The virtual reality gaming world is a place that is never ending. The platform is growing, the developers are learning, and the players are playing. The perfect time to make a VR game is now. The best games in the world come at a steep price, some ranging up to $60. The typical VR headset is not cheap, so finding a game that isn’t expensive should be a priority.
AR games are a little different. There aren’t many dedicated consumer platforms for AR games, but the typical smartphone will be able to run AR games. Augmented reality is going to continue to grow, and augmented reality games for both Android and iOS devices will only pick up popularity.
We have compiled a list of the three best free VR games on each gaming platform. The VR platforms we will include in our list are:
- SteamVR Games
- Oculus Rift Games
- Quest Games
- Oculus Go Games
- PSVR Games
- Viveport Games
As for AR apps games, we have found the three best for both iOS and Android platforms. That will be located at the end of the article.
Free VR Games
Each headset you buy for virtual reality is going to be slightly different. Each company has the same goal in mind, but each executes in a different way. Virtual reality headsets also have different stores you can buy games from as well. The most popular and inclusive is SteamVR games, but they aren’t always the best for your headset. Gear VR games aren’t considered high-end VR gaming, but they still can be fun. We’ll break it all down below.
Below, we will be breaking down which headsets work with which platform, and what games to download for free from said platforms. Most of these games are fun to watch too, so don’t forget to check out our streaming guides!
SteamVR Games
Best Headsets for SteamVR: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Vive Cosmos, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, Windows Mixed Reality Headsets
Zooma
Zooma is a free game on Steam that was very recently released to the public. It resembles a mobile that was once very popular. You mix gun shooting, puzzles, and a classic match three system in VR. This game will appeal to both new and seasoned VR users because of the classic feel and the easy-to-learn input bindings.
This is the first VR game from Gizmo VR, as their only other release as a studio was a VR video player that never gained any real traction. Keep in mind this game is still in early access, so you will be playing the game while it is still having work done to it. Still worth the download though, as it is entertaining and fun for any virtual reality user.
Surgeon Simulator VR: Meet the Medic
Surgeon Simulator was one of the first VR games I ever played. There aren’t many more games that are perfect to intro users into a virtual reality experience. This is a very small VR game, but the VR content you will find for free is very minimal. This game is short, but will suffice your free needs.
Bossa Studios, the developers of this game, have other surgeon-focused games on the market right now. They aren’t free, but they are a fun way to simulate a very free surgery. You won’t be learning about doctors in this game, but you will be learning the ins and outs of interaction of virtual reality in this game.
Old Town Stories
Old Town Stories is going to be the most full (yet free) VR game you are going to find on the Steam Store. You are going to be introduced into a game with a strong teleporting locomotion system, powerful weapons, and locations that represent real places from the United States.
There are times in this game that you notice how underdeveloped it is, but for the most part, you will be impressed with the game that you are going to get for no price paid. There aren’t any better games that you’ll play for free when it comes to free VR apps and games.
Rift Games
Best Headsets for Oculus Rift Games: Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest with Link
Google Earth VR
Google Earth VR isn’t a game, but it is an immersive VR app that you can helps you consume the worlds best VR content. You can go literally anywhere in the world right now with this app, and it is all in 360°. There is no better way to experience this than a virtual reality headset.
The newest update to this app came with the ability to have a street view of the world. This means that you can visit the most remote places of China and see what it is like. Or visit your old neighborhood and take a stroll down memory lane. All of this is possible thanks to the best VR app in the world.
Poker VR
Poker VR isn’t as polished Poker Stars VR, but that is what you are gong to get when you put your hands in a free realm instead of the paid one. This game still gets the job done though, as you are able to dominate the virtual casinos with your animal friends and their next-level avatars.
This game is cross-play compatible across a plethora of platforms, so running out of games to play with new friends will never be a possibility. If you are searching to fake gamble your life away, this is going to be the first step in your new virtual daydream world.
Robo Recall
If you owned an original Oculus Rift with the original Touch Controllers, this game was free to you. The promotion is never ending, as all Rift users will get a taste of a polished first-person shooter from Epic Games. This is the best way to recall robots inside of a virtual world, so jumping in should never be a question.
Simply go to the Oculus Store when your headset is plugged in and set up. After that, all you need to do is wait for the game to download. This is a great and fun game that should never be taken for granted. Thank you, Epic.
Quest Games
Traveling While Black
Traveling While Black isn’t a game, but it falls into the category of the best virtual worlds you can explore for free on the Oculus Quest. Its an interactive experience that took home an Emmy nominee back in 2019 for all of the right reasons. This puts you back in the world when traveling across the country was harder than ever.
If you are looking for something that will humble you, or simply give you a new perspective, check this app out from Felix & Paul Studios. You will end in Washington DC, but your road to get there will be different and something that you never expected. Buckle up for this one.
Bait!
Bait! isn’t mean to be the most interactive or exciting virtual experience in the world, but it is going to give you an immersive VR experience that will (hopefully) relax you. This game puts you on a remote lake with your only responsibilities to fish. This is a perfect non-game for VR.
