Facebook’s Metaverse in 2023: What Is the Meta Horizon Worlds Metaverse?

You’ve probably heard a lot about the Metaverse. Specifically that Facebook, or now Meta, has their own Metaverse, Horizon Worlds. Whether you just want to know what all of the fuss is about, or want the scoop on how Facebook’s Metaverse compares to other examples of Metaverses out there, then you’ve come to the right place. Here we’ll dig into what what Facebook’s Metaverse is in 2023, and how it compares to other examples of Metaverses out there.

What Is Facebook’s Metaverse? - Meta’s Horizon Worlds

Facebook’s Metaverse - The Horizon Worlds Logo

First thing first. What is Facebook’s Metaverse? Currently it’s an app that you can access through one of their Meta Quest 2 headsets called Horizon Worlds. It’s completely free, assuming you have a Meta Quest headset, and you can download it straight to the headset and access it quickly.

Facebook (aka Meta) has a lot of aspirations for their Metaverse, but here we’re going to describe Facebook’s Metaverse based on how it works today, and what it would be like if you experienced it yourself. No definitions here will be based off of a Tech CEO’s dream or a science fiction novel, just what exists in this Metaverse application that you can use right now.

Entering Facebook’s Metaverse

Entering Horizon Worlds for the first time greets you with a mirror showing you your Meta avatar. The same avatar that you see when you’re in your Meta Quest homescreen is the same avatar used in Horizon Worlds. This is all part of Facebook’s (aka Meta’s) ambition to make Horizon Worlds, and the Meta Metaverse overall, a core component of their VR headset products.

Facebook’s (Meta’s) hope with Horizon Worlds was that everyone who owns a Quest 2 headset would jump in and take part to meet their friends and strangers in their Metaverse worlds. This isn’t the case, installing Horizon Worlds on a Meta Quest device is completely optional, and a lot of people who own a Quest headset have never touched Horizon Worlds.

A Horizon Worlds Loading Screen

This avatar in Facebook’s Metaverse is how others see you. Your avatar follows your hand and head movements, and you can just talk like you normally would for others to hear you. You can basically interact with others across the world like they were in the same room as you. Also, of course, you see out of your Avatar’s eyes. You become your virtual character in VR more than ever before. Pretty sweet.

An Avatar in Facebook’s Metaverse

Exploring Facebook’s Metaverse - Meta’s Horizon Worlds

The first time you log in you’ll go through a little tutorial of sorts. This shows you how to interact with the world and objects in it. You can walk or teleport around in the world, or even move around as much as you can in the physical space you’re standing or sitting in just like any other Virtual Reality game.

The Horizon Worlds Tutorial

You throw around a paper airplane and shoot a toy gun. As far as VR interactions go the objects in Horizon Worlds are… adequate. They’re not groundbreaking stuff by any means, but they don’t feel terrible to use either. If you’re not spoiled by more polished and focused Virtual Reality applications, then your brain will definitely feel tricked into thinking you are actually throwing a paper airplane or shooting a toy gun at some circles.

Playing with a Toy in Horizon Worlds

The real meat of what Facebook’s Metaverse is though, is revealed at the end of the tutorial. Where you get to select which sort of world you want to enter.

The Heart of Facebook’s Metaverse. Selecting Worlds.

This is what puts the “Metaverse” in Facebook’s new “Meta” name, the worlds that you can visit inside of Horizon Worlds. You may have expected to enter a city of some kind, where, like in a real world space, you could walk to a store or an arcade, or any virtually enhanced version of any of these places in VR.

Instead you go to a menu and select the world you want to enter based on a thumbnail and description. Then you just wait through a loading screen and appear there.

A Fishing World in Horizon Worlds

The Many Worlds of Facebook’s Horizon Worlds

The worlds are the heart of Facebook’s Metaverse, and the heart of every Virtual Reality Game that is now called a “Metaverse.” You, as your avatar, are closely mirrored in this world by your physical actions, and whatever the world is intended for is what you do.

Comedy club? Feel free to get on stage and tell some jokes. Game? Play the game as intended. The worlds of Horizon Worlds are what makes it a Metaverse. The ability to enter a place as a closely virtually represented version of your physical form and hang out as you would in real life… as much as is possible.

