Hopeful enthusiasts waited years for virtual reality (VR) to become accessible enough for the home. And with many of us suddenly stuck at home more, the idea of ‘leaving’ and entering a world of VR has become much more appealing.

But it’s not just boredom that’s made VR more enticing; it’s the tech too. Many things had to come together before at-home VR was plausible. Vendors needed to improve head-mounted displays (HMDs) so that VR gaming didn’t lead to nausea. We also needed headsets that were somewhat affordable. Of course, games and apps that make the next-gen tech worthwhile, like Half-Life: Alyx, are crucial. Today, it’s fair to say that VR gaming has all but arrived. We’re here to help you find the best VR headset for you so you can enjoy incredible, immersive games and experiences right at home.

VR has grown so much that there are various ways you to get into VR gaming. There are HMDs that connect to gaming desktops / gaming laptops, smartphones, as well as the PlayStation VR (PSVR), which connects to a gaming console. There are even standalone headsets, or HMDs that don’t need to connect to anything at all. Just strap it on, and you’re in VR. Plus, with distance learning growing, adding VR into the mix can help keep lessons immersive and engaging (Microsoft Flight Simulator counts, right?). 

Below are the best VR headsets for PC and gaming that are actually worth escaping reality to enjoy. And if the VR headset you’re after doesn’t include a great set of headphones, be sure to check out our Best Gaming Headsets page so that sound quality and isolation isn’t the weakest link in your VR immersion.

When looking for the best VR headset for gaming, consider the following:

• PC-connected VR has the best experience but requires an expensive system. The best VR gaming comes from headsets that you tether to a PC. But a VR-ready gaming PC starts at around $900 for a laptop, or a couple hundred less if you build your own PC. For more wallet-friendly VR, consider standalone HMDs that don’t connect to any system or alternatives that  connect to your smartphone. 

• Is your PC / smartphone powerful enough for VR? Before buying a VR headset that relies on a PC or smartphone connection, you should ensure your device meets the headset’s minimum requirements. Steam has a free test for checking if your PC can handle VR, and we also test this in our gaming laptop reviews. If your PC or smartphone doesn’t meet the headset’s requirements, you might want to increase your budget or buy a standalone HMD instead.

• When it comes to specs, bigger is better. In general, the greater the headset’s refresh rate, field of view (FOV), total resolution and pixel density (measured in pixels per inch or PPI), the smoother and sharper games will look.

• Make sure your home has enough square footage. Depending on the headset, you may need a notable amount of physical space to properly game. For example, the Oculus Rift S recommends a 3 x 3-foot space minimum, and the PSVR recommends a 10 x 10-foot area.

• Mind your glasses. You can usually wear glasses in VR, but some HMDs make this more comfortable than others. Check the headset’s IPD (interpupillary distance, the distance between the pupils in millimeters), which may be adjustable. Better yet, opt for an headset with a glasses spacer, like the Oculus Go or Rift S.

• More options are coming. The HP Reverb G2  and XRSpace Mova are coming out this year. At CES 2020 in January, we saw upcoming HMDs hardcore enthusiasts may want to consider. The $450 Pimax Artisan is finally available, and we’re waiting on more news on the enterprise-focused, but incredibly interesting, Pico VR Glasses. And if you’re eagerly anticipating the PlayStation 5, note that the PSVR will work on the console, as Road to VR reported. 

Best VR Headsets You Can Buy Today

Officially available for purchase today at $399, the Oculus Quest 2 is the best VR headset for most, offering a great upgrade over the original Oculus Quest. Qualcomm’s modern Snapdragon XR2 (Snapdragon 865) SoC proved to be a powerful chip bringing a fantastic VR experience even without any tethering to a powerful PC or even a smartphone. If you want, however, you can buy an Oculus Link cable for a PC connection 

Oculus bumped the Quest 2’s resolution up to 1832 x 1920 per eye compared to the Quest’s 1440 x 1600 per eye. There’s also a unified panel here instead of one for each eye, as well as the ability to hit up to a 90 Hz refresh rate once the apps arrive.

But while the HMD is an upgrade over the last generation, the new Touch controllers accompanying the Quest 2 are not. Due to their bulky shape, these Touch controllers are hard to grip and lack balance. Additionally, the Quest 2 is sporting a brand new color, but unfortunately that white gets dirty easily. 

Oculus is so sold on standalone VR that it’s discontinuing the Rift lineup of PC-only HMDs, including the Oculus RIft S. So if you want to get into VR, the Quest 2 is the easiest and best way to do it — and at a good price too.

Read: Oculus Quest 2 review

If you’re looking for the best possible VR experience at home, you should get a HMD that tethers to a PC. Today, the best VR headset for PC is the Valve Index. It comes from Valve, the company behind Steam and the Lighthouse tracking system used by the HTC Vive Pro and HTC Vive. The Index also uses Lighthouse base stations (including those Vive owners would already have), but is a step up for consumers from the Vive Pro.

The Index experience is quite customizable with canted lenses that allow for FOV adjustments of up to 10 degrees. There’s also mechanical IPD control. But the Index is less comfortable than the Vive Pro due to a less balanced distribution of its slightly heavier weight (1.8 pounds versus 1.7 pounds) and a bulky data cable. 

Gaming on the Index offers your choice of refresh rate, allowing for up to 144 Hz as an experimental feature. This means you can pick your refresh rate based on your system’s capabilities, but you’ll need a pretty powerful graphics card to surpass 90 Hz. The most exciting part of the kit is the long-anticipated Index controllers, which secure to your hand with various adjustments and allow open-hand movements for in-game actions like picking something up. Additionally, the Index controllers have capacitive touch sensors for finger movements and pressure sensors that can tell a game how firm or light your grip is.

Read: Valve Index review

While this is still a great headset, Oculus recently announced that it’s discontinuing the Oculus Go. Since the Go won’t be getting any new features or apps after December 4, it’s remaining life is limited. However, Oculus will keep providing this budget-friendly headset with security updates until 2022. If you’re looking to futureproof, the Oculus Quest listed above is your next best option for more affordable VR. Sadly, any Oculus headset will require a Facebook login soon. 

A quick, easy and affordable way to get into VR, the Oculus Go is the best VR headset for maintaining your budget. Like the Oculus Quest, the Go doesn’t need to connect to a PC or smartphone to work. Bonus: it’s great for glasses-wearers too.

On the other hand, the Go is the only headset here that has only 3-degrees of freedom (3-DoF) instead of 6-DoF. That means you’re not meant to walk around with  it. In other words, don’t expect the same quality or level of immersion as you’d get from a PC-connected headset, like the Go’s more capable sibling the Rift S.

Read: Oculus Go review

The HP Reverb G2 is the best Windows Mixed Reality (MR) headset for most; however, it struggles to compete with the other headsets on this page.

HP’s Reverb G2 does boast some nice improvements over the original HP Reverb, such as the move to antimicrobial materials and a boost in audio quality, thanks to HP using the same speakers found in the Valve Index. However, Windows MR tracking is still lacking. HP upgraded the HMD with two more cameras, but it still can’t match the tracking on other PC-connected HMDs, such as the Oculus Rift S. During testing, the headset would lose sight of our controllers if they were close to our chest or moving rapidly. 

The plus side is that the Reverb G2 has fantastic image quality with very high per-eye resolution that makes things from games to text easy to enjoy. If image quality is top of mind, the Reverb G2 tops the list.But for gaming and other apps where the ability to track controllers is imperative, you’ll want to look at other headsets on this list.

Read: HP Reverb G2 review 

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