The Best PlayStation VR2 Games to Play Right Now

No Man's Sky is an open-universe adventure game that's grown massively over the years since it was released, and in 2023, it got arguably one of its most significant updates yet: support for the PS VR 2. It's not the first time the game supported VR, but this particular version made it immersive in a way many other headsets couldn't.

The key lies in the PS VR2's eye-tracking feature. Utilizing this tech, No Man's Sky can employ what's called foveated rendering to make whatever part of the image you're actively looking at more detailed than the rest of the screen. This dramatically cuts down on the amount of processing required. Combined with the PS5's powerful processors, this makes No Man's Sky look absolutely incredible in VR, as you wander the cosmos in a vast, isolating journey of discovery. —Eric Ravenscraft

So far, this humble, affordable game about a 16-year-old kaiju solving a mystery on the island nation of La Palma is my favorite game that I’ve played on any virtual reality headset. Most virtual reality games seem intended to create breathtaking momentary experiences rather than full-fledged, immersive games. But from the first minute, Tentacular grounds you in a physical setting, with golden sands, shushing waves, and gigantic tentacle arms.

Despite this somewhat ridiculous premise, the writing is wry and funny, the characters endearing, the puzzles satisfying to solve, and the game full of feedback that feels natural and very real. Your tentacles are stronger at the base, weaker but better for more delicate work at the tips, and it’s incredibly easy to navigate. If you have trouble solving a puzzle, there’s always a handy little fellow standing in a hut behind you, waiting to help you out with some drawings or encouragement. It’s never been so fun to be a kraken. —Adrienne So

If you're going to grab this game, I recommend the bundle that contains both Moss and Moss: Book II. In them, you control a little mouse named Quill in a delightful fairytale story that involves a mix of platforming, puzzles, and some light combat. In my opinion, the first game is a little light, with simpler puzzles, but it's worth it to play the first to experience the full story. By the time you get to the second game, the puzzles get a lot more elaborate, and the game is a lot longer. The bundle is the most bang for your buck, and it's hard not to fall in love with these characters. —Eric Ravenscraft

There's a reason why DDR and other dance games are so addictive; it's incredibly fun to duck or punch in time with the beat. Thumper might not have paid the licensing fees to use songs by Imagine Dragons or Lady Gaga, but it's mesmerizing nonetheless.

It first came out several years ago for PC and PS4, but the port to the PS VR2 is remarkably seamless. There's no explanation—with no warning, you find yourself guiding a flashing silver beetle along a spinning, winding track in space. Press buttons or move the joystick in time to blast through obstacles or hit corners. I was intrigued by the description of a “rhythm violence” game, which only made sense once I got farther on. At first innocuous, the graphics turn insane pretty quickly; I can't play this game while my children are in the room. —Adrienne So

At this point, hyping up Beat Saber feels like beat-sabering a dead horse, but we won't stop. This is the quintessential VR game for anyone who needs to be convinced how fun both VR and rhythm games can be. It's less ostentatious than Thumper, but it's got a pretty solid library of popular songs. The Lady Gaga track pack alone could keep you going for hours. —Eric Ravenscraft

The Tetris Effect series is named after the psychological phenomenon where Tetris players start seeing the game in their idle thoughts and even dreams. And, arguably, no version of Tetris captures that feeling in an actual game quite like Tetris Effect: Connected in VR.

In this game, you play Tetris in an abstract void, with motion effects getting more intense the higher your score. The PS VR2 version even uses the eye-tracking in the headset to enter “the Zone.” When your Zone Meter is full, you can close your eyes for a second, and when you open them, time will slow down and all your Tetrominoes will wait for you at the top of the screen. It's wildly immersive and makes you feel like your mind and the game are merging even more than this addictive game already does. —Eric Ravenscraft

You know how when you watch a horror movie, you're internally (or not) screaming “Don't go in there!” at the screen? Horror games are that much more terrifying because the person you're screaming at is yourself, and yet you can't progress the game unless you go in there. Add VR to the mix and it's nightmare o'clock for the rest of your life.

If that's how you want to live your life for some reason, then Resident Evil Village has an incredible VR mode that makes the game feel even more terrifying than normal. You'll need the base Resident Evil Village game, but the VR add-on is free to claim to your library. —Eric Ravenscraft

Cities: VR is not my cup of tea. I do not have the patience to slowly build a city from the ground up, starting by strategically planning roads and zoning. However, I did try Cities on the Quest 2, and I have to say, the enhanced edition of this extremely popular game is an improvement on the PS VR2. The tutorial is much clearer and the tools easier to use, and the graphics look crisp and vivid. It's fun to float around looking at the trees and water, even if about all I can manage to do is put down a lot of roads to nowhere. —Adrienne So

Here, I would like to reference the 1995 classic geek film Hackers, which has one scene with Fisher Stevens as villain Eugene Belford playing a game in a VR headset. In the 1990s, the future had a very specific look. Every computer's OS had a deep black background, punctuated by flaring neon text. If you were elite, you wore safety vests and Rollerblades. That is what Rez Infinite looks like, and if you feel very nostalgic for this particular era, you will love it.

You play as a hacker traveling deep into a malfunctioning AI system, but instead of typing at a computer, you are flying in a rail shooter, pew-pew-pewing at all the baddies flying around you as a rave soundtrack plays. The storyline leaves a lot to be desired and the gameplay is really easy, and it's undoubtedly primitive-looking judged by today's standards (the original game came out in 2001). However, it is really fun and not hard or scary, and will fill you with pangs for a simpler time, when being obsessed with computers meant that you were a fun, smart, rave underdog and not a megacorp billionaire with your own Hawaiian compound. —Adrienne So

If the purpose of VR is to transport you to another time and place, few games do this as well as Kayak VR: Mirage—especially if you like paddling! You can practice your kayaking skills in a pool, then take it out anywhere from the jungles of Costa Rica to the canyons of Australia to the Arctic.

It's really easy to paddle and explore—so much so that even my 6- and 9-year-old can do it—but the simulation is beautiful, rich, and interactive. My 6-year-old son often dunks his head out of the kayak so that he can see all the fish swishing around in the water, although getting back inside is almost as difficult as it might be in a real kayak. This is also a particularly fun one to stream while a bunch of kids shout, “Mommy! I see a penguin!” It's so realistic that you can even catch fish with your paddle, although I've never been successful at this. —Adrienne So

This is my favorite game on the Meta Quest, so I'm very happy to find it on the PS VR2 as well. I don't really want to speculate why I find puzzling so soothing, but this is the first game I've played in VR that I really can't imagine playing anywhere else but in a headset.

You take a gorgeous, 3D model of some beautiful location or exotic object, like the Mars Rover, and bust it apart into a couple hundred pieces. Then you examine the 2D cards and put it back together again. Once you're done, you can walk through a castle or rotate a kimono and admire both the original craftsman's workmanship, and yours. The haptic clicks as you snap pieces in place is so satisfying. Also, the developers regularly release new puzzle packs so there's always more to puzzle. —Adrienne So

Five Nights at Freddy's arguably kickstarted the trend of YouTubers getting jumpscared on camera, and it's remained an icon of indie horror games for years. Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted brings the charm (read: nightmares) of the franchise to VR. This game features a collection of mini games from previous games to virtual reality in a way that feels visceral and terrifying. This game initially came out for the PS4 and original PS VR, but it's been updated to work on the newer generation. The follow-up, Help Wanted 2, was designed exclusively for VR, so it's even more immersive—and more nerve-wracking—than the original. —Eric Ravenscraft