Mario Kart VR Is Amazing On the Meta Quest - Here’s How To Play It

If you want to play Mario Kart in Virtual Reality then you don’t have to go all the way to an arcade in Japan to do that.

Now with a Meta Quest 3 or 2 and the Citra VR emulator, you can now enjoy a fully 3D and immersive Mario Kart VR experience at home on your Quest headset. The experience of playing this classic racing game in VR is amazing, especially considering that there really aren’t a whole lot of racing games available in VR, and those don’t play half as well as Mario Kart does.

While Mario Kart wasn’t made for VR it is definitely enjoyable when playing it in Virtual Reality. You can even zoom in your view to the first person so that all of the action is as immersive and in your face as possible. Once you try Mario Kart in VR you won’t ever want to go back to playing it on the flat screen. This isn’t just a great VR Mario Kart experience, but also just a great VR racing game in general if you’re hungry for a new one.

In this article, we’ll be going through how to set up Mario Kart VR, some settings to get it looking good, and how it plays. Spoiler alert. It’s pretty awesome.

How To Play Mario Kart In VR

Playing Mario Kart in VR does involve a bit of setup, I’ll warn you right now.

You’re going to need a few things since while you can play the 3DS version of Mario Kart 7 entirely with just your headset once you get it set up, you will need a PC and a cable to connect your Oculus Quest to your PC in order to start.

Other than the computer and the cable, also keep in mind that you have to get your hands on a .cci, .3ds, or .rom file of the Mario Kart 7 game. So to get started here are the things that you will need.

• A PC.

• A cable capable of connecting your computer to your Meta Quest: If you don’t have a cable already there’s always the official Oculus LInk Cables. However, there are also cheaper third party cables available from amazon.

• A game file of Mario Kart 7 on your PC. This will only work if the file is one of these filetypes: .rom, .cci, .3ds (.cia files do not work)

• Enough storage space on your Quest. (Even 1 GB is enough)

With all of these things, you can start by setting up SideQuest on your Meta Quest 2 or 3. SideQuest is vital because you’ll use it to install the actual application, CitraVR, that you have to use to get Mario Kart for VR running. If you don’t know how it’s not difficult to, but it will take a little time and effort.

Once you have SideQuest installed on your Quest device, go ahead and use SideQuest to install CitraVR. You’ll have to use your computer and cable during this setup as well. Not only do you need to install the Citra VR application, but you’ll also want to use your link cable to move over your Mario Kart 7 3DS game file while you’re at it. Setting up CitraVR is also very straightforward if you know how to do it.

Once you’re done setting up Citra VR make sure that your Mario Kart 7 game file is in your Citra games folder. If it is it should appear in the CitraVR games menu.

Keep in mind that the first time you run VR Mario Kart it will stutter and lag. This is due to caching shaders and other data in the background and should fade completely in thirty minutes or less.

Mario Kart VR can be run from the Games menu in Citra VR.

Making Mario Kart VR Look Great

Once you’re through with the setup you can play VR Mario Kart already, but it won’t look as good or be as immersive as it could be.

By default, the 3DS upper and lower windows will show up in your headset in a Mixed Reality mode, kind of like a gigantic version of a handheld 3DS. You can play the game entirely this way if you like. The controls are all mapped to your Quest controllers (more on that in the section below) and after the stutters wear off it should play just fine.

Mario Kart VR will run in this large screen Mixed Reality mode unless we change some settings.

Still, you may be able to get it looking better than the old low resolution 3DS graphics can. They were intended to be seen on a much smaller screen after all. So if you want a bigger version of Mario Kart for the 3DS in VR, then here you have it. If you want a truly more immersive Mario Kart VR experience, then keep reading.

The first thing we’ll do is replace those floating 3DS screens with a more in your face and first person view of the game. This is done by clicking the gear icon in the top left of the CitraVR menu and then clicking on the “VR” menu.

Then scroll to the bottom and enable the slider for Immersive Mode. This will wrap the 3DS screen directly around your face when you’re playing a 3DS game in VR, and will add a lot of additional immersion to Mario Kart by putting you into the seat of your kart.

Enabling Immersive Mode will wrap the 3DS screen around your face.

While you’re here you can also improve how well 3DS games will run by setting your CPU level as high as it will go. This is recommended at least the first few times you try Mario Kart for VR.

We can also improve how the game will look while we’re in the settings. Do this by going to the “Graphics” section in the settings menu.

There are an absolute ton of settings here, but those that make the most difference have to be “Internal Resolution” and “Depth.” Set the depth slider as high as it will go, and set Internal Resolution as high as you dare.

