The best PlayStation VR games for your shiny new headset

Big names and indie titles for Sony's PS4 headset
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The PlayStation VR is now just over a year old, and in that time Sony has shifted more than 1 million units, so it's fair to say it's off to a good start. That's been supported by a good lineup of games - after all, what good is VR without something to play on it?

If you're still on the fence, you can read our full PlayStation VR review. As for the games, you'll find the best of the bunch below, and we'll be continually revising this as more appear.

Read this: PlayStation VR tips and tricks

With a reasonably accessible price of we expect headsets will continue to sell well going into the holiday period, although note that Oculus recently brought down the price of the Rift (with Touch controllers) to $399, so the competition is tougher than ever. For PS VR there are various bundles where you'll get the headset, PlayStation Camera and two Move controllers along with PlayStation VR Worlds and a Playroom VR digital download.

We rate the rest: HTC Vive review | Oculus Rift review

In the list below, we've put the games we've played up top, and below that are the upcoming games we're most excited for. Some are PS4 titles which now have a VR mode, some were built specifically for virtual reality. Let us know what you're playing in the comments sections.

Superhot VR

One of the best VR games hits PlayStation. Superhot's unique mechanic means time only moves when you do, turning you into a total bullet-dodging badass. While the limitations of the PS VR's camera make this version feel a little more constrained than the other versions, it's still just as much fun. A hot mess, in the best way possible.

, playstation.com| Amazon

Tiny Trax

Tiny Trax is proof that VR games don't have to take a first-person view to feel immersive. Think Micro Machines but the tracks is winding around you, as you watch the cars race past your face, over your head, and even underwater - which yes, requires submerging your head beneath the virtual ocean. This was one of our favorites of E3 2017.

, playstation.com

Archangel

Movie production studio Skydance Interactive makes its virtual reality debut with this on-the-rails arcade shooter. Strapped inside a giant mech, each arm loaded with an arsenal of weapons at your disposal, you must help lead the United States Free Forces in their war against HUMNX. Move controllers are optional for controlling the mech's arms, but we'd recommend them.

, playstation.com

Farpoint

This PSVR exclusive was the launch title for the new Aim Controller, which comes with vibration feedback and motion sensing. Think of Farpoint as a more modern version of classic arcade shooters like House of the Dead, except in VR and you're a space marine that's crash landed on a hostile alien planet. We've really enjoyed what we've played, but be warned that it's quite a short experience. Multiplayer PvP is also coming down the road.

, playstation.com | Amazon

Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes

A firm fave from other VR platforms like Oculus/Gear VR, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a neat example of a group PlayStation VR game (from Steel Crate Games) for the living room. One of you wears the VR headset, the rest have a 'manual' to help you defuse a ticking bomb. Expect frustration. A lot of frustration. For two to four players.

, playstation.com

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin

The PS2 cult class Psychonauts is getting a sequel for PS4, but in the meantime developer Double Fine has produced a VR game to bridge the two together. But this is more than a side project; Psychonauts: In the Rhombus of Ruin has enough substance to go the distance (at least three hours, and that's if you're speeding through).

The first-person update on the point-and-click genre has all the charm you'd expect from a game written by Tim Schafer, while the movement mechanics do well to avert any nausea problems. Be sure to check out our chat with Double Fine about bringing Psychonauts into virtual reality.

, playstation.com | Amazon

Batman Arkham VR

Be the Batman in VR – what more sell do you need than that? The new Arkham game from Rocksteady Studios is already one of our favourite PS VR titles and sees you exploring iconic Gotham locations like the Batcave. The game focuses on Batman's skills as a detective, but don't worry, you'll still get plenty of opportunities to throw around some Battarangs.

The story is a comic book-style murder mystery, with a fairly slow pace and dark mood. But interacting with other characters, rewinding time at crime scenes, putting on the Batsuit and fighting high above Gotham are all pretty thrilling in these gorgeous, detailed VR environments. (Our tip: Best played with Move controllers and standing, though you can use DualShock if you prefer).

, playstation.com | Amazon

Rez Infinite

A PS4 remake of Sega's psychedelic rail-shooter Rez – a PlayStation 2 cult classic – now includes VR support, not to mention upgraded graphics. With gameplay that might not last you more than an hour, you may think the price is high, but you won't feel shortchanged. The combination of intense, abstract visuals and music here is hard to beat in terms of immersion. A must download.

, playstation.com

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Resident Evil is back, and it's better than the series has been in quite some time. Not only that, but the latest entry, Biohazard, lets you play entirely in VR for added scares. It's a great showcase of how PS VR can go the distance with a full-length game, a quality entry to the franchise, and downright terrifying to boot.

, playstation.com | Amazon

I Expect You To Die

This spy-themed escape-the-room puzzler is one of our favourite VR games yet, and the title doesn't lie: you are going to die a lot. Plonked into a series of tricky situations, you'll have to use your brains to come up with an exit strategy before it all goes to hell. Can you escape - or more pertinently, how many different ways can you die?

