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.
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, another of 2014'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
For a lot of people, ironically, this gem flew under the radar. 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.