Best Free VR Games 2023: Our Top Virtual Reality Picks
Thanks to all sorts of recent innovations, gaming has never been more accessible. One of those major advancements in the world of gaming is VR, or virtual reality.
There’s a wide range of VR headsets to choose from, but regardless of what you end up picking (like ever-popular Oculus 2 or the more high-end PlayStation VR), you’re going to need some games to go with it. To help save your budget, we’ve rounded up the best free virtual reality games to simplify your choices.
We’ve rounded up the 10 best free VR games you can play right now. There’s a wide range of genres and play styles to choose from, but one thing is for sure—these are the best best free old and new virtual reality games for the Oculus Quest 2, HTC Vive Cosmos Elite, HP Reverb G2, Nintendo Switch Labo and more consoles on the market right now.
>>> The Best New and Upcoming Oculus Quest 2 Games for 2023
Best Free VR Games Of 2023
1. Spider-Man: Far From Home VR (2019)
Video games based on movies have been, for the most part, notoriously terrible. Thankfully, Spider-Man: Far From Home VR is an exception, with the title quickly becoming a hugely popular free VR game to download among Marvel fans. In Spider-Man VR, players can race, fight enemies or simply swing around the city as Spider-Man while in virtual reality.
Spider-Man: Far From Home VR is available on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR. While the concept is bare-bones, you’ll have more than enough fun with this solid title.
Get Spider-Man: Far From Home VR
2. Astral Slider (2022)
If Beat Saber has taught us anything about VR games, it’s that simple games executed incredibly well will always be a huge success. Astral Slider is no different, quickly becoming one of the best and most popular VR games. Your goal is simple—navigate through a Tron-esque road while slicing red boxes and avoiding black ones. Easy in concept, but difficult to master!
Astral Slider is available on Oculus Quest. While it has a relatively small following, Astral Slider has gotten mostly positive reviews on Steam.
3. Dagon: By H.P. Lovecraft (2021)
Horror fans will love Dagon in VR. In true Lovecraft fashion, Dagon: By H.P. Lovecraft is one of the best free horror games for virtual reality. You’ll be immediately immersed in Lovecraftian horror for a short and (dare we say) sweet free VR game.
Dagon: By H.P. Lovecraft is available on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, and Valve Index. The game has garnered near-universal praise, mainly for how it stays true to Lovecraft’s essence as a horror writer.
4. Wolfenstein 3D VR (2021)
We all known the nostalgia trip that is Wolfenstein. Now you can experience all the pixel-y glory in this free VR version of the hugely popular game that was developed by a fan, no less. Once you’re immersed, you’ll remember why this game was such a smash hit in the first place. Every level is perfectly recreated in the free VR game, meaning you’ll have plenty of gameplay to experience—for free.
Wolfenstein 3D VR is available on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality. Many players rave about the fast-paced gameplay, along with the fluid controls and snap-turning abilities.
5. The Red Stare (2017)
For a free VR game that is all about aesthetic (along with solid gameplay), The Red Stare is perfect. Set in 1950s America, you become a spy on the hunt for secret Communist agents. The challenge is that you must gather all your information from a solitary room, observing everything that happens out the window of the room. If you’re a fan of deduction (or just love Sherlock Holmes), The Red Stare is the free VR game you need to get ASAP.
The Red Stare is available for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Valve Index. The game has received widely positive reviews, with fans of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window especially noting similarities between the two works.
6. Echo VR (2018)
Even though Echo VR was one of the earliest games to be released in VR, it’s still one of the best and most popular VR free games of all time. If you’re a fan of sci-fi, this is the VR game for you—specifically the free VR game Echo Arena. You navigate zero gravity to throw a frisbee in your opponent’s goal. It sounds simple, but it’s one of the most intense free VR games you could play.
Echo VR is available on Oculus Quest. The game has largely positive reviews, with some players even saying that, due to the highly active nature of the game, they’ve improved their coordination and even gotten healthier in the process!
7. We Are One Prologue (2022)
We Are One is slated to release in May 2023, but you can play the prologue right now. This free VR game is a puzzle-solving experience, with the primary mechanic being time manipulation. Instead of enlisting a team for help, you create clones of yourself, using them in a time loop to solve the puzzles (think Portal and Portal 2 adjacent).
We Are One Prologue is available on Oculus Rift and Valve Index. While the actual game isn’t out just yet, so there’s no reviews. That being said, players of the prologue are largely impressed with what they’ve seen so far.
8. Gorilla Tag (2021)
One of the most popular free VR games of all time is a simple one—Gorilla Tag. As the name implies, you’re a gorilla playing tag with other gorillas. With endearingly dated graphics that harken back to the days of the N64, this game has quickly gained a huge following, even right after it was released as early access in early 2021.
Gorilla Tag is available on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Windows Mixed Reality, and Valve Index. The game has hugely positive reviews thanks to the endless hours of play you get from it.
9. SCP: Labrat (2021)
SCP: Labrat VR is a horror game that puts you in the place of a test subject in an underground research facility. Your goal is simply to escape. Of course it can never be that simple, and there’s plenty of surprises in store for the player of this top-rated free VR game.
SCP: Labrat is also a VR recreation of SCP – Containment Breach by Undertow Games in 2012 horror. While SCP: Labrat is only in early access right now, it’s available for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, and Valve Index. Early reviews have been largely positive.
10. The Lab (2016)
If all of the above games seem like too much, ease into the world of VR with a game designed to help you get familiar with virtual reality. The Lab is eight different mini-games, and while none of them are too deep or complex, it will help you get a handle on moving (and playing games) in the virtual reality space. This is the best free VR game for beginners to start their virtual reality journey.
The Lab is compatible with the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, and Valve Index. The reviews on Steam has been largely positive.
People Also Ask…
What VR Games Can You Play For Free?
There are plenty of free VR games available on the market right now. It will obviously depend on what kind of VR headset you have to help narrow down the list of free VR titles you can play. Check out websites like Steam, the Oculus Rift Store, the Microsoft store, and VIVEPORT to check out the best free VR games you can download.
What Is The Number One VR Game?
It depends on how you’re gauging the phrase “number one VR game.” If we’re talking terms of the most downloaded VR game on the market, that title goes to Beat Saber, the wildly popular rhythm game where you slash cubes in time to music with lightsabers (Half-Life: Alyx is a close second).
In terms of most critically acclaimed VR game? That comes down to preference. Some argue Half-Life: Alyx is the best VR game. Other contenders consistently in talk for the best-ever VR game are Superhot VR, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Resident Evil 7, and No Man’s Sky.
What Are The Best Free Steam VR Games?
Almost every game on this list is a free VR game available on Steam. That being said, we can’t possibly cover every free VR game available on the platform. Thankfully, Steam lets you browse their entire free VR game library with the click of a button! Simply follow this link to check out all the free VR game titles Steam has to offer right now.
Ready to dive into VR? These ten best VR games will give you hours of entertainment as you experience virtual reality without spending a fortune.
Looking for more tech advice? Find out how to pick the perfect laptop, no matter what you’re using it for, along with the ultimate headphone-buying guide!
