I spend hours playing the best Meta Quest 3 games every week. From the games on Meta's own app store to PC VR via the Quest Link cable, it's easily the best platform for VR gaming today.
And not only that, it's an affordable way to get into VR gaming. The Quest lineup starts at $299 for the Meta Quest 3S (the more fully-featured Meta Quest 3 is $499) — with both of them sporting the same Snapdragon XR2 chipset to play all of these games.
We'll let you know which of these games are available to play entirely on the Quest 3, and which you'll need to play using a VR-ready gaming PC or gaming laptop. But over the last year, it's been clear that even if you can't afford a full blown PC tower, Meta's own VR games are just as good.
For example, my absolute favorite game at the moment is Batman: Arkham Shadow. With gorgeous visuals, immersive sound and a gameplay loop that makes you really feel like the caped crusader, this is a phenomenal experience.
If you do have a beasty gaming system, and can spring for the $79 Quest Link cable, though, the graphical fidelity takes a big step up and the amount of games you can play is vastly expanded. Shout-out to the stellar Half-Life: Alyx. Quick side note: you can do wireless PC VR, but given the latency and stuttering I experience, I'd always recommend a wired connection.
So, without further ado, let's get into my picks for the best games on the best VR headset — the Meta Quest 3.
I'm the Managing Editor of Computing with a love of VR that started back in 2017 with my first HTC headset! Fast forward to 2024 and the gaming space is so much bigger and better, (and more affordable too). Clocking many hours per week with my Quest 3, I can take you through the best games to play on this headset.
Best Meta Quest 3 games on Meta Horizon Store
Put simply, this is the best game you can play from Meta's Horizon Store right now. The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, and the gameplay combination of ducking, punching, grappling and using all of Bruce Wayne's toys really gives you that feeling of power of being Batman.
Rec Room is free to play and the library of player-made games is fantastic — from addictive PvP titles I play with my fiancée all the time to complex horror titles. There are some experiences you can pay for in-game, but the vast majority of it is free, and the community on here is a lot less toxic than VRChat. Oh, and you can used Rec Room Studio to get creative yourself!
If you threw Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, and just a sprinkle of Star Wars into a blender you'd get Beat Saber. In this game, you match the color of your saber to slash color corresponding blocks at the correct angle. Combine this with dodging past hazards such as bombs and walls — all to a hugely diverse soundtrack — this is also a pretty stellar full-body workout!
Start with the free-to-play Citadel to see how good the 1v1 combat is, but the Vail Combat DLC is a must-buy. This is the bread and butter of this utterly addictive competitive FPS. It's a visual stunner and the shooter gameplay mechanics are so smooth.
Launched in 2021 for the aging Quest 2, Resident Evil 4 VR may not be a visual masterpiece like other more recent games on this list. But this highlight of the zombie-centric series continues to be a fantastic horror play through with all the immersion of VR. Plus, with the suped up internals of Quest 3, you're getting a rock solid 60 FPS throughout this scarefest.
Whether you're a grown up who loved Tamagotchis back in the 90s, or you're looking for a fun experience that can be shared by the whole family, Living Room VR is a brilliant AR eco-sim that transforms your room into an island packed with colorful wildlife. This digital sanctuary is a lot of fun for kids and parents alike!
Best Meta Quest 3 games with Steam VR
With Valve's impressive level of polish, Half-Life: Alyx is easily one of the best VR games ever made. The graphical fidelity is impressive, the variety of gameplay mechanics from combat to exploration provides depth and smooth immersion, and the level design is simply unmatched.
If you're a VR sim racer like me, you need something that is immersive from every angle and also allows you to be competitive through the simple tactics of a real racing driver (looking at the corner curb you're aiming for, for example). Assetto Corsa Competizione is the gold standard of this, and offers arguably the best real-time translation of steering wheel turns to in-game action.
Young Horses quietly added a VR beta to the colorful, charming and wholesome Bugsnax. It may only be in beta, but it's a slick bug-free experience, and in doing so, the team has made easily the best family VR game you can play today. The story is so endearing, the universe is so well imagined, and the gameplay translates so well into the VR space.
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