Cheap VR headsets have a lot of issues such as lower refresh rates or reduced tracking. On the other hand, an expensive VR headset provides you with an immersive experience with perfect visual fidelity and sound effects.
However, an expensive VR headset means you might not have enough money left to purchase VR games to play. Therefore, explore the market for cheap VR games until you can afford an expensive high-processing game.
To help you select the best affordable VR games for your new headset, we have compiled a list of games in this post with their features, pros, and cons.
Winner
Rec Room
This is the perfect game for a casual and curated VR experience. It supports a game-oriented community as it provides a relaxing gameplay session.
Runner Up
Gorilla Tag
You have to jump, run, and climb with your hands only to play tag or run from infectious gorillas and catch them if you can. These games allow you to have the perfect childish experience.
Also Great
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
In an exciting rescue mission, you get to embark on a challenging adventure to save your crew by facing your enemy and discovering secrets to the story.
Now that we have discussed a brief overview of our top contenders, let’s take a deeper look into their features, pros and cons, and other best choices.
Cheap VR Games - Top 8 Reviews
#1: Best Free VR Games - Rec Room Review
Rec room is a better version of VR chat with more indulging features. It is a place where you can build and play games with your friends from all over the world. It provides you with a safe space to hang out, chat, explore millions of player-created rooms, and build new spaces.
This title was released in 2016 and it provides several environments and game modes to hang around in with your friends. It is updated frequently for you to enjoy a fully immersive experience.
However, it does require you to create an account but is a lot better than any regular tech demo.
Due to a virtual reality environment, players might not be able to express themselves well. However, this does not mean they do not get to gain refined experience with high-quality gameplay.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Rec Room
Price: Rec room is entirely free for users to play and chat with their friends on a global platform.
Headsets: The following headsets offer VR support for this specific game:
- HTC Vive
- Valve Index
- Windows Mixed Reality
- Oculus Rift
Features: You can customize your avatar to look cool or cute according to your style. Moreover, you can discover innovative games by other creators to experience more engagement.
This game consists of a “Maker Pen” that allows you to create things from a helicopter to a puppy. Furthermore, it hosts a friendly community with people from all walks of life for you to interact with.
Requirements: It requires a Windows 7 or higher operating system with an Intel i5 or Ryzen 5 1400 processor that has 8 GB RAM and 6 GB storage available.
- Engaging
- Encourages creation
- Allows you to interact with a vast community
- Available for free
- Millions of rooms to explore
- Updated regularly
- Since it hosts a large community, it can become a bit uncomfortable. There have been complaints about a toxic environment due to non-courteous players.
Best VR Games for Free
The Rec Room is a better alternative to VR Chat because it is less chaotic. It allows you to create your content to share with others and explore endless user-created rooms as well.
#2: Best Early Access Game - Gorilla Tag Review
This game is a full exercise recent title that was released for Early Access and it still managed to take the virtual world by storm. It has an online multiplayer tech demo where you and your friends engage in an acrobatic tag game.
While this game has quite dated visuals and is a bit rough around the edges, it is still one of the most popular VR games on the market. It is so immersive that gamers keep coming back to play more of Gorilla Tag while trends of other games change frequently.
This is a room-scale game because it requires you to jump off walls, swing your arms around, and grab furniture like vines. We understand that this sounds intense but rest assured that it has a very quick learning curve and it is very easy to play.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Gorrila Tag
Price: You can find this amazing acrobatic game for free.
Headsets: The following VR headsets support Gorilla Tag:
- Oculus Rift
- Oculus Quest
- Windows Mixed Reality
- Valve Index
- HTC Vive
Features: The game has two modes. There is a simple mode where you play tag with 3 friends. Then there is an infectious mode that you can play with 4 or more friends where you have to run from infected gorillas or catch them.
You can also find a private room to hang out with your friends or play your own games.
Requirements: You need to have a Windows 10 operating system with a 64-bit Intel Core i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 processor that has 4 GB RAM memory and 140 MB storage space.
- Great for a workout
- Extremely immersive
- Available for free
- Cross-platform multi-player
- Highly engaging
- Unimpressive visuals
- Limited features
Best Early Acces VR Game
The Gorilla Tag is quite a popular game which is a big achievement considering it was released without any finishing touches. The game is so incredibly engaging and its visuals are rough in a charming way that adds to the experience.
