In today’s world, many people don’t have the time to relax because their lives are so busy. This is where virtual reality can help, removing the travelling needed to find amazing nature experiences, as well as the cost. The nature experiences that I’ve listed below are one of one the best selection of nature experiences that you can experience with current VR technology. All of these games cost around the same as a meal deal in your local convenience store, but offer so much more. If you’re looking for solutions to become less stressed with the help of VR, then you’ve come to the right place.
10. Nature TreksVR
Nature TreksVR takes players to virtual worlds full of life in alternative creative worlds. There’s over 60 different animals, the ability to explore the world, control of both the weather and time of day, 15 environments, and over 500 locations that span across 10km. This is a wonderful game to help users escape into a world of relaxation at a low price of £7.99. Current players praise the game for it’s realism, so I highly recommend checking this one out. The developers are also working on a more modern version of the game, and will be releasing it in December 2021. This game comes with a lot more features and environments for users to explore, so I’d suggest that you add it to your wishlist on Steam if you haven’t already.
9. Sphaeres
Sphaeres takes VR users to the real world, allowing them to explore 360 videos of amazing places all over the world. Their high quality 360 cameras. Interestingly, each experience has to be bought separately for £0.79, which isn’t a bad deal for the content and footage that you receive. It also appears as though they have an abundance of experiences for users to try, so go have a look if you want to see the Sunrise Serenity or travel through London in it’s iconic spots.
8. National Geographic Explore VR
This game does everything it says it does, allowing users to explore two iconic locations on earth. While exploring the amazing place of Antarctica, you’re given a job of finding a lost emperor penguin colony. The game requires players to climb massive ice shelves and survive raging snowstorms in order to find this lost colony. Or, players can visit Machu Picchu, Peru and explore digital constructions of the Inca citadel. The game has received a lot of positive reviews on the Oculus Quest store and is considered a family favourite for many. I would certainly check out this game if you’re looking for some amazing views.
7. ecosphere
Despite being a collection of 360 videos, ecosphere boasts the best video quality around and strives on making users feel immersed, unlike many of the 360 videos that one can find on Youtube. Players can explore a multitude of locations, such as the great savannahs of Kenya, the rich coral reefs of Raja Ampat, or travel through the ancient jungles of Borneo. Players also get to meet elephants, orangutans, and even manta rays! I for one would check out this game, especially as it’s free on the Oculus store and receives regular updates.
6. Olympia in VR
For users who own an Oculus Go or have Gear VR, I suggest checking out Olympia in VR. This digital reconstruction of Greece has players exploring the Olympic Stadium, the Temple of Hera and the Temple of Zeus. Players can also explore other monuments and buildings, using teleportation to roam the small city. It’s a great historical tool too because of its factual content, and the developers have clearly mentioned that every detail has been researched, approved, and is backed-up by archaeological evidence. This makes the game great for those looking to visit or study about ancient Greece, but don’t expect amazing visuals as the game suffers from poor lighting in open areas.
5. Rome Reborn: The Pantheon
This game is a digital reconstruction of ancient Rome, focusing on the ancient city and Pantheon. Players get to explore both the forecourt and sanctuary, learning about the decoration, history, and design of the place, as well as the people who once lived within it. Despite only being available on the Oculus Go and Quest 2, it’s a great Nature experience for those looking to travel back in time and understand the history of Ancient Rome.
4. Lights over Lapland
This VR experience is a five-minute experience that lets users watch a series of amazingly high-quality 360-degree videos. From starting in an ice hotel that’s located in Abisko national park, the player is transported by sleigh to Arctic forests near the base of Mount Nuolja. From here, users can watch timelapses of the Northern lights as they pass overhead. Users can view the Northern Lights from Iceland, Yamal, Russia, and in Norway. All from the comfort of your home.
3. Gala360 – Travel & Relax
A popular app for the Oculus Go, users can see professional 6K resolution 360 photos and 5K 360 relaxation videos that show the beauties of the world from an insane number of locations. With more than 300 tours, many of which are free, users can visit countlessly interesting places without ever leaving their room. Gala360 also allows users to walk around in some of their tours, and each tour provides interesting information and stories to help educate users. This free app is a must for nature lovers!
2. Nature Treks: Together
This game is one of the best virtual and fully customizable VR nature experiences that will truly blow you away. Designed around creating a world of peace and relaxation, users can explore handcrafted worlds with up to 16 users. Users can get up close with virtual animals and insects and have the power to spawn any natural object that they desire to make each environment their own. In part, the game was developed with the UK government to help those who have suffered isolation or emotional trauma as a result of the covid pandemic and is a wonderful game to help people relax in our stressful world without having to actually travel anywhere.
1. Relax with nature
Relax with nature is a gorgeous app that has a handful of 360 videos for users to relax in. Designed around meditation, users get to enjoy the scenes while listening to high-quality sounds from the environment or listen to quiet music in the background. For £2.29, the game’s price and purpose is excellent for people who have stressful lives. However, many users have complained that they cannot get rid of the virtual buttons once in the scene, taking away their immersion. Other users are also complaining that you only get 4 minutes of video for each scene, making the experiences short and frustrating. The developer is working on fixes though, so the app should work just fine now.
