In today’s world, that might be the best gift any game can give.

The full release of Bootstrap Island lives up to its early promise with a highly engaging, immersive, and at times disturbing adventure that stands as one of VR's best survival titles. Any issues I had will likely be ironed out with further patches, but this is already a great time in VR.

For VR players looking for an energetic blend of action and light strategic elements, Orcs Must Die! By the Blade will deliver plenty of hack and slash fun.

VR has always had a penchant for great puzzle games and Fixer Undercover is no exception. The heavy emphasis on VR interactions and encouragement to think outside the box on solutions makes for a highly entertaining spy caper. The game is only held back by a healthy dose of grab jank, average graphics, and a fairly predictable story. None of those should be dealbreakers though. Fixer Undercover is a worthy addition to any puzzle lover's library.

Put simply, despite lacking in approachability and customization features, Aces of Thunder offers one of the most thrilling venues for combat VR gaming has to offer and is a fitting callback to the classic flight sims of yesteryear.

Glassbreakers is smart, competitive, and highly addictive and stands as one of the best strategy experiences available in VR - and one of the most charming. Currently, it is a game let down only by the fact that the player base hasn't grown enough to support consistent, frictionless matchmaking. Nonetheless, since its launch I have spent more time in Glassbreakers than all my other games combined - testament to a beautifully balanced and brilliantly designed small-scale masterpiece. Five weeks on from launch I maintain that Glassbreakers truly deserves a large-scale following. Highly recommended.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow may be a bit modest and rough around the edges, but it's also impressive in the right ways. It melds modern sensibilities with a retro mindset, welcoming new players to the series. Magpie is a charmingly impish lead aided greatly by Garrett's ghostly reprisal. The foundations set here can deliver a proper fresh start for this classic series. I can see Magpie's story continuing, though time will tell if that's the case. Either way, Maze Theory pleasantly surprises with the next generation of Thief.

Overall, Men In Black: Most Wanted is an enjoyable, if somewhat lightweight, action game. Nothing in this game reinvents the wheel, but it's all executed very well, with smooth performance throughout and responsive controls. That's enough for me to easily recommend it for fans of the MiB franchise and anyone looking for a solid action game to hop into.

Deadly Delivery is not designed for solo sessions played alone, and those looking for a pure horror experience may be let down by the game's silliness. But for co-op gamers and those who enjoy their jump-scares served with a side of slapstick, Deadly Delivery delivers.

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is a fitting evolution that's both newcomer-friendly and expands upon the original Demeo well. This crossover packs more expansive campaigns, better difficulty balancing with enemy spawns, lovely visuals, and a greater story focus that better complements these gameplay systems. I do wish this offered a little more gameplay freedom to better fit D&D. Further narrative freedom would leave your decisions feeling more impactful, leveling up hirelings would help solo players, and I'd love a more expansive custom character creator. Still, Demeo x D&D gets a strong recommendation from me and if you enjoyed Resolution's older hit, you'll feel right at home here.

Roboquest VR takes what was already a great flatscreen roguelite experience and transforms it into a new VR classic. Moment-to-moment gameplay feels fantastic, and the game is right at home on the platform. Flat2VR Studios should take pride in the work they've accomplished, as it feels like an essential experience for hardcore VR players without being revolutionary. I just wish that co-op was available at launch; I'd like any reason to hop back in for another round.

Hotel Infinity is a standout example of true room-scale VR, and a must-own for anyone interested in understanding the potential of this medium. Notably, the potential is not merely to be a new way to experience familiar ideas, but to offer experiences only possible in VR. What a revelation of a game this is.

Lumines Arise is the best entry yet in this long-running puzzle series, building upon Enhance's work in Tetris Effect to create a mesmerizing audiovisual spectacle that shines even brighter in a VR headset. It's not as transformative as the older title and the core gameplay doesn't quite hit those same high notes, but that hasn't stopped Enhance from delivering a highly memorable journey. If you enjoy puzzle games, you won't want to miss this.

Reach is an outstanding effort from nDreams Elevation that wows with its cinematic thrills, compelling narrative, high production values, and deeply satisfying combat. This is an unapologetically high-intensity action game, using as few flatscreen-inspired elements as possible to create a highly immersive, refreshingly high-budget game that's learned from the best VR design practices of the last decade.