A Zombie Fighting Game in Facebook’s Metaverse

The best part is that users make their own worlds. You’re not limited to what Meta (aka Facebook) has created and intended for you to use. There’s a level editor with a tutorial and everything. You can create environments and script them to do basic things to create a theoretically infinite amount of possibilities. Then anyone can join your world and hang out in it. That is the current realization of the concept of a Metaverse in Facebook’s Metaverse, Horizon Worlds.

The Limits of Facebook’s Metaverse

Here’s the problem though, there really aren’t an infinite amount of possibilities in Horizon Worlds, or any so-called Metaverse right now. Also, the concept of inhabiting a virtual space in a more immersive way with a VR headset is not unique to Facebook’s Metaverse. That same immersive feeling is also capture in… basically any Virtual Reality game.

The level editors are limited in what they can make. There are only so many assets to be used, and those assets all have the same sort of blocky and simplistic aesthetic. The scripting is limited, and even though enterprising world creators have done a lot with what is available, not every sort of experience can be created in Horizon Worlds in a way that is as fun and satisfying to play as it would be in a separate Virtual Reality game of its own.

The Creation Tutorial in Meta’s Horizon Worlds

At the end of the day Facebook’s Metaverse is really just another game on your Virtual Reality headset. Games that were created to be focused on a single thing, like solving puzzles or fighting zombies, do those single things much better than Horizon Worlds’ generalized creation platform can. So naturally people tend to play other games instead of doing virtually everything through Horizon Worlds’ metaverse. You’re better off playing The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners on your Quest headset than playing a zombie game in Horizon Worlds, if you want an exciting zombie fighting experience.

More than anything else, Horizon Worlds doesn’t feel much like exploring a real place. Teleporting from world to world is inherently artificial feeling. So overall you’re not exploring a virtual representation of a real place, but instead just teleporting from room to room, game to game. It’s more of a collection of game rooms than a world to be explored. You won’t naturally walk by a building and decide to walk in, you’ll view it on a menu and decide to click it. It’s an artificial feeling experience.

Facebook’s Metaverse Is Not Alone - Alternatives to Horizon Worlds

Facebook (aka Meta) also did not invent the Metaverse concept as we can experience it today in Horizon Worlds. In fact Facebook’s Metaverse was not the first to be created by a long shot. Others, which are all also available on Meta’s Quest devices, existed much earlier, and are basically the same sort of experience.

An Alternative to Facebook’s Metaverse - Rec Room

Rec Room is a good example. As mentioned in this list of free Quest 2 games, Rec Room has you create an avatar, and is played by joining a world with others in it. You can even also create worlds of your own in Rec Room, just like in Horizon Worlds. There are games like paintball and tag, and spaces to hang out, meet people, and talk. It’s the same thing as Horizon Worlds, just with a different company behind it and a different look to it.

A Socially focused Horizon World’s Alternative - VRChat

VRChat is probably the most infamous example of a Metaverse, and the first to gain prominence in the VR community. VRChat has a much greater emphasis on collecting outlandish avatars from wolf people to literal dragons, and is intended for just hanging out and chatting. Just like in Horizon Worlds and Rec Room, you explore by teleporting from virtual place to virtual place. The main difference is that VRChat is much more limited in the activities that can be done. It’s more of a purely social Metaverse.

Conclusions on Metaverses

So Facebook’s Metaverse, and Metaverses in general, are not exactly what has been advertised right now. Could they become more immersive virtual spaces in the future? Sure. Right now though, they’re basically just Virtual Reality social applications. They aren’t really lived in spaces that operate at all like a real world. The dream of the Metaverse is still in progress, and maybe Meta or another company will create a truly immersive and dynamic VR world in the future.

For now this is what we have in Facebook’s Metaverse, and all the other “Metaverses” just like it.

Meta Quest 3 Announced! - Oculus Quest 3 Announcement

So Meta Announced the Quest 3. If you haven't seen the trailer then you'll want to know that it costs 500 dollars, and the Quest 2 will now cost 300 dollars. Also, the Quest 3 looks pretty awesome. Whether or not it'll run great, feel great, and look great kind of remains to be seen for sure when people get to use it, but it's looking like it will be fantastic.

Meta Quest 3 Technical Upgrades and Specs

The Meta Quest 3 Announcement Poster

The specs seem awesome, with an advertised double GPU processing power over the Quest 2, and higher resolution displays. As someone who has had the opportunity to try the Quest Pro, if the upgrade from the Quest 2 to Quest 3 is anything like the change from the Quest 2 to the Quest Pro, then it is very noticeable and very awesome. The visuals on the Pro are much clearer, and most importantly there's no choppiness on some of the more intensive games.

