The world of virtual reality is quickly growing in both mechanics and scale, with new and old franchises finding a mechanical upgrade in the next dimension of entertainment. Some of the biggest titles of the century have already found their way onto VR-ready computers, with the already impressive worlds of Fallout 4 and Skyrim becoming even more breathtaking with the unprecedented depth available now.
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With the popularity of Half-Life: Alyx, and the continuous impressive leaps the Vive is making on audiences with its new mechanics, it's no surprise companies are vouching to adapt their biggest games to the new platform. Even companies like Google are investing in bold new tools and applications that make the use of virtual reality spaces, posing developers with the question of where the boundaries lay in this new medium. For now, those boundaries are still pretty vast, and there are plenty of examples of envelope-pushing open-world experiences available for those looking to fill their VR library.
Updated July 19th, 2021 by Stephen LaGioia: With gaming technology and hardware continuing to make great strides, game developers increasingly see fit to add greater depth, scale, and immersion to their titles.VR remains an optimal avenue to explore this. Sleeker visuals, smoother framerates, and dynamic effects offered by PC gaming as well as new gaming consoles provide a sturdy foundation for increasingly rich open-world VR games. With the rising prominence of sandbox romps in addition to VR gaming, it seemed sensible to refresh this list and inject even more epic open-world titles that utilize virtual reality.
15 Iron Man VR
When it comes to superhero properties, Marvel's renowned Iron Man seems well suited and well equipped to complement the first-person immersion of VR, and this shooter from Camouflaj certainly answers the call.
Players will wear the iconic iron suit and take to the skies in an exhilarating ride through global locales, while gunning for the villain Ghost and her combat drones. Though hardly the most in-depth sandbox romp, Iron Man VR shines for its thrilling action, free-roaming exploration, and satisfying shooter gameplay. Add this to the sleek visuals, fluid animation, and smooth, detailed controls— and the result is a terrific showcase of the PSVR's tech.
14 LA Noire: The VR Case Files
While standing as a subset of L.A. Noire, this VR-supported variant nonetheless proves a deep, enthralling adventure that fits the game's gritty, realistic style like a glove. The nine-hour romp holds seven of the game's crackable cases courtesy of the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
Directly interacting with the various objects at Detective Phelps' disposal feels more immersive than ever, further roping players into this gripping neo-noir. From driving the streets of 1940s LA, to intense fistfights, to simple notebook sketching—the mechanics and interface superbly mesh with the nuanced hand movements of the VR controllers.
13 The Solus Project
This spiritual successor to 2010's The Ball takes the first-person adventure elements of that game and dials up the scale and intensity with some tough survival gameplay. In this open-world VR journey, players take the reigns of a lone astronaut who sets out to save humanity after crash-landing on a mysterious alien planet. Using nearby resources and one's own wits, the goal is to seek out a colony to ensure mankind's survival, and to live to fight another day.
Exploring this wondrous foreign planet will reveal secrets of an unknown alien civilization, along with various items and unique areas that will be critical for crafting and survival. The realistic, tactile feel of the VR experience only enhances The Solus Project's intense, atmospheric nature.
12 Stormland
Dual-wielding shooters can be enjoyable as is—but add some deep, fluid VR controls into the mix, and the result can really be a blast. Enter this sci-fi action romp from famed studio Insomniac Games. This game shines as one of the Oculus Rift's best demonstrations on the market, particularly when it comes to the smooth, dynamic movement in-game.
Players assume the role of an android gardener named Vesper, whose humble duties are interrupted by an attacking alien faction called The Temptest. Equipped with amusing gadgets and futuristic weapons, players will shoot, jet, and climb their way through lavish open-world environments. The innovative gameplay and mechanics of this FPS are only further highlighted by the intuitive VR setup.
11 Skyrim
At least when it comes to first-person combat and exploration, Bethesda's famed RPG epic proves a terrific fit for the immersive, motion-based controls of VR. At the same time, the lush, expansive worlds of Skyrim truly pop when laced with a VR headset, which grants a gripping cinematic experience.
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The standalone VR port of Skyrim ensures that little gets lost in the translation with the drastically different input and viewscreen. Simply wandering about the vast landscapes proves awe-inspiring, with the headset enhancing the immersion of this already rich adventure. Though it may lack the sharp, solid feel of traditional controls—those who favor the epic, cinematic qualities of this RPG should find plenty of value in this VR variant.
