No Man’s Sky Beyond
No Man’s Sky was one of the most ambitious games of all time when it released back in 2016. It didn’t hit its full potential then, but continued updates have gotten the space exploration game closer. With No Man’s Sky Beyond, Hello Games has added VR support, letting you experience the nearly endless universe like never before. Now, you can feel like you’re in a spaceship, battling enemies, or mining resources.
Fitness Potential
Your actions in No Man’s Sky for VR will all be done using your tracked motion controllers. You need to physically reach into backpack to grab tools. To steer vehicles, you’ll manually control the thrusters. You can fist-bump friends you run into, carve up rocks using your movements, or smack enemies. Like the rest of No Man’s Sky, the VR mode is what you make of it. In between sessions, you can switch to regular gameplay without losing progress, as well.
Developer/Publisher: Hello Games
Release Date: August 14, 2019
Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, PlayStation VR
Price: $29.99, free for existing No Man’s Sky owners
Link: No Man’s Sky Beyond
Meu
Part game, part creativity tool, Meu is a new take on the VR music genre. By moving your body in VR, you are able to create a visual representation along with changing music. You can then share your dance with friends, or even create a GIF from within the game. It’s a trippy experience that can change wildly based on your movements.
Fitness Potential
Because of the creative nature of Meu, the workout you get is based entirely on your choices. If you want to create a frenetic and intense dance, you need only move around at lightning speed. If you’re in the mood to send slower messages one day, you just need to slow down your movements. Depending on the number of messages you want to send, you can certainly work up a sweat.
Developer/Publisher: Radix Motion
Release Date: August 14, 2019
Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index
Price: Free
Link: Meu
OhShape
Previously known as OnShape, OhShape is what would happen if Hole in the Wall were turned into a VR game. You must strike poses that match with the music as well as the cutouts rapidly approaching your position. When red walls approach, you must completely dodge them, instead. You’ll look ridiculous while doing it, but that’s part of the fun.
Fitness Potential
OhShape is designed to give you a great cardio workout, as you’re essentially dancing when you dodge obstacles. You’ll also mix in some punches like in BoxVR, and there are three difficulty modes for when you improve. If your friends beat your high score, you’ll see it on the leaderboard and can work to win it back.
Developer/Publisher: Odders Lab
Release Date: August 15, 2019
Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index
Price: $14.99
Link: OhShape
Virtual Boxing League
Have you ever wanted to prove you’re the best boxer in the world without getting a broken nose? In Virtual Boxing League, leaving Early Access this week, now you can! The game prides itself on using realistic boxing physics, so you’ll improve your performance as you continue to play. In single-player mode, you have five ladders of fighters to battle. Future updates will add online multiplayer.
Fitness Potential
Virtual Boxing League is a VR fitness fan’s dream game. In addition to the standard boxing, there are five mini-games that are all great for your fitness routine. When online multiplayer hits, there will also be a spectating mode that can run through a mobile app. This means your friends can be cheering from afar as you go up against a competitor.
Developer/Publisher: Spellbook
Release Date: August 16, 2019
Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index
Price: $19.99, price increasing
Link: Virtual Boxing League
Crawling of the Dead
Crawling of the Dead mixes skill-based swordplay with classic dungeon-crawling action in an experience built for VR. Using weapons, torches, and shields, you’ll make your way through dungeons and destroy the enemies you come across. They won’t go down without a fight, of course, so you’ll need to stay on your toes. You can even train to increase your level before going into combat.
Fitness Potential
All of the dungeons in Crawling of the Dead are procedurally generated. This means it’s literally impossible for you to have the same experience twice, making it perfect for workouts. Depending on how fast you swing your sword or raise your shield, you can break a sweat in no time. With secrets to discover and loot to gain, it’ll be tough to stop playing, too.
Developer/Publisher: Running Pillow
Release Date: August 15, 2019
Compatible With: HTC Vive, Valve Index
Price: $19.99 to $24.99
Link: Crawling of the Dead