#3: Best PlayStation VR - Astro Bot: Rescue Mission Review
If you have a PlayStation VR headset then you are in luck because you can use your PS4 to buy the best PlayStation VR title. The platform does not only provide the best VR experience but the best games as well.
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is a PS VR exclusive title. With the virtual reality experience gained from this game, you will come to see how it offers the level of inventiveness previously experienced in the Mario Series by Nintendo.
It utilized the VR format with amazing innovative imagination that makes the efforts by other games look lazy. We highly recommend this game because its fully immersive experience filled with wild adventures.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
Price: This game is very affordable with amazing graphics.
Headsets: You need to own a PS VR headset and a PS camera.
Features: Standing in the thick of the action, you have to save your crew members in a rescue operation. You need to be mindful to discover secrets throughout the game’s daring quest that has 26 different missions.
You can turn your Dualshock 4 wireless controller into different devices to help your character Astro such as slingshots, ninja stars, and water cannons. There are 26 other challenging stages for you to play after you have completed the main story.
Moreover, you can collect in-game coins if you want to play crane mini-games to win prizes.
Requirements: You will require a PS5 since some features are absent on PS4. You also need to update your system to the latest version for PS5.
Moreover, to get access to online features, you will need an account and agree to the terms and conditions subject to the use of the platform. There is a one-time license fee to use the account designated o PS4.
- Affordable
- Inventive and impressive gameplay
- Engaging and fun
- Challenging but not hard
- Adventurous
- Relatively shorter gameplay
- 3D perspective is a bit challenged
Best PlayStation VR Experience
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is a very fun and engaging game because it gives you hard but achievable challenges with a charming character. You need to fight enemies to save your crewmates in an exciting adventure.
#4: Best Combat VR Game - Star Wars: Squadron Review
Experience piloting star fighting combat in Star Wars: Squadron where you get to feel the rush of first-person fights in a multiplayer tech demo environment alongside your squadron.
Enlisted pilots step into fights from both Imperial fleets and the New Republic of 5v5 space combats. The game has a single-player campaign as well as multiplayer modes.
You can make modifications to your starfighter and work with different combinations of the squadron to test different styles to defeat the enemy. The squadron has to triumph as a team.
Play the game as pilots immersed in a cockpit while completing tactical objectives across known and unknown battlefields including the shattered moon of Galitan and the gas giant of Yavin Prime.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Star Wars: Squadron
Price: The Star Wars: Squadron game is available for a relatively affordable price.
Headsets: This game is available on the following headsets:
- HTC Vive
- Windows Mixed Reality
- Oculus Rift
- Valve Index
Features: The game takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi have occurred where you need to join the best faction in the galaxy. You have to plan your attack with your squadron and engage in a 5v5 multiplayer fight.
Moreover, you need to master starfighters by taking control of starfighters from different classes, including the TIE bomber and A-wing. You also need to make modifications to your ship, divert powers between its systems, and destroy your enemies.
It is a completely self-contained game where you can earn rewards by playing, moving up ranks, and unlocking components such as shields, weapons, engines, hulls, and cosmetic items as your progress.
Requirements: This VR game requires a Windows 10 64-bit operating system with a Ryzen 3 1300X or better/i5 6600k or better processor. Your system needs to have 8 GB RAM with 40 GB storage space.
- Engaging
- Supports multiplayer and single-player mode
- Available in many languages
- Immersive experience
- Great visuals
- Relatively expensive
Best Combat Virtual Reality Game
The Star Wars: Squadron is one of the best VR games for battlefield combating in a virtual space with great visual fidelity and an engaging storyline set after the events of Return of the Jedi.
#5: Best Beat Saber VR Version - Pistol Whip Review
Pistol Whip is just like Beat Saber where you use guns instead of lightsabers. In this game, you get to sprint through various environments feeling like the star of your own action movie where you dodge bullets and get rid of your enemies.
While Beat Saber is a simple rhythm game, this game lets you take your enemies out and shoot them to get bonus points just in time for the backing track. While this game is no like your typical physical workout VR game, it will still make you active as you try to escape from bullets.
