Cloudlands 2 (Steam)
Available now on Steam after releasing on Oculus Quest over the summer, Cloudlands 2 is not your standard miniature golf game. For one thing, you have a wedge and a driver in addition to your putter! There are 54 holes to play through, mixing standard miniature golf with traditional golf. You can also play with up to three others in multiplayer, make your own courses, and play through others’ creations.
Fitness Potential
You’ll be making use of several golf clubs with the tracked motion controllers. Because it has drivers, this means full swings instead of simple putts. Alongside standard golfing, there are boss battles. In these, you’ll have to defend yourself against projectiles using a golf club. As you’d expect, this means swinging it like a sword and knocking them back toward your enemy. With so many courses to play, you can make it a part of your routine for months.
Developer/Publisher: Futuretown
Release Date: January 17, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $19.99
Link: Cloudlands 2
SpaceVibes
In the mood to play a VR shooter but don’t want to deal with all the blood and gore? In SpaceVibes, there isn’t any, as you’ll be shooting a laser weapon at non-living enemies and bounce to some great beats while doing so. The game uses a trippy science-fiction art style that is the perfect fit for the platform. It won’t be easy, however, so don’t confused the lack of violence for a cakewalk!
Fitness Potential
You’ll use the tracked motion controllers to destroy objects in SpaceVibes. Unlike some other shooters, however, enemies can come from basically any direction, including directly above you. There are multiple modes to choose from to keep things interesting. Depending on if you like the music, you can even try dancing along while you lay waste to the objects flying toward you.
Developer/Publisher: vrSimilitude
Release Date: January 17, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Rift
Price: $2.99 to $4.99
Link: SpaceVibes
EXA: The Infinite Instrument
Fitness and music can be the perfect combination, and we aren’t just talking about rhythm games. In EXA: The Infinite Instrument, developer Aesthetic Interactive gives you the tools you need to make your own musical creations. This includes designing your own instruments and creating a band to go with them. Once you’re done, you can even export the final audio files and blow your friends’ minds.
Fitness Potential
You can choose to make the “ringer” tools in EXA play as a variety of instruments, including drums. They react based on the velocity of your motions. This means that if you want to really bang on the kit and make some aggressive music, you can get a great workout and change the sound. It should also have very little latency, preventing the experience from feeling frustrating.
Developer/Publisher: Aesthetic Interactive
Release Date: January 14, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $14.99
Link: EXA: The Infinite Instrument
Virus L
Looking for a VR shooter that won’t scare you or make your skin crawl? Virus L is a goofier take on the genre, with cartoony characters and environments that help to make the blood easier to stomach. You’ll blast zombies with weapons like assault rifles, which you can dual-wield. You can each shoot helicopters right out of the sky.
Fitness Potential
Virus L allows you to move through a sandbox-style world as you battle the undead. As you progress, you’ll earn new weapons via points. Not only will you get guns, but also melee weapons that you can slaughter zombies with like you’re in a Romero movie. You’ll have a fully-voiced story with missions to give you motivation, too.
Developer/Publisher: Luthor Dynamics
Release Date: January 13, 2020
Compatible With: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index
Price: $9.99
Link: Virus L
VR Fitness Bundle by Survios
This isn’t technically a new game, but we couldn’t leave something called VR Fitness Bundle off our list. Available at a discounted price for PlayStation VR, this bundle includes the games Creed: Rise to Glory and Sprint Vector. They’re extremely different, with one offering riveting boxing while the other is an extreme sports extravaganza.
Fitness Potential
As the name implies, this bundle is all about getting moving. You’ll punch, dodge, duck, and climb, regardless of which game you’re playing. Creed: Rise to Glory in particular is one of our favorite games for fitness, and this price is perfect for new PlayStation VR owners.
Developer/Publisher: Survios
Release Date: January 14, 2020
Compatible With: PlayStation VR
Price: $29.99
