Meta Quest Starter Kit: 23 VR Games To Install On Your New Quest 2 Headset

Republished By Plato

Followers: 0

Happy holidays, and welcome! If you’re reading this, presumably you unwrapped (or watched someone unwrap) a brand new Quest 2 headset during the holidays, you’ve set it up and taken your First Steps, you’ve checked out our tips and tricks for new owners, and now you’re wondering “What’s next?”

That’s where we come in. Below, we’ve put together a list of 23 must-play Quest titles. There are many, many more out there—check out our games-for-exercise list, for instance, or our 2021 and 2022 Holiday Gift Guides. But these 23 (in no particular order) are a great cross-section of what Quest and VR have to offer, whether today’s your first day in the headset or you’re an old-timer looking for something new to play.

From Star Wars to Supernatural, mice to mini golf, and everything in between—check out the full list below, let us know if you have any other must-play games in the comments, and have fun with your new headset!

Note: This list is periodically updated with new game recommendations. Most recently we’ve added some of 2022’s biggest games, including Marvel’s Iron Man VR, Among Us VR, BONELAB, Red Matter 2, and NFL PRO ERA.

Beat Saber

It’s the game, the myth, the legend: Beat Saber. One of the most popular games on Quest, Beat Saber is a rhythm game phenomenon. Slash through incoming blocks to the beat of the music, swinging your laser sabers up and down and side-to-side to match the cues. It’s almost like an impromptu dance, as you find the flow and start reacting at (what feels like) superhuman speeds. The base game has a catchy soundtrack, but you can always supplement with additional songs from Lady Gaga, Linkin Park, Imagine Dragons, BTS, and other popular artists. And did I mention it’s a fantastic workout as well?

Related: Pistol Whip, Synth Riders, OhShape

Marvel’s Iron Man VR

Even Super Heroes can’t always outrun the past. That’s a reality Tony Stark is forced to confront in Marvel’s Iron Man VR when his former life as an arms dealer comes back to haunt him. The very weapons he designed will be turned against him by Ghost, forcing Stark to decide whether saving himself is worth betraying everything he’s come to believe in. Step into Tony Stark’s iconic armor and master Iron Man’s unique flight and fighting capabilities as you confront Ghost’s army over Stark Mansion, in Shanghai, and around the world. We’ve been fans of Marvel’s Iron Man VR since its original release, and we’re excited that the talented teams at Camouflaj and Endeavor One—along with our partners at Sony Interactive Entertainment and Marvel Entertainment—could bring this incredible superhero experience to Meta Quest 2 as well.

Among Us VR

Emergency meeting! There’s a killer aboard this spaceship. Is it you? Too bad, you doth protest too much. Out the airlock you go. Among Us VR reimagines the hit game of deception from a new first-person perspective. Explore the stars with your Crewmates—but beware, at least one of them is an Impostor intent on killing off everyone else. Online matches support 4 – 10 VR players ages 13+, so gather some friends, choose your favorite hat (grab the new hat packs for even more options), and get ready to learn which ones are a little too good at lying.

Supernatural

One of the best aspects of VR is that it gets you moving. Anyone who’s played Until You Fall has probably woken up the next day and realized their shoulders are surprisingly sore. But if you’re looking for a more structured fitness regimen, Supernatural is an excellent place to start. Built to resemble a rhythm game, Supernatural has hundreds of trainer-driven workouts featuring thousands of popular songs. It’ll get your arms and legs moving and can improve both your strength and cardio endurance—but you’ll be having so much fun you might not even notice. Give Supernatural a shot with the 30-day free trial, after which a subscription starts at just $15 USD a month when you sign up annually.

