Blog V Reality: Best PC VR Games: 25 Titles On Steam And Oculus (Summer 2023)

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Searching for the best PC VR games on Steam and Oculus? We’ve got you covered with our top 25 list.

The PC VR landscape has changed dramatically over the years. It used to be the front-and-center focus on an entire industry, but new headsets across different categories have since seen developers and publishers split their attention. Still, we’re often rewarded with various new gems every year that push the fidelity of VR experiences in ways lesser hardware can't manage.

What’s nice about the list of the best PC VR games, then, is that even some of the oldest games on this list — now some six years old — remain some of the best-looking and playing titles in all of VR today.

You’ll find most of these experiences on both the Oculus Store and SteamVR, alongside a few on Viveport. Take note, though, that we have included a few Oculus exclusives in this list because we felt these games were simply too good to ignore. We’re also including early access titles in the list for the first time, as some of PC VR’s best games are still in pre-release to this day.

If you’re looking for our other lists, you’ll find those here.

Best PC VR Games On SteamVR And Oculus

25. The Gallery Episodes 1 & 2

We’re grouping in the first two installments of Cloudhead Games’ compelling adventure series together as the first episode is on the shorter side and the two together cost about as much as a normal VR game. The Gallery has its roots in Henson-esque dark fantasy, transporting you to amazing worlds of impossible landscapes and crazy characters on the hunt for your sister. The imaginative design makes these some of the best PC VR games despite their age. We’re just hoping Cloudhead one day gets to make Episode 3.

Read More: The Gallery / The Gallery Episode 2
Platforms: Steam Store, Viveport, Rift

24. Compound

It’s hard to make a VR shooter feel genuinely adventurous and not too overwhelming for the player. Compound does this by calling back to a classic era of shooters that set a slower, more manageable pace. The result is a hugely enjoyable roguelite FPS that roots you in the action, with vintage visuals that pop inside VR headsets. After its initial early access launch in 2018, Compound received a full release in 2022.

Read More: Compound
Platforms: Steam Store

23. Wilson’s Heart

If you can go back and seek out the lost era of Oculus PC VR exclusives, we strongly recommend Wilson’s Heart as your first stop. Twisted Pixel’s VR debut is a brilliant throwback to 1940’s horror that makes incredible use of VR motion controls whilst proving out VR storytelling in fresh ways. If Meta had a heart, it’d let the game live again on SteamVR and Quest.

Read More: Wilson’s Heart
Platforms: Rift

22. A Fisherman’s Tale

A Fisherman’s Tale remains, to this day, one of the smartest and most striking uses of VR. You’ve undoubtedly heard its premise, which leans heavily on recursive puzzling as you play cooperatively in single-player, passing things between bigger and smaller versions of yourself. It’s a stunning spectacle, a curious tale of fatherhood and a warm visual style anchors the game. It’s still a treat and still one of the best PC VR games to date.

Read More: A Fisherman’s Tale / Another Fisherman’s Tale
Platforms: Steam Store, Viveport, Rift

21. Wanderer

The best thing you can say about Wanderer is that it’s an escape room game that doesn’t always feel like an escape room game. Its puzzles make great use of VR interactivity and its ambitious setup sees you jumping between timezones across (and sometimes off) the world at a moment’s notice. It’s also one of the best-looking games to release in recent memory and a real showcase for the power of PC VR. Don’t miss Wanderer – it’s easily one of the best PC VR games.

Read More: Wanderer / Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate
Platforms: Steam Store, Viveport, Rift

20. Song in the Smoke

There have been a lot of decent attempts to bring the survival genre to VR but, with its native mechanics, focused structure, and earthy atmosphere, Song in the Smoke is the best of them by some way. You progress through multiple zones in a prehistoric wilderness, hunting and crafting whilst tackling unique new challenges in every area that teach you new tricks and abilities. If you don’t like the aimlessness of some survival games then you’ll appreciate Song in the Smoke’s focused campaign.

Read More: Song in the Smoke / Song in the Smoke: Rekindled
Platforms: Steam Store, Viveport, Rift

19. Pavlov VR (Early Access)

Valve isn’t bringing Counter-Strike to VR anytime soon but, fortunately, we have a worthy replacement in Pavlov VR. Consistently developed over multiple years, Pavlov has turned into the fast-paced competitive shooter to beat, with tons of weapons and environments spanning multiple eras and new game modes being added at a dizzying pace. The future remains bright for Pavlov and, for multiplayer fans, it’s one of the best PC VR games out there today.

