(Pocket-lint) – So, you’ve decided to buy an Oculus Quest or Quest 2 and are getting set to plunge into the mystical world of virtual reality. Now you’re wondering which games to buy and what the best ones are to make the most of the headset. 

Well, the good news is you’ll find plenty of diversity within the Oculus Quest’s voluminous library of games – whether you like shoot-em-ups, puzzle games, rhythm-action games, action-adventures or sports games that offer something akin to a workout, it contains plenty to suit your tastes. 

• Buy the Oculus Quest 2

That said, there’s a lot of games to choose from, so we’re here to make your life easier by rounding up some of our favourite games for the wire-free VR headsets that are well worth trying out. The games are compatible with both the original Oculus Quest and the newer Quest 2 as well. 

• Best Oculus Rift and Oculus Rift S games and experiences available

1. Superhot VR ($24.99/£18.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

With its stylised concrete and glass settings, and its red, glassy enemies, Superhot VR has an utterly distinctive look. Which matches its equally inimitable gameplay.

Nominally a first-person shooter, in reality, it feels incredibly tactical, thanks to a game mechanic which slows down time – essentially, the enemies are stationary until you move, and the faster you move, the faster they do. So, you end up moving as if performing tai chi, keeping things slow and steady at times before speeding up, while grabbing guns and objects in mid-air and even throwing them to yourself for later use. Original, tactical and thrilling.

• Superhot VR review: Virtual reality’s most frustratingly enjoyable game

2. Beat Saber ($29.99/£22.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store 

Beat Saber may be pretty simple, but it’s utterly addictive and superbly satisfying to play, which is one of the reasons it’s one of the most popular Oculus games to play both on Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest. 

Beat Saber is a rhythm-action game, so to keep it flowing, you must hit incoming blocks at the right moment, since they come at you in patterned waves. Easy to grasp, fantastical to behold thanks to futuristic, neon-style visuals, blessed with a top-notch soundtrack and fabulously good fun.

3. Job Simulator ($19.99/£14.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store 

As VR games go, Job Simulator may be somewhat venerable – but it’s also a classic. On paper, it doesn’t exactly sound wild: as the name suggests, it’s a physics-based simulator which lets you sample various forms of employment, including as a chef, an office skivvy, in a convenience store and more.

As you may have guessed, it’s not exactly serious – to be precise, it’s absolutely hilarious. And quite cathartic, especially if you’ve ever dreamed of throwing a virtual stapler at your real-life boss or creating an unholy mess in the kitchen.

4. Pistol Whip ($19.99/£19.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

This super action game enables you to go pistol-first through a bunch of scenes such as bank heists and android uprisings where you have total freedom to get through it using whatever means possible.

It’s a super use for the Quest controllers – you can shoot, dodge and more, all as you see fit. The game has a pulse-pounding soundtrack from various EDM artists. You can also challenge your skill with your friends and play against others for positions on the world leaderboards.

5. Space Pirate Trainer ($14.99/£10.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

Space Pirate Trainer was one of our favourite games on the Oculus Rift, so we were pleased to see it available on the Oculus Quest too. If you’re confused by the name, just imagine you’re a pirate in training and that training involves shooting waves of dangerous robots in space.  

In principle, its gameplay is just like those early arcade-shooters: it sends waves of bots at you, which you must shoot down while dodging incoming fire or deflecting it with a shield. Simple enough, but surprisingly tactical, and rollicking good fun.

6. Creed: Rise to Glory ($29.99/£22.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

If you’ve ever fancied having a go at boxing without running the risk of any form of injury, then Creed: Rise to Glory should fit the bill magnificently.

It isn’t the only boxing game for the Oculus Quest, but it is the best, boasting various licences for the Rocky and Creed franchises, plus a story mode which sees you work your way up the professional boxing ladder. And it has a great multiplayer element which lets you box human opposition. Great fun and it will help with your fitness as it’s absolutely exhausting when played with determination and Rocky-style grit. 

• Creed Rise to Glory Review: VR boxing sim is a knockout!

7. Moss ($29.99/£22.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

Moss simply oozes quality. It’s a third-person puzzle-platform game built on a strong narrative, with a storybook vibe. In it, you embark on an adventure with an anthropomorphised mouse called Quill, in which you and she must collaborate to solve mostly environmental puzzles while taking on enemies in a classic hack-n-slash manner.

With its pitch-perfect, enchanting storyline, interesting characters and Oculus Quest-specific downloadable content that extends its storyline, it’s one of those games you’ll want to play through a number of times.

8. Arizona Sunshine ($35/£29.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

Arizona Sunshine is another utter classic and a solid VR favourite of ours that’s made it over onto Quest too. The game is a tongue-in-cheek zombie game that takes place in the barren landscapes of a post-apocalyptic America. 

