The Best PSVR Games

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 21, 2024 158 Views 26 Min Read
The Best PSVR Games

Key Takeaways

  • The PlayStation VR library has improved with quality games over the years.
  • The best PSVR games include I Expect You To Die 2, Falcon Age, and Tetris Effect.
  • The original PSVR headset remains a solid entry point into VR gaming.

The PlayStation VR headset launched at the end of 2016. It had a rocky start with some average to bad games and a high price tag. However, over the last few years, the quality and quantity of games in its library have improved significantly, and the headset itself has never been more affordable.

Best Puzzle VR Games on the left is Nevrosa: Escape, in the middle is Red Matter and on the right is Ghost Giant

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Sony’s original headset had a rough start, but hopefully, it has created a solid foundation for future models to improve upon. If you are curious about getting into PlayStation VR and don’t feel like purchasing the PSVR2, these are the best PSVR games you should check out right away.

Updated November 19, 2024, by Kyle Chamaillard: Despite the existence of the PSVR2, the original headset is still a fantastic way to engage with virtual reality for a decent price. We’ve updated this list to include even more of the best games available on PSVR.

25

Not For Broadcast VR

TV production sounds glamorous, but Not for Broadcast proves that keeping your ratings high is harder than it looks. As a control room operator, all the power is in your hands as you choose how each program is perceived by the public by switching camera angles, censoring swear words, and avoiding interference during live shows.

What makes Not for Broadcast truly special is its humor and dedication to its format. Each broadcast is displayed with full motion video instead of animation, which makes you feel like you’re in control of the perception of real people. There are over 42 hours of footage in the game (a world record), so there are plenty of reasons to brush off the VR headset for a shift at the National Nightly News.

24

I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy And The Liar

Plenty of VR titles emulate the space room experience well, but I Expect You To Die 2 is easily one of the best games in the genre. Building from the ideas of its predecessor, you’ll feel like an undercover spy as you use objects in confined spaces to complete each mission and take one step closer to saving the world from a mega-corporation known as Zoraxis.

Aside from solving engaging puzzles, I Expect You To Die 2 has an engaging story that will compel you to complete each task to see what happens next. A third game in the series launched in 2023, but it’s unfortunately not available on either PlayStation VR or VR2 headsets.

23

Dreams

A bear holding a hammer in a grassy field facing a giant tree with pink leaves in Dreams.

If you are looking to explore a wide spectrum of genres and ideas within VR, Dreams offers a plethora of unique and fascinating games to check out. Created by Media Molecule, Dreams is a platform for players to create games or other projects using its DreamShaping mode. The platform hosts a variety of excellent experiences, fan art, and of course, VR games.

While you may not find a 40-hour masterpiece in Dreams, the number of games available to play could leave you lost in your headset for hours. From impressive fan-made Sonic games to remakes of Jak and Daxter, Dreams is guaranteed to have something for everyone.

22

Werewolves Within

A group of characters accuse each other around a fire in Werewolves Within.

If you’ve ever been to summer camp or enjoy playing interactive games with friends, you’ve probably partaken in a round of Mafia or Werewolf. Both require you to use your social skills and some acting to convince a group of people that you are not the villain eliminating players between rounds. It’s like Among Us, except everyone stays in the same room with each other the entire time.

A VR version of Werewolf – known as Werewolves Within – was published by Ubisoft in 2016 and does a great job adapting the social aspects of the game into mostly digital interactions. It’s one of the few PSVR titles to have cross-platform multiplayer with the Oculus Rift and Vive headsets, which makes it much easier to connect with friends without a PlayStation. Ubisoft also adapted Werewolves Within into a movie with the same name, and it’s much better than anyone could have anticipated.

21

Marvel’s Iron Man VR

Iron Man protects the Helicarrier from enemies.

Ever since Iron Man launched the MCU back in 2008, thousands of people, young and old, have dreamed about what it would feel like to be Tony Stark. Using VR technology, that dream can become a reality with Iron Man VR, a first-person adventure that puts you in the shoes of the billionaire and the iconic armor suit with all of its weapons and features.

It’s surprisingly long and can take anywhere between seven and eight to complete, but, the ride is a bit bumpier than you might expect. Flying around is a blast, but using your arms to choose which direction you’re heading can feel tedious before you’re halfway through. There are some compelling and jaw-dropping sequences, but the journey to those moments can be more tiring than fun.

20

Falcon Age

Feeding a Falcon that is rested on your arm in a tower.

There is nothing else quite like Falcon Age on the PSVR. This adorable action-adventure title puts you in the shoes of Ara as she sets out to save her planet from an invasion of machines. After a misunderstanding, she lands in prison with a small bird who helps her pass the time and eventually becomes a valuable ally.

