Last Updated on 25/06/2022 by TheDigitalHacker
Most people would think VR is the perfect medium for sports games. Unfortunately, this is far from reality. While VR adds immersion through physical movement and the potential for truly skillful finesse, it also suffers from a variety of drawbacks when it comes to moving around an environment—something that is generally essential for sports.
But while VR is yet to reach its potential as the ideal sports gaming format, it has already pioneered a variety of sports.
Here are our favorite sports games to play in VR.
1. Echo VR
Drawing equal inspiration from ultimate frisbee and the acclaimed single-player game Lone Echo, Echo VR doesn’t translate an existing sport into VR—it makes a wholly new one.
Split into two teams, Echo VR will see players push themselves around a zero-gravity environment while navigating a discussion into a goal.
The best part; Echo VR is totally free to play for anyone with Meta (Oculus) hardware, so there’s no question that you should give it a go.
2. Eleven Table Tennis
Perhaps the best, and most realistic, table tennis simulator ever created, Eleven Table Tennis has earned its stellar reputation.
When you first pick up your racket in Eleven, you may be surprised by how close to reality the game feels. From the low latency and the effective sound design to the incredibly high skill ceiling, the game is the quintessential table tennis experience outside of the real thing.
3. Curve Snowboarding
Snowboarding in your living room may have once sounded like an impossibility, but Curve Snowboarding makes that experience a reality.
The game allows you to weave down slopes while you attempt to maintain control to score big.
Playable standing or sitting, the game’s focus on high-octane movement is not for those prone to motion sickness. But if you can stomach it, it’s a rush!
4. Walkabout Mini Golf
As casual as it sounds, Walkabout Mini Golf is a great social sports game for up to five players. Its delightfully designed world pairs perfectly with its intuitive mechanics to deliver a fantastic mini golf experience in the virtual realm.
Offering eight unique 18-hole courses, with further courses available as downloadable content, the game also features a variety of cosmetic collectibles which add those extra rushes of dopamine necessary to keep you hooked.
5. The Climb 2
If you have vertigo, steer clear. But for those wanting to experience the thrills of climbing mountains and skyscrapers alike, The Climb 2 is the best way to experience the thrill of free climbing.
Developed by Crytek—yes, the team behind the Crysis series—the game side-lines combat but keeps the team’s stellar visuals, adding to the real thrills of scaling the game’s virtual environments.
And for the competitive crowd, you’ll be able to lose hours trying to top the leader boards with time trials.
6. Forever Bowl
One of the ideal games for VR, ForeVR Bowl delivers a polished, characterful version of bowling to your headset.
Thanks to its careful design, it manages to translate the key mechanics of real-world bowling—weight choices, spin, power, and accuracy—into the virtual world.
7. forever Darts
Developed by the same team behind ForeVR Bowl, ForeVR Darts brings one of the most iconic bar games (and perhaps underappreciated sports) into VR.
Integrating plenty of social features, the game is a great way to kick back and have a casual experience with some other VR enthusiasts.
What’s more, if you play on a device with hand tracking—such as Meta’s Quest 2—you’ll find yourself feeling truly immersed.
8. Real VR Fishing
I’ll let you be the judge as to whether fishing is a “sport”. But regardless of your answer, Real VR Fishing captures the calm, quiet joy of casting out your line and patiently (but attentively) waiting for a catch. While the game boasts satisfyingly immersive gameplay, perhaps its best feature is the social side, which allows you to chat with others sitting beside you overlooking a breath-taking landscape.
Honestly, there’s nothing quite like hanging out in nature with good company, and for all of us living in cities, this is perhaps the next best thing.
As VR continues to incorporate new technologies—like hand tracking, and full-body tracking—and comes up with new methods of virtual movement, we’re likely to see an explosion of sports games into the space. While we can’t wait for this moment, we still have plenty of sports games to indulge in. What are some of your favorite sporting titles in virtual reality?
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