There is a reason it is free though, as there isn’t a real story line. There’s a handful of different fish for you to catch and reel in, but none of them are going to be spewing special stars for your to cash in at the local casino. This is far from a game from Unity. Just a simple game to pass some time, much like a daydream.
Epic Roller Coasters
Epic Roller Coasters may seem like it is perfect for virtual reality intros, but it is anything but that. If you are extremely comfortable with virtual reality, this game still may be a chore for you. Roller coasters make people sick, VR makes people sick, and this game is a perfect solution to making your lunch reappear.
With that being said, this is a polished free VR title for the Quest that is going to continue to get free content uploaded to it. If you are wanting an experience for the Quest to show people how sick VR can make you, this is a fantastic start. Don’t be showing this one to your mother for her first time.
Go Games
Base Blitz
This game is free for the first half, then later becomes a pay to play game. If the entire game was over after the free levels, it would have still earned a spot on this list. There is a lot of strategy in this game, more than most high-end VR games. Something that is hard to find for the Oculus Go.
In this immersive war-styled game, you’ll be able to construct your own base, plan your attack, and execute at the expense of your enemies. If you are looking for a game that allows you to progress and develop new strategies while on your media-focused Go, look no further than Base Blitz.
Horror Asylum Free
This is an immersive horror game that is going to give you an evil and eerie feeling early on in the game. It is not only a house you have to survive, but there is a handful of puzzles and escape rooms you’ll need to solve and escape from to stay alive. This is one of the high-end horror games.
You will be pitted against zombies in this game as well, letting you clobber them with new and creative weapons. This game will include spatial 3D audio as well, something rare to find on the Oculus Go.
PSVR Games
There are only two free-to-play games on the PlayStation Virtual reality system. We will give a brief overview of those both below.
GOT7 Love Loop VR
This game throws you into the world of virtual dancing. This isn’t a sexual themed game like most dancing VR games. You and 7 others will be learning routines and dances with the hopes to shine under the brightest lights. It is not the best game in the world, but it is a game worth playing, noting that it is free.
3M Spain Foundation
This game is design to help children understand the science of the world and the atmosphere that we all live in right now. Teaching all of the STEM curriculum is important in the game too, as there is a lot of teaching going on. It’s a shame headsets aren’t worn by more children, or parents would force this game into mass adoption and popularity.
Viveport Games
Best Headsets for Viveport: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Vive Cosmos, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, Windows Mixed Reality Headsets
Viveport is the best way to get VR game when you are a part of the subscription. For less than $15 a month, you can have unlimited downloads of any VR game you want. They have an endless selection of both high-end games and indie-made games. We suggest to every PC VR gamer to buy the subscription. We will be listing our three favorite virtual reality games from the subscription below.
SUPERHOT VR
SUPERHOT has been on top of the gaming world for years now. It is somewhat new to virtual reality, but the game shows no signs of slowing down in sales numbers. The fact this game is a part of the Infinity subscription blows our minds, so download today while you can.
Time moves when you move in this game. It is one of the most original ideas out there right now, and it feels like there is unlimited levels on each headset you play it on. Motion controllers in this game make it fun to play and using one controller like Dr. Strange is one of the funnest ways to beat the game.
Arizona Sunshine
This game continues to add free DLC the longer it is on the virtual shelves. With it recently being added to the service, the best time to download is right now. If you want to know what the best apps and games are in VR without a real purchase, you’ll want to download now.
Arizona Sunshine has a lot of story to it, much more than any other virtual title. You’ll get to experience top of the line virtual interactions while killing plethora of different zombies. You won’t get bored fast in this game, and the endless game modes are going to be playing a large part in that.
A Fisherman’s Tale
If you ask the casual VR fan what the 2019 game of the year was, they’d say Beat Saber. Wrong. A Fisherman’s Tale took home the award this year. This game is a part of the Infinity subscription but we doubt it will last long there. This is the best game of 2019, and people are acting on it right now.
This game is somewhat like a time loop, but it isn’t at the same time. You’ll be solving a different puzzle in the same place multiple times. You’ll often think you are Ant Man, but the game eventually explains itself as you go through the levels. This is one of the best puzzle games we’ve ever played and we are confident you are going to love it.
AR Games
We have compiled the three best apps for iOS and Android devices. Some of them overlapped, so we took the games that performed best on each platform. The libraries of apps and games for AR are very similar for the different operating systems, so keep that in mind while you exploring the top three games for each platform.
