Virtual Reality or it is commonly referred to as VR has changed the course of animation and game design techniques. While Virtual Reality is changing the course of future technology in many fields, it has surprisingly set benchmarks in the gaming industry. Offering a completely immersive experience, VR has allowed gamers to live their game experiences beyond the surround sound and high-definition display. The jolts of shocks and vibrations in consoles take gamers on to the next level of enthusiasm and interest in games. This is the reason, every gaming studio is making efforts to create a perfect VR game to set a new benchmark in the industry. And now, with mobile being the first reachable device for everyone, the VR industry has turned to introduce VR games for mobile phones. One can buy a compatible VR headset and can enter his/her favorite game universe on the phone.
How VR Games Can be Played on Mobile Phones?
Playing VR Games on mobile phones is a bit tricky. To get the best VR apps for android and iPhones, you can’t just go through the in-built app stores. Yes, there are a few VR games that you can download directly from App Store or Google Play Store, but not all of them. Here are some points that would give you a glimpse of available VR games on different platforms:
- Oculus, a Virtual Reality platform owned by Facebook has a variety of games on its official Oculus website and app. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Play Store. So Oculus games can be played on both iOS and Android via Oculus app.
- Samsung Electronics has developed its own VR especially for Samsung Galaxy Series phones in collaboration with Facebook’s Oculus. The headsets are known as Gear VR and VR Games for Samsung phones are available on Oculus App.
- HTC Vive is another VR gear one can use to play games. HTC Vive models such as Vive Focus is compatible with only some mobile phones, as it is still focused on its mainstream PC gaming.
- Google Cardboard, the homemade VR solution from Google can also be used to play some of the first VR games launched for mobile. Some of these games are available for install on Google Play Store.
- Google’s Daydream is Google’s second VR venture. However, Google Daydream’s games can only be played specific phones including Pixel, Pixel XL, Moto Z, Galaxy S8/S8+, and Asus Zenfone AR.
These are the mainstream platforms to install/purchase your favorite VR games for Android or iPhones. So, let’s break down the best VR games available that you can play on the go using your cell phones:
Top VR Games For iPhone And Android
1. Smash Hit VR
Let’s begin with the most simple one. Smash Hit is one of the top-ranked games on both Android and iOS. In the original game, the user has to throw metal balls at glass objects in the surrounding area, as well as smash and break glass obstacles in the way to avoid losing lives. The more you smash, the more you score. The game is known for its immersive music and visuals, which are now more exciting in Smash Hit’s VR addition. In the VR version, the user dives in an endless run while throwing the balls at glass obstacles to clear the path. The endless-run format of the game may lead to a tiresome run for the gamer, but it is one of the best VR apps to try out.
- Playable via Oculus VR, Samsung Gear Vr
- For both Android and iPhones
- Price: $2.99
2. Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope
The name Serious Sam isn’t new to gamers. It is a series of first-person shooter games that dates back to 2001. Serious Sam: The Last Hope is a spin-off VR entry in the series and is one of the best mobile VR games in FPS-arcade category. The plot of the game does not distinguish from the original game, wherein the protagonist fight against extraterrestrial threats. Now unlike the main series, this one doesn’t include strategy and stealth. In this game, you play Sam and act as a killing machine for aliens. So, if you’re looking for having some fun with cool weapons and crazy alien attacks, The Last Hope is worth a shot. But it would be a bore for those who want to immerse in the story. So, choose wisely!
- Playable on Oculus Rift/Rift S and HTC Vive, which makes it compatible with both iOS and Android
- Price: $39.99
3. Minos Starfighter VR
Minos Starfighter is one of the most fun VR games for android.The game is an FPS-shooter game turned into VR, featuring extravagant space battles, laser weapons, and hi-tech missiles to be fired at enemy pilots. You pilot Minos as the hero of the game and fight against the enemy spaceship fleets, which keep hitting you hard until you are defeated. The game has a head-gaze shoot feature, where you can use your head to turn, aim, and fire without a trigger button. The detailed 3D modeling of featured spacecraft and the immersive surround sound audio would optimize your gaming experience and provide a smooth VR gameplay.
- Designed exclusively for Google Cardboard, however, it can be played using other headsets.
- Priced at $0.99 on both Apple Store and Play Store.
Download: Android
4. Virtual Virtual Reality
VR is all about immersing yourself in a completely different world. But with Virtual Virtual Reality, you get to explore a world within a world. This inception of virtual realities is the best mobile VR game for android. The game explores a world run by machine sentience, wherein the protagonist, which is you, uncover the true world hidden by artificial delusions. The plot is similar to that of the movie Matrix. Here you break patterns created by machines to uncover the facade you think of a regular world. One of the most recommended VR apps for Android phones and is also available on Oculus as well.