Read More: Pavlov
Platforms: Steam Store, Viveport, Rift

18. Until You Fall

Until You Fall isn’t focused on the realistic melee physics of a Saints & Sinners or Boneworks, and it’s all the better for it. This arcade-infused roguelite uses on-screen indicators to force you to hone your reflexes, blocking and attacking with split-second precision. Developer Schell Games nails the moreish gameplay loop, making Until You Fall a game that’s hard to put down. And that’s a good thing considering the game is a fun workout too.

Read More: Until You Fall
Platforms: Steam Store, Viveport, Rift

17. Moss

Third-person VR games might not make much sense at first glance, but Moss shows you why the opposite is the case. This platformer action game is a really solid adventure in its own right, but it’s the bond you build with protagonist Quill over its few hours that shines through. Moss is showing its age a little in 2023, but Moss: Book 2 offers a fine follow-up to the original adventure.

Read More: Moss / Moss: Book 2
Platforms: Steam Store, Viveport, Rift

16. Star Wars: Squadrons

We still can’t quite believe Star Wars: Squadrons was a thing. A full Star Wars flight action game with both a single-player campaign and a huge multiplayer component… in VR? Are we sure we’re not dreaming? Well, if we are, we don’t want to wake up because Squadrons’ highly immersive cockpits and blistering space dogfighting make for everything we ever wanted out of VR in the first place, making this, in turn, one of the best PC VR games.

Read More: Star Wars: Squadrons
Platforms: Steam Store

15. Eleven Table Tennis

There aren’t many sports that current VR technology can perfectly replicate but table tennis is one of them and, for our money, Eleven: Table Tennis is easily the best realization so far. That’s thanks to the pinpoint precision of its physics and robust multiplayer and single-player options, which ensure we’ll never need another VR table tennis game again.

Platforms: Steam Store, Rift

14. Onward (Early Access)

If Pavlov is VR’s answer to Counter-Strike, then Onward is closer to something like Arma, with a focus on hyperrealism that paved the way for the mechanical complexity VR can add to the shooter genre. Though it’s still labeled as early access, Onward has felt like a full game for years now and is easily deserving of its place on the best PC VR games list.

Read More: Onward
Platforms: Steam Store, Rift

13. A Township Tale (Early Access)

Another long-in-development early access project, A Township Tale has slowly but surely built up a loyal following thanks to its deep focus on interactive VR mechanics and cooperative multiplayer. You’re tasked with building up a village, gradually adding in new features as you mine ever-rarer resources and upgrade your weapons. A genuine sense of risk to your adventuring and a huge amount of content make this one of the best PC VR games you can currently play.

Read More: A Township Tale
Platforms: Alta Launcher

12. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR

Skyrim VR successfully transplants the entire RPG into headsets with full motion controls. It’s not the most in-depth implementation, but just that fact alone makes this something you won’t want to miss in VR. Along with bestowing you with a keen sense of adventure, there are bits of Skyrim that genuinely work incredibly well in VR, like the moment you first encounter a dragon or inspect a sword you’ve worked hard to earn in tireless detail. There are better, more native VR games out there, but Skyrim VR is Skyrim… in VR, and that makes it worth a look.

Read More: Best Skyrim VR Mods

Platforms: Steam Store

11. Beat Saber

Beat Saber has become such a sensation on basically every headset that’s it’s easy to forget the games’ humble beginnings as an early-access PC VR title. But, despite Beat Games’ acquisition by Meta years back, the PC VR version of the game remains the sharpest place to play Beat Saber and its ever-growing catalog of songs. Still one of the best PC VR games, then, but Beat Saber is a must wherever you enjoy VR.

Read More: How To Download And Install New Custom Songs On Beat Saber
Platforms: Steam Store, Rift

10. Blade And Sorcery (Early Access)

If you’re looking for an uncompromising VR combat simulator that doesn’t spare you any gory details, look no further than Blade And Sorcery. Though still very much in early access, you won’t find more instantly rewarding combat on PC, with truly gruesome results. Plus the recent addition of the Dungeons mode gives the game some much-needed structure and the added power of the PC makes this the version to play over the Quest edition, labeled Nomad.

Read More: Blade And Sorcery: Nomad
Platforms: Steam Store, Viveport, Rift

9. No Man’s Sky VR

No Man’s Sky went the extra mile with its VR support. Hello Games honed in on what makes VR integration feel seamless and natural, delivering an experience that almost felt like it had been designed for VR from the start. Add to that the frankly enormous number of new features and upgrades the game’s implemented since launch and it’s impossible to deny No Man’s Sky its place on the best PC VR games list.

