It’s been a long time since the first virtual reality headsets hit the market, and now that Sony, Oculus, HTC, and Valve have all released their VR HMDs (head-mounted displays), we’ve also seen an explosion of games for these devices.
It’s true that many of these games are novelties that aren’t much more than tech demos — but there are also some great examples of the best war games for VR out there.
We’ve rounded up some of our favorites below!
1. Robo Recall
Robo Recall is a VR first-person shooter developed and published by Oculus Studios, and it is a spin-off of the Oculus Touch title Dead & Buried.
The game was revealed during Oculus Connect 4 on October 11, 2017, and released on April 30, 2018, for the Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift S, and PC platforms. This is one of the best war games for VR.
In Robo Recall, you play as an agent working for RoboReady—a company that manufactures robots to assist humans in their daily lives.
Your job is to clear out the malfunctioning robots that have gone rogue across various locations such as casinos or shopping malls using your gun equipped with smart bullets, which can destroy certain objects but not kill humans (although they will die if they are accidentally shot).
As players progress through each level, they will gain experience points that can be used to upgrade their weapons and abilities such as health regeneration speed or longer sprint duration, etc…
2. Battlezone VR
Battlezone VR is a sci-fi tank combat game with a single-player campaign, multiplayer, and VR mode. You can play the game in its story mode or campaign mode.
If you want to learn how to play it first, go into tutorial mode and then practice in tutorial mode until you’re ready for some real action! This game is one of the best war games for VR.
In addition to being a fun way to spend your time (and money), playing Battlezone VR will allow you to experience all of its features:
- Single-player campaign
- Multiplayer Mode
- VR Mode
3. Landfall VR
Landfall VR is a cooperative online shooter that puts you on the front lines of an alien invasion. You and up to 3 other friends work together to defend your headquarters against hordes of attacking aliens.
Each match starts with a briefing, then sends you into battle armed with rocket launchers, grenades, and more.
Unlike traditional FPS games where you’re trying to kill as many enemies as possible, in Landfall, all attempts at killing are secondary to preventing the enemy from destroying your base.
War has never been so much fun! The gameplay is challenging but fair (I only lost once), the storyline is engaging (did I mention there’s voice acting?), and it’s easy enough for anyone who wants to try something new but still offers some challenges for veterans looking for something more difficult than just shooting zombies at home alone all night long…which was me until I found this game!
4. Pavlov VR
Pavlov VR is an FPS where you play as a soldier who must defend his base against hordes of enemies. You can use a variety of weapons, including rifles and pistols, to take down the enemy in this single-player game.
If you have more than one friend who wants to play with you, a co-op mode allows two players to work together on defending the base from waves of bad guys. This is a great addition to our list of best war games for VR.
Pavlov VR has already been released on Steam Early Access, so if you’re interested in giving it a try before its final release date later this year (or if there are any bugs or issues), now would be the time!
5. The American Civil War VR Experience
As you can tell from the title, this one is for the history buffs. The American Civil War VR Experience is an immersive reenactment of the American Civil War that transports you back in time to 1862.
This game is available on various devices, including Oculus Quest, PC, and PlayStation 4. Other historical settings like World War II and Pearl Harbor are available for free through SteamVR (link).
While it may seem like there’s nothing new or innovative about this game, it does provide an interesting glimpse into how VR could help us learn about our world’s past and present events in a deeper way than we’re able to do now.
Imagine being able to feel what it was like when thousands of people gathered together at Central Park during the Women’s March or standing on stage with Martin Luther King Jr., having him speak directly into your ear while looking around at those who were listening intently.
Suppose these experiences were possible through virtual reality headsets rather than just reading about them or watching documentaries on television (or even being there yourself).
In that case, I think they’d be much more impactful because they would allow us visually and emotionally access—which ultimately leads me back to again: What makes games so powerful?
6. Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission
Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission is a free download on the PlayStation Store and Oculus Store.
You can use any PS4 controller with it, but it’s best to have an actual flight stick for this one. Another good addition to our list of best war games for VR.
The VR missions are made up of three main components: arcade mode, mission mode, and training. In arcade mode, you need to complete objectives within a time limit—like shooting down enemy ships or picking up cargo crates on the ground while avoiding missiles fired at you by enemy fighters flying around in space.
It’s like playing an old-school shooter with a first-person view of what’s happening around you while flying around in space and landing on planets (or asteroids).
7. Firewall Zero Hour
Firewall Zero Hour is a team-based, first-person shooter game. It comes with a single-player mode, but its multiplayer is the real highlight.
You play as one of two teams: The Operators or The Hackers. Each team has four different classes (Recon, Assault, Vanguard, and Support), and each class has its own role to play when completing objectives in the game’s tactical multiplayer mode.
The goal of Firewall Zero Hour is to either hack your way into an information center or defend it from hackers trying to do the same thing by using strategy and teamwork.
8. Sniper Elite VR
Sniper Elite VR is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4 with support for the PlayStation VR headset.
It is a PlayStation VR exclusive and the first game in the series to be released for the PlayStation 4 console. The game was announced at Sony’s PlayStation Experience event on December 3, 2016, alongside other games, including Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and Rigs: Mechanized Combat League. This is one of the best war games for VR.
Sniper Elite VR is set during World War II like its predecessors; players take on sniper missions through Italy, Germany, and North Africa as they attempt to assassinate high-value targets from afar using various weapons like rifles or pistols along with other tools such as binoculars or tripwire booby traps.
The game features single-player missions, which can be played alone but also supports two-player co-op gameplay where one player takes control of their own character while another controls them through voice commands (such as “follow me,” “cover me”).
9. Contractors VR
Contractors VR is a first-person shooter that puts you in the role of a mercenary contractor in the near future. The game’s story is told through a series of missions that are played out in the game’s campaign.
Various clients contact you to complete various objectives, ranging from escorting VIPs and protecting them from enemy attacks to infiltrating facilities and stealing valuable intel or information.
There are also other types of contracts available, such as assassinations or sabotage missions where you’ll have to destroy certain targets by destroying certain buildings or facilities that contain these targets within them. This is a great addition to our list of best war games for VR.
There are eight different weapons at your disposal which range from pistols and assault rifles all the way up to heavy machine guns and rocket launchers!
Different attachments are available for each weapon type (e.g., suppressors), so you can customize your arsenal based on what kind of play style works best for you!
10. Farpoint VR
Farpoint VR is a first-person shooter video game developed by Impulse Gear and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
The game was released on May 16, 2017, for the PlayStation 4. In Farpoint, players assume the role of an astronaut who finds himself stranded on a hostile alien planet with hostile creatures in search of his crewmate, who is also stranded somewhere in the vicinity.
Players are equipped with two weapons – one designed for close-range combat and another for long-range combat – which can be upgraded through the course of gameplay. One of the best war games for VR.
In the end, we have a list of some of the best war games for VR. The genre is being explored in a lot of ways, and it seems like there’s no end to how many games we could talk about.
But these ten games give you a good idea of what’s out there (and what will be coming soon). If you haven’t tried any of these, we strongly suggest picking up one or two when they come out!