Best VR games for beginners

A good first VR game keeps you in one place or moves you gently, teaches its controls in a few minutes and lets you stop whenever you like. The nine picks below all fit that description. Store availability was checked against official listings such as Beat Saber on Steam and Job Simulator on the PlayStation Store, plus developer sites including Mighty Coconut's Walkabout Mini Golf page and Resolution Games' Demeo page.

How we picked

• Little or no artificial movement. Moving your view with a thumbstick is a common cause of motion sickness in VR. Most picks have none.
• Simple controls. You should understand what to do within the first few minutes.
• Short sessions. Songs, holes, puzzles and turns are short, so you can stop after a few minutes while you get used to the headset.

The picks

1. Beat Saber

Beat Saber is a rhythm game: you hold two sabers and slice colored blocks in the direction their arrows point, in time with the music. It suits newcomers because the idea is clear within seconds and the easier difficulty levels are relaxed. You stand in place and the blocks come to you, so there is no artificial movement, though harder songs are a real workout. It is sold on the Meta Horizon Store for Quest, on SteamVR for PC headsets and on the PlayStation Store, where the PS5 version needs PS VR2.

2. Job Simulator

Job Simulator is a comedy sandbox in which robots teach you what human jobs were like, from office worker to chef. Almost everything can be picked up, thrown or combined, which makes it a gentle lesson in how VR hands work. You stand at a small workstation with everything in reach, so you never move artificially; Steam lists a 2 m × 1.5 m play area. It is on the Meta Horizon Store (with hand tracking support), Steam, the PlayStation Store (one purchase includes the PS VR and PS VR2 versions) and the PICO Store.

3. Walkabout Mini Golf

Walkabout Mini Golf is mini golf on imaginative courses. You swing the putter as you would on a real course, so anyone can play it immediately. To get around the course you can walk, teleport, use smooth locomotion or fly; beginners should start with teleporting. It is on Quest, Steam, PS VR2 and PICO with full cross-play, and private rooms hold up to eight players, which makes it a good game to share with friends who are also new to VR.

4. Moss

Moss is a storybook puzzle adventure. You steer Quill, a small mouse, with the thumbstick like a traditional game, and you also reach into the miniature scene to move objects and help her. The mix of familiar controls and hand interaction makes it an easy step into VR. The camera stays fixed in each scene and you never move through the world yourself, so it is very comfortable seated or standing. It is on the Meta Horizon Store, Steam, the PlayStation Store (the PS5 version needs PS VR2) and the PICO Store.

5. Cubism

Cubism is a calm puzzle game: you fit colored blocks together to fill a 3D shape, across 90 puzzles in two campaigns. Early puzzles are simple, and there is no time pressure. There is no movement at all, and it can be played seated. On standalone Quest it supports hand tracking and a mixed reality mode. It is sold on the Meta Horizon Store, Steam and the PICO Store.

6. Eleven Table Tennis

Eleven Table Tennis is a realistic table tennis game. Your controller becomes the paddle, so if you have played the real thing you already know the controls. You can play against an AI opponent before taking on people online. You stand at the table and move only as you would in a real match, but you need room to swing freely; Steam lists standing or room-scale play. It is on the Meta Horizon Store, Steam and the PICO Store, with cross-platform multiplayer.

7. Demeo

Demeo is a turn-based tabletop dungeon crawler. You move hero miniatures on a board, play cards and roll dice, alone or in online co-op for up to four players. Because it is turn-based, nothing rushes you while you learn. The board sits in front of you and there is no artificial movement, so it suits long seated sessions. It is on the Meta Horizon Store, Steam, the PICO Store and the PlayStation Store, where PS VR2 is optional and one purchase includes both the PS5 and PS VR2 versions.

8. Synth Riders

Synth Riders is a dance-style rhythm game: you catch notes with orbs on your hands and follow long rails that guide your arms. It feels more like dancing than fighting, and each song has several difficulty levels. There is no artificial movement; Steam lists it as standing only. It includes more than 80 songs and is on the Meta Horizon Store, Steam and the PlayStation Store (the PS5 version needs PS VR2), with cross-platform rooms for up to 10 players.

9. Superhot VR

Superhot VR is an action puzzle in which time moves only when you move. Bullets crawl toward you while you stand still, so you set the pace and can think through each scene. There is no thumbstick movement: you stand in place, dodge with your body and the game cuts to each new scene. It contains stylized violence, so it suits teens and adults better than young children. It is sold on the Meta Horizon Store and Steam.

Before you start

• Read How to reduce motion sickness in VR, and turn on options such as teleporting and snap turning in any game that has comfort settings.
• On Quest, follow How to set up your play area and boundary on Meta Quest before playing anything that involves swinging your arms.
• On PS VR2, see How to set up PlayStation VR2 on PS5.