Related: FitXR, The Thrill of the Fight, Racket: Nx

Resident Evil 4

What’re ya buyin’? Hopefully it’s Resident Evil 4 VR. Armature Studio rebuilt Capcom’s acclaimed survival horror classic for Quest 2, putting players directly into Leon S. Kennedy’s shoes. A new first-person point of view, weapons you aim and reload by hand, a fully interactive version of the classic inventory grid—Resident Evil 4 VR feels like a brand new VR game. That said, it was built using Capcom’s source material and preserves what fans love about the original. (Re)visit Resident Evil 4’s iconic village, fight through hordes of Ganados, and maybe you’ll be able to rescue the president’s daughter before the year’s out—and before The Mercenaries mode releases early next year.

Puzzling Places

Puzzling Places is a love letter to both jigsaw puzzles and architecture. Each puzzle is actually a 3D scan of a real-world location—the billiards room at a Swedish mansion, a crumbling monastery, a cozy izakaya, a swathe of a French seaside town, or even a piece of the Mars Desert Research Station—broken up into anywhere from 25 to 400 pieces. Your goal is to reassemble these locales, paying attention to aspects you’d typically overlook like the way the sun shines through a stained glass window, or the way moss hangs over a ruined tower. And when you’re done you get to admire the model you’ve assembled in all its intricate detail, and hear it brought to life via a rich and immersive soundscape.

Related: Cubism, BRINK Traveler, Wander

Wander

See the world from your living room. That’s the promise of Wander, which uses Google Street View imagery to take you ‘round the globe on the trip of a lifetime. Want to visit Paris? Or walk around the original Star Wars sets in the Tunisian desert? Or take in the beauty of Patagonia? Wander is your passport to basically anywhere you want to go. That includes more “everyday” places, as well. Use Wander to see the town you grew up in, or relive that vacation you took as a teenager. It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re Wander-ing.

Vader Immortal

Travel to the planet Mustafar in Vader Immortal, a three-part cinematic Star Wars adventure from ILMxLAB. Wield a lightsaber, learn how to use the Force, and more as you uncover an ancient mystery—and try to discover what Lord Vader is up to. (Spoilers: It’s something evil.) Vader Immortal brings the Star Wars galaxy to life with a thrilling three-part story, tense lightsaber duels (including a lightsaber dojo where you can practice your skills), and plenty of jaw-dropping spectacle. And when you’re done, you can jump into Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge for even more adventures from far, far away.

BONELAB

Stress Level Zero’s 2019 project BONEWORKS set the bar for immersive VR gaming, wowing players with realistic physics interactions and unprecedented attention to detail. The studio’s new release, BONELAB, brings those same ideas to Meta Quest 2 (and Pro) for the first time. Escaping your own execution, you flee into a hidden research facility deep underground—but your problems are far from over. Prepare for a gauntlet of challenges, from combat arenas to obstacle courses to user-generated levels. All of this is of course built on top of Stress Level Zero’s next-generation interaction engine, which makes sure every weapon and object in the game behaves as it would in the physical world, whether you’re using a board to bludgeon enemies or help scale a wall. And with both a passionate community and official mod support, expect BONELAB to keep evolving for a while to come.

Related: Blade & Sorcery: Nomad, BONEWORKS, Song in the Smoke

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond

Charge into history with Respawn’s ambitious Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Fight on the frontlines of iconic World War II battles—ducking behind cover as you storm the beaches of Normandy, or blind-firing around cover in a sinking German U-boat. With a 10+ hour cinematic campaign, intense multiplayer action, and a poignant Gallery of VR-ready films (including the Academy Award™-winning documentary short Colette), Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond lets you experience history like never before.

Related: Onward, Sniper Elite VR, Phantom: Covert Ops

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

The fate of New Orleans hangs in the balance in The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, and your choices will determine how it fares. Scavenge the ruins and face enemies both human and undead as you attempt to unravel a mystery at the heart of this once-lively city. Decide who to support and who to abandon—but be careful, lest those choices come back to haunt you. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is a gripping story of survival, backed by one of the best melee combat systems in a VR game to-date. If you’re looking for a story-driven game you can really sink your teeth into, look no further. And once you’ve saved (or condemned) New Orleans? You can continue your adventure in the new follow-up The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution.

