Baldur's Gate 3 has impressed the gaming world since its release in August 2023. Despite its relatively new status, the game…
Top Best VR Experiences for 2023: Explore, Learn and Have Fun in Virtual Reality
Butcher79
Play with planets, explore the ocean, or step back in time with the best VR experience just right for you!
In this ranking, we consider VR experiences, not games. Yes, it's fun to float through space in an X-Wing or shoot bad guys from behind a dumpster, but VR has so much more to offer.
There are a number of VR apps that, from the comfort of your own home, allow you to visit places, times, and even entire worlds that would otherwise be out of your reach. Sometimes you are just you, while some titles put you in someone else's shoes, offering a perspective you may never have considered. VR fitness apps become more and more popular and you can even work in VR.
Without having to fend off killer bandits or face-eating xenomorphs, you can take your time to dive into the experience of your choice.
The only catch is that there are so many VR experiences out there that it can be hard to know where to start, even if you have a specific area of interest. For example, search for "dinosaurs" and "VR" on the Steam store and you'll be greeted with over 80 results.
That's why we've rounded up ten of the best VR experiences available. Some are free, others are reasonably priced, but they all offer the opportunity to expand your horizons without even leaving your living room.
SPACE EXPLORERS: THE ISS EXPERIENCE
- Platforms: Oculus
- Price: $2.99 for each of 4 episodes (via Oculus Store)
If anyone wants to experience the wonders of the cosmos, this VR experience can come close to what you'll see aboard a space station. Filmed over the course of two years, the VR experience was filmed on the International Space Station. This is a great look at life aboard the station, told through four parts as you follow eight astronauts on their journey through some of the missions. This will give viewers an intimate look at life in orbit.
There won't be much interaction, but the experience dives deep into space exploration through the eyes of these astronauts. With these extreme close-ups of these workers in space together, you'll feel like you're with them through the joys and dangers of their profession.
- Explore Space Explorers on the Oculus Store (opens in a new tab).
BRINK TRAVELER
- Platforms: Steam VR, Meta (including Meta Quest)
- Price: $9.99 / £7.99 (via Steam Store, Meta Quest Store)
BRINK Traveler will take you on a tour of twenty stunning natural destinations in thirteen locations. It may not sound like much when you can run Google Earth on most headsets, but BRINK Traveler locales are more than just videos or 360° shots.
Instead, you can wander around each lookout looking down into the Grand Canyon, such as watching a strange bird soar overhead. If you are so inclined, you can take a rock and throw it into the water or take a picture. Or why not pick up a chair and just relax? It's not 100% photorealistic, but it's convincing enough that it's almost as good as being there.
The locations are mostly American, but the developers are slowly adding more international locations. Plus (virtually) taking into account California's Death Valley, Arizona's The Wave rock formation, and more, you're sure to leave impressed.
- Buy BRINK Traveler on Steam (opens in a new tab).
- Buy the BRINK traveler in the Meta Quest store (opens in a new tab).
STAR CHART VR
- Platforms: Oculus, Steam, Google Play
- Price: $9.99
Speaking of space, this VR experience is also out of this world as it allows you to explore the solar system in a beautiful real-time space simulation rendering. You can take a closer look at all the planets in our galaxy, whether they are the rings of Saturn or the moons that orbit it. This is a great way to discover what the solar system has to offer and see how these constellations form in the night sky. Choose from different Star Chart Modes to give you some options in your stargazing activity.
There are also tons of experiences like Moments in Time that will take you throughout history on a space expedition like the moon landing and rover exploration on Mars. Whatever you choose, you will enjoy what our solar system has to offer with this one of a kind VR experience.
- Buy Star Chart VR on Steam. (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Star Chart VR on Oculus (opens in a new tab).
- Buy Star Chart VR on Google Play Store (opens in a new tab).
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORE VR
- Platforms: Oculus
- Price: $9.99
There is a lot to discover in this world, and National Geographic is helping to make that possible with their app called Explore VR. There are countless experiences to uncover and this is a good educational tool to see what this world has to offer in terms of culture and research.
Users can explore the old ruins of Machu Picchu or even zoom in on icebergs in the remote region of Antarctica. It is perfect for the whole family to travel the world without even leaving home. The main goal is to capture photographs in these exhibitions, so the National Geographic Explore VR experience is a good way to discover these vast places to get to know the landscape and learn about its history.
- Buy National Geographic Explore VR for $9.99 at the Oculus Store (opens in a new tab).
OCEAN RIFT
- Platforms: Steam VR, Meta (including Meta Quest 2)
- Price: $9.99 / £7.99 (via Steam Store, Meta Quest Store)
An estimated 80% of the ocean's depths remain unexplored, and while Ocean Rift is based on what we know, it still offers some amazing encounters. Floating around one of several underwater water areas, you can glimpse humpback whales, play with dolphins and, if you so desire, swim with a handful of prehistoric animals.
