Summer is just around the corner: The 5 best fitness games for Oculus Quest 2
We’re all too familiar with the seated video gamer cliché, doughy and one with the sofa filling peeled off by a glossy film of Dorito’s orange pigment. Most of us have visited this shameful country when we have not been granted permanent residence status. The reality, however, is that in recent years many games and peripherals have been developed to help remove the potato from the couch, bring the blood to the extremities, and help the out of shape gamer approach cardiovascular fitness. From the Kinect to the Nintendo Switch Ring, it’s like the gaming industry is saying, “See, we’re trying, okay? That extra forty pounds is on you, buddy. Literally.”
The virtual reality industry dipped its collective toe in the water of the fitness game pretty quickly, but being tied to a PC isn’t a safe, effective, or intense workout. With the Oculus Quest (and Quest 2) the restrictive cable disappeared and with it the excuse not to work. There are quest games that simulate racket sports, boxing, fencing, table tennis, running, dancing, and some inventive variations, with the list growing all the time. What’s even better, these games really work and can form the core of a diet and exercise plan. While neither version of the Quest is so enjoyable that you forget you have a device on your head, the wireless freedom makes it a breeze to play these games are a pleasure. Which means you might enjoy exercising. The controller-free implementation and now wireless streaming from the PC make the Quest 2 an even more flexible workout friend.
Here are some of our current favorite fitness games for Quest and Quest 2. All of them are actively supported and updated with new content, songs, or features.
1) Hit Saber
Beat Saber, or as I like to call it, the reason I bought the Oculus Quest is hands down the most fun way to get fit while playing. It may seem like a simple rhythm game, but slicing and dicing blocks at the expert level or above is guaranteed to increase your heart rate and give your arms and legs a workout. A great and ever growing selection of licensed and original music tracks, as well as a comprehensive list of modifiers to help meet the challenge, add to outstanding production values and make Beat Saber both a great starting point and app for a gamer’s fitness journey.
Of course, Beat Saber has spawned a deluge of imitators, and some of them are excellent on their own. Check out Audio Trip, Audica, Oh Shape, and Synth Riders, each of which plays a variant of the Beat Saber model, each with a slightly different musical focus or a selection of original or licensed tracks. Supernatural is a unique member of this club, offering outdoor environments and human trainers to keep you motivated. Supernatural’s workouts are effective, but the downside is a monthly subscription fee.
2) Dance Central
Harmonix ‘Dance Central probably doesn’t need an introduction, and while there are relatively few dance-oriented quest games out there, Dance Central would be a great way to get moving and have fun doing it, no matter how many games were vying for attention. Great songs, a full-featured campaign, and loads of modifiers and modes help put Dance Central on the must-play list, and it can easily be the core of any calorie burning program.
3) FitXR
Boxing is an overall excellent form of full body exercise, and the Quest offers a number of options if boxing is your fitness jam. FitXR is a new edition of the excellent BoxVR with more diverse and precise boxing movements, guided instructions and a reduced aesthetic. Players of the original BoxVR may notice some missing features, but will appreciate FitXR’s advanced boxing moves and ability to challenge the player’s fitness at any level. One major caveat is that FitXR has also switched to a monthly membership plan, but anyone with the old version of the app can keep its content for free.
But FitXR isn’t the only boxing show in town, and both The Thrill of the Fight and Creed: Rise to Glory offer a more realistic, less abstract version of the sport, where players trade punches with AI boxers and put on increasingly challenging campaigns. During training, they are all excellent.
4) Elf table tennis
Anyone who has played a lively game of table tennis against a really good player can attest to the humble staple game of ping pong, which offers at least some level of athletic challenge, and although eleven table tennis does not burn megacalories as with some of the other games on our list, everything is what gets you moving, a good thing, right? Racquet Fury is a similar table tennis simulator where the player competes against robots and both games have online competitive modes.
5) gun whip
Honestly, it took me a long time to really understand how Pistol Whip did a great job of integrating music and movement in the context of an on-rail shooter, but when it clicked I was amazed. Abstract characters and geometric, colorful levels form the backdrop for the rhythmic shooting game. As a fitness builder, there is a lot of squatting, dodging, and upper body movements.
It goes without saying that no fitness program works without consistency, but all of these games go a long way in disguising workouts under the guise of video game fun. They’re all addicting, easy to learn, and deep enough to keep you busy past the beginner’s level.
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