Titan Isles delivers a compelling action adventure that's equally enjoyable in co-op and single-player. While the bosses and stage design could use more variety and the racing area's adverts detract from the immersion, it's the most fun I've personally had with a VR co-op experience since Dungeons of Eternity. With its strong combat, versatile Exo Suit system, and great presentation, it's a strong return for Psytec Games that gets my recommendation.

Table Troopers is casual game catnip. It belongs in MR so you can play in your living room. It’s not as nuanced as Worms, its obvious inspiration, but that’s an advantage here: there’s no barrier to entry. This should enter the rotation of games you show friends — especially friends with 12-year-olds, or friends who are 12 years old at heart — to get them into a headset for the first time. It's a great time and Table Troopers is one of those games to keep handy when you just want to kick back and let a few cartoon characters fly.

An intriguing sci-fi journey that's improved by playing with friends, Into Black brings all it has to the table for one more round. While some bugs still need to be ironed out, and not the huge ones that attack you in-game, the experience itself is rather satisfying. Resource gathering is the bedrock of the gameplay that will keep players coming back, but its serviceable story, wondrous biomes, and ever-expanding missions seal the deal.

Grit and Valor 1949 is a polished blend of tight grid-based combat, roguelite progression, and tactile VR interactivity that makes for a fresh and exhilarating experience. The compact battlefields are tense, the combat is engaging and exciting, and the many upgrade systems continually compel us to play just one more run. While the game's complexity may be a bit overwhelming for some players, on the whole, Grit and Valor 1949 is a tactician's dream.

While it won’t take too long with intuition to clear through the stages, the ability to improve your times and find new solutions encourages replayability in a way that makes this a great choice. Besiege VR is a worthy addition to any headset - it’s always worth the wait when the transition to the new medium is handled with such care as this.

I sincerely hope that VertexBreakers takes the time to give V-Racer Hoverbike the Quest 3 overhaul it deserves. It's identical content-wise but you'll take a small hit with graphics fidelity or performance. If you have the ability and are ready to hit the track right now, the PC VR version delivers all the same great gameplay with more fidelity and fewer performance-killing potholes along the track. A PlayStation VR2 edition is also coming, so whichever way you decide to play, V-Racer Hoverbike provides a fun experience.

Clone Drone in the Hyperdome is a highly satisfying VR action game that excels in its versatile combat, and I only wish there was more to do here. Though the narrative falls somewhat flat and Skyscrapper's new endless mode can feel repetitive in longer stints, there's a refined voxel roguelike with some creative fights worth considering. It's an easy recommendation from me.

Right now, Cave Crave is an easy recommendation on Quest 3. While the game will continue to receive updates in the weeks and months ahead, this experience already nails it where it counts. If you've ever fancied yourself a cave explorer, you could do far worse than giving this a shot. Cave Crave straddles the line between being simple enough to get into, while offering enough depth to keep players going for even more spelunking.

The Midnight Walk offers a memorable adventure that's enchanting and bleak in equal measure, one that feels like wandering into a twisted fairytale. It's a gripping tale with beautifully crafted claymation visuals, held back only by some minor frustrations and not especially in-depth puzzles. MoonHood have delivered a great example of hybrid design between flatscreen games and VR, and it's a strong recommendation from me.

It's not a stretch to say that Ghost Town is one of the best VR games so far this year. Fireproof Games has delivered a worthy spiritual successor to The Room VR: A Dark Matter that employs a similarly strong level of VR interactivity, backed up by great visuals on Quest 3, a thoroughly engrossing supernatural narrative and intuitive puzzles. I do wish the journey lasted just a little longer, but what's here is an essential experience that you won't want to miss.

Altogether, the PlayStation VR2 version of Hitman: World of Assassination might just be the most refined VR experience for this game we have. It’s a shame it took four iterations to get here, but IO Interactive has redeemed itself to where we can say this is a VR port worth checking out. While occasionally rough around the edges, IO Interactive has done a great job at translating Hitman’s sandbox gameplay into a VR space.

Though it's still early days, the fact that I can instantly queue into a lobby weeks after launch rather late at night bodes well for the game's activity, too. Pixel Dungeon is exactly the type of game that's easy to recommend to anyone looking for something to strap into, whether they're only in it for a shorter session or if they plan to spend a Saturday night getting sweaty with some friends.

