Meditation

Guided Tai Chi (Quest) – $10

Guided Tai Chi guides you through more than 100 “Tai Chi inspired” workouts ranging from 3 minutes up to 60 minutes. With 20 nature environments designed to help you relax. The app uses Quest’s motion controllers to instruct you in slow and thoughtful motions that can help you unwind. Guided Tai Chi now supports hand-tracking so you can play without even picking up your controllers.

Guided Meditation VR (Quest, Oculus PC, SteamVR) – $15

Could there be a more clearly named VR meditation game? Guided Meditation VR has 27 nature filled environments with some 500 individual meditation spots across them. You can pick from a list of environments, music, and narrations which will guide you through different meditation techniques to help you relax, unwind, and forget about the world (if only for a moment). You can also choose no narration at all to simply relax and enjoy the sights and sounds (or even mix in your own music).

Reflection

Where Thoughts Go (Quest, SteamVR) – $10

Where Thoughts Go is a totally unique social experience that you won’t find elsewhere in or out of VR. In this reflective experience you’ll find yourself in peaceful environments populated with floating orbs. Grab an orb and you’ll hear someone speak. The recordings you hear are from other real, anonymous users who are sharing their dreams, fears, and secrets, as prompted by questions in each stage of the experience. You can listen to get perspective from others and leave your own audio recordings to drift through the virtual world waiting to be listened to by someone, somewhere out there.

Mindfulness

Marvellous Machine (SteamVR) – Free

Marvellous Machine is a free 15 minute thoughtfulness exercise wrapped up in a graphically impressive VR experience. You’ll be seated as you’re toured along a track listening to a narration which aims to introduce you to the basics of mindfulness. The app will encourage you to look at your surroundings, and your thoughts, in a different way.

Exploration

Fujii (Quest, Oculus PC, SteamVR, PSVR) – $15

Fujii is a peaceful, explorative journey through a whimsical world of vibrant plants and cute critters. Though this definitely fits in the ‘game’ genre, it’s a purely peaceful game—there’s no enemies or health bars or pressure—just an inviting world with light puzzles and secrets to find at your own pace. You’ll frequently return to a garden where you can plant and tend to the flora and fauna that you collect throughout your journey. Though the game isn’t specifically designed around meditation, between your garden and other parts of the world, there’s plenty of lovely places to spend a few minutes to sit and smell the roses.

Read Our Review

Spheres (Quest, Oculus PC) – $10

Spheres is an interactive narrative experience that will take you on a compelling tour of the cosmos. You’ll be encouraged to reach out and touch the worlds before you and listen to the songs they sing into the void. This experience is equal parts cosmology and imagination. Spheres now supports hand-tracking on Quest so you can play it without even picking up your controllers.

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Did we miss any of your favorites? Drop your suggestions below!
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  • mepy

    Forgot Nature Treks VR, $5, Steam VR.

    • TechPassion

      You didn’t pay, so they didn’t list you :)

      • silvaring

        Whether this is true or not at least Roadtovr does proper lists and write ups, and covers niche games. Day to day marketing of garbage AAA games is much bigger industry problem than a small piece like this one.

      • benz145

        Though you’re probably kidding, I’d like to be clear:

        You are very right to be skeptical of the information you consume online. When it comes to Road to VR, we are an independent outlet and do not accept money for editorial content or sponsored articles, and I believe we are the exemplar in this space for optional disclosures of conflicts of interest. We pass up heaps of extra money offered to us to make this so (not to mention, not covering our website in auto-playing videos, full page ads, or banning ad blockers).

      • mepy

        I’m not in any way affiliated with the makers or sellers of Nature Treks VR, I just enjoy the experiences, especially during the winter.

        • Kataki kun

          +1

        • Rosko

          never really understood such vr apps, have pretty much been rubbish in comparison to just going out into real life nature. Just my opinion.

          • GreatWizard

            I like my nature with my air conditioner, due to living in an extremely hot country. I love European forests, sadly it’s just not an option here.

    • vtid

      Great app, especially with the Subpac in the environments with thunder.

    • Marcus Childs

      As I went through this article I was shocked not to see Nature Treks also. It’s my go to for relaxation.

