VR games

Virtual Reality (VR) games are designed to be played using a compatible headset and motion controllers. The headset is essentially a brick you strap to your head with two monitors inside for each eye. The headset tracks your head motions and controller position/orientation, which gives the illusion you're standing in and interacting with a virtual world. It's a novelty that never really took off, but it's a fun novelty.

Which headset should I get?

There are two types of headsets you can pick up: PC-VR headsets and standalone headsets. PC-VR headsets only work if you have the prerequisite hardware, including a beefy PC and a good 5/6 GHz router, so they're basically just very expensive controllers. Standalone headsets are pretty much portable consoles in their own right; you can install games directly on the headset itself and play them with no need for a PC. Most of the standalone headsets run on some flavor of Android, meaning you can play most mobile games on them, sideload APKs, and muck around with the bootloader if you're into that kind of stuff. Standalone headsets also support playing PC-VR games via streaming apps like Steam Link, so they're more versatile.

While high-end VR headsets with full-body tracking (FBT) and face/eye tracking setups are prohibitively expensive, the standalone headsets are typically much cheaper, especially if you can find them used. For most games, you only need a headset and controllers. FBT and whatnot are only useful if you're looking to ERP in VRChat. You're getting a headset for games... right?

Headset comparison

This is a brief look at headsets currently on the market as of July 2026. Older headsets like the original Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are not included, but you can look up the specs for those and compare them to this table if you find a used set somewhere and want to make sure they're worth the price.

Supplemental reading: /vg/'s headset guide

Headset	MSRP (USD)	Resolution (per eye)	Refresh rate	Lens type	Display type	Standalone
Meta Quest 3S	$299	1832 x 1920	120 Hz	Fresnel	LCD	Yes
PlayStation VR2	$399	2000 x 2040	120 Hz	Fresnel	OLED	No
Meta Quest 3	$499	2064 x 2208	120 Hz	Pancake	LCD	Yes
Pimax Crystal Light	$799	2880 x 2880	120 Hz	Aspheric	QLED + Mini-LED	No
HTC Vive Pro 2	$799	2448 x 2448	120 Hz	Fresnel	LCD	No
HTC Vive Focus Vision	$999	2448 x 2448	90 Hz	Fresnel	LCD	Yes
Valve Index	$999	1440 x 1600	144 Hz	Fresnel	LCD	No
Bigscreen Beyond 2	$1,019	2560 x 2560	90 Hz	Pancake	micro-OLED	No

Fresnel lenses are slightly blurry around the edges of the display. The 3D effect is more pronounced.

Pancake lenses are considered to be much superior to Fresnel lenses in terms of visual clarity. They have a much larger "sweet spot", meaning less image distortion around the edges of the display. They are smaller than Fresnel lenses which affects the size/weight of the headset itself, but they aren't as bright and the 3D effect is less pronounced.

Aspheric lenses are also higher quality than standard Fresnel lenses, but they are bulky and much more expensive.

Ready to sell your soul to Zuckerberg?

The Meta Quest line of headsets are probably the cheapest on the market currently with the highest number of compatible games, and as of 2026 you can snag a used one in excellent condition for less than $200. There are a lot of clueless parents who pay full price for Quests for their children, who then proceed to use the headset once or twice before stuffing it in a closet and never touching it again.

A Quest requires a Meta account and the Meta Horizon app, which means you'll need a smartphone or some other Android/iOS machine for setup if the headset has been factory reset. If you're willing to overlook that this is a Facebook product with built-in constantly-on cameras, and that you'll be allowing it into your home, you can use a burner email (from a reputable service like Gmail or Hotmail, proton.me emails will trigger the face verification check and cock.li emails probably will too) to make a throwaway account. Once you install the app and link it to your headset, enable developer mode on the headset. This will let you sideload APKs, which means you can run homebrew apps and completely legally obtained games.

If this is your first VR headset and you choose to go this route, look into picking up a used Quest 3S for ~$150. The 3S is basically just 3's hardware with 2's lenses. Upgrade to a Quest 3 or a Pico 4 at your discretion, or factory reset and resell it if you find VR isn't your thing. Given the number of used Quests on the market, good luck with that.

