oVRshot
This is a team based first person bow shooter that pits 2 teams of 3 against each other on various maps. There’s no health bar in this game, so if you get hit you’ll die and then have to respawn over and over again, hopefully making it back to defend the objective areas or lose them to the opposing team.
Fitness Potential
oVRshot is a room scale game that will have you shooting arrows or escaping out of the way. Attacks will be coming from high, low, and well-covered areas. Hiding behind virtual walls and boxes will keep your legs burning and your entire upper body active as you shoot arrows and use special abilities.
If you like flinging arrows and hiding behind things try: Elven Assassin and Holopoint.
Developer/Publisher: Window Licker Games
Release Date: March 9, 2018
Compatible with: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, with tracked controllers; Springboard VR
Price: $15.99 to $19.99
Link: oVRshot
VRFC: Virtual Reality Football Club
Soccer fans will love this sports simulator when they run in the game by moving their arms like they’re running in place. Take to the field with 8 players in multiplayer mode or get used to the mechanics and controls by doing a training session. This is not a single player game and will take communication and teamwork! This will be a cross-platform game with in-game chat for the Vive, Oculus, and PSVR when VRFC gets released on PC headsets next week.
Fitness Potential
The arm swinging locomotion of VRFC makes this a great upper body and cardio game when played for extended sessions. The controllers are used to dribble, shoot, and sidestep, which isn’t physically active. There also isn’t a mention of room scale and is standing room only.
Is arm swinging or a sports sim your idea of a great workout? Play: Sprint Vector and Goalkeep VR.
Developer/Publisher: Cherry Pop Games
Release Date: March 6, 2018
Compatible with: PlayStation VR, with tracked controllers
Price: $15.99 to $19.99
Link: VRFC
Bravo Team
This is a story based first person shooter that takes place in Eastern Europe. Play in single player or with another player in co-op as you take cover behind anything nearest to you to avoid getting scattered full of bullets. This is also a game that requires you to communicate and have your teammates back to survive.
Fitness Potential
PSVR has a decent quality first-person shooter with Bravo Team that also will work the lower body as you pivot away from bullets, take cover away from incoming fire, and at times get low enough to crawl around. Shooting at distant enemies in rapid and short bursts or for extended periods is going to vary the upper body conditioning.
If you like first-person shooter VR games for PSVR try playing: Blasters of the Universe: VR Bullet Hell and Arizona Sunshine.
Developer/Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: March 6, 2018
Compatible with: PlayStation VR, with tracked controllers; PSVR Aim controller
Price: $39.99
Link: Bravo Team
Hatsune Miku VR (初音ミク VR)
Hatsune Miku is a Vocaloid and anime singer with her own rhythm based VR game. Players will get to hit music notes to the beat of Hatsune Miku’s catalog of 8 songs. There are two difficulty levels for more challenging rhythm markers. Getting into Fever mode by hitting accurately will make the level harder.
Fitness Potential
Quickly hitting and not tapping the music notes will make for a better upper body workout for this rhythm game. Fever mode and harder difficulty mode will turn you into a dance machine, while music notes appearing in different locations and then hitting them with matching hands is going to work the upper body.
Are rhythm games your jam? Hit to the beat with these VR games: Soundboxing and Audioshield.
Developer/Publisher: Crypton Future Media/Degica
Release Date: March 8, 2018
Compatible with: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, with tracked controllers
Price: $19.99 to $24.99
Link: Hatsune Miku VR (初音ミク VR)
Guns’n’Stories: Bulletproof VR
Take a trip to the Wild West, where you’ll get into some old-timey shootouts with some shady but funny characters with a dark sense of humor. There’s a story element to this first person and single player shooter, but don’t let that fool you. This game is chock full of bad guys trying to take you out before you get them.
Fitness Potential
Shooting rounds of guns close up and at a distance is going to work both your arms with dual pistols, rifles, projectiles, and other fun weapons. Ducking behind cargo boxes, beneath windows, and other hiding places is going to tire out your legs and even your core as you peek out and shoot at enemies.
Shooting guns in an old-timey town your idea of a workout? Play: Westard and Hopalong: The Badlands.
Developer/Publisher: MIROWIN
Release Date: March 8, 2018
Compatible with: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, with tracked controllers
Price: $19.99
Link: Guns’n’Stories: Bulletproof VR
Virtual Ninja VR
You’re a ninja that faces off with some non-threatening and almost voxel bad guys. No ninja leaves home without throwing stars and a katana. You’ll be flinging the throwing stars and slicing your way through different types of enemies and watermelons (borrowed from Fruit Ninja?) for points.
Fitness Potential
Throwing ninja stars at a distance won’t be much use for your body at all because of the action of throwing looks more like shooting but without the effort. The most physical part of this game would be using the strength of your upper body to slice through enemies with a katana when they get close to you and by cutting up any fruit that appears.
If you like using katanas or other weapons in VR games you should play: Sword Master and Conquer.
Developer/Publisher: MAMMOSSIX Co,. Ltd.
Release Date: March 7, 2018
Compatible with: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, with tracked controllers
Price: $10.49 to $14.99
Link: Virtual Ninja VR