  • Art plunge is one of my favourites! I think my friend Tony agrees…

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=IV8cFZWoyjY

    • Patrick Hogenboom

      Thanks for pointing this one out !
      Really well executed VR and nearly free, hats off

  • Ryan

    If I want to walk around in nature in VR, nothing really beats SkyrimVR. There is no real threat if you are leveled up, and you can experience many different environments in day or night and shout the weather nicer if you want.

    • Candy Cab

      With all the mods floating around Skyrim is pretty much like having your own holodeck at this point.

  • wheeler

    For me, The Talos Principle VR had the most serene and relaxing environments. XING is also good.

    However, whatever the experience is I still find I need a lot of stimulation. If I truly try to relax, then I’m immediately reminded of VR’s current gen comfort problems.

  • Kevin White

    Chroma Labs is a bit like Particulate, but the particles are much bigger.

  • Great list, I hadn’t heard of some of these.
    Can’t miss an opportunity to shout out Aircar, free on Steam or Oculus. Motion wise it can take bit to adjust to, but it’s so serene to fly around that city.

  • martin

    personally, Pro Putt is relaxing. Rez Infinite as well.

    • EliteForceCinema

      Fuck the developers and publishers behind Rez Inifnite, even that faggot Tetsuya Mizuguchi, for going Epic exclusive on their now shitty Tetris game! In fact. Fuck Epic Games! And fuck Unreal Engine! Source 2 for life!!!

  • shawnfromportland

    Bermeo Heights Express on Oculus GO!
    https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/2681266795216749/

  • EliteForceCinema

    ‘Tetris Effect’
    Fuck no! Fuck the developers and publishers, even that faggot Tetsuya Mizuguchi, for going Epic exclusive! In fact. Fuck Epic Games! And fuck Unreal Engine! Source 2 for life!!!

    • benz145

      Let’s chill with the slurs.

      • EliteForceCinema

        How about no you twat! Enhance deserves all the hate, backlash, harassment, and toxicity that comes to them for going exclusive to the Epic Games Store, a cancer to the gaming industry with Chinese spyware from Tencent in it!

        Same goes for Epic Games and Unreal Engine for stealing games for their Chiense spyware store and bending their knees to China! Anyone who uses Unreal Engine to make games or other things are sellouts to Epic and Tencent!

        • asd

          yeah you’re kind of right to be honest

        • Patrick Hogenboom

          I agree with what you’re saying, not with how you’re saying it

  • James Cobalt

    I thought Spheres was broken? Last I heard there was a bug preventing people from getting past Chapter 2. Is this only affecting a minority of users?

    • benz145

      Hmm good question, I’ll look into this.

  • Frozen Dreams

    I hope you guys took a look at my game, I released it yesterday and relaxation was a big part of my goal in this game, the game called “Golf Pool VR”.
    I like to play chill-out game after a few round of shoot em up. great list of games here.

  • Kim from Texas

    Would “Xing: The Land Beyond” fall into the category? I feel like it is a VR game that has gotten lost in the noise.

  • Sarah Hill

    Forgot Healium. Nature-based escapes powered by the user’s own brainwaves via a Brainlink Lite EEG headband. Free version on Oculus. https://www.tryhealium.com/stories/

  • vtid

    Have loved this free app for many years. Always hoped for a full-length game to come from it, but maybe Low-Fi will fill that void now.

  • Lucidfeuer

    Great list, would have added the Chair if…well this great OG experience was updated, whatever happened to its creator. Also Sensa Penso of course…

  • David Axelrod MD

    Great list and it’s fantastic that VR for relaxation is a growing genre. Our team at Lighthaus Inc. built Color Space, a VR coloring book for relaxation with beautiful color design. https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2702419963135346/

  • deHavilland

    VRSailing (free), especially in its “Night” mood, watching white caps under a full moon, is VERY relaxing.
    If you like some Surrealism you meed to try “Dreams of Dali” (free)!

  • Kevo

    I would also recommend Cosmic Flow which also happens to be free 99 and very much a relaxing experience as far as immersive mandalas go: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1267950/Cosmic_Flow_A_Relaxing_VR_Experience/
    Also, I don’t think anybody has mentioned all the chill worlds within VRChat.