Free campaign updates have introduced new levels and stories that are set in a Cyberpunk future and the Wild West. This means you get to play plenty of games with only a one-time entry fee.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Pistol Whip
Price: This game is available at an affordable price and also comes in a bundle with soundtracks at a slightly higher rate.
Headsets: It is supported on the following PC VR headsets:
- Oculus Meta Quest 2
- Oculus Rift
- Valve Index
- Windows Mixed Reality
- PSVR
- HTC Vive
Features: This game consists of 30-handcrafted scenes that include android uprisings, bank heists, and more with unique soundtracks.
There are two cinematic campaigns where you can either travel to the future in the year 2089 or enjoy a blast from the past of Smoke and Thunder.
You get assignments to complete whether it be the brutal monthly ultimatum or collecting the daily bounty. You can also challenge other heroes to see where your scores fall on the local Party Mode leaderboards.
Requirements: You will need a 64-bit Windows 10 operating system and processor equivalent to Intel Core i5-4590 with 8 GB RAM memory and 800 MB storage.
- Affordable
- Engaging
- Comfortable
- A ton of modifiers
- A lot of variety
- Plenty of options
- Obstacle dodging can be fussy
- Less variety in music
Best VR Game with Guns
Pistol Whip is a great alternative for Beat Saber if you want a more adventurous experience. With different levels and environments, you will have a lot of fun dodging bullets and taking down the enemy.
#6: Best Exploring App - Google Earth VR Review
Google Earth VR is not really a game like any other VR game. However, it has a must-have experience where you get to explore the entire planet with your own eyes in 3D.
You can teleport to any site on Earth and experience the scale of the city in virtual reality. The best part about this app is that you can travel by walking, running, and flying. However, this game might not be suitable for people with a fear of heights or motion sickness.
Those who like to indulge in geographical adventure will have the best experience because they are more prone to visit the craziest places and have fun.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Use Google Earth VR
Price: Google Earth VR is one of the best free VR games out there.
Headsets: It is supported best on
- HTC Vive
- Valve Index
- Oculus Rift
Features: This app allows you to explore the planet Earth from a completely new perspective. It comes with cinematic tours with handpicked destinations for you to experience your beautiful home.
Requirements: You will require a 64-bit Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1 or later, or Windows 10 operating system with an Intel i5-6400 equivalent or better processor that has 8 GB RAM memory and 4 GB storage.
- Easy to use
- High-quality app
- Available for free
- 360-degree view
- Satelite and street view available
- User interface not so impressive
- Cannot be shared with friends
Best Exploring App
Google Earth VR is an exploratory and educational app allowing you to scour the world and see all the beautiful places you could not visit from the comfort of your own living room.
#7: Best Adventure Game - Skyrim VR Review
At this point in time, Skyrim might be the biggest adventure game out there.
The content related to this game is the base of the original game of Skyrim with new additions including Hearthfire, Dawnguard, and Dragonborn DLC.
Since the foundation of this game was not related to VR, therefore, you might not get the quality visual fidelity that you would expect from other games.
However, if you are a fan of Elder Scrolls, you will definitely enjoy this game.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Skyrim VR
Price: This game is relatively expensive as compared to other games mentioned in this post, however, it is worth the experience.
Headsets: It is supported on the following VR headsets now:
- HTC Vive
- Oculus Rift
- Mixed Windows Reality
- PSVR
- Valve Index
Features: It is a true, open-world full-length adventurous game which reimagines the entire Skyrim epic fantasy with a great sense of depth, scale, and immersion. From exploring difficult mountains to fighting dragons, it brings open new worlds for you to explore.
The theme is set around you, the Dragonborn with The Voice, who has to stand between dragons who have returned to Tamriel and the Empire.
Requirements: You will require a 64-bit Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 operating system with an Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or better processor that has 8 GB RAM memory and 15 GB storage.
- Based on Skyrim, the original game
- Mechanics are very realistic
- Extremely immersive
- Highly interactive
- More than just a port
- Expensive
- Dated visuals
Best Adventure Game
Skyrim VR is one of the best adventure games out there and many gamers that love this gaming series will enjoy it a lot because the story follows the original Skyrim series with incredibly immersive add ons.
#8: Best Spooky Puzzle - Room VR: A Dark Matter Review
With VR support from different systems, Fireproof Games released this spooky escape room puzzle with a creepy horror and mystery story. It gives experienced gamers a challenge and provides clues for novices.