- Playable on Android using Oculus Go and Gear VR
- Not available for iOS
- Priced at $9.99
5. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
If you’re looking for something beyond fun and want to take your VR experience to the next level, then why do it alone. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (yeah, that’s a lengthy name) is the best VR game for multiplayer fun. The game follows two people in a room, wherein one tries to defuse a bomb and the other swifts through papers to provide instructions so that they don’t get bombed up. The faster you convey instructions, the faster your partner would be able to save you. As the levels proceed, the difficulty starts escalating, thus, adding more fun to the adventure. Though it may be a bore in normal gameplay; however, in VR, this game is highly enthralling and is a must-try.
- Playable on Google Dreamday and Oculus; can be installed via Google Play Store.
- Android Only
- Priced at: $9.99
6. In Cell VR
Now here is some unique VR opportunity for you to explore. In InCell, as the name says, you are thrown into the microscopic environment of the human body, shrunk into a cell. Then the game follows on-track gameplay where you run along with your cell structures while fighting against an influenza virus. While the science in the game is mostly made up, the concept and design are amazing. The high-end graphics and music add up to the excitement. Though it may seem a simple one, InCell offers you one of the best VR game experiences on mobile.
- Playable via Google Cardboard or supporting headset.
- Available on both iOS and Android.
- Free of charges
7. Eclipse: Edge of Light
The futuristic game follows you, the protagonist, and his quest to discover the uncovered mysteries of a sentient planet. The only thing you have is the artifact, capable of communicating with the alien technology on the planet. The game is best known for its soothing soundtrack, navigating you through the game’s enthralling plot and cutting-edge graphics.
- Playable on Oculus Go and Daydream.
- Priced at: $8.99 on Google Play Store. Also available on Oculus
8. Fractal Combat X (FCX)
Take your flight skills on VR and get involved in one of the best VR games on iPhone. FCX puts you in the shoes of a pilot commanding a fighter jet. Now it’s up to you to destroy enemy aircrafts, dodge incoming attacks, and win the war for yourself. The game is supported by a progressive story-based narrative that adds up more thrill to your gameplay. You get to live a character in the most astonishing way and fly some hi-tech aircraft loaded with guns and missiles.
- Available for iPhones, playable via Google Cardboard and other VR headsets.
- The VR mode is an additional bonus in the original game
- Available for Free
9. VR Tunnel Race: Speed Rush VR
Here is another endless virtual reality escape game, wherein you get to fly out in a spacecraft within a confined tunnel to get to safety. In Speed Rush VR, you play an astronomer trapped in a tunnel between the two ends of a time and space continuum. The only way out is to dash in a spacecraft and pass through a black hole. But the black hole is a mystery within itself. Throughout the journey you’ll experience a change in colors, hypnotizing you with the help of a soothing soundtrack. This VR explosion of color combinations offers you an extraordinary and real-like visual journey, which feels exciting as well as terrifying at the same time.
- Available on App Store and is playable on iPhones only.
- All iPhone supporting headsets can be used
- Available for Free
10. Need for Speed: No Limits VR
This entry in the list is more of a nostalgic one. Need for Speed has been part of everyone’s life at some point and now you can relive those memories of NFS in VR. Need For Speed: No Limits VR offers highly detailed and intensifying racing experience, wherein you’ll be immersed into its intuitive race tracks and action-packed events. However, given the fact it is developed by EA, it has got a higher price tag.
- Available on Android, playable on Daydream
- Priced at $14.99
Note: This game has been discontinued.
These are the ten best VR games that you might not have heard about. While there are many others who people are enjoying, some of these in the list are often neglected. Nevertheless, these offers top VR game experiences and allow you to play in a completely immersive environment for as long as you want. Currently, the promising future of the VR industry is still focused on PC gaming. But the recent developments in mobile technology may allow you to take VR on one level above in the near future. And with continuous research into other areas for making games more enthusiastic, there can be a completely new tomorrow of VR gaming.
Remember, not every cell phone device is compatible to launch VR games. So before you get too excited, you need to check if your device would support such type of game or not. Now suppose your device is compatible with VR games, does it mean you’re all set to launch them. No! You need a specially designed VR headset to launch such games. These headsets range from cheaper alternatives such as Google Cardboard (which is also possible to design at home) to some hi-tech. versions such as Oculus, HTC Vive, and Samsung VR Gear. There is one more catch. It is not always necessary that these headsets would be compatible with all the Android or iPhones. So, it is essential that you chose your games carefully, acknowledging the compatibility of both your VR headset and your cellphone alike.
If you’re excited to gather more information on what’s happening in the technical world across the globe, go ahead and subscribe to our newsletter. Or just follow us on Facebook and Twitter and stay connected to your tech fantasies via our social media updates.