Games

Notes:

When adding a game to this table, check if the game is available on Steam, Viveport, the Meta store, and the Pico store.
Steam and Viveport games are PC-VR titles, while Quest and Pico games are standalone titles available on the Quest and Pico device lines respectively.
Supplemental reading: /vg/'s recommended VR games

Official games

Title	Genre	Description	PC-VR	Standalone
A Fisherman's Tale	Puzzle	A cute, charming game about a fisherman puppet who builds models and tells stories. The game is set inside a model fishing cabin which has a model of the same cabin inside. You can shrink yourself by stepping out of the cabin, or make objects larger/smaller by dropping them into or pulling them out of the smaller model. This game is extremely, EXTREMELY short. You'll probably finish it within an hour. Still worth a playthrough regardless.	Steam, Viveport	Meta, Pico
A Fisherman's Tale 2	Puzzle	Like the first game, but without the recursion gimmick. You can launch your hands at objects far away and control them individually, exchange your hands with tools like a crab claw to cut ropes or a pirate's hook to grapple, and throw your head to different vantage points to change your view. Thankfully longer than the first game. Note: This game is also called "Another Fisherman's Tale" on the Viveport store.	Steam, Viveport	Meta
Beat Saber	Rhythm	A DDR/Guitar Hero style game where you swing two light-sabers to slice and stab blocks while music plays. Some songs have walls you need to dodge by moving your head. Try to get a version of the game that lets you mod in your own songs, because the default track selection sucks. Modding on the Meta version will require sideloading the APK.	Steam	Meta
Pistol Whip	Gallery shooter	A fast-paced arcade game where you move down a corridor and have to shoot gunmen before they shoot you. Move your head to dodge bullets and walls, and time your shots to the beat of the music for extra points. For such a simple premise, the gameplay is quite engaging and the music fucking slaps.	Steam	Meta
Resident Evil 4 VR	Survival horror	The original 2005 Resident Evil 4, but with VR controls. Features manual reloading mechanics and the ability to "grab" weapons off your own body. The enemies are more aggressive with throwing weapons since you can dodge projectiles by moving your head. Surprisingly immersive and polished, though the cutscenes are pre-rendered and some animations briefly switch to third-person when executed. Exclusive to Quest.		Meta
Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE	Horde shooter	It's Serious Sam BFE's campaign, but in VR. You can dual-wield weapons, the game's main gimmick. Sprinting, reloading, and glory kills have been removed, but the pistol and shotguns both receive massive firerate buffs to the point of being overpowered. The two secret weapons are STILL secrets for some reason. This version is standalone and distinct from the PC/Fusion versions. Owning this on Steam unlocks VR controls for BFE through Fusion, letting you play workshop mods for BFE Fusion in VR. The standalone game hasn't received any updates since 2018, so support for newer headsets might be spotty. Has a tendency to disconnect Meta Quest controllers if they're set down or tapped together, requiring the game to be restarted. Still playable and enjoyable despite technical hiccups.	Steam
SUPERHOT VR	Gallery shooter	One of the flagship VR titles; the main campaign is only an hour long and mostly serves as a tech demo for VR controls, but is still fun regardless. Take out the targets before they take you out. You can either shoot them with guns, throw objects at them, or punch them if all else fails. The game's speed is tied to the motion of your head and hands, so you can effectively pause time while standing still and plan your movements. An update late in the game's lifespan removed a bunch of content, notably a scene where you need to shoot yourself to progress, so try to find a version of the game released prior to 1.0.22.1.	Steam, Viveport	Meta, Pico
VRChat	Social	A social interaction hub where you put on an anime girl skin and try to control your AGP. This is essentially Garry's Mod for VR. The game is built on user-created content, which means there are lots of worlds with unique experiences like go-kart racing, target shooting, or just watching Youtube videos together. You can also search for and equip a lot of user-uploaded avatars, or even upload your own if you install the Unity editor. Because of the customisability, VRChat has a reputation for being filled with ERPing degenerates (because it's filled with ERPing degenerates). If you can look past this and have a few friends who want to join you, it's a pretty fun experience regardless. Just stay out of the public worlds. Available for free on both PC and Quest, though the Quest version is very limited since a lot of high-detail avatars are PC only. You can also download it on iOS or the Google Play Store, but why would you do that?	Steam, Viveport	Meta, Pico, Viveport

Mods or homebrew


Cover Art	Title	Genre	Description	PC-VR	Standalone	Screenshot
	Lambda1VR	Action/Adventure	A homebrew port of the Half-Life 1 campaign, including Opposing Force and Blue Shift, based on the Xash3D engine. A bit rough around the edges, with quirks like not being able to reload your gun manually until you empty the magazine, but it runs well on Quest. Requires an APK sideloader and the original files for Half-Life + expansions.		Asset files Quest files