Keep in mind that a higher resolution means more demand on your headset. If you’re using a Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest Pro you should be fine increasing it quite a bit, but a Quest 2 might struggle a little more. If the game doesn’t run well then come back and lower this setting.

Setting the Depth and Resolution higher will make Mario Kart in VR look much better.

Once you’re in the game here are the controls:

• A - Drive

• B -Reverse

• Right grip - Hop

• X - Item

• Y - Drive

• Thumbsticks - Toggle first or third person by pushing forward or backwards when your opposite thumb is resting on the thumb rest next to the buttons

• Triggers - Select things in menus

How Does Mario Kart 7 Play In VR?

Once you’re back in the Mario Kart VR and have a race started, rest one of your thumbs on the thumb rest of its controller.

The “thumb rest” is the empty space right next to the two buttons on the controller, away from the joystick. Once one thumb is rested there press forward with the joystick on your other controller using your opposite thumb.

This will bring your view forward and put you right inside of your kart like you are the Mario Kart character you’re playing as. Completely first person, completely immersive. Now that’s Virtual Reality.

Make sure to set the view to first person as it’s much better for Virtual Reality.

Playing in the third person as you would normally on a flat screen is great and all, but Mario Kart in VR is a completely different experience when you experience it in first person.

You can really feel every turn as you take it, and running over a banana is a lot more startling when you see it right up in your face just before you hit it.

The game still plays like Mario Kart, there’s no denying that, and Mario Kart 7 is already a fantastic game on its own, but there is a quality added by playing it in Virtual Reality that brings it to the next level. You get the benefit of a giant virtual screen already, but using CitraVR’s immersive mode and wrapping that screen around your face makes you feel like you’re in the seat of your Kart.

This picture doesn’t do VR Mario Kart justice.

That’s really how Mario Kart in VR feels and plays, a lot like Mario Kart with different controllers, but also elevated and more intense.

It’s enjoyable, and a really fun experience even if you’re just looking for a good VR racing game in general. The only downside is that you can’t turn around and look behind you as you can in so many other VR games, but this is still a long way in terms of VR immersion. Enjoy!

Easily Install SideQuest To Sideload Games On the Meta Quest For Free

So you want to install SideQuest VR on your Oculus Quest 2 or 3 so that you can Sideload a huge number of games to play directly on your Meta Quest 2 or 3 headset.

This is an extremely good idea. Not only does Side Quest give you access to a huge amount of modded content and applications, but a lot of them are completely free, and so is SideQuest! You won’t have to pay a single penny to install and use it.

SideQuest truly is a remarkable application that lets you play even more Virtual Reality games on your Meta Quest device for free.

In this article, I’ll show you how to install SideQuest on your Oculus Quest 3 or 2 step by step with screenshots and everything. Once you’re done installing SideQuest VR you will be able to install new games and apps on your Quest directly on your headset without having to connect it to a PC again.

So here is how to easily install and use Side Quest to Sideload games on the Meta Quest for free.

How To Install SideQuest On The Oculus Quest - Prerequisites

So before we get going with the installation process there are a few things you’ll need to install SideQuest VR:

• A PC that is connected to the same WiFi network as your Oculus Quest 3 or 2 headset.

• A link cable to connect your PC to your headset: You can get the official Oculus Link Cable on the Meta website here. If you’re looking for a cheaper option there are third party cables available from Amazon like this one here.

With these two things, you have everything that you need to install SideQuest VR on your Oculus Quest headset. Here’s how to download and install Side Quest.

How To Install SideQuest On The Meta Quest - Download SideQuest

To start you’re going to have to get on your PC, go to the SideQuest installation page, and download the Easy Installer.

Once you hit the download button the file will download to your Downloads folder.

The SideQuest VR downloads page. Download the Easy Installer on the left.

Once the SideQuest installer file is finished downloading, run it.

How To Install SideQuest On The Oculus Quest - Install SideQuest

The first screen you will see when installing SideQuest. You need to connect your Oculus Quest headset to your PC to start the installation process.

The SideQuest installer makes the whole process very easy by explaining exactly what to do step by step. All you have to do to get started is click that big “OPEN SETUP INSTRUCTIONS” button in the center.

Once you do that three steps will appear in the installer. These will detail how to create a Quest developer organization, enable development mode on your Quest device, and finally, it will tell you to connect your Quest headset to your PC.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to Sideload games or applications to your headset without going through this first. This is the most annoying part of installing SideQuest, but there is no way that you can skip it.

The setup page of the SideQuest installer.

Just follow the instructions in the Side Quest VR installation window. The instructions are very good and will tell you everything that you need to know to complete these three steps. Once you create your organization click on the next step and enable development mode in the Oculus app.

