Stumper
Rhythm games are among the best when it comes to virtual reality fitness, and Stumper is no exception. Armed with two shields, you must stop an endless onslaught of crystals from reaching you, and it’s all set to a bumping soundtrack. There are several different genres of music in the soundtrack, and the game will eventually feature more than 800 songs. You can even compete directly against another player in a one-versus-one mode.
Fitness Potential
Stumper uses the tracked motion controllers to control the two shields you hold in-game. Currently, there are three different difficulties to choose from, raising the intensity of your workout in the process. Down the line, custom music will be supported so you can work out as if you were playing an MP3 file on a treadmill. Different stages and challenges will arrive, as well.
Developer/Publisher: Thirteenth Floor
Release Date: April 28, 2019
Compatible With: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $14.99
Link: Stumper
With Loneliness
If you’re looking for an intense VR workout but need a nice dose of creepy atmosphere, then With Loneliness is worth checking out. This is far more than a virtual climbing wall, as you’ll have to deal with missiles and other destructive obstacles trying to prevent you from escaping its “garbage world.” There are also puzzle-solving elements, and the varied environments will keep it from feeling stale.
Fitness Potential
As you progress through With Loneliness, you’ll have to reach out using your tracked motion controller to grab onto hand-holds located on the walls. These will vary in position, and they will sometimes change to hanging ropes that you’ll grab, with certain death facing you underneath. You will need to have good stamina to make it through longer segments, but the game can be played from either a sitting or standing position.
Developer/Publisher: GiantJump
Release Date: April 29, 2019
Compatible With: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift
Price: $5.94 to $6.99
Link: With Loneliness
Flappy Flappy VR
You thought you had escaped the all-encompassing obsession that was Flappy Bird, but you could not be more wrong. In Enthusiast Games’ Flappy Flappy VR, you no longer tap on a bird to make it fly through narrow passages. Instead, you are the bird, and if you need extra help, you actually have to caw like a bird to attract your friends. There are multiple difficulty settings to choose from, and a global leaderboard to track your progress.
Fitness Potential
To play Flappy Flappy VR, you need to flap your arms as if they were a bird’s wings. You’ll need to keep up a certain rhythm to your arm movements in order to raise your altitude, and you’ll briefly release in order to dive down and make it through lower areas. The different in altitude between two obstacles can be extreme, requiring you to frantically flap your arms before you reach them. If you find the default setting too difficult, you can always try “chicken” difficulty, instead.
Developer/Publisher: Enthusiast Games
Release Date: May 2, 2019
Compatible With: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $2.99
Link: Flappy Flappy VR
The Copper Canyon Shoot Out
Like the Wild West? Like shooting robots who shouldn’t exist during the Wild West? The Copper Canyon Shoot Out hopes so, because the fast-paced VR shooter puts you in control of a gunslinger who must defeat “corrupted enforcement machines” across three different Wild West environments. With a tonally appropriate soundtrack and dual-wielding weapons, you’ll feel like the protector of a town, even if you don’t see any tumbleweeds.
Fitness Potential
Like the best VR arcade shooters, The Copper Canyon Shoot Out gives you control of two weapons using your tracked motion controllers, which you must aim up, down, and all around to defeat enemies. They have laser-like lines to assist in aiming, but targets are moving fast enough that you’ll have to get the hang of changing aim quickly. You can also aim your weapons independently, if you want to get fancy.
Developer/Publisher: Black Dragon Studios
Release Date: April 30, 2019
Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive
Price: $14.99
Link: The Copper Canyon Shootout
InfinityVR
MOBA-style games aren’t exactly the biggest on virtual reality devices, but InfinityVR just may have cracked the code. The game gives you eight different characters to choose from, each using different pre-designed spells and abilities. You must destroy your opponent’s base camp, and there are several options available to best suit your unique play-style.
Fitness Potential
InfinityVR is a frantic game, and you use your tracked motion controllers to cast spells at your enemy. You also have access to a magical bow that you can aim at incoming small targets on the ground, and these can come from directly in front or on either side. You’ll have to be accurate, however, as the enemies won’t wait around.
Developer/Publisher: TOTGameroom
Release Date: May 1, 2019
Compatible With: HTC Vive
Price: $14.99
Link: InfinityVR