Rogue Piñatas: VRmageddon delivers a thrilling, family-friendly rogue-lite that blends over-the-top action with a polished gameplay loop. Its vibrant art style, well-tuned mechanics, and engaging combat ensure endless fun, whether playing solo or in co-op. The variety in characters, weapons, and zones keeps every run fresh, and while the game can be challenging, its charm and humor prevent frustration from setting in. More importantly, Rogue Piñatas captures the best of VR—physicality, immersion, and pure, unfiltered fun.

Arken Age delivers clever VR-first gameplay design for a great sci-fi adventure. The intense motion makes this unsuitable for VR newcomers and the narrative isn't especially compelling, yet the vibrant presentation and rewarding combat makes this easier to overlook. Between combat's great integration of haptic feedback, strong enemy variety and satisfying kills, Arken Age is an easy recommendation.

The House of Da Vinci VR is one of the best VR puzzle games I've ever played, delivering an experience that's been lovingly created with reverence to its historical inspiration. Boosted by impressive visuals on Steam, it's clear Blue Brain Games has a real talent for creating immersive environments and engaging experiences. If only the movement options could be expanded, then this game would be perfect. As it stands, The House of Da Vinci series has several sequels that haven't been converted to VR yet. If this game is any indication of the series' quality, I'd love to see the rest of them reach VR in the future.

It's been a long, long time since I've truly lost myself in a horror game like I did with By Grit Alone. It's not a journey for the faint of heart, but it's one I hope we'll get to see the conclusion of - whether via DLC or a sequel. As it stands on its own, though, it's an incredible trek through the jaws of madness worth taking.

Even if wait times were to get much worse, the addition of some new distractions in the lobby - a punching machine to test your form, and a basketball hoop to practice your free throws - it's easy enough to forgive waiting for a minute or two, regardless. If you have the VR legs for it, Brazen Blaze cements itself as one of the best PvP experiences you can currently have in VR.

Where EXOcars really excels is in the same places that my favorite racing games have always excelled. It provides a visceral, arcade-y, physics-based experience full of the thrilling moments we’re all looking for when we step behind the virtual wheel of a race car. Like the best games in the genre, EXOcars makes you feel like a real-life race car driver.

If you enjoyed the Dungeon Keeper series back in the day, you will absolutely get a kick out of this VR homage. Though it has its faults in the lack of story and could use more varied objectives, Underworld Overseer is a solid and highly polished game with a great amount of content to keep players engaged. Excellent audio and visual design makes this pleasant on the eyes and ears. If you want to pretend to be an evil overlord for a while, then Underworld Overseer is exactly what you are looking for.

Metro Awakening is a chilling and dark virtual world woven into a narrative-based VR adventure game. It's one that I'd recommend to anyone who loves a bleak dystopian story and doesn't mind a little repetition or a few minor bugs along the way. Ya know...the kind that aren't those terrifying spiders you just ran from.

Human Fall Flat VR successfully harnesses the wacky physics platforming essence of the original game, amplifying its chaotic drama with an immersive but approachable control scheme that feels natural to engage with in VR. While it doesn't deviate far from its flatscreen roots, bounding around these thematic worlds, especially with a few buddies in tow, is a moreish expedition well worth your time.

Vendetta Forever shows the benefits minimalist game design can offer, using only the bare essentials to deliver a satisfying action game. While you won't need ages to see everything and some levels can be frustrating, there's a clever puzzle game disguised as a shooter with great replayability. It's a strong debut from Meatspace Interactive that's worth exploring.

Arkham Shadow feels faithful to the flatscreen Arkham games while innovating in its own way through VR-specific design. Combat remains familiar yet incredibly satisfying, Detective Mode feels like a natural fit for first-person gameplay and the strong narrative held my interest throughout. With the flatscreen games, you never stepped into the caped crusader's shoes but with the VR game, I didn't want to leave them.

With all the polish of the acclaimed sequel fused with the ample character of VR’s elder statesman of zombie shooters, it’s hard not to recommend grabbing Arizona Sunshine Remake. The limited campaign length, rehashed horde maps, and the lack of a few notable features (here buddy, here boy) mean that if you have only the time or patience for one jaunt through the undead-infested desert, the sequel remains the seminal Arizona Sunshine experience. Still, the excellent gunplay, polished presentation, and great sound design make Remake worth a look.

