Check Out These 15 Must-Play VR Games If You've Just Got A Meta Quest 2

Despite still holding something of a niche status, virtual reality continues to be an exciting and innovate subsection of gaming and becomes more accessible every day. With the holidays and Black Friday/Boxing Day sales behind us, there are no doubt going to be a lot of gamers out there purchasing or receiving some kind of VR headset for the first time, and for many that’s going to be the excellent Meta Quest 2 (previously Oculus Quest 2).

With that in mind, and with this writer in particular having just started my personal Quest 2 journey, we wanted to shout out a selection of the games we reckon are essential Quest 2 VR purchases. Whether it’s about immersion, unique mechanics or simply the kinds of experiences you can’t get with “flat” gaming, these games are some of the highlights on the Quest 2 that shouldn’t be missed.

Pick up a Meta Quest 2 headset for yourself here.

It’s worth noting as well, the below are all games that work on the “standalone” Meta Quest 2 headset without the need to plug it into an external device like a gaming PC, so while there are definitely some stellar PC VR titles that Quest 2 users can also access (Half-Life: Alyx being a great example), everything here is perfectly playable with just the base, untethered Quest 2 hardware:

Iron Man VR

It really doesn’t matter whether you’re an Iron Man fan or not, Camouflaj’s virtual reality Tony Stark simulator is a prime example of game that could only work in VR. It’s a short, sharp adventure packed with high flying action and some great set-piece moments and it plays like an absolute dream on the Quest 2 with total freedom of movement and intuitive controls.

You can read our review to find out more.

Get Iron Man VR for Quest 2 here.

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners/The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinner Chapter II – Retribution

If you’re after a tense, brutal zombie survival experience that’s heightened even further by being completely immersed inside it, then you really don’t need to look much further than The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and it’s direct sequel, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter II – Retribution.

Despite the second game being its own, standalone experience I would heavily recommend jumping into both games for very different experiences. The original puts a big focus on stealth and survival with scarce resources, where Retribution takes a more action-packed turn with more weapons and Walkers to take down. Either way, you’re getting massive games with runtimes in the double digits and production values far and above most other standalone Quest 2 games, plus the fun of smashing, skewering and decapitating zombies never gets old.

Get The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and Chapter II – The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Retribution for Quest 2 here.

Townscaper VR

Townscaper is a delightful game on its own, handing players a freeform toybox in the form of a loose city builder where the only objective is to slowly construct a very aesthetic city and find joy in seeing how the different pieces interact and combine as you click on the world and they’re placed largely at random. In VR, the whole thing becomes inherently more tangible as you use the Quest 2’s controllers to navigate around your tiny, growing city and intuitively plop down more structures. It’s incredibly simple but a fantastic and gorgeous little creative sandbox to wind down with.

Get Townscaper VR for Quest 2 here.

BONELAB

Taking a completely opposing tone to the previous game on this list, BONELAB is a (literal) killer app on the Quest 2. It’s a visceral, immersive collection of different game types where you’ll shoot, parkour and play with ridiculously satisfying physics in various challenges. It’s all quite intense, and doesn’t pull any punches in either content or VR simulation – I’d recommend looking up any relevant trigger warnings and comfort information before you throw money down on this one. With a huge variety of things to do, mod support, custom avatars and a sandbox editor there’s a lot of value in this hyper-violent slice of mayhem.

Get BONELAB for Quest 2 here.

Moss/Moss: Book II

I was blown away by the original Moss when it launched on the PlayStation VR, and now that it’s available on the Quest 2 alongside its even more charming sequel there’s no reason to miss it. Guiding the adorable mouse adventurer, Quill, on a larger-than-life adventure you’ll travel through gorgeous environments, solve clever VR puzzles and enjoy action-packed combat from a third-person perspective where every area presents like a lively diorama.

Moss: Book II picks up directly after the first game, so if you’re yet to play either we’d heavily recommending starting them in order.

Get Moss/Moss: Book II for Quest 2 here.

WHAT THE BAT?

From the team behind the Apple Arcade hit, WHAT THE GOLF? comes an absurd physics-puzzle adventure about trying to live life as a person with baseball bats for hands. Reminiscent of other wacky physics sims like Job Simulator and Octodad, what you’re in for is a series of 100+ levels with unique and ridiculous premises for you to navigate with your bat-hands in hilariously slapstick fashion with some quite devious solutions at times. It’s silly, it’s gaudy and obnoxious, and it absolutely rules.

Get WHAT THE BAT? for Quest 2 here.