I also recommend that you restart your headset after enabling development mode, or it might not function as intended.

After you’ve set up your Meta Organization and enabled developer mode you should also create a SideQuest account while you’re at it. After you complete the installation you’ll need an account to link your headset to in order to use the SideQuest application.

Now that you’ve done the first two steps in the SideQuest installer you will need to connect your Meta Quest 2 or 3 headset to your computer using that Link Cable mentioned in the prerequisites.

Just connect the larger rectangular shaped USB end to a USB port on your PC and then connect the smaller end to the charging port of your Oculus Quest device. Be careful to make sure that the cable doesn’t come out while you’re installing SideQuest.

Once your headset is connected you will get a prompt in your headset asking you to give your PC permission to access files on the device and allow USB debugging. Click the blue allow button when you see this prompt. When your Quest is linked to your PC the installer should pick it up and the red circles with text next to them stating that you haven’t connected a headset should turn green. All of the circles on the right side of the Side Quest installer window should be green.

If the circles aren’t green then double check the steps you took previously and disconnect your Quest from your PC before restarting the Quest device and reconnecting it to your computer.

Once all of the circles are green hit the “Home” button on the left side of the installer and then click the big “INSTALL SIDEQUEST IN YOUR HEADSET” button in the center. After a brief wait, you should see some confetti in the installer window.

Once you see the confetti then you’ve successfully installed Side Quest on your Meta Quest 3 or 2.

Congratulations! You’ve installed SideQuest VR directly onto your Quest headset. You can now disconnect the Link Cable from your Quest and put your headset on. However, you will need your PC for one final step.

In your headset open your game library and click the search bar at the top. A dropdown should appear in the top right of the App Library window click on the one that says “All” and then click on “Unknown Sources” in the dropdown menu.

How to open the Unknown Sources app page on a Meta Quest headset.

The Unknown Sources page contains all third party applications installed on to your headset. This includes SideQuest and also games and applications that you will later sideload using Side Quest, so make sure you remember how to get to the Unknown Sources page.

Once you’re there you will see a new button for the SideQuest app. Click on it to open it.

Once you’ve started SideQuest in your headset you will see a six digit code telling you to go to sdq.st/link and enter the code. Remember the code before taking your headset off. Then go back to your PC and go to the website so that you can enter your six digit code. Hopefully, you made that SideQuest account earlier because you’ll have to log into one now on your PC.

If you haven’t made a SideQuest account already then you can make one on their website. It’s free. If you’re having trouble linking your headset, for instance, if the sdq.st/link page isn’t working, then connect your headset to your PC again with the link cable as you did before. Then try the website again.

Once your account and Oculus Quest are linked then put your headset back on and the SideQuest app will start shortly. You will get a lot of popups and prompts asking you to give SideQuest permissions. Hit the “Allow” button on all of them.

Make sure to allow permissions for SideQuest or it won’t work.

You also might get a popup at the bottom, like in the screenshot above, to Update SideQuest. You might as well do it now, so click on the “UPDATE SIDEQUEST” button. Once you do another popup will appear saying that “your phone currently isn’t allowed to install unknown apps from this source.”

If you see that then hit the “Settings” button in that popup. Another screen will appear that looks like the one in the screenshot below. In this window enable the slider for “Allow this source.”

If you see this settings page then enable the slider so that SideQuest VR can update.

If nothing is telling you to update SideQuest then don’t worry about it. However, if you do update and the Side Quest window closes just relaunch it. That’s just a part of the update.

How To Use SideQuest VR On The Meta Quest

Since you installed the SideQuest VR application directly onto your headset then you won’t have to worry about using that Link Cable anymore.

Now that all of the installation and permissions setting is finished you can just scroll through the SideQuest library to find new games to sideload. Most are completely free!

There are a ton of new (and free) games for you to install with SideQuest.

I hope you enjoy using SideQuest. It really opens up a whole new world of VR games for you to play and enjoy outside of what Meta has allowed to be on their store.

Keep in mind that this means that a lot of the games you will see on SideQuest might be very experimental or early on in their development, and so will be low quality.

That being said, there are still a ton of high quality games on SideQuest VR for you to sideload to your Oculus Quest 2 or 3. A lot of really great VR games got their start on SideQuest before making it to the official Meta Quest store. Enjoy!

How To Play Minecraft VR Directly On The Oculus Quest 2 Standalone Without PCVR

Minecraft VR is an absolutely fantastic game, and once you get it working it is a ton of fun. Now you can even enjoy it if your PC isn’t great and can’t run games in PCVR. You only need a PC to install it on your headset, and after you’re done setting it up you can play VR Minecraft on your Oculus Quest 2 headset whenever you want.