It features large environments to explore, 25 different weapons to unload at the zombie horde and the ability to play cooperatively with friends too. If you enjoy it, there’s also follow-up content in the form of Dead Man DLC to add even more playtime. 

9. Star Trek: Bridge Crew ($30/£22.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

Bridge Crew is another fantastic virtual reality game that was good enough to make it onto our list of the best Rift and Rift S games money can buy. Happily, it’s also available to play on Oculus Quest as well. 

If you’ve ever wanted to crew your own Federation vessel, then this is the game to get. It’s also a co-op game, meaning you can team up with your pals and go out on numerous space adventures for fun and frolics across the universe. 

10. Knockout League ($19.99/£14.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

If you’re looking for a good workout while you game, then Knockout League is another sure fit hit. It’s a bit more tongue-in-cheek than Creed: Rise to Glory and features some slapstick comedy styling as well as plenty of awesome characters. 

Knockout League features fun gameplay along with the added bonus of calorie tracking so you can feel like you’re being productive while you game as well. 

11. Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs ($14.99/£10.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

Remember the days when Angry Birds was all we played? Using a variety of birds to smash down various piggy constructions and take the fight to them? Now Angry Birds has been reimagined for VR and it’s fantastic. The flat 2D world has now been transformed into a much more immersive experience. 

Over 75 levels are available where you can choose where you fire your slingshot and aim for the best scores. 

12. Tilt Brush ($19.99/£14.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

Looking for something a little more laid back? Something to inspire your creative side? Tilt Brush is just the thing you need. It’s essentially a virtual reality painting game where you can fill the world around you with colours and shape until your heart is content. 

13. Trover Saves the Universe ($30/£22.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

We loved Trover Saves the Universe when we played it on the Oculus Rift S and it’s now available to buy for Oculus Quest owners as well. It’s very much an adult game, as you expect considering it’s designed by the people behind Rick and Morty. It’s also hilarious, rude, weird and wonderful. 

Strap on your Quest and travel the universe with Trover, you won’t regret it. Quest owners also get access to Important Cosmic Jobs area DLC with more content, comedy sketches and fun too. 

14. FitXR (£22.99/$29.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

FitXR is a VR fitness game that originally started out as a boxing game but has since added some dance-themed workouts as well. This means the company can pitch the app as “workouts for everyone” – no weights or equipment necessary (beyond the obvious VR headset of course) just lots of body movement to get your heart racing. 

The boxing element sees you punching incoming balls of different colours while also squatting, lunging and blocking in time with music. The dance workouts get you moving your whole body while following a virtual trainer who’s there to show you what to do. 

FitXR also makes use of a scoreboard system which pits you against fellow online players. This obviously serves as motivation not only to beat your own best score, but to do better than the competition. Multiple workouts exist as standard and you can buy extra exercise plans to keep things interesting. 

Being able to track your workout progress, calories burnt and more make FitXR interesting and enjoyable and certainly make it a more thrilling option to traditional home workouts. You will feel a bit daft waving your arms about though, we certainly did. If you already own a Quest and want to feel productive while using it, then this is the game for you. 

15. Shooty Fruity (£14.99/$19.99)

• See it on the Oculus Store

We played a Shooty Fruity a couple of years ago on the Vive and Rift and thought very highly of it. An amusing game, with a daft premise and plenty of fun on offer. 

The idea is simple, you’re a lowly checkout assistant in a busy supermarket. You need to scan items as they come down the conveyor belt and ensure they get to the bagging area. The problem is, pesky fruit keep coming along trying to blow up your checkout and interrupt your plans. The solution – blasting them with various hand cannons. Things get complicated when you’re trying to shoot fruit and scan produce at the same time. Frantic, frustrating but a whole lotta fun. 

16. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (£29.99/$29.99)

• See it on Oculus Store

Saints & Sinners takes place in the murky, post-apocalyptic ruins of New Orleans. You’re thrust into the shoes of “The Tourist” and set out into a dangerous world packed with different factions and all manner of threats. Walkers are a constant menace and only a sharp object to the brain is enough to stop them. Which certainly keeps things interesting when you’re busy looting with one hand and holding a torch with another. 

Sneaking and scavenging is a key part of this game and the atmosphere is fantastic. We liked Saints & Sinners a lot when we played it on the Rift S and the Quest version is just as enjoyable. Crafting equipment, brainin’ zombies, helping out NPCs and trying not to lose your cool – all feels great with the wireless freedom of VR. Just watch out you don’t smash your real-world surroundings as you try to survive. 

Writing by Adrian Willings.