With its accurate body tracking, Guardian protection, and light wireless headset, the Oculus Quest 2 may be the best VR headset for fast-paced gameplay. Plenty of the best Oculus Quest 2 games will give you some form of exercise simply by making you stand up and flail your arms around for an hour, but there are a few truly heart-pumping apps for aerobic exercise that’ll get you sweating and your muscles burning. Here is a list of the best Oculus Quest 2 workout games that will give you a killer workout in VR — except you’ll be too busy having fun to notice.
These are the best exercise and workout games for Oculus Quest 2
FitXR
Originally called BoxVR, this exercise app later added to an entire dance workout system at no additional cost. FitXR received a stamp of approval from our resident group fitness instructor as an effective way for both beginners and experts to lose weight.
You choose a class ranging from 3 to 25 minutes of various intensity, where you’ll either punch, jab, uppercut, and squat your way through shadow boxing routines or follow along to dance routines — all with rock, dance, hip-hop, or electronic music in the background. With various difficulty levels and DLC workout to buy down the line, this has more than enough content to be a daily routine for months that’ll get you fit.
Supernatural
This pick is solely for people who legitimately plan to make the Quest 2 their primary workout tool. Supernatural is a serious exercise app that costs $19/month after the free trial.
That cost gets you new daily workouts with fresh licensed music narrated by live coaches that tell you exactly what you should be doing or feeling. The gameplay is very similar to Beat Saber, but with more of a focus on squats, punching speed, arm extension, and other health stats. A regular triathlon athlete argued that Supernatural is worth the subscription cost for an intense workout, and we agree.
DanceCentral
Unlike dedicated exercise apps, Dance Central is just straight-up dancing, and consequently, it won’t feel as intimidating for non-athletes. Match your body movements with the avatars in the game. The 32-song soundtrack features some of the best smash hits and classics you’d hear in any club.
Your legs aren’t tracked in the game, but that won’t stop you from throwing out a kick now and then. It’s a lot of cardio that will feel less like a VR workout and more like a night out, especially with the in-game multiplayer lounge where you can challenge friends to dance-offs.
Beat Saber
If Guitar Hero were a rhythm game with a sword as the instrument, it would be Beat Saber. Slash and dodge cubes to the beat of techno music, or shell out for add-ons from more famous bands like Imagine Dragons and Timbaland. Beginner levels are plenty of fun, but progress to Expert+ and you’ll really begin to sweat. Get your daily dose of cardio, squats, and arm workouts while going for high scores and combos. Gamers have reportedly burned billions of calories in Beat Saber, but it’s one of the best Oculus Quest 2 workout games because it doesn’t feel like a workout.
Super hot VR
Time moves when you do in this top-selling, highly-rated VR shooter. Each level is a puzzle that requires you to move very quickly and sometimes move very slowly to defeat your foes. Some parts of the game require you to hold a pose perfectly still to figure out your next move. It’s a full-body workout that combines the action of a shooter game with Tai Chi. It’s like being in The Matrix except you don’t have to shove a giant, metal plug into the back of your head.
The Thrill of the Fight
This simulator introduces you to actual boxing mechanics while giving you a properly sweaty workout. Bob and weave, block blows and throw a variety of punches across multi-round bouts. Its visuals won’t impress, but its collection of opponents with unique fighting styles will provide a proper challenge.
There’s also training modes that can help you show how effective your moves are and the opponents are challenging and make you do the work to get healthy. This game is an arm, body, legs, and full-on cardio experience, and at a very reasonable price compared to many alternative options.
Space Pirate Trainer DX
This is a fun VR game that resembles the classic arcade game, Galaga, and will have you moving, squatting, jumping, and bending in many directions throughout the entire game. Since the enemy attacks you from above, your arms are always above your head, giving your shoulders a great workout.
Try to rise up the leaderboard while lowering your number on the scale. The game also added some new, two-player modes for you and a workout partner including “ARENA” that turns a wide-open space into a game of hide and seek with laser guns and a “VERSUS” mode that turns the game’s one- Player droid shooter into a two-player competition.
