If you’ve been gifted an Oculus Quest 2 (now officially called the Meta Quest 2) this holiday season, you probably want to know how to put it to good use. Well, you’re in luck as I’ve rounded up a selection of VR games and apps that are perfect for new players.
Below you’ll find a mixture of action-packed adventures, apps that will spark your creativity, and virtual workouts that will get your blood pumping. This collection of games have been chosen from our best VR games and best Oculus Quest 2 games lists, and from a selection of titles I’ve adored this past year.
There’s something for everyone here so scroll down to discover all the VR games and apps you need as a new Oculus Quest 2 owner.
Want somewhere to start? Try… Beat Saber
Before you try anything else on this list, I’d recommend hopping into one of VR’s most iconic titles: Beat Saber. Not only is its Star Wars meets Guitar Hero gameplay an absolute blast, you're probably also entitled to a free copy of the game as a new Quest 2 owner – but you’ll need to redeem it fairly quickly.
To take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to have bought a new Quest 2 between August 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, and you’ll need to have finished the setup process before the end of January 2023. Once you’ve signed into the device with your Meta account, you should receive a notification (via email or an in-VR alert) that Beat Saber was included in your purchase and is available for you to download. Click on the notification (or the Redeem button in the email) and you’ll be taken to a page where you can download the base game free of charge.
If you have fun with Beat Saber, I’d highly recommend picking up a few of the add-on packs; they feature a diverse range of songs from artists like Imagine Dragons, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, and and Guns N’ Roses (one of the bands included in the latest Rock Music Pack). While add-ons make the game more expensive, I’ve more than got my money’s worth from every add-on that I’ve picked up.
Also, try…
First Steps may be a mere demo app, but I’d recommend booting up this title for anyone experiencing this type of VR for the first time, even all you seasoned gamers. The experience is far from mind-blowing but it serves as an excellent introduction to what’s possible in more immersive VR experiences.
Want to play with friends? Try… Among Us VR
Among Us VR from developers Innersloth, Schell Games, and Robot Teddy doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it strikes a perfect balance between familiar and fresh to make an amazing gaming experience.
Just like typical Among Us on PC and consoles, a team of Crewmates must roam the corridors of the spaceship The Skeld 2, completing tasks and trying their darndest not to be murdered by the Impostors – a secret duo whose only goal is to eliminate everyone else before the crew’s tasks are completed or they’re both voted off the ship.
The best new feature in Among Us VR is the introduction of proximity voice chat – it really helps to put the social in social deduction and makes the meetings much more dynamic than the base game’s text-only discussions. Though if you don’t like talking to people online, there is a quick-chat-only option in VR too.
If you have a few friends who also have VR headsets (Among Us VR is cross-platform so they don’t need to have a Quest 2 like you) this is a must-play game for your group; though, while the experience is better with people you know, my experience playing online with randoms has been pretty enjoyable too.
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Wands Alliances is what you’d get if you crossed Valorant with Harry Potter and Chess. In this game, two teams of three players face off against each other with each side taking on the roles of various wizards out to either detonate or diffuse the Omega Device (a hocus pocus bomb). To achieve these goals, your team must balance brawn and brains as you use spells to not only deplete your opponent’s health but to force them into making tactical blunders and cut them off from their objective.
Want to get active? Try… Sports Scramble
Sports Scramble is what happens if you chuck every activity from Wii Sports in a blender and guzzle the chaotic concoction you’ve created.
This Frankenstein’s sports game comes with three basic options: tennis, bowling, and baseball – but not as you know them. One minute, you’ll be playing tennis the old-fashioned way; then the next, you’ll find your racket’s morphed into a golf club and you’re trying to whack a soccer ball over a raised net. It’s silly, it’s wild, and it’s a whole lot of fun for people of all ages.
Admittedly, this app isn’t the biggest VR workout but if you’re looking for a title that will add some joy to your fitness regimen, Sports Scramble is an excellent place to start.
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Holopoint is a little basic in terms of gameplay and the environments you work out in, but this VR app is nonetheless my go-to when I want to be more active. In an experience that could have been ripped straight out of Hawkeye’s training regimen, you must use a virtual bow and arrow to destroy targets while also contorting your body to avoid projectiles – if you’re looking for something that’s more of a workout than Sports Scramble, this is a great pick. Best of all, Holopoint isn’t too pricey – and it has no ongoing fees like most other workout apps on the Quest 2.
Want action? Try… Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 VR is a remake of the classic Capcom survival horror game and one of the best action games on the Oculus Quest 2 (earning a perfect 5 stars from me in our review).