Maskmaker

A Fisherman’s Tale was one of my favourite PSVR experiences way back when, so it’s great to see the team at Innerspace VR back with another immersive VR puzzle game in Maskmaker. It’s another wildly inventive concept from the studio as well, tasking players with creating magical masks with which to enter new worlds, solve puzzles, find new components with which to further embellish their masks and return to those worlds with new abilities. The act of mask making itself is super satisfying and feels great to act out in VR, not to mention the clever puzzles and intriguing narrative that move the process along.

Get Maskmaker for Quest 2 here.

Unplugged: Air Guitar

Guitar Hero/Rock Band fans looking for a way to get that classic virtual rock experience should absolutely be paying attention to Unplugged: Air Guitar. The concept here is largely the same, just minus the plastic instruments. Instead, Unplugged is a wholly hand-tracked game with zero controllers involved (hence the Air Guitar subtitle) which, while not 100% accurate all of the time, is genuinely impressive in action. There’s a pretty decent track list for a rather niche music game as well, with the developers having recently added new tracks as well as optional controller support in the free Take Control update, and there’s DLC available if you’re keen to expand even further.

Get Unplugged: Air Guitar for Quest 2 here.

Resident Evil 4

If you’re feeling Resident Evil 4 port fatigue, and we wouldn’t blame you, we’d still urge you to check out the VR version of Capcom’s survival horror classic. Not only does the drastically-changed perspective and extra immersion add to the already-great game, but it feels markedly different enough to be well worth replaying even if you’ve done multiple laps of RE4 in the past. Everything feels vastly more immediate, especially the action, and the item and weapon controls are a ton of fun in VR.

Get Resident Evil 4 for Quest 2 here.

Beat Saber

This one’s a total no-brainer. Beat Saber has long been the go-to app for VR, especially for beginners, and it’s still not old after all these years. The game is definitely best played on the Quest 2 purely because of the untethered freedom where you can slash and dodge to the rhythm with wild abandon and in total comfort.

Pistol Whip

Pistol Whip has been around a while, but it’s a VR game that holds up incredibly well. Part rhythm game, part arcade shooter, it’s a fast-paced blast with a banging electronic soundtrack and pulsating vaporwave visuals that’ll truly test your skill and feels shockingly good in action. There’s been a huge amount of excellent content added since the game first launched as well, and you’ll get it all included when you purchase the game.

Get Pistol Whip for Quest 2 here.

SuperHot VR

Yet another longstanding VR classic, SuperHot VR is an absolute banger. Somewhere between a puzzle game and a Matrix-inspired shooter, time only moves when you move in SuperHot’s abstract, low-poly world. Each level tasks you with bringing down all your enemies without taking a hit, using your ability to stop time by standing completely still to figure out the exact paths and actions you’ll need to take to survive. It’s exhilarating stuff that’ll tickle your brain and test your reflexes and it’s wrapped in a gorgeous minimalist aesthetic and plenty of metanarrative intrigue.

Get SuperHot VR for Quest 2 here.

The Climb 2

Like flying around as Iron Man, the idea of climbing giant structures and scaling cliffs in VR is something that just works. Crytek, of all studios, is responsible for The Climb/The Climb 2 and have taken this relatively meagre concept to great heights (sorry) with some of the most exhilarating VR experiences around. I’ve specifically called out the sequel in this list for its vastly improved visuals and streamlined design, and with no real story or ideas to carry over from one game to the next you’re not missing anything at all by jumping straight into The Climb 2. There’s a huge variety of climbs to experience, with a nice pace between somewhat relaxing climbs to heart-pounding and shockingly stressful moments.

Get The Climb/The Climb 2 for Quest 2 here.

I Expect You To Die 2

I Expect You To Die was a fantastic spy-themed escape room puzzler across the many platforms it released on, and the sequel builds on it wonderfully. Unlike traditional escape rooms, you’ll consistently fall victim to deadly tricks and traps (hence the name) but the fun comes in learning these and finding clever solutions to not only staying alive but making it out of each situation. There’s a great reverence for classic Bond-era spy stories here and a ton of charm and wit, and both this sequel and the original are well worth a look in for their relentlessly inventive puzzles.

Get I Expect You To Die 2 for Quest 2 here.

Little Cities

I really wanted to include a city simulator on this list and spent a lot of time deliberating between Little Cities and the much heftier Cities VR (based on the popular Cities: Skylines but ultimately went with the former for its more friendly approach to the genre. Little Cities definitely errs more towards cosy sandbox than complex and challenging city builder, which makes for a relaxing experience where you can really focus on making the city of your dreams. It’s super aesthetically pleasing and still has enough depth to cause hours to pass without you even realising.

Get Little Cities for Quest 2 here.

Haven’t made the leap into VR yet? You can get the Meta Quest 2 exclusively from Amazon at the below links:

Check Out These 15 Must-Play VR Games If You’ve Just Got A Meta Quest 2