Oculus Quest 2 is an inexpensive and easy to use headset that offers a wide range of experiences for all kinds of people. Granted, the library of content leans heavily toward games, many of which are targeted at experienced gamers who know their way around a gamepad. So where to start if you’re just getting into this whole gaming thing—or if you want to show your headset to someone without gaming experience? We’re glad you asked…
The Quest game library now totals nearly 300 games and apps. Among them are some expansive games like The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, which is a great ‘gamer’s game’, but far from easy to pick up for someone who is just learning how to use a controller (VR or otherwise). Luckily there’s plenty of Quest games that are simple, straightforward, and tons of fun for beginners and experienced players alike.
Whether you’re brand new to VR and looking for great introductory games, or an experienced VR player who wants easy-to-play games to demo for less experienced friends and family, this list has something for everyone.
First Steps – Free
First thing’s first! First Steps is a short demo experience from Oculus that comes pre-installed with your Quest. You probably already ran through it the first time you set up your headset, and you can replay it any time by launching it from the app library in your headset. While not a game you’ll likely go back to every day, it’s a great experience because it not only gives a brief introduction to the power of VR, but also walks users through all the buttons on the controllers and shows them the basics like how to grab and throw things.
This makes First Steps one of the top VR experiences for first-time VR players, especially if they aren’t experienced gamers. If you’re demoing the headset for a group of friends or family, this is a great place to start! Not only because it’s short and sweet, but also because the player gets to pick between two short (5 minute) experiences at the end—a shooting game or a dancing game—which lets them cap off their first time in VR with something of their choice.
Did you like first steps? Consider trying First Contact next.
Beat Saber – $30 (free demo)
Beat Saber is undeniably one of the most approachable VR games out there. That’s because it requires no buttons (except for pulling the trigger a few times to navigate the menu). Not only is it easy to play, it’s also a blast! Beat Saber is a VR rhythm game where you swing lightsabers to slice blocks to the beat.
Aside from being engaging and really easy to play, Beat Saber is also great because it’s almost universally comfortable. That’s because you stand in one place while you play instead of moving around through the virtual world.
When I’m showing this game to new players I like to put them through the Tutorial section (which you can find by clicking the question mark icon at the bottom of the main menu, then clicking the ‘Play Tutorial’ button); it’s no more than a minute or two but explains the basics. You might also want to know about the ‘No Fail’ option (which you can find the left side of the song selection menu) which makes it so the player can’t fail the song by missing too many notes.
Simple to play but difficult to master, this is a game that belongs in everyone’s VR library.
Check out our full review to learn more about Beat Saber.
Did you like Beat Saber? Consider trying Pistol Whip next.
Superhot VR – $25 (free demo)
If you want to amp up the action a bit, look no further than Superhot VR. This is an action game with a mind-bending premise that feels truly unique in VR. In the game time only moves forward when you move. So if you completely stop moving, the world will freeze. If you move slowly the action will move in slow motion around you.
This is another very easy and comfortable VR game because you only really need to know how to use the grip buttons on the controller to grab objects and there’s no artificial movement through the virtual world so it’s very comfortable. The game also encourages you to move your body to dodge things which is more engaging than just using your hands!
In the game you’ll be whisked through a series of scenes where you have to destroy enemies by throwing objects at them, punching them, or shooting them. The enemies are blocky and there’s no blood; it feels more like shattering glass statues than actually harming people so it can be pretty approachable even for those who wouldn’t typically want to play a ‘shooter’.
Check out our full review to learn more about Superhot VR.
Did you like Superhot VR? Consider trying Space Pirate Trainer next.
Fujii – $15
Fujii is a serene and fantastical game that’s an excellent first introduction to more complex VR controls. Unlike the games higher on this list, in Fujii you’ll use artificial movement to explore a cheery virtual world, solve simple puzzles, and collect seeds and creatures that become part of a garden that you get to plant and care for.
Even as someone who loves action games, I find Fujii to be a delightful and refreshing VR experience. The nice part is that, unlike many games, there’s no ‘threat’ in Fujii. Nothing is going to come out and chase you or destroy you and send you back to a checkpoint. This game is really all about exploring a magical world at your own pace, and that makes it the perfect game to learn some VR basics like grabbing, throwing, teleportation movement, and gesture controls, at your own pace. All of those skills will come in useful when you move on to more mechanically complex VR games.
Check out our full review to learn more about Fujii.
Did you like Fujii? Consider trying Job Simulator next.
Star Wars: Vader Immortal – $10 Per Episode (three episodes total)
If you’re looking for a little bit of narrative, look no further than Star Wars: Vader Immortal. Even if you aren’t a Star Wars buff, this three-part series offers a fun and immersive mix of narrative, light puzzles, and action. It’s one of the best looking games on Quest—and you get to wield a freaking lightsaber!
Better yet, the game is technically broken into three bite-sized ‘episodes’ at $10 each. That means you can sample the first and decide from there whether or not you want to play the next two. Even if you don’t want to jump into the next two episodes, the first includes a ‘lightsaber dojo’ which is a replayable wave-based mode that offers hours of fun in trying to master your lightsaber skills. It’s a great demo for friends too!
Check out our full review of Vader Immortal: Episode I, Episode II, and Episode III to learn more.
Did you like Vader Immortal? Consider trying Star Wars: Tales From the Galaxy’s Edge next.
This is just a taste of what’s available on Quest. If you don’t find something appealing in this list, keep exploring! As you’re learning about your new headset, consider checking out our list of tips & tricks for new Quest owners.