It’s been nearly a year now since we’ve had to stay indoors to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, and you’d be forgiven if you’ve become a lot less active as a result. There’s no better time than the present though to get up and moving, and we’ve got five awesome VR games that can help you do just that.

Here’s our top five VR games to not only keep your heart rate up, but trick you into having a blast while doing it.

Warning: Make sure to clear your play area first, and stay far away from your TV, pets, babies, and priceless Fabergé eggs!

5 – Until You Fall

Doing intense cardio workouts is awesome for heart health, but if you’re looking for a more casual starting point, you definitely need to jump into this rogue-lite sword & sorcery game from the illustrious Schell Games, the same studio behind the I Expect You to Die VR puzzle franchise. You’ll be getting an arm workout in without even knowing it.

Steam – QuestRift – PSVR

4 – Thrill of the Fight

Thrill of the Fight (2016) is an oldie, but a goodie. Created by Sealost Interactive, this single-player boxing sim is considered one of the best ways to get a high intensity cardio workout and let out a little frustration while you’re at it. Sorry folks, there’s no PSVR version yet, but at this late date in the headset’s life cycle, there may never be. Look to our honorable mentions below for more great boxing sims!

SteamQuestRift

3 – Pistol Whip

Shoot, dodge, and bash a dude in the face: that’s all there is to it in Pistol Whip (2019). But when more baddies come and you have to start dodging bullets like Neo from The Matrix, you’ll almost forget you’re basically doing a pretty comprehensive cardio routine. There’s also been a steady stream of free levels this past year, making Pistol Whip even bigger and cooler.

SteamViveportQuestRift – PSVR

2 – Synth Riders

The promise of free-style dancing and addictive synthwave tunes will have you up and grooving to the beat in Kluge Interactive’s fun and funky VR rhythm game. It’s a great go-to for single-player action, but one of the best bits is the recent addition of power-ups and multiplayer Kart-style racing, which will have you playing against friends online to see who can get the highest score. PSVR version is set to come sometime in 2021.

SteamViveportQuestRift

1 – Beat Saber

For the sheer density of levels, difficulties, and production value, Beat Saber (2018) still comes out on top, even years after its release. Time and time again, this block-slashing rhythm game manages to get you moving, dancing, and going back for more to get that perfect ‘S’ class result on your favorite Expert+ song, all the while tricking you into working out. Multiplayer isn’t perfect, but if you’re looking for an unbeatable workout you’ll love all of the single-player content Beat Saber has to offer.

SteamQuestRift – PSVR

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Honorable Mentions


Update (February 15th, 2021):  It’s been a long year of social distancing, but also a great opportunity for studios to mobilize and offer up some great fitness-focused games. We’re constantly keeping an eye out for fun, new games though. Let us know in the comments below your favorite fitness game!

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Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 3,500 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • aasdfa

    Man i totally though to make Oshape a while ago :/ i should have

  • RationalThought

    Thrill of the fight hands down is the best workout I have experienced in VR. Most people I have put in it have to stop in within a few rounds. VRhealthinstitute.com has it ranked as the highest calorie burning VR game so far.

    • Raphael

      Yes, thrill of the fight is much better than creed.

    • Seanm57

      This! Why is TOTF not #1 on this list. Creed? Please. I can do Beat Saver going as hard as possible and barely hit 120bpm. One match in TOTF and I’m at 150 bpm and covered in sweat.

      Pistol whip? I get more cardio doing yoga. I enjoy Pistol Whip, but it isn’t not a workout.

      • RavnosCC

        While I definitely agree TOTF is the most workout. You gotta try Pistol whip w/vengeance, and disorder modifiers turned on (on hard obv). Bit more heart pumping, but definitely not top workout. The other thing is make sure you’re doing at least Expert at 20% speed accelerator modifier in BeatSaber, I’ve been reduced to my knees at the end of some songs…(not the og tracks, those are easy) it’s all about the content and the modifiers. For out of the box no thinking first, TOTF is ready to go, but gets boring/stale pretty quickly, imho.

    • Pablo C

      Agreed, TOTF is the only VR game that is as hard as regular exercise, like running. I´d put Box VR second, but it can certainly be cheated for less effort.

    • loo

      I’m with you. Thrill of the Fight and Virtual Fighting Championship are the best work out I have in VR. Until You Fall isn’t much of an effort to me but it’s really fun to play.

  • NooYawker

    I still jump in Knockout League once in a while and one fight and I’m spent.

  • And then there is our fitness game HitMotion: Reloaded! But only if you have a Vive Focus Plus…

  • First try VR

    I recommend Dance Collider for the #1 spot. The recent Hardcore update is ridiculous;

  • david vincent

    Well, 2 weeks of containment here, really glad to have a VR headset to get some exercice at home. Thanks VR !
    (And Half Life : Alix can’t come soon enough !)

    • Jeffrox

      Masadaaaaaa

  • david vincent

    OhShape is a fun concept (actually a rip-off of – another wacky – japanese show : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DYJXSSgW08) but it really needs full body tracking…

  • Dave

    Box VR sucks for working out, Thrill of the Fight is a much better boxing game for working out.

  • martin

    love Until You Fall, the Monk of Rokar challenge will really make you sweat

  • Zack71

    1) FitXR. I loss 15 kg in 6 months using it for 1 hour 3 times a week.

  • Dick Massive

    Could you please change your website to “Road to Facebook”, because that is all it is now. Quest 2, Quest 2, Quest 2, Quest 2, Quest 2, Quest 2.
    Fuck the Quest 2, Fuck Facebook, and Fuck you.

    • NL_VR

      HA HA

    • doood

      but this is everything vr related including pcvr psvr and all the other types of vr not just facebook’s headsets. you imbecile.

  • Thanks for the piece of advice on the Faberge eggs! I will hide them during my next VR workout session!

  • Vik

    Blaston – by far the best workout and competition mix out there! It gets realy intense and also strategic!

  • From someone who utilize VR as morning work out for the last 4month. In the process lost 25lbs, and 5% body fat went from obese to fit.

    How can you guys completely miss out by far the most FUN and INTENSE VR fitness title: BLASTON?

    I own all the titles on this list and tried to cycle through them but at the end. Blaston and Thrill of the Fight came out unparalleled to none.

    Yet Thrill of the fight is ranked 4th and BLASTON is no where to be seen…

    Here is a short example: (One moment you are jumping through the air and the very next fall to your knees. #OnlyInBLASTON)
    https://www.reddit.com/r/GamerFitVR/comments/ktoi0v/sometimes_you_feel_like_air_jordan_and_then/

  • david vincent

    Let’s not forget Blade & Sorcery (fighting several opponents at the same time requires a good footwork)
    Eleven Table Tennis if you have a good level at table tennis…

  • Ryan

    So sad that Holopoint seems to be forgotten and abandoned. Still my favorite workout game, especially wirelessly on Quest.

    • lissa

      I agree! Holopoint is fantastic.

  • Andrew M

    No mention of Blaston!?! Blaston is an amazing workout and so much fun. It’s the perfect “easy to learn, impossible to master” kind of competitive game. It always feels fair and you can always learn to play better! It has gotten me to exercise more in the last few weeks than I have in a year.

  • doood

    gorn is the one game that gets me sweating so much the headset could break.