In today’s world, fitness has forever become a necessity of life. But no one said that fitness had to be boring, especially nowadays where there are fitness games which have very little resemblance to actual physical exercise, benefitting players greatly as they don’t even realise that they’re getting fit from playing these games. To help get more people active, I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 best VR exercise games that are fun for all ages.
10. PowerBeatsVR (Windows)
PowerBeatsVR is a new VR exercise game, being released in November 2020, and offers an extreme workout for players of all body types and ages. Players are required to see their hand to punch and dodge obstacles in time with the music. There’s a large variety of interesting maps, from Space, high above the clouds, or inside a sandstorm! A nice touch for this game is that players can load up their own songs to give the game a unique level. A few users are complaining that the game is centred around cardio, but that’s to be expected seeing as there’s a lot of squatting and punching. Personally, I would highly recommend getting this game if you want a good workout, especially as it supports both standing and room-scale support for VR. The game is also well known for its awards:
- DIVR Award 2019 – Special Category Spots
- 3x Finalist in the “VR Fitness Insider Awards 2019”
- 2x Finalist in the “VR Fitness Insider Awards 2020” within the categories:
- Best VR Fitness Game of the Year
- Best Cardio VR Fitness Game of the Year
9. Sprint Vector (Windows, Oculus, PS4)
Sprint Vector trailer
Sprint Vector has a new take on fitness in VR and is a combination of both Mario Kart and parkour. The game requires users to use their entire body to run, climb, zip, dodge, jump, drift, fling, fly, and shoot in order to beat your opponents. Players also have access to up to 8 player games in multiplayer but can also have fun offline in custom solo games. The game does lack in racetracks, with only 12 ever being made and released, but they are long, exciting, and varied enough for hours of exercise and fun. The game also has quite a difficult learning curve, but I see this benefiting a good portion of gamers who want a challenge in learning how to become a master at different games.
8. Beat Saber (Oculus, PS4, Windows)
Beat Saber is one of the more costlier VR games, but it’s giant community and amazing variety of songs make it a great workout game that really makes you feel as though you’re living inside a music video… as a ninja. The aim of the game is to slash flying notes which are flying at you, and to stay in time with the music to score the highest score possible. Released in 2019, it has to be one of the most popular VR fitness games out there, mainly for it’s impressive visuals and exciting gameplay. If you own a VR headset, you have to get Beat Saber.
7. Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR (PS4, Windows, Oculus Quest, Oculus Go)
If you’re in the mood for some table tennis, then look no further! Racket Fury is one of the greatest table tennis games to come to VR, and is referred by experienced players as a “very polished table tennis game”. In single player, you face off against 16 opponents in 4 different cups, with each rapidly increasing in difficulty. Sadly though, the community for this game is slowly fading which is making online matchmaking difficult. If you’ve got a few friends who own VR headsets though, I highly encourage you to all purchase this game as it would make a great virtual exercise game to play with friends.
6. Until You Fall (PS4, Windows)
Until you Fall puts you in the feet of a magical world wherein you must fight, block, dodge, and cast spells on monsters in order to become the champion of Rokar! The game has an interesting assortment of weapons to aid you in your quest, and also interestingly incorporates synthwave soundtracks with the game. The game is also great for any sort of play area that readers may have, since the game supports both seated, standing, and room-scale play areas. Until You Fall has also been awarded seven prestigious awards from a variety of sources, making it a top and unique game that you seriously need to check out if you’re looking for something different!
5. The Climb 2 (Oculus)
The Climb 2 is an exhilarating experience for all players, mainly because you’re left dangling off of ledges with nothing but your arms to navigate trickier peaks, vast skyscrapers, as well as caves. Being the sequel to the infamous “The Climb”, The Climb 2 adds highly requested features, and has removed all of the quirks from the first game. This rock-climbing game is perfect for anyone who wants to try out a new hobby! If you’re looking for a game that borders on simulation and arcade physics, whilst also only being single player (there is an online leader board though), then this game is a must!
4. Ninja Legends (Oculus, PS4, Windows)
Ninja Legends is a wonderful archery-focused game where players must fight off samurai with swords and arrows. Users can play the game either sitting down, standing, or in a room-scale setup. This game is great for fitness due to its intense movement required, which can get fairly tiring after just a few minutes. If you fancy fighting enemies on classic Chinese roofs, or want to get away from rhythm games that all seem to copy each other? I fully recommend this game to you.
3. Path of the Warrior (Oculus Quest, Windows)
Path of the Warrior, released in late 2019, is a classic spin on the Beat ‘em Up genre, requiring the player to save Rage City from an overwhelming number of thugs. It’s silly arcade style shouldn’t fall you, however, because it’s still a great workout for anyone that’s looking to rid the streets from danger. While the game is mostly focused on single player, users can also have a co-op experience, making this a wonderful game if one of your friends or family members also have a VR headset. But, some players have reported motion sickness due to the high movement when fighting thugs, so don’t play this if you get queasy from movement. You’ve been warned.
2. Audica (PS4, Oculus Quest, Windows)
Audica is another rhythm game, but this one involves guns. Players must shoot and smash targets in time with the music to gain a high score, and must be quick as these objects which have to be shot can come from nearly any direction! Being one of the more modern releases it has seen a lot of success and support from the VR community, with a lot saying how much of a great workout this game has been for them. It’s sadly only a single player game though, but for the price of £22.99, it’s got a lot of content to keep players happy for a fair while.
1. OhShape (Oculus, Windows)
OhShape has to be my all-time favourite VR fitness game! It supports custom songs, and has users matching the poses of the wall coming towards them to fit through the walls. The game will have your whole body moving, and is great fun for all the family. One other thing that I like about this game is the great selection of gameplay settings to finetune your experience. Sadly though, there’s only four difficult levels and a large report from new VR users saying that they are experiencing a lot of motion sickness because of the game’s fast movements. You need to check it out though, I think you’ll find it to be a great VR fitness game that you’ll put hours upon hours into.