Oh, and the controllers seem to function a lot like the Quest Pro controllers too. They'll at least be absent the rings that the Quest 2 controllers have, making them harder to break and overall lighter and more comfortable to use, and more immersive with improved haptics.

Meta Quest 3 Upgraded Comfortability

The Quest 3 will be 40% slimmer!

Another very cool thing about this new Meta Quest 3 is that it's much thinner than the Quest 2, and probably much lighter too. This will make it easier to store, easier to wear (hopefully), and more comfortable. Passthrough will also be a built in feature, just like with the Quest 2 and Quest Pro.

Luckily the Quest 3 won't be relying on your forehead to hold it up like the Quest Pro, and has a facial interface that holds your whole face like the Quest 2. For any Quest Pro users out there, now you can have improved performance without your forehead getting numb after long use with the straps tight.

Meta Quest 3 Price

Now let's get into what's going to keep a lot of people away from these fantastic upgrades, the price. It will cost a whopping 500 dollars, half a thousand dollars for a VR headset. That's even before accessories and games for it, though any Quest or Quest 2 games you already have on the Quest store will, of course, work on the Quest 3. That's a lot of money, and despite the impressive list of upgrades from the Quest 2, a lot of people will be asking whether or not the high price tag is worth it.

If you're really into VR, and especially standalone experiences, then the upgrade is definitely cheaper than getting a VR capable gaming PC instead, but you'll still be limited to what games are available on the Quest store, and there are a ton of great ones out there that still aren't.

Luckily this announcement is also accompanied by another that the Quest 2 128GB version will go back down to 300 dollars on June 4th, 2023. There will also be a software update that promises better CPU and GPU performance on the Quest 2 and Quest Pro. So if you've been holding off on buying a Quest 2, but can't afford the Quest 3, then you might want to go with the 2. Still, a lot of games have been announcing that they are dropping support for the Quest 1. It's only a matter of time until the same happens for the Quest 2, but you've still get a couple of years at the very least with the Quest 2 hardware.

Is The Meta Quest 3 Worth it?

Price aside, the Quest 3 packs a ton of great upgardes, and most importantly looks to be lighter and more comfortable overall than the Quest 2. If you can justify paying for it, there doesn't seem to be a reason not to buy the Quest 3 on release in the fall of 2023. It integrates all of the improvements of the Quest Pro, and even makes them better, without a lot of the drawbacks and insanely high price tag. Still, 500 dollars is 500 dollars, but for a new VR headset that's still surprisingly good. Still, it's not the low price that you might have expected from the pricing on the Quest 2. It also remains to be seen if the finished Quest 3 will actually deliver on this impressive list of upgrades.

All Half-Life: Alyx Weapons and Upgrades

If you’re wondering what amazing weapons you’ll get to enjoy in Half-Life: Alyx, or are wondering which weapon upgrades are worth it, then you’ve come to the right place. This complete list of all Half-Life: Alyx weapons and upgrades has every weapon in the game as well as every upgrade that you can get for them. So while you explore City 17 in Half Life Alyx you’ll know exactly what to spend your Resin on.

Table of Contents:

• Half-Life: Alyx Weapons - The Pistol

• Half-Life: Alyx Upgrades - The Pistol

• Half-Life: Alyx Weapons - The Shotgun

• Half-Life: Alyx Upgrades - The Shotgun

• Half-Life: Alyx Weapons - The Combine SMG

• Half-Life: Alyx Upgrades - The Combine SMG

• Half-Life: Alyx Weapons - Grenades

Half-Life: Alyx Weapons - The Pistol

The Pistol is the first weapon that you get in Half-Life: Alyx. Russel gives it to you at the beginning of the game by throwing it over to you after assuring it isn’t loaded, but hilariously misses and hits the roof of a car. This makes the pistol go off… apparently it was loaded.

Old Reliable

The Pistol is an all around great weapon in Half-Life: Alyx. Ammunition for it is plentiful throughout the game, and while it doesn’t offer the greatest firepower it is accurate and has very manageable recoil, so it’s not hard to control when firing quickly. Since all of the combat in Half Life: Alyx takes place in pretty close quarters, you can reliably hit enemies at whatever range you encounter them at. Though you’ll still start to miss if you don’t aim your shots and pace yourself. Firing too rapidly will affect accuracy.