The imagery and visuals of this game are incredible. We are optimistic that it is the perfect game for fans of Ancient Egypt, the occult, 20th-century detective stories, and Lovecraftian horror who love to solve puzzles.
It features gradual fading in and out of scenes that is very seamless and perfect for people who want to avoid motion sickness. It also includes standing and sitting options along with intuitive controls for you to easily pick them up.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Room VR: A Dark Matter
Price: It is available at a very affordable price.
Headsets: You can get the following VR support for this game:
- HTC Vive
- Oculus Quest 2
- Oculus Rift
- Windows Mixed Reality
- Valve Index
- PSVR
Features: The game is based in 1908 British Institute of Archaeology, London where the disappearance of an Egyptologist starts a Police investigation.
You have to examine gadgets, explore cryptic locations, and uncover mysteries that blur the lines between illusion and reality.
Requirements: This game requires a 64-bit Windows 10 operating system with an Intel i3-6100/AMD Ryzen 3 1200, FX4350 or greater processor that has 8 GB RAM memory and 4 GB storage.
- Impressive visual fidelity
- Captivating storyline
- Great voice acting
- In-depth object interaction
- Engaging puzzles
- Limited movement
- Pacing issues
Best Puzzle VR Gaming
The Room VR: A Dark Matter is a great horror storytelling, creative puzzle-solving game that will keep you engaged in its detailed and impressive visuals.
Buyers’ Guide
The best VR games might not be very affordable after purchasing an expensive VR headset.
So if you want to play cheap or free VR games then you need to make sure you do not choose one with bad quality.
Consider the following factors before buying any VR game:
Price
The best VR games at an affordable price are hard to come by, however, they are not impossible to find. You will be able to find many cheap games that provide you with a VR experience closely resembling expensive games.
You have to ensure that they still give you the same level of features and quality that your brand new VR headset deserves.
Headsets
Headset compatibility is an important factor to consider because you can only play the games that have the VR support of particular headsets.
For example,
Vader immortal is available on Meta Quest 2, Oculus Rift, and PSVR. This means you cannot play it if you have HTC Vive, Valve Index, Mixed Windows Reality, and Steam.
Features
Since you are opting for a more affordable game, it might not have high-quality visuals, high refresh rates, and a range of FoV. However, that does not mean you need to settle for low quality for your expensive headset.
The best way to find good quality and affordable games is to read in-depth reviews of each game to find out how other customers have perceived the game. This will give you a clearer idea of whether or not a game is worth investing in.
Requirements
Finally, PC requirements include storage, memory, operating system, and processor specifications. You might have to purchase a new system to be compatible with most VR-related technology.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How can you get cheap Oculus games?
The Build Your Own Quest VR Bundle allows you to choose 9 games for only $50. There are options for cheaper tiers as well if you want fewer titles such as three games for $20 and 5 games for $30.
Why is VR worth purchasing?
We recommend that every household should have at least one VR headset and everyone should know its workings. This is because VR applications are going to be the future. They will also be the most frequently used mode for communication as common as cell phones today.
Is SteamVR available for free?
Yes, this platform is free to download, however, the games you add to it will need to be purchased. Moreover, SteamVR is only compatible on a PC and you will require a strong computer to run it.
Can VR hurt your eyes?
While using VR, the user is forced to process visual stimuli in a different way which may cause eye strain.
Eye strain is simply the fatigue your eye muscles go through after focusing too much on something. While it is not a serious problem, it does highlight the importance of taking breaks.
Can Oculus work with PS4?
No, the Oculus series are not compatible with PS4 or PS5 because it cannot interface with the Oculus headset if you connect it with the PlayStation. The only headset that works with PS4 and PS5 is the PlayStation VR.
Final Verdict
We are at the end of our post on cheap VR games without top picks, their features, and their pros and cons.
We highly recommend Gorilla Tag and Astro Bot: Rescue Mission because they are the best VR games that provide great features and an incredibly immersive experience.
At the end of the day, our top choice is Rec Room because VR should be an experience that you can share with other people. There is no better VR game than Rec Room to make this possible.
While our top three choices have been carefully considered, the other games mentioned in this post are also our favorite games because of their engagement and incredible features.
Let us know which game you want to purchase!