Double Jack's bold choice to make a rhythm game focused around hand tracking succeeds with style. Maestro is a breath of fresh air compared to every other VR rhythm game I’ve played over the years. While I lose interest in most rhythm games quickly, I can't stop playing Maestro, and there's a lot of room for growth from here.

I can see this game becoming a part of my routine even if this 36-song selection remains the limit, although space remains for post-launch DLC song packs that could certainly expand the experience even further. That’s something for the future, though. I’d go as far as saying Starwave is one of the best VR rhythm games on the market. If you love music, want to improve your fitness, or simply want to immerse yourself in an experience like no other, the answer is clear.

Zero Caliber 2 is an excellent follow-up to an already decent game. Offering a six-plus-hour campaign complete with four-player co-op, PvP, and native mod support, XREAL Games has delivered an experience that will undoubtedly thrill fans of the genre and keep them coming back for more. If you enjoy linear campaign shooters, this is an easy recommendation.

Thrasher combines the exhilaration of chasing moving targets with a unique visual style and a superb soundtrack. Yet, unfortunately, its beaming esoteric personality is dulled by some technical hiccups that keep it from feeling like a total success. Regardless, Thrasher’s uncompromising vision and challenging but approachable gameplay are to be admired.

Spin Rhythm XD is built on a simple yet engaging novelty, one that lets you take reign and customize it to your needs and preferences. I could play for hours during an extremely atypical situation without issues and, most importantly, without feeling that the experience wasn't challenging or engaging enough. The versatility of the control schemes, accessibility options inside and outside VR, and a plethora of subtle changes at your disposal to personalize the look and feel of everything is a remarkable feat.

Even if you aren't the most avid sports fan, this title is satisfying simply for being a great racing sim. VRIDER is a great balm in the absence of professional racing games in the Quest Store. It balances optimization against an immersive experience that's a lot more enjoyable than first expected.

Even when it turns up the tension as you sweat out your anxieties, Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire still makes you feel cool. Painstakingly prying nails, cautiously clipping chords, and building rocky runes feels satisfying and nervous at the same time, thanks to this game's clever approach to puzzle and sound design. Even though it has some rougher edges, they're part of what makes this delicate balance between tension, challenge, fun, and satisfaction work as well as it does. This tight testament to Schell's prowess in the VR space should not be overlooked.

Altogether, Five Nights At Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 is a great all-ages horror game that makes excellent use of VR. It won't redefine horror gaming or minigame collections, but it's a well-executed return to form for the franchise. While its story may leave new players scratching their heads, the variety of solid, replayable stages more than makes up for it. Whether you've been facing down Freddy and co. since 2014 or are just looking for something spooky to play on your headset, this one is definitely worth grabbing!

MADiSON VR brings the spine-tingling chills and palpitation-inducing dread that the 2022 horror game is known for. This is further complemented by full immersion in virtual reality, coupled with haptic feedback from your headset and controller. Obtuse and unclear puzzles that were present in the original, alongside poor contextual controls in the VR adaptation, mar what is otherwise a terrifyingly terrific outing from Bloodious Games.

Boosted by a strong multiplayer component, slick presentation and big post-launch updates since last year, C-Smash VRS has transitioned from PSVR 2 to Quest extremely well. It's a fine remake of an arcade classic that feels better than ever in standalone VR.

Beat the Beats makes great use of VR's physicality to deliver some of the most enjoyably fresh rhythm gaming I've experienced in recent months. While the extras don't go particularly far, the developers have a big canvas to build on in the future and there are strong core mechanics here for very satisfying active VR sessions.

Border Bots delivers a rich, engaging VR experience that had me invested. By taking the best aspects of Papers, Please, and Job Simulator, Paw Print Games and vTime Ltd have delivered a highly polished experience that's well suited for VR, offering an entertaining yet sometimes challenging campaign that never feels overwhelming. Combined with its vibrant presentation and great humour, Border Bots comes highly recommended.

UNDERDOGS delivers an outstanding experience from start to finish and we only wish there was more to it. Between the strong presentation, engaging core gameplay and progression systems, One Hamsa has delivered an arena fighter that achieves something that feels fresh and exciting on every level. For players who like to jump straight into the action UNDERDOGS is a must buy.