, playstation.com

The London Heist (VR Worlds)

Set in London's gritty criminal underworld, this is one of the five experiences in VR Worlds. The London Heist allows you to use the PlayStation Move controllers in both hands for added realism, so you can duck for cover, hang out of windows, smoke a cigar and manually reload your gun with clips, all while feeling like a total badass.

Putting on your own cockney accent while you 'top' bad geezers is totally optional. There's only about 20/30 minutes of gameplay, and it's a shame we won't get more, but it's still worth checking out.

Free (with PlayStation VR Worlds - ), playstation.com | Amazon

Job Simulator

As long as you know what you're getting here - a bright, simple, beginner friendly set of simulator games - you won't be disappointed. A great choice to show scared family members what VR is like in a world that plays fast and loose with the definition of "job". The Move controllers are your hands, and your workspace is your toybox. Hours of fun guaranteed.

, playstation.com | Amazon

Thumper

Freaky yet mesmerising, Thumper is a "rhythm violence" game that is one of the most intense experiences you can have on the PlayStation VR.

You hit your DualShock controller to match a drum beat as you would in a more relaxing Guitar Hero-style scenario. Ominous graphics pulse all around as you control a bug hurtling down a track. There are also obstacles and combos of rhythms to take down big bosses. Pretty damn unique.

, playstation.com

Eagle Flight

Ubisoft's experimental VR demo is now an official PlayStation VR title. Eagle Flight, a third-person game/experience of, well, flying as an eagle over the streets of Paris. Only there are no people, and animals roam the city.

Multiplayer is fun with 3 v 3 'capture the prey' gameplay but the story missions and challenges start more serenely - collecting items, perfecting your tilting technique, gliding over rivers or swooping underground - before moving onto battles in the sky. There's also free roam if you just want to feel like you're flying for a while and admire the beaut CG view. Ubisoft has also made it cross-platform (as it will for its future VR lineup), meaning you can play with friends who have an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.

, ubisoft.com | Amazon

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

How excited you are about Ubisoft and Red Storm's Star Trek VR game depends on how much you want to fiddle with Federation starship controls and well, how much you're into Star Trek. Down with both? Proceed. But even if Stark Trek isn't your think, Bridge Crew is one of the best showcases right now of what multiplayer VR can be, as you and three other people must work together to command the S.S.Aegis through the wonders and dangers of space.

ubisoft.com | Amazon

Tumble VR

Away from the action is puzzle title Tumble VR. Play with DualShock or Move controllers (the latter are more helpful) as you stack objects of varying weights, mirror laser beams around a course and demolish groups of 3D shapes. You'll need a steady hand and some patience. Single and multiplayer, this is oddly relaxing. Cheap, too.

, supermassivegames.com | Amazon

Amazon PA: Sony PlayStation VR

EVE: Valkyrie - Warzone

This multiplayer space shooter from CCP Games is a fast-paced dogfight set in the EVE: Online universe, and now it's even bigger with the Warzone expansion pack, which adds new modes but also removes the necessity of wearing a headset at all (it also includes the entire base game). You can play against other PS VR friends in short, fun sessions, swap ships and try out capture the flag modes. Plus, dying in this game is strangely magical.

, playstation.com | Amazon

Robinson: The Journey

In Crytek's adventure title you take on the role of a boy who has crash-landed on a breathtaking planet, which is the closest you'll come to experiencing Jurassic Park for now. The lack of motion controls is a shame, and visually it's not among the best, but The Journey is still a great game of substantial length, making it a rare beast right now.

, playstation.com | Amazon

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood

Here's one to bring the scares. Stick one of your friends into this first person survival shooter on the difficult level and watch them jump for some great "lols". We don't want to ruin too much but if you're scared of clowns, zombies or old timey theme parks, you might not want to play this too close to bedtime.

, playstation.com | Amazon

Battlezone

Taking the 'original' VR first-person-tank-battle Atari game and 21st-centurying it is certainly a bold ambition, but the results are great. The motion is slower, because it's tanks, which reduces motion sickness, and the blocky graphics work well with PlayStation VR's tech limitations. You've also got a campaign and co-op mode for your money.

, battlezone.com | Amazon

Headmaster

If you want a 'quick go' of something and you're into football/soccer, you'll probably quickly get addicted to Headmaster as three quarters of the UK Wareable team has already. It's a simple task of heading balls at (sometimes moving) targets, bombs, around 'goalies' etc that gets trickier and is one of the easiest to pass around to play.

Read this: Headmaster convinced me simple VR can be addictive

It's a bit odd launching your head at a virtual ball at first but you'll soon get the hang of it. Most repeat plays at Wareable HQ so far.