Ohshape VR
Power pose your way to a healthier body. Inspired by the Japanese TV show Hole in the Wall, in OhShape you must move your whole body to fit inside a series of rapidly changing holes with fast-paced music egging you on.
Jump to dodge some obstacles, punch through others, and squeeze through the rest in a variety of challenging stances that strain your whole body. It has 32 official workouts with 4 difficulty levels; plus, the level editor lets you play other people’s custom sets or create your own with officially supported custom songs.
Racket: NX
Imagine playing racquetball inside of a giant pinball machine and then adding the fun of the classic game, Breakout. The game starts at a slow pace, but as you progress, the ball moves faster and faster; the harder you hit the ball, the faster it’ll ricochet back your direction. The 360º arena forces you to keep spinning in search of the ball, and you’ll need both arm strength and precision to get a high score. All of the sweat-inducing intensity of playing racquetball is here.
Synth Riders
This Beat Saber-lookalike avoids the more famous game’s wrist-jerking gameplay in favor of more natural moves that’ll still get your heart rate up. You must move your hands to match up with the lighted indicators, bobbing and weaving to keep up and dodge obstacles. It has over 50 licensed electronica songs and weekend multiplayer dance parties that can be genuinely fun. Synth Riders is another rhythm game that’ll have you too focused on mastering the beat to notice how hard you’re working.
pistol whip
Who would’ve thought that the shooting and rhythm game genres could ever work so well together? Pistol Whip offers a great, low-impact aerobic workout that’s perfect if you need a quick stretch. Each level is paired with a colorful, vibrant scene and a catchy EDM tune with a unique beat in the background.
The game puts two customizable pistols in your hands and you have to shoot at and hit moving targets to the beat of the tune. The closer you hit the point of the beat that’s blasting in your ears, the higher you score. However, these targets shoot back so you also have to twist, duck, and lean away from floating bullets while you’re trying to shoot the figures who fired them at you. There are also a lot of low ceilings and bridges blocking your path that you have to squat to avoid so your legs, arms, and chest can get a good stretch. The game even has story-driven DLC modes with an original soundtrack to give it even more playability.
smash drums
Drummers need a strong set of arms and a great sense of timing to keep the beat to a song. That’s what makes this drum simulating rhythm game such a great workout. This game turns your controllers into a pair of drumsticks as a series of snares, base drums and hi-hats float towards you and the closer you are to the beat, the higher your score.
The soundtrack has more than 50 great rock songs that run the gamut of genres from emo to metal and the play can get very addictive as you live out your rock band dreams in otherworldly environments. You can even bang your drumsticks together at just the right time to increase your score. There’s even a new multiplayer mode for you and a workout partner. It’s a perfect workout if you’re just looking to work on your arms and chest and you need some good music to keep you moving.
VR exercise workouts show results
The problem with exercise videos at home is that no one is there to judge you if you pause or stop altogether. Plus, it’s hard to rev yourself up into working hard in the place where you like to mentally relax. That’s why getting a gym-worthy workout with the Oculus Quest 2 can be so effective: It transports you to a new place where moving your body almost feels natural and immerses you in flashing lights and bass-heavy music that makes you forget that your body is going through something unpleasant.
Any of the best Oculus Quest 2 workout games can help you lose weight if you make it a routine. So your job is to figure out which game fits your personality. If you’re someone that hates the gym but loves sports, then you’ll want to try a game like Beat Saber or Synth Riders that is good for your body but isn’t explicitly a workout. Frankly, many of the best Oculus Quest 2 games could get you sweating even if exercise isn’t the point of them; you can use Oculus Move to track for yourself how many calories a given game burns.
On the other hand, if you’re someone that wants to push themselves hard, the fact is that only apps like FitXR or Supernatural are specifically designed to push your full body to the limit, and won’t let you take a break after just one song
Whichever games you choose, hold off on starting up a VR exercise routine until you’ve invested in some of the best Quest 2 workout accessories: These will help keep your headset from becoming a sweat- and bacteria-filled mess, help you avoid injuries , and even make your VR workouts that much harder.
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