While most people think of VR as strictly entertainment and fun, it can also be used to enhance your health. There are plenty of ways you can use VR to keep yourself fit, whether you want to lose weight, boost your endurance, improve your balance, or just enjoy being active. Some of the best VR Games are great for exercise.
Many of these games are not even advertised explicitly games for working out, they certainly work up a sweat while playing them.
These are our picks for the best games to get your heart rate up while you are immersed in the virtual world.
Beat Saber
Beat Saber has become one of the most famous VR games. This music game draws inspiration from other musical beat games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but takes it a step further and immerses you (virtually) into the music.
Beat Saber is essentially a sword fighting game, but instead of swords you are armed with two “sabers”, and you have to chop blocks and avoid obstacles with the help of music. Since the game is built around music, there are almost limitless options for music to play to. Artists like Linkin Park, Skrillex, Daft Punk, and others all have tracks on Beat Saber.
While the game itself is easy to pick up and play, it gets very challenging once you start playing it regularly. There are different modes within the game, including a story mode, a solo challenge mode, and a multiplayer mode. There are several ways to customize your experience. For example, you can change the difficulty setting, add additional weapons, and adjust the sensitivity settings. If you want to see how well you perform on certain songs, you can check out the leaderboards.
Beat Saber is hands down the best VR games for exercise. Not only is it incredibly fun, it helps you develop dexterity skills and coordination. Plus, it’s super easy to pick up and play. After just a few songs, you definitely will start feeling the heat.
EchoVR
For fans of the novel Ender’s Game, this might look familiar. Echo VR is a zero gravity virtual reality competitive game where you and 3 friends compete against another team of four.
In the world of Echo VR you’re able to move freely within a virtual environment without worrying about gravity. You’ll be able to jump into zero-g, fly around, and even shoot enemies with your hands. There’s a co-op mode called Echo Combat, where up to four people can work together to complete objectives and a competitive mode called Echo Arena, where up to eight players fight each other in a variety of game types.
Echo Combat pits you and friends against endless waves of AI enemies, with five distinct classes to choose to play as. Each class has a unique weapon and movement mechanic, which lends to a unique playstyle.
Echo VR features several different weapons. Your primary weapon is a pistol, but you’ll also find shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, grenades, and mines. Each one adds something unique to the gameplay experience.
Blade and Sorcery
The combat game Blade & Sorcery takes place in a fantasy world where you play as a warrior and must fight against hordes of enemies while wielding swords, axes, hammers, maces, and even magic spells. Your goal is to defeat your opponent and reach the end of each level.
You’ll find yourself swinging around the battlefield, dodging attacks and blocking incoming blows. At times, you’ll be forced to use your legs to move forward and avoid enemy strikes. If you’re looking for a good workout, Blade and Sorcery offers plenty of opportunities to exercise your arms, shoulders, and core muscles.
In addition, the game allows you to upgrade your equipment by collecting gold coins that drop from defeated opponents. By upgrading your gear, you’ll gain access to new abilities, such as increased attack power or more powerful magic spells.
If you’ve ever played an action RPG before, then you know what to expect when you play Blade and Sorcery. The controls are responsive and intuitive, making it easy to get into.
On top of all the above, Blade and Sorcery has hundreds of mods. Modders have created different weapons and enemies from different universes like Star Wars and Game of Thrones. The game has become a sandbox for jumping into universes once limited to just our imagination.
The Exercise Potential of VR Games
As mentioned above, none of these games are specifically marketed as “workout” games. However, due to the nature of Virtual Reality, these games give you the opportunity to get up and moving.
In summary, there are many great reasons why VR games are perfect for exercise. They offer a unique way to interact with the real world, they provide a fun distraction, and they allow you to enjoy a completely immersive experience.