It’s a game that uses interactivity to capture the essence of the character in the same way that Insomniac and Rocksteady have done on flatscreen platforms with Spider-Man and Batman. The difference is that virtual reality allows Camouflaj to put the character directly into the hands of the player, creating an experience that is faithful to its origins but wholly more immersive.

Green Hell on Quest is a game you have to take on its own merits. Similar to how Superhot VR offered a streamlined take on a strong central idea, this chops away at the original game’s foundations to deliver a focused version of a great survival game. True, it’s a much more straightforward experience with simpler crafting and fewer threats, but the meticulous attention paid to VR interaction and physicality, not to mention the still-impressive scale and performance makes this one of the better flatscreen conversions VR has seen over the past few years. If you really don’t want to compromise on the original experience in VR then you should wait for the PC VR version arriving later down the line but, for anyone interested in a more tailored title, Green Hell’s Quest version is a worthy rumble through the jungle.

Resident Evil 4 Remake might not surpass the original and its third-person roots mean that this new VR Mode still has some awkward transitions in between the action. However, by virtue of being Resident Evil 4, this is also arguably one of the best-paced action-packed campaigns available across all VR platforms. Capcom continues to build on each iteration of Resident Evil in VR, making this release confidently its best VR experience to date. This latest PSVR 2 version of a classic features smart refinements that surpass even Armature’s existing VR release of the original on Quest. Resident Evil 4 Remake’s VR Mode is simply a must for any PSVR 2 owner.

Racket Club marks another entertaining experience from Resolution Games. By mixing elements of tennis, squash and pickleball, they've delivered an original experience that feels refreshing while playing to VR's immersive strengths. While solo content is limited and mixed reality support feels unnecessary, a highly compelling social multiplayer experience has me coming back for more.

Were this a genre underserved in VR it might be easier to overlook those shortcomings, but the medium isn’t exactly lacking in groundbreaking music experiences. With more attention paid to what makes the platform tick this could have been a truly unique new way to experience Avicii’s music. As it stands, this is simply another opportunity to play a good game that could have been much, much more.

Nexus demonstrates what a full-fledged VR entry can do for a big series, delivering a sizable campaign with accessibility at its core. Gameplay feels well adapted from the main series, parkour across such diverse environments is really enjoyable and that's backed by a strong presentation. Minor jank and stealth issues aside, it's the most fun I've had with Assassin's Creed and comes highly recommended.

Vertigo Games has brought the Arizona Sunshine franchise back from the dead and living its best afterlife. With pitch perfect writing, acting, pacing and outstanding action, Arizona Sunshine 2 offers some of the most engaging and accessible arcade violence yet to grace VR.

With Demeo Battles, Resolution Games offers players a truly enjoyable competitive experience in its own right. The table is set for that to grow into something even bigger and better, just as it did with Demeo. But for now, come take a seat, roll the dice and get immersed in another iteration of an already sublime social VR experience.

Ultrawings 2 is the exact kind of VR sequel we’ve been hoping for, building upon the original’s modest beginnings with a massive increase in scope and variety whilst retaining its air-tight controls and level design. Between the five wildly different aircraft and the addition of combat there are plenty of gripping new challenges to pull you in, and the game is always ready to serve up a different kind of thrill. Whether it’s the cinematic satisfaction of blasting past an enemy as they erupt into flames or the laser-like focus needed to land a plane in one piece, Ultrawings 2 either had me grinning like an idiot or on the edge of my seat. It doesn’t make all the right calls, but VR doesn’t get much more rewarding than this superb follow-up.

Cooking Simulator VR does what it says on the tin and does it very well. If you want, it can be a really satisfying cooking experience with a long list of recipes, a rock-solid career mode and almost exactly the right degree of intricacy to its mechanics. Or you can turn it into an utter madhouse and watch its systems collide in a glorious ode to kitchen fires and food poisoning. You’ll need a decent rig to sustain the mayhem and if ever a VR game needed haptic feedback, it’s this, but Cooking Simulator VR delivers a robust and realistic experience worthy of a chef’s kiss.

Warplanes: WW1 Fighters might not be the most flashy flight spectacle you’ll find in VR — or even on Quest — but its winning strategy of offering a variety of control schemes and play modes to suit just about everyone’s tastes, then launching user-made missions for a rich supply of content, makes it a real treat. Whether you’re looking for co-op hangouts with co-pilots or simply seeking the authentic thrills of a lost era of warfare, this has something for you. Here’s hoping for a sequel that doubles down on the presentation and fully realizes this particular theater of war for VR.

