Best VR space games

We've counted down the best VR space games on the market as of 2025. While the best VR space experiences are a fantastic way to blast off into the unknown and explore all sorts of strange worlds, the best VR space games up the stakes and give you more to do without leaving your house.

You might ask: "Why should I care?" After all, the early VR technology was notoriously cumbersome, and casual VR experiences as found in most public places aren't that impressive. Well, when you look into it, you'll soon notice it's been improved quite a bit in recent times, with the best VR headsets keeping things more accessible and largely hassle-free. You only need (on top of the money) a capable modern PC or console to enjoy plenty of the best VR video games that are taking immersive adventures to the next level.

VR space games are generally more varied than shorter VR experiences, too. From the usual odysseys aboard a spaceship to demon-blasting action set on Mars, there's variety in the realm of space-set video games that have embraced virtual reality. With this list, we're also trying to capture some of those different 'flavors' instead of keeping things science-friendly and grounded.

Below you'll find our 10 current favorite VR space games in no specific order, though we admit some could be considered beefy VR space experiences too. The line between both types of VR jaunts is often blurry, and we're leaning into that in order not to skip anything we think our readers might enjoy. As always, we're interested in reading your recommendations, so sound off below if you think we've missed a banger.

No Man's Sky

While you may be questioning the inclusion of some of the games in this list which is ostentatiously supposed to contain only space-themed experiences, No Man's Sky is so unashamed in its complete consistency to the genre that all other eccentricities can be overlooked and accepted. In this survival game, you explore planets, encounter new life forms, and collect materials to repair, rebuild, and discover the path back home, or roam the outer wilds endlessly. It is all up to you. Simply, No Man's Sky is the game you imagine when picturing interplanetary travel, which puts it high up on our best VR space games list.

While players were outraged at No Man's Sky's initial outing and all the features promised and silently left out, Hello Games has more than made up for their release day foibles by consistently and competently updating their galactic adventure. They achieved their original promises of multi-player, unique world-building, and character designs, and extended their reach far beyond, dramatically expanding the universe and all you observe within it.

Elite Dangerous

Elite Dangerous has grown quite a bit over a decade, firmly becoming one of the best space games ever, period. Its strong commitment to deep spaceship simulation and a living, ever-evolving sci-fi universe is stunning whether you're interested in playing alongside thousands of other players or charting a solo journey across the stars. If you want a game that looks gorgeous, is unpredictable, and makes good use of the current VR tech, look no further.

While the game was released on PS4 and Xbox One too, our personal recommendation is to stick to the far superior (and more developed) PC version, which also includes full VR support. Moreover, the virtual reality experience in this game doesn't require you to stand up and wave your arms in front of the screen. It's perfectly okay to give it a try without VR and take things up a notch later, as Elite Dangerous' early experience can be daunting.

Doom FVR

It is not easy to port huge AAA releases into VR. When releasing any game for virtual reality, let alone one of the best VR space games, you must take into account the motion sickness of the player. Ensuring they are not moving about endlessly in-game, swinging their view wildly, and giving the sensation that there is no ground below them.

Doom was initially developed with fast-paced action in mind, getting up close and personal with demons, tearing them limb from limb to get your health back, before moving on to do it all again. While this style of gameplay is completely incompatible with VR, Doom VFR just works. Giving you spots in which you can battle, it plants you firmly on Martian soil while giving you the gut-ripping action you so readily want. Not only is this one of the best VR space games, it’s simply one of the best games out there. Rip and tear.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

Star Trek: Bridge Crew isn't the most exciting nor dynamic VR space game in this list, but it's a uniquely charming and thoroughly entertaining one if you're a big fan of the universe it adapts. Moreover, a post-launch update enabled non-VR play for those who wanted to get the full experience without the fancy extra hardware.

It takes place in the Kelvin timeline and sees the Starfleet ship USS Aegis searching for a new homeworld for the Vulcans. Shortly after its launch, a Next Generation DLC was released. Players can become captains, tactical officers, engineers, and helm officers, all while taking on story and randomly-generated missions. This one might only appeal to a handful of gamers, but we firmly believe it’s one of the best Star Trek games of all time.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission

As predictably as day follows night, and the sun sets in the west, so does Astro Bot Rescue Mission inevitably find its way onto every single list outlining the best VR space games. There is a reason for that though. It's honestly just that good. 