Despite the low resolution textures and the blocky appearance of well… everything. VR Minecraft on the Oculus Quest 2 is an absolute blast to play.

The freedom of Minecraft’s open world and the impressiveness of exploring it becomes even better and more immersive with the addition of Virtual Reality on a Meta Quest 2. All of the caves and wilderness that you explore, and of course the creations that you make within the game, are even better to experience like they are right in front of you in VR.

Unfortunately installing Minecraft for the Oculus Quest 2 isn’t as simple as most games, which you can just install through the Oculus Store or App on your phone.

Nope, to play Minecraft VR on the Meta Quest 2 you’ll need to do a bit of extra work, but it’s definitely worth it. So if you want to explore Minecraft in VR on your Oculus Quest device then keep reading because we’ve got exactly how step by step.

Oh, and if you’ve got an Oculus Quest 3 then unfortunately this won’t work, at least at the time of writing. Currently this will only work for older Meta Quest devices, but the developers of this Minecraft VR port to Quest are hard at work on including the Meta Quest 3 as well.

Minecraft VR for the Oculus Quest 2 - Prerequisites

So before we get going with the installation process there’s a few things you’ll need:

• A Microsoft account with Minecraft: Java Edition

• A PC on the same WiFi network as your Oculus Quest 2 headset

• A cable to connect your PC to your headset: You can buy the official Oculus Link Cable here. If you’d rather try a cheaper option then there are several available from Amazon like this one here.

Once you have all of these things then you’ve got everything you need to play Minecraft on your Quest 2. So let’s get started.

Minecraft VR for the Quest 2 - Installing SideQuest

To play Minecraft directly on your Meta Quest 2 standalone without running the game on a PC, we’re going to use the popular application SideQuest to sideload an app called QuestCraft on to your headset.

If you’ve never used SideQuest before then don’t worry, I’ll run you through how to set it up and sideload QuestCraft here. Oh, and in case you’re wondering SideQuest and QuestCraft are both totally free! As long as you already own Minecraft you won’t have to pay a cent more to enjoy it in Virtual Reality.

If you already have SideQuest installed then skip down to the next section.

To start go to the SideQuest installation page and download the Easy Installer.

Download the Easy SideQuest installer by clicking here

The installation of SideQuest is guided by the installer. Each step you need to take will be shown in the SideQuest installer window.

After running the installer the first thing you will need to do is connect your Quest 2 headset to your computer using that Link Cable mentioned in the prerequisites.

The first page of the SideQuest installation process

Once your headset is connected to your PC then the installer will continue to give you instructions on how to set up a Meta developer profile and enable developer mode on your Quest device.

Unfortunately there’s no way to sideload apps like QuestCraft for VR Minecraft on your headset without doing this.

This might seem like a lot but trust me it’s worth it

Luckily the SideQuest installer makes the whole process very easy by explaining exactly what to do step by step.

After you’ve set up your Meta Organization and enabled developer mode I also recommend you create a SideQuest account while you’re at it. You’ll need it after completing the installation. Don’t worry, the SideQuest account is completely free.

If you just follow what the installer says until all of the red circles under “Connection Status” turn green, then you’ll be just fine. When you’ve successfully installed SideQuest some confetti will appear on the launcher and it will look something like this.

Once you see this you’ve successfully installed SideQuest on your Oculus Quest 2! Now on to installing Minecraft VR

Congratulations! When you’ve done this then not only is Minecraft VR just a few simple steps away, but all sorts of other sideloaded apps will be very easy to install on your Oculus Quest 2 and enjoy.

Minecraft VR - Installing and Playing QuestCraft

Now that SideQuest is installed on your headset it’s time to put your Oculus Quest 2 on and open SideQuest.

Go to your game library as usual and click the search bar at the top. You don’t have to type anything into it. Instead click on the drop down next to it and then click on the “Unknown Sources” option.

Go to “Unknown Sources” to open sideloaded applications like SideQuest or VR Minecraft

You’ll see a new application called “SideQuest” click on it to open it.

When SideQuest loads and opens you’ll get a prompt with a six digit code telling you to go to sdq.st/link and enter the code. So take your headset off, go back to your PC and go to that website and enter the six digit code. You’ll also have to log into your SideQuest account. If you didn’t make one earlier then do so now. It’s easy and it’s free.

Once you’ve linked your SideQuest installation on your headset to your Oculus Quest 2 the SideQuest app will open. You’ll get some prompts asking you for various permissions, hit “Allow” on all of them.