I am, if you couldn’t tell, quite in love with Song in the Smoke, then. It’s rough, yes, and some of its design ideas need a second pass. But it’s also an intoxicating trip, an experience directly connected to the beating heart of nature and acutely aware of the structure and interaction needed to make its survival gameplay work in VR. All of this is thrown into a mortar and crushed beneath a pestle to conjure a game in which you can practically feel the slip of wet mud, scrape of scrambling over a cliff face or chill of water flowing over your feet. Like the healing potions and mystic concoctions you’ll brew, Song in the Smoke is a hell of drug.

Sniper Elite has always been a bit of a b-movie treat by normal gaming standards and, while that’s still true of Sniper Elite VR, some of the series’ staple elements are really enhanced by the platform. Aiming down the scope, steadying your sights and pulling the trigger before readying the next round is a calculated and convincing process with perfectly streamlined authenticity. Throw in a variety of other objective types across a decent-length campaign, including comprehensive stealth segments and brilliantly rustic street shootouts and you’ve got a VR FPS that will tick a lot of boxes for a lot of headset owners. It’s not the platform’s most groundbreaking shooter, but Sniper Elite VR is proof you can teach an old dog new tricks, and that’s more than enough.

Solaris: Offworld Combat is more than just the sum of its parts. While it’s easy to nitpick some of the decisions made, like your left hand not really being tracked in the game or the lack of a party/friend system at all for launch, the fact of the matter is that it’s still just incredibly fun to play. Visually it looks great on both Rift and Quest and the gameplay has that quick and seamless feel of Quake mixed with a slick Tron-style aesthetic. Despite the issues, Solaris is easily the most accessible and streamlined VR shooter I’ve played in recent memory and scratches the arena shooter itch I’d forgotten I had.

Demeo is not a perfect tabletop RPG. Its turn-based combat isn’t especially deep and its difficulty stems from brute force. But it is instantly graspable and endlessly rewarding even when the odds are stacked against you. More importantly, though, it’s a near-peerless social VR experience, polished to such a degree that it transforms the kinks of its systems into enjoyable, suspenseful quirks. Facing its brutish hordes with friends at your side is a thrilling, collaborative endurance test; defeat is met with entertained cries of anguish while victory — rare as that may be — is celebrated with the sort of group-wide elation you might have been missing in this tough past year. Not built for parties of one, then, but if you have a group of three or four ready to raid, Demeo is one of VR’s best.

Star Wars Pinball VR is easily the best VR pinball game around and probably one of the best Star Wars VR games as well. It’s evidently designed with fans in mind, but unless you just can’t stand Star Wars, the pinball itself and the sheer amount of ways to enjoy it makes the game more than worth your while.

Hooking us in with an intriguing story, Afterlife’s a strong VR debut for the World of Darkness universe. Offering a faithful adaptation that Wraith: The Oblivion fans will enjoy and a solid introduction to newcomers, it doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares, creating a disturbing atmosphere which plays to VR’s strengths well. Sadly, Afterlife’s slower paced gameplay won’t suit everyone but for survival horror fans, we’d recommend taking a look.

Floor Plan 2 feels like a VR episode of The Muppet Show, not just in the hilarious absurdity of its world but also in the constant, invigorating ingenuity of its puzzles. Though the solutions start to become a little too obscure for their own good towards the end of the game, its winning personality and brilliant VR-centric mechanics kept me determined to overcome those roadblocks, and I mostly felt rewarded for doing so. We could all use a laugh right now, and Floor Plan 2 gives you plenty of reasons to smile.

If you’re tired of the military settings of most VR shooters (Onward, Contractors, Pavlov, Zero Caliber, Medal of Honor, and so on) and don’t care about battle royale like Population: One, then Hyper Dash is the antidote. It’s much faster and more intense than Solaris and really channels the speed and intensity you might recall from popular PC arena shooters like Quake. The learning curve is steep, but it’s got an active playerbase, full PC VR to Quest crossplay, and a good selection of maps and game modes to keep you busy.

