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Check out our review of the Oculus Quest if you want to learn more about the Virtual Reality Headset.
UPDATED: April 2020
The Oculus Quest is a wonderful device. An all in one VR headset that let’s users put it on and engage in virtual realty games and apps anywhere they can find just a little bit of space. The fact that the Quest requires no cords or cameras to work means that even old VR games and apps that you may have played before are given new life.
Here are ten of the best app experiences I have had in the Oculus Quest. Check these out if you are a new Quest owner or a current one just looking for something new to spend your time with.
Arizona Sunshine
Arizona Sunshine is no Half Life Alyx or even The Walking Dead Saints and Sinners which is coming to the Quest later in 2020, what Sunshine is however is an engrossing, well written, and fun full fledged VR shooter experience which is still somewhat rare on the Quest.
You take on the role of a lone survivor who is searching for any kind of other human life in the world. The game is roughly about 5 hours long but the campaign has some nice replayability and there are some other modes of plays such as co-op throughout the entire campaign and a horde mode.
If you want to play through a game with a full fledge story, some fun shooting mechanics, and a virtual world that allows fora little explorations, Arizona Sunshine has you covered in all those areas.
Poker Stars VR
Whether you are a poker veteran or a person who has never played a hand of poker in their life, Poker Stars VR is an incredibly relaxing, fun, and engaging virtual reality experience.
Prepare to jump into a virtual world where you will play with other real life players at the poker table and vie for everyone else’s poker chips! Poker Stars features Texas Hold’em poker, and even though playing the game of poker can be fun enough in itself, interacting with people at the table adds even more enjoyment to the whole experience.
Even the little things like looking at your cards, tossing away a bad hand, playing with your chips, playing around with the various props you can unlock, all add to the overall joy it is to play this game. Best of all Poker Stars VR is free so there is no excuse not to check it out if you own a Oculus Quest.
Superhot VR
Pretty much everyone will suggest this game to VR users and for good reason. Superhot is one of the greatest VR games of all time. Part action game, part puzzler, the main loop of this game is to go from stage to stage eliminating the enemy by shooting them with guns or throwing objects at them.
The catch is that when you move, the world moves. So if you stay still things move at a very slow pace. When I say the world moves, that means everything, enemies and objects suspended in the air (including bullets). The fun and strategy comes into play here as you try to find the best way to approach each stage.
What makes the game so amazing on the Oculus Quest is that without any wires holding you back, you can fully engage with the Superhot world. Duck down way low or even get on the floor to avoid that shotgun blast, spin away with a full 360 turn, walk to the other side of the room to get a slightly different vantage point.
Fewer games can be so challenging while also making you feel so cool. Play Superhot on the Quest as soon as you can, you will not regret it and if you are still on the fence, there is a free demo for you to check out.
Gun Club VR
A new edition to this list and a game that absolutely took me by surprise. I enjoy shooting enemies in gaming as much as the next guy but I have never considered myself a gun fanatic. I don’t know gun models, I have only fired a gun once in my life, I just have never taken a huge interest.
Gun Club just never really appealed to me because I felt like it wa a game simply for people who loved guns. After a couple of strong recommendations I decided to give it a buy. After 15 minutes of playing the game I felt like a complete fool for passing up on it for all of these months.
Simply put, Gun Club is one of the most entertaining games I have played in VR, ever. The realism in Gun Club is off the charts! The weapons look really good and the environments are well done to match. The Quest hardware is really utilized well and it makes the game look and feel like you are really on a range.
The detail they have put into every weapons is astounding, you actually learn how to charge, reload, and fire every gun you use in the game. As someone who isn’t a big gun fan I found myself really immersed in the minutiae of each weapon I purchased.
Gun Club makes it easy for it’s users to fall in love with their guns. You can buy attachments and upgrades for all of them, customizing them the way you want them, tweaking them now and then to try and get a higher score on a shooting course.
The amount of content in this game is a huge positie, there are dozens of guns that can each be taken through many shooting courses. After each course you are scored on time, reload efficiency, and accuracy. It’s a great game for chasing scores and playing in small bursts here and there.
Time and time again people told me that Gun Club VR was a must play game on the Quest and I brushed it off, now I am one of those people telling others to give it a shot. If you have even a passing interest in guns and shooting things with them, there is a lot of fun to be found in this game.
Oculus Venues
Oculus Venues is really cool and something I have only recently started to check out. Nearly every week they have some type of event going on. Typically right now, that’s a stand up comedy show, musical concert, or NBA game.
