Last year VRFocus published the ‘The Best Oculus Quest Games To Introduce to VR Newcomers‘ a handy guide for those looking to showcase how good standalone virtual reality (VR) is, without the dreaded worry of causing any nausea. Quite a few titles have been released since then, as well as more owners of the headset. So here’s a little update with one big difference, none of these experiences cost you anything.
For simplicities sake all of the these have been taken from the Oculus Store. Thanks to Oculus Link and SideQuest there are more options available but these require extra steps (and hardware) which you may not want or have.
Elixir
The Oculus Quest is the only consumer VR headset with built-in hand tracking so you definitely want to test that out, right? Then take a look at Elixir, a magical title allowing you to teleport, pick up items and make spells all with your hands. Elixir isn’t very long but hey it is free.
Half + Half
A delightful multiplayer videogame, Half + Half offers five tranquil spaces for you to connect with friends or meet some new people. These spaces include swimming in the ocean or taking to the skies in a glider.
Felix & Paul Studios
An app full of 360-degree videos, Felix & Paul Studios have work with all sorts of artists to create these wonderfully fascinating and entertaining films. Get right in the middle of a Cirque du Soleil performance or step into the White with President Barack Obama.
The Under Presents
An immersive theatre experience, The Under Presents offers a free demo so you can see what theatre in VR is like. Want to delve further and see the Tempest with actual live actors (until the end of Sept 2020) then you’ll need to buy a ticket. One of the more innovative titles here.
Bait!
Actually an older VR videogame back from the era of Samsung Gear VR when 3DoF controls were all they had, developer Resolution Games reinvigorated this fishing title for Oculus Quest. Bait! offers a comfortable single-player experience where you can catch fish in several locations, improve your gear and put your feet up.
Puppet Fever
Essentially VR charades, Puppet Fever is a local multiplayer party title where the VR player has to describe a word or phase using a selection of items as if they were creating a puppet show. While everyone else (via a mobile companion app) has to guess what the hell the VR player is trying to illustrate.
Echo VR
Currently, in open beta, Echo VR is definitely the most intense VR experience on this list, as it involves online multiplayer and zero-g environments. In an arena, two teams battle it out to score points using a disc. Float through the environment and grab hold of obstacles to fling yourself from. Still in development so there may be some bugs, this gets you close to what VR is about.
Rec Room
Another multiplayer-style game, Rec Room is more of a social experience where you can hang out, customise your look and then jump into loads of mini-games like paintball. You can also create your own room and explore thousands of others.