The Climb 2 is held back visually by its target platform, but it more than makes up for it with some thrilling climbs, incredible vistas, and excellent new game mechanics to really help keep you grounded. I don’t have a fear of heights or anything like that, but I absolutely did feel my stomach fall in fear when peeking out over the ledge a few times. It may not be as pretty as it could be with some poor texture quality here and there, but my arms are sore and I had a blast so it’s hard to say that affected my experience all that much overall.

Angry Birds VR is a truly fantastic, intuitive VR title. For younger VR players or fans of the Angry Birds franchise, it’s an absolute perfect fit. The move to VR works seamlessly, retaining the gameplay from the original series while adding in some new VR twists that give it just enough of an edge to be different.

Battlescar is a deafening success, then. Unapologetically in your face and determined not to settle, I’d call it an echo of the scene and characters it so assuredly realizes, were it not for the film’s stubborn refusal to fade out. So grab a headset and crank it all the way up to 11; this is one VR movie you can’t afford to miss. I’m still not sure what ‘it’ is, but Battlescar most certainly has it.

If you’re looking for a new, addictive VR shooter to sink your teeth into then you can’t go wrong with Population: One. The verticality and freedom of movement is unrivaled and the smooth, snappy gameplay feels fantastic even on the lower-powered Oculus Quest. My only significant gripe is that I wish there was a bit more diversity in content available, but they’ve got an amazing foundation to grow from here. Population: One is definitely the best VR battle royale shooter on the market and will hopefully find a strong audience for quite some time.

Mario Kart Live takes a concept you know and love, and makes you think about it in a new way. The races are fantastic, but there’s just as much fun to be found before you even get to the start line. The game gives you the power to make and decorate your own Mario Kart race tracks, and that unlocks the kid inside of you, no matter your age.

Panoptic definitely feels like an experimental game. Its design is kept simple and direct, but it’s polished and entertaining. Unless the developer releases additional maps in the future, it’s still sadly unlikely to hold most players’ attention for the long term. Still, Panoptic is exceptionally good at what it does. A challenging and fun game with a lovely minimalist design, its same-PC multiplayer functionality is perfect for being cooped up in the house with someone you love, yet still want to (virtually) snipe.

Minor gripes aside, for fans of Star Wars, fans of arcade-style space combat, and fans of just flat-out immersive VR, it doesn’t get a whole lot better than Star Wars: Squadrons.

Until You Fall is nothing less than a pitch-perfect breakdown of the best rougelike games, reassembled with VR in mind. The genre’s staple elements feel wholly refreshed by swapping out fast fingers for realistic movements, and the foundation of upgradable gear, new weapons and different loadouts encourages you to return again and again. Its combat system has some unfortunate quirks and I would have liked to see more elements rooted in reality, but as an addictive arcade treat you’ll find hard to put down, Until You Fall stands a cut above the competition.

No matter how you look at it this is still an immensely entertaining, challenging, and downright exciting VR shooter packed with content and is easily my new favorite multiplayer VR game for Quest. This should be in every Quest user’s library that enjoys shooters — hands down.

Just like its puzzles, Cubism is a perfect, complete package where everything fits just right — the minimalist design, the reserved soundtrack and its simple nature all come together to create a really fantastic and polished end product. If you’re a fan of puzzles that put your mind to work, then don’t sleep on Cubism. It might seem basic, but solving each level is infinitely more complex than you’d expect and the satisfaction you get at the end is incredibly rewarding.

Cook-Out has all the ingredients for a good time in social VR, then, even if it isn’t especially original. A hectic, multi-hour campaign anchors some of the most engaging, demanding and frantically brilliant party gameplay you’ll find in VR. I wish it had gone deeper with its best ideas and embraced the platform more holistically, but you won’t find a better tribute to Overcooked anywhere else inside a headset. Compliments to the chef.

Dreams’ creative mode might not integrate with PSVR as naturally as hoped, but its cemented position as a hub of invention makes it an easy recommendation. Paired with the platform’s inherent comfort issues, its sprawling, untamed ecosystem can prove to be a minefield to navigate, but for every unwelcome rollercoaster ride (literally and figuratively), there’s another wish waiting to be fulfilled or something genuinely original to discover. The only way to truly judge Dreams is by the strength of its creations and those already speak for themselves; if you want to embrace VR’s experimental side, you shouldn’t miss it.