, playstation.com

Super Stardust Ultra VR

Now, here's a VR port you can get into - just remember Sony advises breaks every hour. Arcade shooter Super Stardust has nine classic 'god view' modes as well as a special Invasion Zone VR mode that puts you in a cockpit shooting down enemies and picking up power ups and weapons while avoiding space debris. The best bit? You'll happily replay it again and again to get that high score up.

, playstation.com | Amazon

100ft Robot Golf

We couldn't miss 100ft Robot Golf from No Goblin off this list. It does what it says on the tin, really. Four players can urban golf, as robots, at once because it's all just crazy and silly – plus if big old buildings or other robots are in your way, the idea is that you smash them down to take your shot. Not an essential buy but silly fun nonetheless.

, 100ftrobotgolf.com

Coming soon

Here's what we currently have to look forward to - many of the games below will be out by Christmas so you might want to save some money for this little lot.

Skyrim VR - November 2017

Skyrim, Bethesda's seminal open-world RPG, is getting the full VR treatment on PlayStation this November. That's six years since the original launched, to give you an idea of this game's enduring popularity. The game utilizes a teleport mechanic to let you move around, and we found it worked surprisingly well in our short playtime. There's support for traditional DualShock 4 controller movement if you'd prefer, however. It'll include all of the previous Skyrim add-ons when it arrives too.

Doom VFR - December 2017

Unlike Skyrim, Bethesda's VR twist on Doom is a totally new experience. For that reason it feels a bit more of a natural fit, and includes support for the PS VR Aim controller for added blood-splattering immersion. Locomotion is approached a bit differently here too with a combination of teleportation and short leaps, which only adds to the characteristic frenetic gameplay. Get some.

Moss - February 2018

You're a mouse, with a sword, exploring an enchanted wood. What's not to like? Teased at E3 2017, this is another third-person, charm-filled VR platformer game in the style of Lucky's Tale. From what we've seen so far Moss promises to further diversify the PS VR's lineup of games, and at Paris Games Week developer Polyarc confirmed it will be out in February.

Sprint Vector

After falling in love with Sprint Vector on HTC Vive we're thrilled it's also coming to PS VR. The game employs some interesting locomotion techniques, asking you get from point A to point B by swinging your arms in a ski-iing like motion, while you'll also have to climb walls and even fly like Superman. Not only does this make movement feel more natural, it helps avoid the feeling of motion sickness. The developers tell us we can expect a lot more to be announced soon, including some notable character voice actors.

League of War: VR Arena - November 2017

Think Advance Wars meets the tower defense genre... meets VR. Got that? Good. VR Arena is the VR counterpart to the mobile game League of War: Mercenaries and while the idea of a tabletop war simulator might not sound like the perfect fit for VR - trust us, it is. It's out 7 November and from what we've played, this has potential to be one of our top picks of the year.

The Inpatient - November 2017

Supermassive Games has announced a prequel to its horror game Until Dawn, which will put us inside a mental institute 60 years prior. It all looks very eerie and the teaser has left us with a lot of questions - but consider us onboard. We originally thought we'd be waiting on this one until 2018, but it's now confirmed to launch on 21 November this year.

Golem - December 2017

This is a PlayStation exclusive from Highwire Games and it looks damn interesting. You play as a girl controlling golems, via your eyes and movements, while creeping through ancient ruins filled with treasures.

The developers say that the aim of the game is to make you feel the power of controlling these golems. Will be interesting to see where they take this mechanic.

Ace Combat 7 - 2018

Namco Bandai's arcade flight Ace Combat series comes to the PS4 and VR with photorealistic graphics, authentic and futuristic aircraft to choose from and – no doubt – familiar dogfighting action.

Dead Secret

As a journalist eager to make the headlines, you will embark on a journey with mysterious occurrences – all to find out who murdered Harris Bullard. This is the first horror title released by Robot Invader and you'll be looking to unravel the clues behind the mystery, using virtual reality to your advantage.

Gran Turismo Sport - Late 2017

Gran Turismo has been a Sony exclusive, as well as a huge hit, for years. With the use of virtual reality, the legendary racing game can be taken a step further, and will feature FIA Gran Turismo Championships to give you a chance to get your head in the race for your favourite car manufacturer or home country.

P.O.L.L.E.N.

Pollen has been built with VR in mind and the visuals look stunning. It's a game in which you explore Titan – Saturn's largest moon. Obviously, being in deep space alone, a few things are bound to go wrong.



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Hugh Langley

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Now at Business Insider, Hugh originally joined Wareable from TechRadar where he’d been writing news, features, reviews and just about everything else you can think of for three years.

Hugh is now a correspondent at Business Insider.

Prior to Wareable, Hugh freelanced while studying, writing about bad indie bands and slightly better movies. He found his way into tech journalism at the beginning of the wearables boom, when everyone was talking about Google Glass and the Oculus Rift was merely a Kickstarter campaign - and has been fascinated ever since.

He’s particularly interested in VR and any fitness tech that will help him (eventually) get back into shape. Hugh has also written for T3, Wired, Total Film, Little White Lies and China Daily.


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