Read More: No Man's Sky PSVR 2 Review
Platforms: Steam Store

8. Lone Echo

You could group in Lone Echo 2 with this pick to get the whole experience but, given that’d be a rather expensive proposition, we’re sticking with the groundbreaking original and its free multiplayer companion right now. Lone Echo paved the way for immersive zero-gravity movement in VR and set a bar for PC VR visuals that arguably still hasn’t been surpassed. It’s slow-paced, but the focus on building a link between your character and those around him pays off, as does the enormous spectacle of it all. We’ll be calling Lone Echo one of the best PC VR games for years to come.

Read More: Lone Echo / Lone Echo 2
Platforms: Rift

7. Asgard’s Wrath

Asgard’s Wrath might not have Skyrim levels of content but, for our money, the focus on native VR sword fighting and character progression make this the more important of the two VR games. This is an immaculately produced Norse adventure split into three parts that captures the heart of the RPG genre and realize it in its full glory using the power of PC VR, helping it vanquish its opponents in the fight for the best PC VR games.

Read More: Asgard’s Wrath / Asgard's Wrath 2
Platforms: Rift

6. Boneworks

Of all the physics-driven VR combat and puzzle games out there, Boneworks easily is the most polished and impressive. Its single-player campaign offers plenty of fun sandboxes to experiment with, whether your swinging robotic headcrabs around by their legs or beating up mindless zombies with a broom handle. Or you can just rely on the classics and find a lethally accurate shooter. Boneworks is a great PC VR game and a glimpse of where the future of VR interactivity is headed.

Read More: Boneworks / Bonelab
Platforms: Steam Store, Rift

5. Pistol Whip

Rhythm games are a dime a dozen in VR but, for our money, Pistol Whip is the most inventive and overall best of the lot. The focus on firing to the beat as you duck and weave through blinding neon obstacle courses makes the game a joyous assault on the senses that requires genuine skill to master. With new updates arriving constantly, Pistol Whip has a comfortable position in our list of the best PC VR games.

Read More: Pistol Whip Overdrive Season
Platforms: Steam Store, Rift

4. Demeo

Fancy board game night in VR? Then Demeo will serve up pretty much all you could want from that concept and then some. This is a brilliant cooperative dungeon crawling turn-based RPG played with friends, letting you roll the dice to tackle its fiendishly difficult levels. But you can also scale the game up and down to your liking, adding an extra dimension to a fantastic social VR experience. With plenty of free content already delivered and more on the way, Demeo still ranks highly on our list of the best PC VR games.

Platforms: Steam Store, Rift

3. Superhot VR

We’ll stop ranking Superhot VR so highly in our best PC VR games list when we play a shooter as intricately designed as this. It maintains immersion and utilizes your full body in ways that you simply couldn’t in the flatscreen version. The ‘time moves when you move’ mechanic remains ridiculously entertaining to this day, and the game achieves a perfect balance of slapstick action and stylish stunts.

Read More: Superhot VR Interview
Platforms: Steam Store, Viveport, Rift

2. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners from Skydance Interactive is a VR essential, delivering some of the best design and user-interaction you’ll find in VR. Released in 2020, "it’s a zombie apocalypse within your grasp – a living, breathing virtual ruin with player-driven highs that easily outshine its experimental lows." It sets the bar for VR zombie games using Boneworks-style, physics-based combat. The game will have you wrestling with undead hordes, packing its action into a full, meaty VR campaign that sees you trekking through the remains of New Orleans. Add in side-missions and the ability to kill zombies with a spoon, and you have one of the deepest native VR games on the market.

Read More: Saints & Sinners Review / Chapter 2: Retribution
Platforms: Steam Store, Rift, Viveport

1. Half-Life: Alyx

It might not technically be Half-Life 3 but make no mistake, Half-Life: Alyx from Valve is a full-sized adventure worthy of the series’ past releases. Giving it top marks in 2020, we believe that "what it does right, it almost always does the best." Playing as Alyx Vance, you fight through City 17 in a highly polished adventure fully designed for VR, relying on classic series elements and introducing plenty of new features. It’s 10+ hours of immaculate, AAA-level VR shootouts, puzzles and narrative design, features some of the best firefights you can have inside a headset and offers truly memorable moments within. Half-Life: Alyx is arguably the best PC VR game yet, and we hope to see more from Valve.

Read More: Half-Life: Alyx Review / Best Mods
Platforms: Steam Store

This article was initially published in March 2022, later updated in July 2023.

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Monday, 3 July 2023

Best PC VR Games: 25 Titles On Steam And Oculus (Summer 2023)