Pistol Whip’s multiple difficulties and modifiers like Deadeye and Dual-wield add depth to a game that’s more addictive and satisfying than Beat Saber. The 15 scenes included at the time of this review are all in the same general musical style and a bit of variety would be nice, but that might be coming with future updates. Pistol Whip is the game that brings me back to my VR headset again and again and I expect to keep playing through every update Cloudhead has planned for it.

While it may be difficult to play for very long before your heart rate spikes, it delivers the most consistent and unnerving jumps of any VR horror game out there, held back only by its repetition and lack of variety — both of which are still worth overlooking.

Despite a few setbacks like horrendous load times, sometimes janky controls, and a few missed opportunities with its (surprisingly excellent) story, Iron Man VR is an absolute triumph. Camouflaj absolutely delivered a AAA-quality campaign-driven VR game featuring one of the world’s most iconic superheroes, all while showing him in a new light with an original story that isn’t weighed down by the baggage of the MCU and comics. Flying as Iron Man feels amazing, talking to characters as Tony Stark is full of wit and humor, and from top to bottom it’s an exhilarating and well-paced adventure that feels like it only grazes the surface of how high this developer can fly in VR.

Far-fetched as it may be, Phantom’s fantastically immersive design makes for a VR mission well worth accepting, even if its campaign is shorter and simpler than hoped for. But what it lacks in gameplay complexity, it often makes up for in its giddy role-playing, going a step beyond many other VR games to convince you that you’re really in its (admittedly daft) world. A deeper sequel with more advanced gameplay would elevate the series to essential status, but Phantom already navigates the rough waters of VR stealth better than most.

The Wizards never lets you forget you’re playing a VR game. Rarely do more than 10 seconds pass without the need for grand hand gestures to summon magic or for you to reach out and interact with things around you. They’ve got a great magic system that’s intuitive and fun to master in a fantastical world that provides a unique type of adventure you won’t quite find anywhere else.

Spaceteam VR is a proven formula on an unproven platform, which makes it a pretty fascinating experiment. Inevitably, some of the same-room companionship is lost in the transition from physical to virtual, but not nearly as much as you might think, and thoughtful additions made possible by headsets go a good way to making up for it. Spaceteam VR will break friendships, ruin your vocal cords and raise your blood pressure. That is to say, it’s quite a delight.

Pixel Ripped 1995 is a bigger, bolder, and even more nostalgic walk down memory lane that shifts the focus from the late 80s to the early 90s — perhaps the most iconic and formative decade of the video game industry to date. By mixing together riffs off of popular games such as Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda, Streets of Rage, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, and more, Pixel Ripped is a sleek and powerful blast of nostalgia that brings back potent memories of hunching over CRT TVs in the dead of night playing games. I want to spend more time in this world and get to know its characters even better and this is a truly solid improvement over Pixel Ripped 1989.

There’s a fun focus on planning and improvising in Final Assault, making it an engaging, albeit somewhat less involved, entry for the genre even if it wasn’t on a headset, but in virtual reality, the RTS shines as an imaginative chest of colorful toys. Just make sure when you’re planning your attack to call in a supply drop of dramamine.

The Room VR: A Dark Matter is an exemplary puzzle game that not only serves as a prime example of what makes puzzle games so compelling in the first place, but elevates the genre via VR with supreme interactivity, excellent visuals, and a palpably mysterious atmosphere. It’s only held back slightly by some minor frustrations with pacing and difficulty, but is otherwise one of the best puzzle games available in a VR headset. It carries the torch lit by Myst and demonstrates how engrossing a puzzle game can be when done right.

Even Down The Rabbit Hole’s sheer existence seems like lunacy. It’s as strange a VR game you’ll find, one that refuses to be pegged down to any one demographic or tick any certain box. There might be a touch of tameness to some of its puzzles and the adventure is over a little too soon, but when the game tips its box of ideas upside down, magic usually falls out. Down The Rabbit Hole is as Mad as a Hatter, and that’s exactly what you’d want it to be.

Alyx leaves you with the lingering suspicion that there is yet more ground to cover, that there’s far more this series and this developer can do with this new set of tools and that this is only the first part of that story. Though you’ll find yourself hungry for more, there’s something comforting in the knowledge that, for Valve, this is the dawn of a new era. Half-Life: Alyx makes good on its second chance, it is as essential a VR game as you’ll find in 2020, but perhaps the most exciting thing about it is the message is that the best is yet to come.