How are you planning to enjoy Star Wars Day (aka May the 4th) this year? If you ask us one of the best ways is to slip on your Oculus Quest 2 and enjoy one of the many excellent VR Star Wars experiences out there.
Sure, you could celebrate Star Wars Day the ‘normal' way. You could kick back to a marathon of the Star Wars movies in order, finally catch up on The Mandalorian season 3, or enjoy the new Jedi: Survivor game on your PS5; but none of these can transport you to a galaxy far, far away quite as well an immersive VR game or app.
Here are four of our favorite Star Wars VR experiences on the Quest 2 (and Quest Pro) that are perfect for May the 4th.
Vader Immortal
What better way is there to celebrate May the 4th than by playing a game series named for the franchise’s (and perhaps pop culture’s) most iconic villain: Darth Vader.
Vader Immortal is a three-part adventure has you play the role of a smuggler exploring the fiery world of Mustafar that Vader calls home. To survive your adventure through Vader’s fortress you’ll have to hone your lightsaber skills and force abilities in order to take down the enemies that stand in your way.
Vader Immortal is an incredibly fun, albeit somewhat brief and far from fault-free, Star Wars VR experience. The lightsaber combat feels and sounds just like you want it to, and using the force is a tad clunky but a dream come true for everyone who’s ever tried (and failed) to pull an out-of-reach object closer by extending their hand and willing it towards them.
If you want to celebrate Star Wars Day with Vader Immortal then we have some good news: right now the trilogy is on sale on the Quest Store. So if you don’t already own the story on your Oculus Quest 2 or Meta Quest Pro this is a fantastic time to pick it up.
Supernatural
If you’re in the US and want to add some Star Wars flare to your workout today, then the VR fitness app Supernatural has you covered with its Star Wars Day Flow workout featuring iconic tracks from a galaxy far, far away.
In a workout led by Coach Doc, you’ll have to move your body – smashing through and dodging obstacles that fly towards you – in time to Star War’s Main Title, the Cantina Band, and the Imperial March (as well as other well-known music from the franchise).
If you aren’t in the US or don’t want to subscribe to Supernatural then you might want to instead try Beat Saber.
While it doesn’t have any Star Wars-inspired levels, Beat Saber is another VR app that can help you feel like a Jedi this Star Wars Day. The red and blue laser swords you wield to slash through blocks in time to music very reminiscent of lightsabers – that’s why we often call this game “Star Wars meets Guitar Hero.” It’s an absolute blast, and one of the best VR games out there.
Star Wars Pinball VR
While Star Wars Pinball VR won’t have you feeling like a Jedi or an elite Mandalorian bounty hunter it’s nevertheless one of our absolute favorite VR games. Yes, it lacks the adventure you’ll find in Vader Immortal, and the blood-pumping workouts offered by Supernatural and Beat Saber, but it offers a superb pinball experience – and that’s more than good enough for us.
Star Wars Pinball brings the iconic digital cabinets that Zen Studios have crafted over the years and reimagines them in VR. Older Star Wars fans can enjoy classic cabinets inspired by the original trilogy, while fans of more modern Star Wars shows can enjoy levels based on The Mandalorian and Rebels.
The cabinets are a blast and full of a lot of depth that will take a fair amount of time – and skill – to fully explore, but if you ever get tired of playing the ten tables normally you can explore the Career mode. This alternate game mode has you take on challenges that can force you to mix up your gameplay style – and help you develop your pinball skills.
Zen Studios has taken full advantage of the virtual medium. You won’t just see lights flash and words appear on the small screen in front of you as you would on a normal pinball machine; these digital cabinets also feature characters and ships that interact with your game and help to make the tables feel alive.
Just don’t forget that the pinball machine isn’t real – we’ve nearly fallen over a few times because we’ve tried to lean on the virtual cabinets.
Best of all, as with Vader Immortal, Star Wars Pinball is currently on sale in the Quest Store as part of this year’s Star Wars Day celebrations.
YouTube
The other options on this list are paid VR experiences, but there are thankfully some free options out there to help you celebrate Star Wars Day on a budget.
If you have a Quest 2 and the YouTube app downloaded you can find a bunch of 360-degree videos from official Star Wars channels and fans that put you in the center of the action. Just remember that they won't be as interactive as adventure games like Vader Immortal or a Supernatural workout.
Admittedly, the ILMxLAB-made videos are fairly short – the droid one above, its Solo 360 video, and its Rogue One 360 video are roughly two minutes long each – but you don’t have to pay anything to enjoy them.