The main downsides of the pistol are its low damage output and low magazine capacity. Since you can’t fire it as quickly as possible and expect to hit at any range further than point blank, you’ll find yourself not getting a lot of bullets into your target due to having to aim and pace your shots. So when compared to other weapons in Half-Life: Alyx, you won’t get the greatest damage output from the pistol.

Pistol Upgrades are pretty great

The pistol will also run out of bullets quickly, as each magazine doesn’t hold many. This is especially true when you’re facing enemies that can take a lot of hits before going down. Luckily there are upgrades to help with both the damage and ammo capacity problems.

Half-Life: Alyx Upgrades - The Pistol

• Reflex Sight - A very useful upgrade at only 10 Resin if you don’t like the default pistol sights. The Reflex Sight upgrade also highlights weak points on enemies, and so helps even more when you’re having trouble seeing what you’re aiming at.

• Burst Fire Mode - This pistol upgrade costs 20 Resin and lets you switch between single shot and a burst fire mode that fires 3 shots at once. This dramatically increases the damage output of the pistol by letting you get out three accurate rounds at once.

• Bullet Reservoir - A pricey pistol upgrade at 30 resin, but definitely the best way to solve the ammunition storage problems that the pistol has. Now you can store an extra 10 bullets inside of the pistol, which will be automatically taken out of the loaded magazine if the reservoir isn’t full.

• Laser Sight - A costly laser pointer upgrade at 35 resin, but makes aiming without looking down the pistol’s sights very easy. Whatever the laser is pointing at is what you hit!

Half-Life: Alyx Weapons - The Shotgun

The Shotgun is the second weapon you acquire in Half Life: Alyx. While exploring the quarantine zone you’ll find it hanging above a deadly pit from the claw of an expired headcrab zombie. You have to retrieve it quickly by turning a nearby wheel to winch the old zombie down and then stop the wheel with a piece of pipe. All this while still living zombies are breaking through the walls to get at you! This was definitely a very intense way to introduce a new weapon to Half Life: Alyx.

Blasting a headcrab

As you might expect the shotgun works very well at close ranges. Out of all Half Life Alyx weapons, it definitely has the highest damage output when used up close. It even feels devastating. Each shot you fire with the shotgun is very punchy and impactful, though the recoil is tremendous, so don’t fire it too quickly. Luckily since each shot is so powerful that you generally won’t have to fire it more than once or twice to clear the area in front of you.

Blasting an antlion

The downside is that shotgun ammunition is pretty scarce compared to ammo for the other weapons. This is probably overall a good thing, because otherwise it would be so easy to rely on the shotgun to punch your way through most enemies with a single shot. Still, it does mean that the shotgun functions more as a powerful panic button than a regular part of your arsenal in Half-Life: Alyx. When you start to run low on shells for it you’ll naturally use it a little more sparingly whenever you’re surrounded by enemies at close range, or need to deal a lot of damage quickly.

The only downside to the shotgun is that it is only effective at very close ranges, so don’t try blasting anything that’s more than a few feet in front of you, or you won’t deal a lot of damage and waste your shells.

Luckily upgrades give the Shotgun a lot more utility than just a “get out of a life threatening situation free” card.

Half-Life: Alyx Upgrades - The Shotgun

• Laser Sight - A 10 Resin laser sight upgrade. Just like the laser sight on the pistol, you’ll hit whatever the laser is shining on. Dubiously useful since the shotgun is only accurate at very close ranges. Aiming isn’t often a problem.

• Double Shot - For 25 Resin you can fire two shells at once out of your shotgun with this upgrade, just like in Half-Life 2 and Half-Life! So if you really want to make sure whatever you’re aiming at goes down, you can always make sure you take it down in a single shot. Generally this is overkill, but can still come in handy.

• Autoloader - At the cost of 30 Resin you can install an autoloader upgrade on your shotgun which lets you load even more shells into the shotgun before needing to reload, like the Bullet Reservoir for the pistol. Very useful if you tend to miss a lot with the shotgun and need to know you’ll have as many shells as you might need in any given situation.

• Grenade Launcher - While this is an expensive upgrade at 40 resin, it is definitely the best Half-Life: Alyx shotgun upgrade. With this you can attach a grenade to the front of the shotgun and arm it by pulling a handguard on the front, then firing the shotgun will launch the grenade far and accurately. This upgrade adds a ton of utility to the shotgun, and makes your shotgun a lot more useful, even when you’re out of shells for it. Best of all this lets you hold another grenade on you, since it will stay attached to the shotgun. So basically another free storage slot!