Allowing permissions will make everything run smoothly

You also might have a prompt, like in the screenshot above to Update SideQuest. Go ahead and do that. You’ll probably get a prompt telling you that “your phone currently isn’t allowed to install unknown apps from this source.”

If you do then hit the “Settings” button in that popup and enable the slider for “Allow this source.”

If you don’t do this then SideQuest won’t be able to install anything

If you don’t update SideQuest or aren’t prompted to then you might have to do this later when you install QuestCraft.

Otherwise if you do update then SideQuest will close itself, just relaunch it.

Now that you’ve finally installed, updated, and accessed SideQuest, let’s install Oculus Quest 2 Minecraft! This part is easy. Search for “QuestCraft” by clicking on the magnifying glass in the top right and typing it in, or if you’re lucky it might be right there on the front page.

Opening the QuestCraft page in the SideQuest app

This will open the QuestCraft page. There will be a big button on it that says “SIDELOAD". Click that button and let SideQuest do its job.

You’ll see some prompts show up saying that APKs and other things are installing. If you get any prompts asking you for permissions, then accept them.

Soon you’ll see a popup at the bottom of the window telling you that QuestCraft was installed successfully. Nice! Now go back to your app library, and go back to the “Unknown Sources” menu just like you did before to open SideQuest.

This time you’ll see a new app named “QuestCraft” so go ahead and open that.

Opening Minecraft VR from the “Unknown Sources” menu

It might take a while to load, just be patient, but when it does you’ll find yourself in a grand hall made of minecraft blocks with a huge screen right next to you.

Point your right controller at that screen and click the “Sign In” button on it.

Another code to link, but this is the last one

You’ll see a prompt appear below it telling you to go to microsoft.com/link and enter a code.

Go ahead and do that. After you enter the code you’ll also have to log into your Microsoft account that owns Minecraft: Java Edition. You’ll be asked to confirm that you’re giving certain permissions to the application in order to do this.

Now while I had no trouble when doing this, some reviews for QuestCraft on SideQuest have stated that at this point they get a message saying that their account couldn’t be found or couldn’t be accessed. If you get an error or have a problem around here then exit out of QuestCraft, restart your headset, double check the credentials you’re using for your Microsoft account, double check that your Microsoft account has Minecraft: Java Edition on it, and try again.

Once your account is linked successfully then just click “Sign In” again. It will change to some new buttons giving you various options like ModManager and the current version. Let’s finally get into some Meta Quest 2 Minecraft on your Quest and hit “Play”.

When you get here you’re so close to Oculus Quest 2 Minecraft

Or rather wait for Minecraft to download on to your Quest. You’ll see some text start appearing and disappearing in the bottom right corner of the big screen.

This is all downloading and installing a bunch of stuff to let you play VR Minecraft.

This is the last step, downloading some Minecraft VR mod files

You’ll have to wait for a few minutes, but eventually the text will go away. When it does hit “Play” again.

Then you’ll find yourself in a dirt room with the Minecraft main menu screen in front of you. Awesome! You’re finally in Minecraft VR.

The Minecraft main menu in Virtual Reality on the Quest 2

Go ahead and test out how it works by making a world and hopping in it. Your right hand works just like it does in the Oculus menus. Just point and pull the trigger to select.

The main menu and options work mostly like they do in the flatscreen Minecraft game, though there are some new options that are VR specific.

Now you should be aware that the first time you make a world and play Minecraft in VR on your Oculus Quest 2 like this, it’s probably going to be a little laggy and choppy.

Don’t worry, this will probably go away in a few minutes. Just ride it out. You may experience little glitches like your character sliding in a random direction, or the framerate suddenly dropping sharply. I found that it took about five to ten minutes for the game to smooth out and function well.

Be a little patient and hopefully it will work better. This is a mod after all, and mods tend to have bugs and problems.

Punching a tree in Minecraft VR on the Quest

As long as it runs smoothly this Minecraft VR mod for the Quest is pretty great.

You can harvest blocks, or hit enemies, by pointing your dominant hand at them with your cursor and holding down right trigger, or you can actually swing at them with your arm or tool.

Pointing your cursor at a space while holding a block and pulling the left trigger places the block in your hand. When you make a Crafting Table you can also craft things with it by pointing your cursor at it and pulling the left trigger.

Using the crafting bench in VR Minecraft

There’s a lot more to learn and discover in Minecraft VR, so I’ll leave that to you.

Not to mention you can also use your newly installed SideQuest application to Sideload all sorts of other games on to your Oculus Quest 2 as well.

Minecraft is a ton of fun in Virtual Reality, and I hope that this setup guide has given you the chance to experience the wonder and fun of VR Minecraft as well with the comfort and freedom of any standalone Quest 2 game. Enjoy!