Zenith: The Last City

If you’ve always dreamed of donning a VR headset and embarking on an incredible adventure across a made-for-VR MMO world, then look no further than Zenith: The Last City. Created by Ramen VR, Zenith is a first-of-its-kind immersive world that you can enjoy online with hundreds of other players in a persistent, real-time simulation. Take flight across rolling green fields, unleash powerful abilities against dangerous monsters, and climb to the peaks of the tallest mountains as you fight alongside others from around the globe. WIth dozens of hours of content and new updates rolling out every few months, this is a never-ending adventure you won’t want to miss out on.

Related: OrbusVR: Reborn, A Township Tale, RUINSMAGUS

A Township Tale

Want to be an explorer? A blacksmith? A lumberjack? The choice is yours in A Township Tale. You’re dropped into this fantasy-medieval world with nothing but the clothes on your back, and what happens next? That’s up to you. Band together with others on your server to build out your town, or spend all your time plumbing the depths of the deepest mines, or get really good at crafting swords. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but stick with it and A Township Tale will eat up hours of your life with one of the most fully-realized (and realistic) survival games VR has to offer.

Red Matter 2

If you haven’t played the original Red Matter, you should. Set in an alternate dimension where the space race never ended, the original Red Matter captivated players by sending them to one of Saturn’s moons to investigate an abandoned research station, solve Myst-style puzzles, and discover the secrets hidden deep within. Vertical Robot’s acclaimed follow-up Red Matter 2 picks up in the aftermath of the original’s cliffhanger ending and expands on it with a story that spans the entire solar system. Circle ever closer to the heart of a hidden conspiracy and uncover the origins of the titular red matter itself, all while playing one of 2022’s most visually and technologically impressive VR games.

Related: Red Matter, Lone Echo II, Myst

Tetris® Effect: Connected

Tetris Effect: Connected shows how VR can transform even a familiar game into a brand-new and exciting experience. At its core, it’s Tetris®. No surprise. But Tetris Effect: Connected turns the classic block-stacking puzzle game into a visual feast with an expansive single-player campaign and several online cross-platform multiplayer modes. Dolphins swim circles around you, horses gallop through Antelope Canyon, a snowstorm rages high in the mountains—there are more than two dozen stages, each with its own unique and breathtaking theme (and music). Honestly, the most complex challenge in Tetris Effect: Connected is just trying to stack blocks without getting distracted by everything else.

Moss + Moss: Book II

Moss tells the story of Quill, a small mouse on a grand journey to save her uncle—and it’s that use of perspective that makes the game so special. Moss is built at mouse-scale, meaning you look over Quill and her surroundings as you battle enemies and solve puzzles together. As your adventure progresses through forests, caves, and a ruined castle, you’re rewarded for leaning in and interacting with the environment, manipulating the battlefield, and peering around corners as if looking at immaculately detailed dioramas. It’s immersion at its finest, and makes exploring Moss an unforgettable experience—and now you can continue Quill’s journey in Moss: Book II as well!

Madrid Noir

Madrid Noir is a story of past, present, and how they intertwine. When Lola’s uncle dies, she’s tasked with cleaning out his old apartment. This forces Lola to confront her past—the summer she spent with her uncle, and his mysterious comings-and-goings. Was he involved with something suspicious? A criminal, even? Or is everything not as it seems? Trail him across the Madrid-of-the-past and try to find out what he’s up to, as Lola-of-the-present tries to unravel the larger story and finally make peace with a troubling chapter of her childhood. Madrid Noir is a brilliant slice of film noir fun, premiering at Tribeca Film Festival 2021 and Annecy Film Festival 2021, and winning VR Experience of the Year at the VR Awards