  • R B

    I cannot believe you didn’t mention Tripp for Quest, OGO and Rift!

  • UberNorman

    The Blu Season 2 not being made is still a crime to VR.

  • Ocean Rift is the most relaxing experience for me. I wonder why its not on the list. The sound of the airflow alone makes me relax between the manatees…
    Also Nature Treks VR.

  • naffgeek

    Upload VR seems like it is owned by FB nevermind paid for articles!!

  • And

    SteamVR Home itself has lots great photogrammetry projects to sit and relax in, for free

  • Heather

    SoundSelf surely belongs on this list!

  • JB1968

    Although I had some doubts before now I can see the difference when comparing with Upload VR (aka FB’s blog).

  • Mr.Philgood

    Daedalus!

  • Warscent

    Under the great reset, New World Order, new normal, I am reporting you to the FBI/BLM for that white supremest hand gesture.
    -10000 citizen points for you.

    • Jeremiah Reyes

      Oh so you’re one of those people..

  • Jeremy D Nickel

    How about the EvolVR community in AltspaceVR? Simply the best VR Meditation option there is and you didn’t even mention it. Go to EvolVR.org to learn more.

  • Calming Winds

    You missed the app the actually teaches mediation: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1338140/Meditation_Journey_VR_Zen_Garden/

  • Quest for Runia is a very relaxing but at the same time challenging logic puzzle game. You can get it for Oculus Quest and on Steam.

  • Innovation Guy
  • Jason White

    Thanks for sharing this list. Really helpful for masses during this tough time. As AR/VR technology is growing rapidly it will help and transform life of humans in many ways.

  • Arno van Wingerde

    Oh my… the apps in this list I really wanted to try, such as Google Earth VR are not on Quest… but I do not own a game PC… and this is not exactly a good time to buy a video card… Oh well, stick to Wander then…

  • Octogod

    Just got a Quest so time to try a few of these out!

  • kraeuterbutter

    “MARE” – i think is missing

  • DanClintwood

    Of all the meditation apps to put on here, Guided Meditation VR is easily bottom of the barrel. The Quest version is a port of a game that has barely received support in half a decade and is still in Steam Early Access stating it would fully release by 2-16 and never did.

    The graphics and production value are very last gen w/ the environments basically shadow boxes with video walls. It’s a glorified audio content library and the fact it won Meta App of the Year is very sketchy. Strictly audio-based guided meditation experiences don’t make sense until another generation or two.

    There’s other meditation apps that should be here.

    • Thanks for the feedback and for sharing we won Meta’s App of the Year in 2021.

      To clarify, Guided Meditation VR was remade from the ground up for Quest 2, which is why 35+ environments are unique to this platform.

      The mixed format approach maximizes the Quest’s visual fidelity. Had we made everything 3D we’d look low poly or cartoony, which wasn’t our goal. There are many meditation apps in the minimalist space on Quest, which most aim to charge you a monthly subscription.

      We supported the PC version across a dozen updates, doubling the content and features, for 3+ years. This is a lifetime in VR. As PC VR stalled and users requested mobile versions as they transitioned. That said, we don’t like the idea of calling any meditation app in VR finished, even our own. That’s why we launch updated monthly builds, including a Sleep Mode mode this week, and free upgrades.

      One area you didn’t mention is cost. Guided Meditation VR costs less to buy that all others in this space to rent. We believe you should own your apps, not subscribe to everything. With 30+ hours of content, there is something inside for everyone.

      It’s okay if you don’t enjoy the approach. Guided Meditation VR may not be your cup of tea. But wanted to clarify some of your points.

  • Ayahuasca?

    Cosmic Flow?

    Conscience existence a journey within?

    No sign of these brilliant experiences here…

  • Eric Hanson

    RVRF is the best game to relax and it’s also sooo fun to talk with other people. https://media2.giphy.com/media/gRxjhVNfFgqI0/giphy.gif

  • DarthPotato

    My heart is amazed! I can tie it for the top position.

  • I Can Has KPop

    Although it’s an older title and lacks some of the controls that some physics games have, I really enjoy Cosmic Sugar. Very relaxing and will reward those that take the time to experiment with the tools and settings.