Ocean Rift isn't the only app that offers the same water experience, but what's impressive is the freedom it gives you. You can wander around at your leisure, assuming you haven't chosen the shark cage area, and occasionally stumble upon some disturbing aquatic features. The Ocean Rift isn't about to kill you, but we still had chills when we stumbled upon an abandoned submersible.
- Buy Ocean Rift on Steam (opens in a new tab).
- Buy Ocean Rift at Meta Quest Store (opens in a new tab).
ALL KINDS OF LIMBO XR
- Platforms: All
- Price: £6/$8
Live theater still draws large crowds with such Broadway shows, concerts and other forms of entertainment. If you'd rather see live entertainment from your own home, look no further than the All Kinds of Limbo performers. The musical performance was developed by artists Raffi Bushman and Nubia Brandon along with the NuShape Orchestra in the UK.
Using only a VR headset on a mobile device or PC, viewers can take part in this immersive experience that brings Caribbean culture to life in a story of life in limbo across different genres of music. Titled All Kinds of Limbo XR, this special production from the National Theater uses VR technology to create a space for viewers to watch these musicians perform with Caribbean melodies.
- Watch upcoming All Kinds of Limbo events here . (opens in a new tab)
UNIVERSE SANDBOX
- Platforms: Steam VR
- Price: $29.99 (via Steam Store, also includes non-VR version)
Universe Sandbox happily caters to those who simply want to watch the planets slowly revolve around the Sun or, with one or two buttons, watch the days go by in seconds. Even without touching the extensive and sometimes silly Steam Workshop items (including the space whale), just exploring solar systems (ours and a few others) will delight stargazers.
However, it's the opportunity to experiment that really elevates Universe Sandbox. You can move planets, change their size, their composition, blow them up - the solar system is your oyster. Yes, nothing prevents you from changing the Sun for a black hole, and as a result, planetary chaos is really something. But you can have just as much fun by making small adjustments and watching the domino effects.
- Buy UNIVERSE SANDBOX VR on Steam (opens in a new tab) (Early access)
PERSPECTIVES: PARADISE
- Platforms: Steam VR
- Price: Free (via Steam Store)
Perspectives: Rai starts with a bang and ends with a whimper that, given the theme, is fitting. This is a virtual reality immersion in the test detonation of the first hydrogen bomb in 1952 and the effect it had on Enewetok/Bikini Atoll, both on the environment and on the original inhabitants.
In addition to a spectacular VR re-creation of a bomb detonation, you can delve into the disturbing aftermath by standing atop a sealed hill where radioactive materials were buried. In addition, there is a 360° view of the island, interviews (including with people who live there now) and much more.
This topic is being treated with an appropriate level of dignity - it's not a celebration of America's might, thanks in part to the involvement of some Finnish journalists. And it will absolutely leave you with food for thought.
- Get Perspectives: Paradise on Steam (will open in a new tab).
THE BOOK OF DISTANCES
- Platforms: Steam VR, Meta
- Price: Free (via Steam Store, Meta Quest Store)
In addition to visiting remote places, VR allows you to experience other people's stories. The Book of Distance tells only one such story, about a Japanese who emigrated to America. It may be an interesting story in itself, but what makes his story so significant is that he was one of the many, many Japanese American citizens who spent part or all of World War II in American internment camps. new tab).
What makes this experience so impressive is that it has such a narrow, personal focus. It was created with the participation of Randall Okita, the man's grandson, and allows you to delve into various aspects of his life. It's presented as the sort of play that will absolutely hold your attention, and it's the perfect way to highlight an important but often obscured chapter in American history.
- Get the Distance Book on Steam (opens in a new tab).
- Get the Distance Book from the Meta Quest Store (opens in a new tab).
WITHIN-CINEMATIC VR
- Platforms: Oculus, Steam, Google Play, Apple
- Price: Free
For those in need of a cinematic experience at home, Within VR can make it happen. Immerse yourself in amazing stories across genres such as documentaries, horror, music videos, animation and more. What's great is that they're viewed for free.
You can catch the best from indie filmmakers and studios from all over the world. These videos are also available for download in high definition so you can take them anywhere if you don't have an internet connection to stream. If you're looking to get some video content, then you'll find a lot of it through Within.
Best of all, there are no platform restrictions, as the Within website proudly states that it is "available wherever great VR is served."
- Check out in VR Steam (opens in a new tab), Oculus, Google Play (opens in a new tab), or Apple (opens in a new tab).
Was the article helpful?
