I've covered VR headsets for nearly ten years, and I'm going to use this experience to help you buy the right one for you.
Let's make one thing clear from the get-go — there's no single correct answer on what the best VR headset is. To figure out what is most ideal for you, there are a couple of questions you can ask yourself.
What do I want to use VR for?
There are numerous use cases for picking up a VR headset, which we can use to focus your choices here:
Gaming: This is probably the most popular reason for buying a headset. If you're going down this route, the PSVR 2 is incredible for console VR experiences with a side-order of PC VR (thanks to the adaptor), or if you're PC-specific, the HTC Vive Focus Vision is a good shout.
Work and productivity: Spatial computing may not be quite ready for prime time yet, but that doesn't mean it isn't an amazing way to get stuff done. For this, both the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro have all the capabilities.
Fitness: Fancy working out at home instead of going to the gym? Workout VR apps are incredible, and you'll need something with the ecosystem and lightweight construction for it. Go for the Meta Quest 3S.
All of the above: Maybe you don't fall into one camp. So for this, you need a good blend of everything — including a comfortable fit, wide field of view and display quality. And in terms of hitting all the categories, the Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S are your best bets.
What about AR glasses?
I cover the best smart glasses too, and the display tech is getting better over time. We're not at that crossover point yet, but that hasn't stopped the likes of the Viture Pro XR glasses and Pro Neckband giving you a similar spatial experience you'd find in a VR headset.
If portability is important, then this is a great way to go for watching movies, playing games or social experiences.
Now that we have a clearer idea of what you're looking for from your VR headset, here are the absolute best options you can buy right now.
The quick list
Here's a quick overview of the best VR headsets you can buy right now based on our testing and reviews.
The Meta Quest 3 is our pick for best overall VR headset for a lot of reasons. In its 3rd generation, Meta has fixed a lot of our common gripes with the hardware — offering impressive passthrough, accurate controllers with decent haptics, and a massive suite of apps and games to experience. And you can get all of this for an impressive price.
If that $3,500 price tag isn't a tough pill to swallow, the Apple Vision Pro offers the best mixed reality experience out of all the headsets on this list. That includes an incredibly sharp passthrough mode to enable spatial computing, immersive viewing experiences of 3D movies, full integration with Apple products like the MacBook, and super advanced hand and eye-tracking.
The Meta Quest 3S is the replacement to the Quest 2 we've all been waiting for — bringing the latest Snapdragon power and all the mixed reality goodness of Quest 3 to a cheaper headset. The passthrough is impressive, the game and app library is huge, and with impressive battery life, you can go for a long time.
For the best AAA gaming experience, the PSVR 2 is the headset to choose. With a wide viewing angle and vivid, sharp OLED display technology, to sensational controller haptics and impressively accurate tracking, it brings a new way to interact with a ton of PS first party titles like Gran Turismo 7.
The HTC Vive Focus Vision packs an impressively crispy and colorful picture quality with wide field of view, along with being very comfortable and packing strong hand tracking for all your PC VR gaming needs.
If lugging around a VR headset isn't an option for your travels, the pairing of Viture Pro XR Glasses and Pro Neckband gives you a great VR-lite experience that offers immersive entertainment and hand tracking for control.
Jason brings a decade of tech and gaming journalism experience to his role as a Managing Editor of Computing at Tom's Guide. He has previously written for Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, Kotaku, Stuff and BBC Science Focus. In his spare time, you'll find Jason looking for good dogs to pet or thinking about eating pizza (if he isn't already).
The best VR headsets you can buy today
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The best VR headset overall
The Meta Quest 3 "is undoubtedly the best VR headset I've ever tested" is the first line of our review of Meta's latest VR headset. It improves on the Quest 2 in just about every way, including a brand-new Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor and twin LCD lenses that offer 2K resolution in each eye for a combined 4K resolution.
One key long-term strength we're starting to see of this headset is Meta's commitment to updates — most recently seeing a mightily impressive travel mode and continual improvements to bring a more fully-fledged mixed reality experience.
That said, it's still not perfect. The battery life did not impress us — we managed to kill the battery in just under two hours.
But despite this shortcoming though, the Quest 3 is still the top choice. Its improvements over the Quest 2 make choosing the older Quest headset a poor choice unless you're looking for something truly entry-level. And while the PSVR 2 is more powerful and has eye-tracking features, the resolution upgrade on the Quest 3 really bridges the gap. Plus, as with the Quest 2, you can still play PC VR games thanks to the Link cable or Air Bridge (sold separately), something the PSVR 2 cannot manage.
See our full Meta Quest 3 review.
The best premium VR headset
Yes, the Apple Vision Pro is more mixed reality than truly VR, but that's the direction this whole category is heading in right now. And if you're looking out for the absolute best implementation of VR and AR technology (and cost is no obstacle), Cupertino's new headset is the best way to go.
Apple has tackled a lot of the common challenges for headsets with some truly great ingenuity in both hardware and software. For example, the microOLED displays with pixels smaller than red blood cells make for super sharp pass-through (with the lowest response time in the industry right now at just 12 milliseconds). On top of that, the futuristic eye and hand-tracking experience is head and shoulders above the tracking you can find in the competition.
And sure, there are some issues with it. Beyond that massive $3,500 asking price, the tethered battery can get in the way sometimes, personas during FaceTime calls are pretty weird to look at, and its missing some big apps like Netflix and YouTube (though the latter is coming soon).
But you're looking at the most innovative product to come out of Apple since the iPhone — being made even better with the incoming VisionOS 2 update. This is a revolution in the making, and it's certainly the technically superior VR/AR system of the bunch.
See our full Apple Vision Pro review.