Related: Wolves in the Walls, Baba Yaga, The Under Presents

Demeo

Take tabletop night virtual with Demeo. Choose your champions, roll the die, and play your cards carefully in this dungeon crawler that doubles as an elaborate board game. You can play solo or with up to three other players, battling through various adventures, including the catacombs of “The Black Sarcophagus” and the infested sewers of “Realm of the Rat King.” You’ll need tactics (and teamwork) to make it to the end, with Demeo capturing the nail-biting combat and tactics of real-world counterparts like Gloomhaven and Dungeons & Dragons—but without any of the setup or cumbersome rules-referencing. And 2022 saw Demeo expand even more, with a Passthrough Mode that lets you play in your own living room, a total of five campaigns to explore, and teases of hand tracking support to come in 2023.

Related: Catan VR, Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl, Chess Club

Walkabout Mini Golf

Nobody plays mini golf for the golf, right? You’re there for the theme, for the unique obstacles, and for the part where your ball goes down a ramp and flies out the other end directly into the hole. Walkabout Mini Golf gets it. And 2022 was arguably Walkabout Mini Golf‘s biggest year yet, with the release of courses based on Jim Henson’s Labyrinth and Cyan’s Myst interspersed among Mighty Coconut’s originals. Can the momentum continue? Signs point to yes, with Mighty Coconut kicking off a Jules Verne-themed trilogy in September with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and two more Verne courses coming in 2023, along with more Lost Cities and entirely new packs. But why wait? Walkabout Mini Golf is already excellent, whether you’re getting in some after-work solo practice or catching up with friends and family with a side helping of casual competition.

Related: Topgolf with Pro Putt, Disc Ninja, Sports Scramble

NFL PRO ERA

Blue 80! Blue 80! Hut, hut, hike! NFL PRO ERA is the first fully licensed NFL VR sim. Lace up your (virtual) cleats and experience what it’s like to be QB1 for your favorite NFL team. Step onto the field, hear the crowd roar, and drop perfectly placed passes even as the defensive line rushes in for the sack. Do you have what it takes to lead your team to the Super Bowl? Developed by StatusPRO, Inc., NFL PRO ERA is the Future of the Field, getting fans closer to the gridiron than ever before. No more Monday Morning Quarterbacking—get in there and flex your skills!

GORN

Test your skills in the arena with GORN. The developers call it a “ludicrously violent VR gladiator simulator,” and that mostly covers the explanation—but you should add in the word “hilarious.” You’re thrown into combat with enemies who clearly skipped leg day, who sort-of wobble back and forth more than they walk, and you’re left to punch and stab and bludgeon your way through them with a variety of oversized weapons. It’s silly, it’s satisfying, and it’s one of the only games that lets you wallop an enemy into the stands like Babe Ruth hitting a homer. Perfection.

Related: Until You Fall, SWORDS of GARGANTUA, SUPERHOT VR

Little Cities

Little Cities is a cozy little city creator that’s all about making building fun and accessible. Start by placing roads, shops, and houses, then grow your budding mini-metropolis, filling it with everything from stadiums to statues, airports to aquariums, and so much more. There’s even support for Hand Tracking so you can get hands-on with city creation. More content is on the way including winter-themed DLC featuring two new islands—perfect for cozying up during the post-holiday season. Create your own charming oasis and relax far from the stresses of everyday life (and traffic) with Little Cities.

You Might Also Like:Cities: VR, Townscaper, Deisim

I Expect You To Die

I Expect You To Die and its brand new sequel are a great choice for newcomers and veterans alike. Newcomers, because they’re played seated and will get you familiar with moving and interacting with objects in VR. Veterans, because these are two of the finest “VR Escape Room” style games ever made. Laugh-out-loud writing, some true head-scratching puzzles to work through, and hundreds of hilarious item interactions to discover. Be the super-spy that I Expect You To Die doesn’t believe you can be, defeat the evil Dr. Zor, and save the world—twice.

Time Stamp: December 27, 2022December 28, 2022

Time Stamp: Oct 11, 2022