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The duo work together to defeat the robots and reclaim their land back from the invaders. You’ll watch the falcon grow as you continue your adventure, and you can customize it with a variety of accessories like hats and scarves. The variety of puzzles and compelling narrative make Falcon Age an essential VR title.

19

Déraciné

The ghosts of two children communicate in a hallway in Deracine.

While FromSoftware is mostly known for creating games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, the developer occasionally dips its toes into an unfamiliar pool to see if it can add a unique spin to something different. In the case of VR, FromSoftware developed and launched Déraciné, a somber adventure about a Faerie who befriends students at an orphanage.

If you love all the hidden lore and nuances in traditional FromSoftware games, Déraciné contains a rich, fantastical story that’s easy to get lost in. The gameplay can be a bit finicky like other older VR titles, and it’s easy to get lost in the giant environment, but if you consider yourself a FromSoftware completionist or want to experience something special, then Déraciné is worth checking out.

18

Psychonauts In The Rhombus Of Ruin

Milla Vodello holds her hand out in a panic in Psychonauts Rhombus of Ruin.

Fans of the original Psychonauts had to wait 16 years before Psychonauts 2 finally arrived, but The Rhombus of Ruin launched on VR during that waiting period and gave fans a taste of what to expect from the next entry in the series. It’s only a couple of hours long, but it’s an adventure you won’t forget anytime soon.

Rhombus of Ruin features everything that made the original Psychonauts stand out in the first place – memorable and funny characters, clever puzzles, and a strange world that entices you to learn more about it. One of the game’s best aspects is how it uses Raz’s powers, like clairvoyance and pyrokinesis, to look at things from different perspectives and interact with the environment.

17

Minecraft

Attacking a tree with a sword while a chicken walks in the background in Minecraft.

Minecraft is one of the biggest games in the world, so it made sense to develop a VR version during the height of VR’s popularity. It’s neat to be able to hop into a world of endless possibilities in VR, but for more than a few reasons, it’s not the ideal way to experience the game.

Minecraft VR is a fairly straightforward version of the game and doesn’t even include motion controls for anyone hoping to spend hours chopping down trees and fighting enemies. It’s certainly exhilarating for short bursts of time, but if you plan on spending hundreds of hours building your dream world, it might be easier without the headset.

16

Accounting+

The Tree Guy protects a machine in the forest in Accounting +.

Accounting+ is a strange game from the creators of The Stanley Parable and High on Life that uses VR to create an absurdly hilarious adventure you can complete in a single session. You control a rookie accountant who is sent to a series of strange worlds that blend humor with the avant-garde.

From performing illegal acts with a group of gangsters to using a skeleton as a xylophone, Accounting+ embraces the inherent silliness of VR and forces you to do something odd or peculiar for five to ten minutes before sending you off to your next adventure. Accounting+ is the perfect game for anyone who loves Rick and Morty or for someone who just wants to experience something strange.

15

Star Wars: Squadrons

Viewing a space battle through a TIE Fighter cockpit in Star Wars: Squadrons.

Many Star Wars fans have dreamed about soaring through space in an X-Wing or TIE Fighter, and the VR mode in Star Wars: Squadrons helps turn that desire into (virtual) reality. While you can play the game without VR, wearing the headset makes the game much more immersive and exhilarating.

Unlike some games that restrict the amount of content you can experience in virtual reality, Star Wars: Squadrons allows you to enjoy every mode, cutscene, and menu interaction in VR. Everything from the single-player campaign to multiplayer is available while wearing a headset, providing countless hours of exciting space combat.

14

Superhot VR

Shooting dual weapons at an incoming enemy in Superhot VR.

Superhot may appear as a generic first-person shooter to anyone unfamiliar with it, but it secretly has one of the best gameplay mechanics in recent memory. Enemies and time only move forward when you do, which allows you to assess your surroundings and think strategically to clear each level. The game was a hit and somehow became even better when it was released for VR shortly after its launch.

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Playing Superhot VR may be the closest you will get to knowing how Neo feels in The Matrix. The immersive and tense gameplay may even leave you catching your breath between levels. Every time you move your head to look around, you may put yourself in danger, but the feeling of single-handedly taking down twenty enemies in a room is something only Superhot VR can provide.

13

Thumper

Thumper Beatle races forward on a track with blue and green light.

The rhythm game genre doesn’t feel as prevalent today as it once was, but fortunately, VR has breathed new life into it on its platform. Thumper was one of the first games to fuse hypnotic beats with stellar gameplay and helped lay the groundwork for later titles such as Beat Saber.