The best budget VR headset
The Meta Quest 3S is everything you could ever want from a budget VR headset — all of the Quest 3's staple features like great color passthrough and speedy performance, but packed into a cheaper piece of hardware. This is why Tony Polanco has called it "the best VR headset for the money."
Are there cutbacks? Of course. This is a cheaper entry-level headset from Meta, but the team has been carefully strategic in its compromises, as to not massively impact the experience. For example, you get cheaper Fresnel lenses over pancake, along with a lower resolution display with a narrower viewing angle inside. I'd be lying if I didn't say you'd be hard pressed to notice these mid-action (except for the occasional bit of glare from those lenses).
Without a 3.5mm audio jack, you're left using the speakers on here or bluetooth headphones. The latter comes with some latency, but the speakers themselves are loud and bassy without compromising the quality.
Besides that, you're still getting that same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor that keeps all the latest and greatest experiences (such as Batman: Arkham Shadow that comes for free with every purchase) running smoothly, the mixed reality experience gets better over time as more developers support it, and that reduced display quality does mean the battery runs longer on here.
Oh, and if you wanted to dip into the best PC VR games, that's just one Meta Quest Link cable away. Starting at $299, this is the best bang for your buck when it comes to getting started with the world of virtual reality.
See our full Meta Quest 3S review
The best gaming VR headset
Sony's new PSVR 2 is arguably the best wired VR headset, given it has a plethora of high-end specs, including a brilliant OLED display. But it sits behind the Quest 3 because it requires a PS5 to work and is limited to the PlayStation ecosystem. Plus the gap between the Quest 3 and PSVR 2 is much smaller than the gap between the Quest 2 and the PSVR 2 thanks to a new processor and display on the Quest 3.
Still, the PSVR 2 is excellent, especially for gaming. The headset is comfortable with just a relatively slim but sturdy cable that connects it to the PS5, the screen is excellent with impressive passthrough capabilities and 4K resolution. Plus, there's 3D audio support and easy buttons for adjustment.
But the real ace-in-the-hole is the Sense controllers. These are not only rather comfortable and good at tracking, but they also have excellent haptic feedback; an area where other VR headsets are lacking.
And thanks to being in the PlayStation ecosystem there are exclusive games like Horizon Call of the Mountain and the ability to play Gran Turismo 7 in VR. Combined with the VR tech, the PSVR 2 is one of the very best virtual reality systems you can buy today.
See our full PlayStation VR2 review.
The best PC VR headset
The HTC Vive Focus Vision is a $999 mixed-reality headset that works best as part of a PC VR setup. With that sharp 5K display with a 120-degree field of view and a comfortable fit for long sessions, it's an impressively immersive experience.
Add in strong eye and hand tracking, alongside hot swappable batteries, and this really comes into its own in the PC gaming space.
However, I was surprised to see it using the older Snapdragon XR2 chipset, the same as the Quest 2, which limits its performance in standalone mode. Pair that with the limited software library compared to the Quests, and standalone can be a rather lonely experience. Oh, and the choice to use Fresnel lenses also feel a little outdated, causing some edge distortion and chromatic aberration.
So if you're main mission is to get a headset specifically for your PC VR gaming, plugging this in via DisplayPort is an awesome high-quality experience — ideal for enthusiasts and pros. But if you're looking for something more multi-purpose, I'd reconsider.
See our full HTC Vive Focus Vision review.
The best AR Glasses alternative
OK, I know some of you have questions — namely why is there a pair of AR glasses on this list? Well, as I keep saying, we're on a collision course between AR specs and VR headsets. Year after year, these specs get closer in capability to your average bulky headset. And the $758 Viture Pro XR Glasses + Pro Neckband combo comes the closest.
In fact, I'd argue that it's close enough that it could convince some of you to veer away from a headset. Now, it's worth highlighting the limitations. The field of view is a lot smaller at 46 degrees, given it is a prism display in front of your eyes rather than a full wrap around screen.
But if your main use is going to be watching content or gaming in an immersive setting, or even getting work done in a spatial setting, that Pro Neckband unlocks so much capability — bringing 3DoF hand-tracking and multi-screen support to move your way around.
Hand gesture control isn't fully seamless yet (updates are coming soon ahead of the March launch), but for the closest equivalent to a VR experience in a pair of glasses that are so much easier to carry around on-the-go, this is the best I've tried.
See our full Viture Pro XR Glasses review.
How we test VR headsets
Identifying the best VR headsets takes a suite of things to consider, from the hardware itself to the software the headsets will work with. We test and consider how easy it is to set up a VR headset and system, how well-designed and comfortable the headset is, how well its interface works, and take a look at the accessories the VR headset can use.
We also take a look at how specific VR headsets work such and how easy the interface to use, as well as how head tracking performs and the quality of the controllers with the headsets.
A major part of initial testing involves evaluating how much space is needed to set up one of our picks for the best VR headsets to get the most out of them.
A product can look great but still be uncomfortable to use. Aside from testing out all the various content, we spend at least 30 minutes wearing each headset. We test to make sure any embedded air vents are keeping things cool. And if it does get sweaty, we see how well the face guard wicks away moisture. We also weigh the headsets, because even the lightest gadget can feel heavy after long periods of use. Finally, we test how adjustable the head straps are and how secure they feel.
As the de facto face of your virtual experience, the interface is vitally important. We test how responsive and intuitive the home page and subsequent menus are, as well as test special features, like voice commands and gesture control.
Whether it's a traditional gamepad or something more elaborate, like Meta's controllers, we're checking to see if the input devices are ergonomically designed; after all, no one wants hand cramps. We also test tracking and responsiveness in a number of games.
Hardware without great software is just an expensive paperweight. We not only examine the size of a device's library but also scour the listings and test out some of the higher-end apps and titles. At this point, a good library should feature a number of games, apps, movies and other experiences.