Half-Life: Alyx Weapons - The Combine SMG

The Combine SMG is the third and final weapon that you will acquire in your Half Life: Alyx journey. You’ll find it in the basement of the North Star Hotel, right past a gauntlet of black headcrabs. Most Combine SMGs are DNA encoded to only be useable by their intended soldier. However the one that you find in Half-Life: Alyx, is still in the box and not yet programmed. Definitely a fantastic find!

An Upgraded Combine SMG

The Combine SMG is a powerful third addition to your arsenal. Just like the pistol it is effective at any range you will encounter enemies, but unlike the pistol it has a sizeable magazine and high rate of fire. The Combine SMG can down enemies quickly. This is also because it has the lowest recoil out of all Half Life Alyx weapons.

You can reliably fire fully automatic with the Combine SMG and hit your target every time as long as you keep your aim steady. This means that you can do a lot of damage quickly with the SMG at all ranges. You’ll also be finding decent amounts of ammunition for the Combine SMG after you get it (and even a little before).

Firing an SMG with the Reflex Sight Upgrade

The only downside is that the Combine SMG is a little cumbersome to reload, and if you try to solely rely on it you will run out of ammo. Also the iron sights that comes with it aren’t the easiest to aim with and can make it hard to hit your first few shots before you follow the tracers and get on target. Still, as always, there are upgrades to help with that.

Half-Life: Alyx Upgrades - The Combine SMG

• Reflex Sight - For 15 Resin you can install a reflex sight on your Combine SMG. This sight upgrade operates a lot like the pistol reflex sight and highlights weak points on enemies. Since the iron sights on the SMG aren’t very good, this upgrade is very worth it.

• Laser Sight - If you’d rather skip the Reflex sight upgrade you could go for the Laser Sight upgrade for 25 Resin instead. Just like the laser sights on the pistol and shotgun, whatever the laser is pointing at is what you’ll hit. Great for firing from the hip.

• Extended Magazine - If you’re tired of reloading the Combine SMG in combat, then with 30 resin you can add an extended magazine upgrade to it! this functions like the pistol reservoir and shotgun autoloader in that it holds extra ammunition, and automatically loads it as the weapon runs dry. Make sure to keep your extended magazine topped up in between fights though.

Half-Life: Alyx Weapons - Grenades

For the final entry into Half-Life: Alyx weapons, you’ll find grenades. Grenades come into two varieties, the mechanical combine grenades, and the biological Xen grenades. Combine Grenades can be found scattered around like any other sort of ammunition or consumable item. While Xen grenades spawn out of the mouths of stalk-like creatures in Xen infested areas. It takes a little practice, but if you’re fast enough you can swipe the grenade out of their mouths before they pull away from you.

Launching a grenade from the shotgun

Both grenades are very effective, and both can dispatch a room full of enemies when they detonate. Just hold it, press the activation button (check your settings for which one, it is controller dependent) and throw it quickly. A Grenade can even be launched with a shotgun upgrade. Oh, and Xen grenades also infinitely spawn out of the creatures who create them, so whenever you’re near one go nuts!

There you go, all weapons and upgrades in Half Life Alyx. Hope you enjoyed and have a better idea of what’s worth your resin and what isn’t. As always, have fun in Half-Life: Alyx’s City 17!

17 Best VR Multiplayer Games on the Oculus Quest 2

Looking for some awesome multiplayer VR games? Want a fun VR co op experience to enjoy with your friends?

Well then look no further because this list of the best Multiplayer Quest 2 games is sure to have multiplayer VR games that you will enjoy inside.

This list gives you a lot of options and contains a lot of different genres of multiplayer VR games, so be sure to read the whole list so that you find something that you’ll like.

On to the show, here are the 17 Best Multiplayer Oculus Quest 2 Games.

Multiplayer VR Tactical PvP Game - Breachers

The Breachers Logo

If you want a multiplayer vr game that gives you a tactical PvP teambased experience, then there is no better game out there on the Oculus Quest 2, and even no better game on PCVR, than Breachers.

Breachers combines elements from a lot of existing flatscreen and multiplayer VR games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Rainbow Six: Siege, Pavlov, and Onward into a single fantastic experience.

In Breachers you are either an Enforcer or a Revolter. The Revolters try to defend two bomb sites on the map while the Enforcers have to break into the building and plant an EMP to disable one of the bombs.