The premise for Thumper is simple; guide a beetle through nightmarish levels while avoiding obstacles and defeating bosses. You will need to press buttons to slam, slide, and jump to the beat of the background music, composed by Brian Gibson (bassist for the noise-rock band Lightning Bolt). Thumper will quickly immerse you into its world with its mesmerizing visuals and cosmic aesthetic.

The player uses a spell on a enemy in the snow.

Skyrim is one of the most beloved games of all time, and it’s also been available on nearly every platform since it launched in 2011. From the Nintendo Switch to Amazon Alexa, Bethesda has ported its magnificent open-world RPG to almost everything, but none of them re-defined the experience of playing Skyrim like the release of Skyrim VR.

Bethesda had spent years creating some of the most interesting and rich open worlds in gaming, and for the first time, fans could finally immerse themselves in one with the power of virtual reality. From the combat to the breathtaking environments, every aspect of Skyrim is somehow more engaging and exciting in VR. Skyrim VR somehow made one of the best games ever even better and can easily take hundreds of hours to complete if you’re looking for something to hold you over until the next Elder Scrolls.

11

Beat Saber

Slashing at blocks as they head toward the screen in Beat Saber.

While Beat Saber on PSVR might not have as many bells and whistles as the PC version, it’s still a great way to enjoy one of the best titles available in VR. In this rhythm game, you’ll need to slash at incoming blocks to the beat of a song while avoiding obstacles.

Beat Saber excels at creating an exciting atmosphere for each song you play, and the amount of content means you can keep coming back to the game months after purchasing it. Swinging your arms in specific directions for each track can be tiring after a bit, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself a bit sweaty after a decent Beat Saber session.

10

No Man’s Sky

Besides Final Fantasy XIV, very few games have had the same trajectory as No Man’s Sky. Originally released back in 2016, critics and fans alike were severely disappointed after the developers failed to include the features they had promised pre-release. Over the years, though, Hello Games has continued to improve the game and repair its reputation with free updates, including a VR mode back in 2019.

If you are looking for a singular VR game to invest your time into, No Man’s Sky has a ton of content worth exploring. You can spend your afternoon navigating space, gliding between planets, and meeting new alien species. Or you could land on a mysterious planet to investigate its inhabitants or build a new home for yourself. Either way, No Man’s Sky is one of the most fascinating games from this generation, and it’s even better in VR.

9

Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes

There are so many single-player focused VR games it can be hard to enjoy the hardware while hanging out with friends. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes was one of the first VR titles to showcase how the technology could be used for local multiplayer and is still one of the best excuses to pull out your PSVR whenever you have company over.

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The concept is simple: one person wears the PSVR headset and attempts to defuse a bomb using instructions given to them by other players who have access to the bomb’s manual. No matter what the result is, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is consistently hilarious and requires everyone to work together – unless you purposefully want to see the bomb blow up in someone’s face. It’s also available on non-VR platforms, but the PSVR version is one of the best ways to experience it.

8

Hitman 3

IO Interactive ended their most recent Hitman trilogy with a bang when they released Hitman 3 at the beginning of 2021. The series had built a reputation for providing some of the best sandboxes in the stealth-action genre, and the third entry contains some of the most creative and dense levels in the history of the franchise.

When the developers announced that a VR mode would launch on PlayStation alongside Hitman 3, it was a pleasant surprise to many. You could now play through all three games in first-person and approach levels in refreshing ways. You can take it seriously and sneak around like a real secret agent, or you can just run around with a giant fish in your hand while avoiding security and finding new spots to hide. The choice is up to you.

7

Rez Infinite

Rez debuted on the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 during the early 2000s. The gameplay is simple – it’s an on-rail shooter that only requires you to shoot enemies without worrying about moving the character around – but what makes Rez stand out is its hypnotic visuals and a pulse-pounding soundtrack.

It easily drew players in with its mesmerizing fusion of video and audio elements back when it was first released, but in 2016, a VR version of the game – named Rez Infinite – would take Rez’s sense of immersion to the next level. Entering Rez in virtual reality feels like walking onto a completely different planet, and it doesn’t take long for the synesthesia to start overwhelming your senses in the best way possible. It’s a short experience, but it’s one you’ll want to hop back into every once in a while as a sweet escape from reality.

6

Blood And Truth

Have you ever wanted to star in a Guy Ritchie movie? Move over Jason Statham because in the PSVR exclusive Blood and Truth, you will have the opportunity to star in a wild and hilarious thriller involving gangsters, epic car chases, and of course, deception.

The list of games exclusive to the PSVR is short, but games like Blood and Truth are the reason why it’s worth looking into. The campaign only takes around six hours to beat, but during your time as Ryan Marks, you will encounter epic shootouts and surprising moments as you travel between unique scenarios. It’s a game worth playing over and over again, like re-watching your favorite action movie from the 90s.

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