10 Subnautica
2014, it seems, was one of the better years for the survival genre, boasting the hit release of not only Subnautica, but also The Long Dark, Unturned, and The Forest. This is one of the more long-lasting titles on the list, and it's easy to see why with the bright, vivid underwater landscapes, creative design choices, and the usual addictive gameplay the genre is famous for.
Now, the simultaneous beauty and horror of Subnautica's world is all the better with its new VR support.
9 The Forest
After falling out of relevance for a while, one of the decade's hit survival games The Forest is back with a much welcomed VR adaptation. The game's beautiful environments and horrific enemies become the perfect surroundings to a perfectly addicting survivor sim, and it looks better than ever (albeit still a bit clumsy) with the new support.
For anyone looking for a more gritty pairing to games like Subnautica, this may be a good time to try The Forest.
8 Minecraft
For having been around as long as it has, Minecraft is still more alive than ever, with numerous large-scale updates in the queue and a never-ending well of community content.
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Mojang's indie hit reached new heights with Vivecraft, a full support virtual reality mod that lets players bring their creations into a new and impressive scale. The controls and accessibility make it a lot better, with Vive's 1:1 movement and room-wide free motion and shader support.
7 Microsoft Flight Simulator
This gem ironically flew under the radar for quite a few people. For others, Microsoft Flight Simulator was one of the best sims of 2020 for its extraordinary depth and the inherent peacefulness of flying through a photo-real virtual Earth.
In VR, this game is absolutely breathtaking, especially when taking into account the various environmental effects and utter detail put into the landscapes.
6 No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky's rags-to-riches development story reached a new plateau with the game's VR support, giving players a new perspective into their "too good to be true" procedural galactic systems.
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With the absolute diversity of NMS' biology paired with vivid visuals, it's hard to pass up the opportunity to try this game with new hardware. While the addition of VR doesn't add much new to the formula, the game still benefits from the added depth. For those who can afford the setup, VR can amp up the experience quite a bit.
5 Into The Radius
Into the Radius is yet another virtual Slavic adaptation of the classic novel Roadside Picnic, known for its inspiration of titles like Metro, Stalker, and Annihilation. This adaptation, however, adds a much more surrealist pitch to the common "brown shooter" game genre, using its rust-dust-and-guts aesthetic to highlight some vividly colored and abstract horror elements.
Fans of the aforementioned series will likely find themselves intrigued with this new version of "the zone," and the inconceivable atrocities it presents.
4 Thief Simulator
The sandbox Thief Simulator is an interesting addition to the stealth genre, allowing players more freedom and options for pulling their ultimate heist. With a whole neighborhood at their slippery fingertips, players will have to collect intel and stack their tactics just right to pull off the perfect robbery.
The addition of VR to the formula adds a lot more tension when the titular thieves find themselves in a tight spot on the verge of being discovered.
3 Falcon Age
Falcon Age became a pretty quick hit on Twitter after playing up to the "Can You Pet It" crowd popularized by fun gimmick accounts. Instead of the usual dog companion, however, Falcon Age hands players an adorable avian friend, complete with customizable clothing and a much more in-depth bonding system (with a dedicated pet button, of course).
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The game itself is a fun little anti-colonialist adventure, with solid visuals and some gorgeously implemented bird physics (as goofy as that may sound).
2 Google Earth VR
Akin to Jon Bois' 17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future, Google Earth VR is a fun, surrealistic journey across the most open-world there is: Earth.
With the inclusion of both "freefly mode" and "streetview," Google Earth VR is an interesting take on casual gaming. It's not exactly a game in its own right, instead opting to take a more meditative look at experiencing the world at large, much like Microsoft Flight Simulator. Flying across mountainscapes and walking through random alleys across the world is often a lot more fun than it might seem.
1 Modbox
In the rush of VR integration, not a lot of games take into account how fun the technical sandbox formula is with new hardware. Where apps like Kingspray and Tilt Brush push the artistic envelope, Modbox is sort of a breakout experimental system on-par with what Garry's Mod was to PC users in the early 2000s.
Modbox allows players tools to create and explore with their own game mechanics in an open sandbox, with several pre-made examples that give players a fun experience with their friends, including an asymmetrical titan-battle mode.