Every single one of Resident Evil 4’s environments and enemies have been marvelously recreated in VR, and the game’s immersive controls coupled with its first-person perspective really make you feel like you are resident badass Leon S. Kennedy. However, some truly frightening moments make this a title that won’t suit the faint-hearted gamers amongst you.
What’s more, not only can you take on the original game’s story in its entirety, you can also enjoy The Mercenaries mode in full-VR too. This mode’s arcade gameplay gives this already meaty title even more replayability as well as provides you with an awesome venue for you to show off your VR skills.
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The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners shares a lot of similarities with RE4 in terms of its immersive gameplay and the fact that you have to fight off undead hordes of monsters. Whether you’re a fan of The Walking Dead franchise or not, this is definitely a VR game to consider if you like to get your chest pumping with a blend of horror and action.
More experienced players might also enjoy Blade & Sorcery: Nomad and Bonelab. These games’ smooth control stick movement can be stomach-churning for newcomers but the realistic physics and object interaction are a delight. Though the sandbox gameplay offered by these games might not be to everyone’s tastes.
Want to unwind? Try… Walkabout Mini Golf
Walkabout Mini Golf is probably my favorite VR game, especially on days when I’m looking to relax after a long day of writing.
Sure, the premise is simple – it’s just mini-golf – but Walkabout more than makes up for this with superb-level design, beautiful environments, and realistic controls. Every level is a delight to exist in, and there’s a huge range of locales to visit; you and your friends can play golf in a Japanese garden, in a land made of candy, in the heart of a jungle amongst the ruins of El Dorado, or the maze from the film Labyrinth – and that’s barely scratching the surface of the places you can visit.
Beyond the actual mini-golfing, I adore the game’s treasure hunts. Each course’s Normal mode hides 18 golf balls – one for each hole – that you can find and add to your collection. Collect 10 of them (or perform well enough in the course) and you’ll unlock the level’s Hard mode; not only are the courses more difficult but you’ll be given a Fox Hunt to complete that will have you exploring every nook and cranny of the map on your quest to find the treasure (a uniquely designed golf club). These scavenger hunts don't just give you an excuse to wander around Walkabout’s superb environments, some of the puzzles are a decent challenge to solve too.
Want to get creative? Try… Painting VR
I’ve never felt freer to be creative than in Painting VR – an app that gives you a blank canvas, a bevy of brushes, and tons of paint so you can create anything from a messy mashup of color to a fine art masterpiece.
While demoing the Meta Quest Pro with this title I was filled with a child-like sense of wonder as I flicked paint onto the canvas before setting it down on the floor and smearing the still-wet splashes of color with my virtual hands. The experience was no less magical when I calmed down and attempted to paint with more grace; the brushes reacted just as I predicted and I felt I had all the tools I needed to make something splendid – even if I did lack the requisite skills.
Thankfully, Painting VR offers a few tools to help budding artists master their craft. My favorite was the ability to import artwork onto a canvas to serve as a jumping-off point for your creativity. You could bring in already-realized artwork like the Mona Lisa or Starry Night and alter them with your own twists, or practice your skills with painting-by-numbers outlines.
Though perhaps the best feature of all is that there’s no cleaning up to do afterward – no matter how much chaos you cause, you can just reset the virtual room and return to your pristine starting point.
Want the big screen experience? Try… YouTube
The big screen experience you can find at the movie theater is incredible – you get a vision-filling image and full surround sound that immerses you in the events unfolding onscreen. And thanks to your new Quest 2 headset, you can enjoy a similar experience right in the comfort of your immediate surroundings, thanks to a variety of VR Video apps.
Of them, YouTube is my favorite. For one thing, it's free; it also doesn’t feel like an unfinished project like a few of the other video apps you’ll find at the Quest store (*cough* Netflix and Prime Video *cough*). Open up the app, pick a video from a content creator you love, and kick back as their videos play out on a ginormous virtual screen.
If you’re looking for some videos to start with, I can’t recommend the comedy show Taskmaster enough; the show’s official YouTube account is home to several full seasons where you can watch top-class comedians compete in ridiculous challenges for free in this virtual home cinema.
Also try…
Virtual Desktop isn’t a perfect app but it does offer a reliable way for you to wirelessly sync your PC and Quest 2 and enjoy everything your desktop is capable of while in VR. You can boot up a film from one of the best streaming services, jump into one of the best PC games, or just enjoy browsing the internet as the content floats in front of you on an absolutely massive virtual display.