You get to watch these events for free, with a live audience of other VR users or by yourself if you prefer. My favorite thing so far is the NBA games, it’s really cool to see these athletes playing in virtual reality, sometimes you get camera angles that put you right on the floor with in games and you can really get an appreciation for the speed and size of the players playing the game.
The comedy shows are a good time as well as you can laugh along with other VR users and enjoying seeing sets and discovering new comedians and seeing some popular ones at the same time. Venues seems to be expanding and adding more events as time goes on, download the free app and add some events to your calendar and see what Venues has to offer.
BigScreen VR Cinema (Beta)
As of the time of writing this article, social distancing is going on all over the world. One of the biggest things I miss doing is going to the movie theater, kicking back, and enjoying a feature film on the silver screen.
BigScreenVR offers just that, what separates it from something like Prime Video VR or Netflix though is that Big Screen also offers up a social experience. You can watch movies and TV shows with crowds of people who you can talk and interact with.
If you want to enjoy your movie in silence, you can do that too. BigScreenVR has also recently cut a deal with Paramount Studios, through this deal users can buy tickets to weekly movie screenings. So far most of these movies are older or classic titles but hopefully some newer titles start to get offered in the future, particularly because most movie theaters in the US are shut down right now.
When you purchase a movie to watch from Paramount the picture quality is really good, about what you could expect to see on the excellent Amazon Prime VR app. The theater experience provided in this section of the app is top notch with other paying customers in attendance, pre show trailers, and sometimes short behind the scenes or related features before the movie begins.
Another aspect of BigscreenVR that is not readily apparent is how much of a machine for social interactivity it can be. The Big Screen Cinema lobby is a place where users gather to chit chat and hang out. Also, users can screen their own movies, tv shows, or games to smaller audiences. You can often times find some of the latest DVD releases being streamed by users through their computers though the quality of the user screenings can vary.
Lastly, Bigscreen also offers some 24/7 channels to watch. Some examples are the James Bond screening room which just shows Bond movies, Pluto TV, marathons of certain shows, and a room or two of classic movies. There are lots of options at your disposal.
You can watch BigScreenVR movies socially with strangers and friends but you always have the option to go it solo as well. For most of us BigScreenVR is as close as we are going to get to going to the movies any time soon and that’s why I had to add it to this list.
VR Chat
VRchat is a weird and wonderful place that has been around for years. There is really no way to accurately describe it, it is its own thing. Maybe the best way to put it is like the virtual reality world Oasis featured in the book and film Ready Player One.
VRChat is an app that lets players go online as avatars and interact with others. There is LOTS to do. You can play games, sit in on seminars, watch talent shows, take part in contests, or just sit back and have conversations.
The Oculus Quest version has some minor drawbacks from the version found on more powerful VR headsets but a lot of the charm and fun of VRchat is still available to Quest users.
People are organizing events every week. There seems to be dozens of things going on all the time. The creativity of the people who frequent VRchat is astounding. The world inside has really taken on a life of its own.
VRchat has an extensive list of all the events that go on every day. There is seriously a lot happening in this virtual world, check out some of the events going on and see if there isn’t something you can’t sink your teeth into.
Thrill of the Fight
This is hands down my favorite app on the Oculus Quest. We have a full in depth review but I will sum up what makes this game great here. If you are a boxing or combat sports fan, Thrill of the Fight is a must play gaming experience.
The big requirement is that you will need a room scale space to really enjoy this game, I use my garage as I don’t have an empty room big enough, but when you find that space, you essentially turn that area into a boxing ring.
Thrill of the Fight is an intense, cardio heavy, boxing simulation experience that provides so much entertainment it’s crazy that it only costs $10. Through this game you can play hours of challenging boxing that will have you sweating and getting a good workout while still being fun.
Thrill of the Fight is fantastic wish fulfillment for those of us who have fantasized about being a prize fighter but never had the desire to get hit. There are not many better ways to have fun while also getting in a great work out in my mind, Thrill of the Fight is a must have game.
Beat Saber
Beat Saber is at the top of probably every virtual reality must play games list. I almost didn’t include it here because it is such an obvious choice. Upon further reflection, it’s an obvious choice for good reason. Beat Saber is simply one the most basic yet best games you can play anywhere.
Learning how to play is easy, simply hit the correct blocks with the correct swiping motion. The game gets incredibly difficult depending of the pace of the song and the difficulty selected.
Beat Saber is like a combination of dance and reflexes. Your brain has to process what is coming at you on screen and your body has to get the signal and react fast enough to match the proper beats.