| AR Compatibility | iOS Devies | Android Devices | |
| iPhone 6s | Asus Zenfone AR | ||
| iPhone 6s Plus | Asus Zenfone ARES | ||
| iPhone 7 | Google Nexus 5X | ||
| iPhone 7 Plus | Google Nexus 6P | ||
| iPhone SE | Google Pixel, Pixel XL | ||
| iPhone 8 | Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL | ||
| iPhone 8 Plus | Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL | ||
| iPhone X | Nokia 6 (2018) | ||
| iPhone XS | Nokia 6.1 Plus | ||
| iPhone XS Max | Nokia 7 Plus | ||
| iPhone 11 | Nokia 8 | ||
| iPhone 11 Pro | Nokia 7.1 | ||
| iPhone 11 Pro Max | Nokia 8 Sirocco | ||
| iPad Pro | Honor 8X | ||
| iPad (2017 Model) | Honor View 10 Lite | ||
| Honor 10 | |||
| Honor V20 | |||
| Nova 3, Nova 3i | |||
| Huawei Mate 20 Lite | |||
| Huawei Mate 20 Pro | |||
| Huawei Mate 20 X | |||
| Nova 4 | |||
| Huawei y9 (2019) | |||
| Huawei P20, P20 Pro | |||
| Huawei Mate RS Porsche Design | |||
| LG G6 | |||
| LG G7 One | |||
| LG G7 ThinQ | |||
| LG V30, V30+, V30+ JOJO | |||
| LG V35 ThinQ | |||
| LG Q6 | |||
| LG V40 | |||
| LG Q8 | |||
| Moto G5S Plus | |||
| Moto G6 | |||
| Moto Z2 Force | |||
| Moto Z3 | |||
| Moto Z3 Play | |||
| Moto Z2 Force | |||
| Moto X4 | |||
| Moto One | |||
| Moto One Power | |||
| OnePlus 3T | |||
| OnePlus 5 | |||
| OnePlus 6 | |||
| OnePlus 6T | |||
| Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) | |||
| Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) | |||
| Samsung Galaxy A8, Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) | |||
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | |||
| Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge | |||
| Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ | |||
| Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ | |||
| Galaxy Tab S3 | |||
| Galaxy Tab S4 | |||
| Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S | |||
| Xiaomi Mi 8 | |||
| Xiaomi Mi 8 SE | |||
| Mi Mix 3 | |||
| Pocofone F1 | |||
| Vivo Nex S | |||
| Vivo Nex dual display | |||
| Sony Xperia XZ Premium | |||
| Xperia XZ1, Xperia XZ1 Compact | |||
| Xperia XZ2, Xperia XZ2 Compact, Xperia XZ2 Premium | |||
| Xperia XZ3 |
Best iOS AR Apps and Games
Angry Birds: Isle of the Pigs
This is the best AR game we have played on an iPhone. There is no lag, latency, or glitching in this game. As long as your phone can run the ARKit, you’ll be playing this game with ease. It may eat your battery a bit, but you’ll love it as much as any other game that you can play on your tabletop.
This is the same idea that the VR game has, as that is the best (and only) VR Angry Bird title. You’ll be able to analyze your puzzle in real 3D space, rotate it, and scale it as you please. This is the best way to learn AR on the iPhone as well. Our favorite game had to make this list, right?
Minecraft Earth
This game is new to the AR loving world, but it is picking up steam from every iOS user. This game has a world-wide shared server that allows you to help strangers create an empire in the real world of Minecraft. Creating is as fun and easy as ever in this game.
If you are trying to find a way to integrate AR into your daily walks, stop here. This game allows your to make worlds in the real world, and customize your worlds in the confinement of your own home. It doesn’t make sense to do Minecraft on any platform now unless its augmented reality. This is a perfect augmented reality game.
Pokemon GO
Pokemon GO took the world by storm a few years ago. It opened millions of users eyes to the capabilities of AR and the gaming possibilities that seemed right around the corner. This game wasn’t replicated by thousands of devs like many would think, but it was a pioneer in getting people to use AR in mass.
In this AR game, you’ll be searching the globe for your next Pokemon. Throw your balls to capture it, and take steps to earn more coins. This game not only got people out of their basements, but it also got people moving like never before. This is a great first step to a healthier life style.
Best Android AR Apps and Games
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Harry Potter hasn’t made the most out of the gaming platform just yet, but their latest release is on the worlds most growing platform. Augmented reality. Harry will connect you with the community like never before. You’ll be able to create your own wizard ID, set your own Port Keys, and even craft your own potions with the snap of a finger.
This game works well on Android devices, but it still gets the job done on iOS devices as well. Different parts of the real world that have been mapped will have enemies you won’t want to run into. If you are out at night in some unlit areas, don’t be surprised to run into the one who shall not be named. This is a full free AR app.
Zombies, Run!
This game is an AR app that has been out for a while, but the popularity doesn’t seem to be dying down any time. Its a game that incorporates AR to your everyday run-in routine, helping you stay motivated during the most dreadful dog days.
With over 200 missions and the entire world now mapped, you’ll never want to delete this game. The more you run, the better you can build your fort. This is one of the most used AR apps in the world for Android users, so finding a fun gaming community is going to be a very simple process. This game will only get better with AR glasses.
Jurassic World Alive
The game of the Jurassic World in AR is not what you’d expect. Instead of being the only human in a world full of carnivores that are out to get you, you can team up and create a squad that is ready to fight and hunt. If you are looking for a game that takes some strategy, start and end with this game.
This game recently got an update that helps new players reach the level that more experienced players are at. Don’t worry about catching up, as boosts and in-app purchases are easy and fast to work with. This game is a fun one, and the popularity only seems to be picking up for the time being.