When thinking of gaming genres that lend themselves to the virtual reality space, third-person platformers are certainly not the first which come to mind. However, Astro Bot Rescue Mission works by not putting you in the position of the titular celestial robot, but instead as its omnipresent, omnipotent, human companion, ever watching over its adorable antics. 

Astro Bot knows when you are looking at him. He looks at you and cheers you on. It takes you through underwater worlds and lush jungles, and the whole time acts as though it is beyond ecstatic to have you by its side. The bond you make with your mechanical mate cannot be underestimated in an experience that is, simply put, pure, immersive joy.

Rez Infinite

At its core, Rez Infinite was released in 2001. However, like how Space Channel 5, another astral rhythm game developed by United Game Artists in that same era, has translated beautifully into the world of virtual reality, so has our darling shoot-em-up Rez. The two games entered wholly different arenas in gaming history. Space Channel 5 with its light-hearted style, and Rez Infinite in its perfectly crafted, single-line simplicity. They fill completely separate yet related holes. 

While Tetris Effect, another VR upgrade on an old school puzzle game, receives all the love in the history books, it is Rez Infinite that earns its place on this list of best VR space games for skilfully combining rhythm, space shooter, puzzle, and action genres beautifully as you fly through the endless void taking down the bosses at the end of each level. When it comes to accepting your new life as a stickman shooting lasers and flying through tunnels, there is no comparable experience.

Discovering Space 2

This is one of those VR space games that could also be considered an uncomplicated experience that's welcoming regardless of your familiarity with video games. Quite often, it's more of a theme park ride, but few games let you explore the solar system while successfully conveying how absurdly vast the space between celestial bodies is.

Discovering Space 2 presents both 'guided tours' and free-roam exploration. You can up the speed so you reach a distant planet in a few minutes, but can also slow down and be informed it'll literally take days to arrive at your destination. Moreover, you can get to the planets' surfaces, and while this game isn't exactly a looker, it does a good enough job of selling us on the sheer size of our own system and making us feel small.

Half-Life Alyx

Half-Life Alyx is a must for this list. While Half-Life Alyx was not the Half-Life game players wanted from Valve after the 2007 cliffhanger ending to the series, it offered something new and unique to the franchise simply through the medium it chose. 

As a game developed with virtual reality at its core specifically, every part of Half-Life Alyx was designed to optimize the experience for the format. This has led to accolades from almost every gaming media outlet for the title, which combines survival horror with puzzles, impressive story-telling and well-paced combat. If Astro Bot Rescue Mission forces you to buy a PlayStation VR set, then Half-Life Alyx is the game that forces you to purchase a PC-compatible headset and all the components that go with it.

Mission: ISS

Mission: ISS could also be considered a small VR space experience that's the complete opposite of complex and in-depth, but the amount of free exploration and interactivity options available in such a limited package make it easy to recommend as a 'breather' between fully-featured games that are far more stressful.

The attention to detail is notable, and even inside the International Space Station, you can spend quite a bit of time just messing around and playing with both the station's most advanced hardware and random objects, all while trying to move around in zero gravity. Take a step outside and you'll be faced with the wonder (and existential dread) of the endless void surrounding our planet. Don’t let go of those metal grips!

Star Wars: Squadrons

Star Wars: Squadrons almost made the cut when we put together our list of the best Star Wars games of all time, mainly because the level of immersion it manages to deliver is frankly unparalleled when it comes to video games set in a galaxy far, far away. From the surprisingly deep story campaign to chaotic skirmishes vs. both AI and players (if you can find matches), it's a meaty and varied experience overall.

The entire thing can be experienced (and fully enjoyed) without a VR headset, but piloting some of our favorite Star Wars ships with such a high level of fidelity and turning our head around to check whether those TIEs are too close to us is a feeling which very few Star Wars games have captured this well. Our only real complaint is that, while the PS VR1 experience is painless, the initial setup process on PC is a bit wonky depending on your choice of VR headset.