Top VR games to get away from the real world during confinement

Summary

• Nature Treks VR, the walking simulator
• No Man's Sky Beyond to travel to another universe
• Skyrim VR, for those who prefer dragons to viruses
• Beat Saber: to continue playing sports stuck in your apartment
• Orbus VR, to keep social contact via virtual reality
• Walking Dead Saints Sinners, for those who want to experience an apocalypse during the apocalypse
• Tetris Effect, for a sensory journey
• Luna, to cultivate your imaginary garden
• VR Regatta, to cruise the ocean aboard your boat
• Guided Meditation VR, to isolate yourself in a peaceful place
• Google Earth VR, to travel around the world from your sofa
• Half-Life: Alyx

In order to fight against the coronavirus and to slow down the COVID-19 epidemic, all French people are forced to stay confined to their homes. Sadly, boredom and the need to go out can quickly become painful.

It is the perfect time to dive into VR ! Virtual reality can allow you to get away from it all, travel, take your mind off things and even keep social contact.

If you are lucky enough to own a helmet, or if you are considering ordering one to get through this crisis smoothly, check out our selection of best virtual reality games and experiences to get away from the real world.

Nature Treks VR, the walking simulator

Available on Steam, Oculus Go, Gear VR

This walking simulator offers you virtual hikes through 15 different environments : beaches, forests, meadows ...

Your ballads will be accompanied by soft music. The point of the port is that you can move around in different ways, including swinging your arms to the sides which almost gives the impression of walking in the real world.

During your wanderings, you will meet 60 different animals. You can also throw orbs to grow trees and flowers, or change the time of day. According to game creator John Carline, each environment is designed to impart a different feeling.

No Man's Sky Beyond to travel to another universe

Available on Steam, Oculus, PSVR

Initially launched on console in 2016, was highly anticipated. The title offers the player to venture into a huge universe whose planets are procedurally generated.

Each of them can be visited freely, and contains its share of resources, creatures and environments. Each part is therefore totally different, and the experience will be unique for each player.

With the Beyond update launched in March 2019, the game is now compatible with virtual reality. Thanks to this technology, the title takes on a new dimension and VR greatly increases the feeling of immersion.

On board your spaceship, launched at full speed into hyperspace, you will quickly forget that you are confined to your living room...

Skyrim VR, for those who prefer dragons to viruses

Available on Steam, Oculus, PSVR

We're not going to lie to each other: the world of Skyrim is not much better off than ours. As we face a coronavirus, the inhabitants of this Skyrim face a world-destroying dragon.

However, this cataclysm has at least the merit of taking place in a medieval fantasy universe. If you prefer this atmosphere to that of your apartment located in the city center on the seventh floor of a building, this is the game for you.

Skyrim is undoubtedly one of the most successful and popular games of the last decade, and countless players have spent hundreds of hours exploring this huge open world. With the VR version available since 2018, you can truly immerse yourself in this magical adventure ...

Beat Saber: to continue playing sports stuck in your apartment

Available on Steam, Oculus, Oculus Quest, PSVR

Two weeks without going out is hard. We have quickly toured his apartment, and it's hard to stay active.

It would still be too bad to lose your physical condition and having spent long sessions at the gym for nothing. Fortunately, allows you to continue exercising while having fun.

Considered the most popular VR game, this title offers you cut out blocks using two lightsabers, to the rhythm of a varied and very high quality soundtrack. You will also have to move to avoid obstacles.

Even 15 days of confinement will not be enough to master all songs at maximum difficulty level, and by then you will probably have lost all your extra pounds ...

Orbus VR, to keep social contact via virtual reality

Available on Steam, Oculus, Oculus Quest

One of the hardest aspects of containment, is to renounce all social contact. Without interaction with other humans, we quickly tend to get depressed ...

Fortunately, virtual reality can also allow you to maintain a certain form of human proximity. Communicating with the avatars of other users within a virtual environment is undoubtedly what comes closest to a real presence.

We could have recommended many “Social VR” applications offering such interactions, such as or currently in Closed Alpha.

However, our choice fell on: the first MMO RPG in virtual reality. In addition to rubbing shoulders with many other players in this online game, you will have the opportunity to go on an adventure together in a vast world populated with monsters and teeming with treasures.

Dungeons, raids, World Bosses and countless quests await you in this game made with love by a small independent studio.

Walking Dead Saints Sinners, for those who want to experience an apocalypse during the apocalypse

Available on Steam, Oculus, PSVR in Spring 2020

The coronavirus has put our world in a strange state. However, for some, the disaster may not yet be serious enough.

If this is your case, you can take advantage of this quarantine to play. In this virtual reality game you will have to survive the zombie apocalypse like in the famous eponymous series.

The combat system is realistic and very relaxing, and we especially finds the oppressive and distressing atmosphere series and comics. After a few hours spent in this end of the world simulator, the situation in the real world will seem perky to you.

Tetris Effect, for a sensory journey

Available on Steam, Oculus, PSVR

As Emmanuel Macron said in his speech, you have to take advantage of confinement to get back to basics. Needless to say: one of the very first video games and one of the best selling in the world.

This puzzle game features almost endless replayability, and scientific studies have proven its benefits on mental health. Ideal for keeping morale up during confinement, therefore.

With, the VR version created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, you will also benefit from a synesthetic sensory experience where music and colors combine to give you emotions. The whole is hypnotizing enough to allow you to escape the time of a game.

Luna, to cultivate your imaginary garden

Available on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive

The Luna game offers you to cultivate a surreal garden, by placing fantastic plants and trees there. You can bend the branches freely and change their color as you like.

When the bird hisses with satisfaction, you can move on to the next level. The sound atmosphere and enchanting graphics will allow you to escape into this dreamlike universe.

The levels are very varied, going from the wreck to the forest crossed by a calm stream. The experience is relatively short and repetitive, but it is truly spellbinding and will captivate you for a few hours.

VR Regatta, to cruise the ocean aboard your boat

Available on Steam, Oculus

After a few days of confinement, we would dream of boarding a boat to set off on the ocean and sail between the Caribbean islands or on a large Japanese lake. This is exactly what offers.

Enjoy sumptuous horizons and breathtaking sunrises as you cruise at your own pace to the rhythm of the sound of the waves on your ship's hull. If you wish it, you can even compete against other players in online races.

Guided Meditation VR, to isolate yourself in a peaceful place

Available on Steam, Oculus

To avoid stress during quarantine, meditation is an ideal practice. However, to meditate deeply, it is best to isolate yourself in a peaceful environment.

This is what this VR application allows you, with 27 different environments ranging from beach to mountain lake. Your mediation will be guided by more than 16 hours of voice recordings, and several voices offered. Even if you don't want to meditate, you can just explore these serene surroundings while listening to the music.

Google Earth VR, to travel around the world from your sofa

Available on Steam, Oculus

Since its launch on a web browser, Google Earth has enabled many people to visit the whole world from their home. With this VR version, offered for free by Google, you can fly over the planet and explore it as if you were really traveling.

Certainly, the level of detail depends on the popularity of the places. The tourist spots will be much sharper than the somewhat lost countryside corners. However, there is already plenty to do and Google also offers virtual tours if you don't know where to start.

Half-Life: Alyx

Available on Steam, Oculus

With a launch slated for March 23, 2020, VR is coming out on time. We could almost believe Valve created the virus to make sure players have nothing else to do but play their game.

This title has benefited from long months of development and a colossal budget, and is already shaping up to be the most successful VR game so far. It's a real adventure that awaits you, with interactions of unparalleled realism. This game will occupy you for long hours, and will make you completely forget the real world!