The 3 Best VR Social Games And Social VR Games On the Oculus Quest and PCVR
One of the greatest things about VR headsets and Virtual Reality, in general, is how they can so completely immerse you into a space in a way that a similar experience on a flat computer screen just can’t.
All of your distractions are removed and the real world just melts away. This is what makes VR Social Games and Social VR Experiences so fantastic. The same goes for all sorts of Multiplayer VR Games, though the games listed here are more focused on meeting people.
Long gone are the days of AOL chatrooms being the norm, and text based communication is commonplace and easy to access on cell phones. Facetime and other video chatting applications give you some semblance of being in the same place as another person, but only show you as much as the limited view of a phone camera can.
One of the many things that makes VR worth it is the ability to seem so much more like you’re actually in the same place as another person who is actually really far away. Their avatar and your avatar can make you both feel like you’re in the same room chatting, complete with your head and hand movements.
Now you can gesture, nod, and talk freely in a virtual space using virtual reality. VR social spaces are the best thing that current technology can offer to let you have a conversation with anyone in the world, anywhere, and make that conversation seem as real as possible.
So if you’re interested in meeting up with or making friends online then you’ll want to check out some of the Best VR Social Games out there. It's a good thing you found your way here because this article has the Best Social VR Games there are.
Oh, and if you’re wondering how to play these games then you’ll be excited to hear that all of them are available standalone on the Oculus Quest 2 and 3, and also on PCVR through either the Oculus App or Steam.
One final thing too, all of the Social Virtual Reality games in this list are also completely free. So if one sounds interesting then go ahead and give it a try, no need to wait.
Alright, let’s finally get into this list of the Best Virtual Reality Social Games.
VRChat - The Best Social VR Games
When it comes to Virtual Reality Social Games then VRChat is the oldest and most infamous.
You might even have seen some of the famous interviews on Youtube conducted completely inside of VRChat, and if your friends use VRChat then you don’t even need a VR headset to play. However, using your mouse and keyboard on the flat screen definitely does take some of the magic away.
There are a ton of different avatars to try, not just various types of humans. You can be Batman in VRChat, Homer Simpson, a dragon, or any of the other numerous characters that are available. You can find different avatars spread throughout the worlds that you visit and the people that you meet can help you find more.
More than anything else in VRChat you’ll find people spread throughout the game. Right at the start you’ll be thrust into a pretty basic world that is full of other people with crazy avatars and interesting personalities. You can walk around and explore with them while you chat, or just sit down and relax. That’s the whole point of this Social Virtual Reality Game. Meet people and explore interesting worlds with them.
VRChat has given the people and creators who play it a ton of freedom to make practically anything that they want. It’s not just avatar models either. The worlds themselves are also completely custom made.
From pretty familiar surroundings like a lounge or bar to absolutely fantastic Virtual vistas, there are a lot of different places to experience with others in this expansive Social VR Game.
Some of these places even function as games, like minigolf, or even have very interactive spaces like kitchens where you can cook. Though games and interaction aren’t VRChat’s strongest feature.
There are new models, worlds, and people coming to VRChat all of the time, and that level of creative freedom in worlds and avatars is what separates this game from other Social Virtual Reality Games and makes it truly special.
Rec Room - The Best VR Social Games
Rec Room is another long standing giant in the scene of Virtual Reality Social Games.
Where VRChat offers wild creativity, that creativity does come at the cost of needing to know a lot about 3D modelling and doing a lot of work to see your creation through. Not to mention a lot of VRChat’s games feel somewhat janky and more like mods than an intended part of the experience.
While Rec Room has a much more simplistic style to its art and models, what it does have so much more than any other of these Social Virtual Reality Games is give you the ability to create and modify games freely and easily. Each of the many worlds, rooms, and games found in this Social VR Game can be modified and tweaked by players like yourself.
Rec Room has a wide variety of places for meeting people and just hanging out, though you might not feel as immersed in these spaces if you’re not a fan of the less realistic looking characters in this game.
Phenomenons you might see in other VR Social Games like moving arms and mouths don’t work as well in Rec Room, it cuts down on the realism in order to make everything more modular and easy to use.
Though what Rec Room has are a ton of simple, relatable, and extremely fun games that you can easily get into with little context or tutorials and have a blast. There are a ton of things to try like paintball or even a sword fighting quest against goblins.
Rec Room also has an interesting system that lets you unlock new outfits and cosmetics over time. So while you can’t switch avatars to whatever you want right at the beginning, there is some fun and motivation to be had by getting new outfits as you play the game.
Rec Room is a lot of fun, and despite its more simple look it has a ton of charm and is a very easy VR Social Game to get into and start having a blast with new or old friends. Oh, and Rec Room can also be played without VR on a computer, or even a phone!
Meta Horizon Worlds - The Best VR Social Games
Meta’s Horizon Worlds is Facebook’s (now Meta’s) big attempt at creating a Virtual Reality Social Game of their own.
You might remember when the term “Metaverse” started entering our common vocabulary, and a big part of that was Horizon Worlds. Meta marketed this game very heavily, and while it may not have seen the levels of success that the company envisioned, it is certainly a fine example of what a Social Virtual Reality game can be.
Instead of the myriad of crazy avatars you’ll see in VRChat, your avatar in Horizon Worlds is the same avatar you use in the home environment of your Quest headset. Despite having no legs these avatars look pretty good, and if you have the right hardware on your face can even mirror your facial expressions.
There are also a ton of worlds to explore and hang out in, from official spaces created by Meta like futuristic cities, to user created spaces like idyllic beaches.
There are also a ton of activities to do in these worlds like fish, laser tag, and even more wild ones like a zombie defense world.
There’s that now familiar mix of user generated content that is coming all of the time. Though Horizon Worlds feels like a more heavily curated experience than other games on this list.
There are a lot of paid community managers, and stricter controls on swearing and other forms of profanity than in other games, which in this VR Social Game are more easily bannable offenses. Where VRChat still feels like the wild west of the internet Horizon Worlds feels more like a carefully curated tourism destination.
There are also a myriad of creator tools all located within the game, and while they aren’t the easiest to learn they are easier than most and have a variety of in game tutorials to teach them to you.
The close support of Meta makes Horzion Worlds the most polished Social VR Game out there, and it’s got a lot of official spaces and those curated by the community that are easy to find like comedy clubs or social meeting spaces. Even protests have been held inside of Horizon Worlds.
So if you want a safer space in Virtual Reality where there are still plenty of people to meet and things to do, or a more polished feel to your VR Social Game, then give Horizon Worlds a try. Oh, and it’s also available on PC if you don’t have a VR headset.
Well those are the 3 best VR Social Games and Social VR Games. Since they’re all free go ahead and give each of them a try, you’ve got no money to lose, and a ton of interesting people to meet and talk to. Enjoy!