What makes this game remarkable is that if you keep at it, very quickly you will see how your mind and body just naturally begins to form this synergy–where you get to a point where you are barely even consciously thinking about the movements you are making. That’s being in the Beat Saber zone, and it’s remarkably fun.
Pistol Whip
Similar to Beat Saber, Pistol Whip is a high energy rhythm game. Instead of slashing through the air with your sabers though, Pistol Whip has you dispatching countless waves of enemies to fantastically fun music.
An on rails action shooter at it’s heart, Pistol Whip is slightly reminiscent of old school arcade shooters. Few arcade shooters have been this exciting or make you feel as unabashedly cool while playing as this game.
Pistol Whip takes some of the best aspects of virtual reality games and adds them together to deliver a frenetically fun experience all its own. Please do yourself the favor of checking this one out, it’s a great game to show off the capabilities of the Oculus Quest and get friends hooked into VR.
Amazon Prime Video VR
Alright, Amazon Prime Videos, many of you already have a subscription to this service and watch it regularly. The VR version doesn’t add too much but the way Amazon presents their programs in VR is better than others.
Compared to say Netflix on the Oculus Quest, Prime Video’s quality is really high. The images come across very clean and I really enjoy the theater setting you can sit in.
In Prime Video it really does give you the illusion of being in a move theater when you watch video content. Having that singular big screen focus is a welcome reprieve now and then from watching content on the tv at home. Quest lets you shut the outside world off completely and simply focus on the film at hand.
With the recent updates to the Quest headset that allow you to use it in the dark you can kick back, lay down, and enjoy a movie or tv show at your leisure any time. You no longer have to pay 15 bucks to get a theater like experience.
Vader Immortal
I’m going to be straight up, Vader Immortal is not my favorite Quest game. I do like it and being a Star Wars fan makes the experience even more enjoyable, but I think there are several games that more fun available on the device.
It’s getting included in this list however because it is a technical marvel and the prototype for what games can be on the Oculus Quest. Vader Immortal is an experience. You take on the role of a nomad pilot and quickly you discover there is more to them than meets the eye.
Throughout the journey, you will have several interactions with Darth Vader himself, which is more cooler than you will probably initially think. If you are a Star Wars fan, seeing Darth Vader up close and personal is an eerie experience.
The real highlight of this game for me is the lightsaber dojo where you play through several timed mini games to hone your lightsaber and force power skills. At $10 a pop per episode, Vader Immortal is absolutely worth checking out, even if you just get the first episode and stop there.
Real VR Fishing
You want to talk about a zen virtual reality experience, Real VR Fishing on the Quest is surprisingly just that. I’m not a huge fisher in real life, in fact I have only gone a handful of times in recent years. Real VR fishing makes me we want to do the real thing though because it is just so darn relaxing.
The visuals in this game are incredible. They don’t title this game REAL VR Fishing for nothing. They used real photos and images to bring real world locations to the game. You fish on real bodies of water and catch real fish.
The fishing itself is not a full on simulation, it’s quite easy on default settings but the game does a wonderful job of making you feel like you are really out there capturing fish.
There is a custom soundtrack features that lets you import any downloaded music you have. You can also just listen to the naturally beautiful sounds of each location that play in the background.
This game is a good time, a really chill experience you can sit back and relish in. More content is being added to the game in the near future and players will continually have more areas to fish and enjoy as 2020 rolls on.
The Possibilities on the Oculus Quest are Endless
The Quest is just a year old and it’s already one of the top VR headsets on the market. The hardware has been selling out frequently with retailers and Oculus has struggled to meet demand. That means that developers see a lot of potential on the device and the support that it gets shows.
2019 was a great year in the Quest’s run and 2020 looks to be even better. More games and apps are dropping every week and if you have some suggestions for apps you think everyone should know about, leave them in the comments below.
Let’s shift demographics for a moment to much older and younger new users or those reticent about trying on the Quest. For the older groups, I suggest NatureTreksVR and Wander, the latter to visit favourite world locations or childhood homes. For young, Henry has just been ported to the Quest, and also suggested is The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets.
Excellent suggestions Les! Thank you for sharing ane thinking about a broader audience!
I bought a Quest to supplement my Index and VR addiction. It turned out to be a surprisingly good investment with many more uses than I imagined. When they get these headsets to communicate and play together locally it will REALLY take off. Quest2 is going to own VR.
Jeff I never even thought about getting the headsets to play together locally! VR has a really promising future. Thanks for commenting!