So you’ve beaten your high scores in Beat Saber, whipped the enemy into shape in Pistol Whip and fought back the evil in the utterly excellent Resident Evil 4 VR port. What do you play next? In 2022 the world of VR gaming is finally coming into its stride, and while there’re plenty of excellent choices these days it can still be easy to fall into pretty weird traps.

Here’s our ideas for the best free VR games, for times when you want some fun that won’t hurt your wallet.

Our Picks For Best Free VR Games

1. Propagation VR – Best Free VR Games

Get your adrenaline going with Propagation VR, a short-but-scary zombie apocalypse game that combines survival horror with static shooting into one satisfyingly gory package. Virtual reality is the perfect medium for immersive horror experiences, and Propagation VR takes this on board, offering a condensed, thrilling gameplay session of around 30 minutes of panicked crying and flailing (just me?). Difficulty modes unlock replay challenges as you beat your high score, and if you enjoy the original, there’s a paid co-op DLC to add another player to the pulse-pounding fun.

2. Echo VR – Best Free VR Games

An intense sports game with 4v4 competitive mode, Echo VR is one of the best free VR games thanks to its zero gravity mayhem, fast-paced matches and ability to throw a space frisbee directly into someone’s face. Play on the Quest or Quest 2, and enjoy the futuristic levels while getting your flying game on. The controls are intuitive and easy to pick up, making this a perfect first game to download and dip your toes into the world of VR multiplayer gaming.

3. VRChat – Best Free VR Games

This might be cheating – a lot of what happens in world isn’t strictly a game – but VRChat offers one of the wildest and weirdest VR adventures to date, throwing you into a social space populated with 3D avatars ranging from anime girls to Sonic memes to unexplainable nightmares. As with any free experience where you let people run amok, VRChat is a lawless place and you’ll have to police your own interactions, but when you find something up your alley it’s surprisingly addictive. Like browsing the internet in 1999 all over again.

4. Mission: ISS

Explore the International Space Station in intimate detail in Mission: ISS, an Emmy-nominated sim that leaves you in the capable hands of real astronauts as you move around the ship, complete an EVA (not the anime kind) and live the life of an extraterrestrial for a few hours. The archive video clips and immersive gameplay put you truly in orbit, especially since you’ll need to get used to manoeuvring around the ship with its zero gravity atmosphere. Play on the Rift or Rift 2.

5. Aircar

Fly through a futuristic cityscape in Aircar, a simple but compelling flight sim that’s ideal for testing your VR sensitivity. Relaxing, atmospheric and with easy to understand controls, Aircar shows off the possibilities of sims in virtual reality – and does it well enough that you’ll need to watch out for motion sickness. Twirling your way through the city streets feels fantastic, especially with the appropriately cyberpunk rain and debris floating around your vehicle to really sell the immersiveness of the world. The tech demo of the future.

Still undecided? Read on for more of the best free VR games and experiences.