Or, more often, one team wipes out the other to win.

Getting a headshot in Breachers

Breachers gives you a wide variety of weapons and gadgets to achieve these goals.

From drones to grenades, you have a lot of tools in your tactical kit. The time to kill is pretty quick, and each round is intense with close quarters and very tactical combat where a single wrong move can cost you your life.

If you want a tactical VR PvP experience that encourages teamwork, quick thinking, and quick reflexes, then Breachers is a fantastic game that doesn’t get old.

The game is also receiving updates, so even more maps and gamemodes are on the way.

Multiplayer VR Tag - Gorilla Tag and Yeeps

The Gorilla Tag Logo

Want to play a fun game of tag in VR? Want to experience a movement system like no other that is easy to learn and hard to master?

Then try out Gorilla Tag (it’s free!) and find out why this is the most popular multiplayer VR game out there.

Gorilla Tag is a game built from the ground up for VR, taking inspiration from Echo Arena’s zero gravity movement system to create a way to move around in a multiplayer VR game that is completely unlike anything on the flatscreen or in Virtual Reality.

To move you slap your hand against a surface to push off from it, because in Gorilla Tag you have no legs. This movement system is what makes this such an incredible game.

Hitting your hand against a surface in the right way to launch yourself in the direction you want is strangely addictive and is the core of what makes Gorilla Tag so much fun.

Waving hi to a fellow monkey in Gorilla Tag

Gorilla Tag has a lot of gamemodes.

The most common is Infection, where one player becomes the lava monkey, and tags other players to turn them into lava monkeys, until everyone is tagged.

There are other gamemodes too, and even casual games to just hang out in or even minigames like shooting a slingshot at targets around the map.

Gorilla Tag’s uniqueness and finely tuned movement makes it a fantastic game, and a prime example of what Virtual Reality games can do that others can’t.

If you want a fun Multiplayer game of tag unlike any that you can experience in the real world, or just want to monkey around for a while, then Gorilla Tag is a must try at the price of zero dollars.

The Yeeps Logo

A great new reimagining of the type of gameplay offered by Gorilla Tag can be found in Yeeps.

This game has the same sort of movement as the original Gorilla Tag, but expands on the original game by adding all sorts of fantastic options for building, new places to explore and discover, and just an overall fresh new feel. If you like Gorilla Tag then you won’t regret giving Yeeps a try.

Multiplayer VR MMORPG - Zenith: The Last City

The Zenith: The Last City Logo

If you’ve ever wondered what an MMORPG would look like as a VR multiplayer game, then Zenith: The Last City is currently the best multiplayer VR game to try to find out.

Zenith, like any other MMO, is always online and always keeps you in a game mode with other players.

You create a character by picking one of a few classes, and then explore the game world as you level up your character by completing quests and fighting enemies. Zenith’s combat changes depending on which class you picked.

You can be a sword fighter, or a ranged shooter, or even both.

Fighting an enemy in Zenith

There are a lot of different areas to explore in Zenith: The Last City, and a lot of people to meet along the way. As you level your character up and collect better equipment by utilizing Zenith’s crafting system, the world opens up to you.

There’s even PvP now, and all of the core components of what makes an MMORPG an MMORPG are available in Zenith: The Last City, but entirely in Virtual Reality!

Of all VR multiplayer games, none does the MMO genre more justice than Zenith: The Last City.

If you want to know an a VRMMORPG could be like then you must try this game. Though you should be aware that unfortunately the developers of Zenith have also announced that they will no longer be adding new content to the game. The servers will stay up though, and there’s already a lot of content to be had.

Meta Quest Multiplayer Sandbox - Rec Room

The Rec Room Logo

If you’re really unsure what sort of game you want to play, or just want a place to hang out and do a variety of fun activities with friends or strangers, then Rec Room offers a huge array of different games and places to talk.

Rec Room is a ton of different VR games combined into one.

There’s paintball, archery, sword swinging adventures, and a bunch more. If you’re feeling creative then Rec Room even gives you the tools to make your own games and maps!

While Rec Room doesn’t do any one type of game the best, it has a huge variety of options, and you can customize your avatar with different hair styles, faces, and clothing.

If you don’t know exactly what you want to try, or want a multiplayer VR game that is more social than competitive, then Rec Room gives you a ton of games to enjoy. Make friends and have fun however you want in the sandbox that is Rec Room, and do it all for free.

VR Multiplayer Ping Pong - Eleven Table Tennis

The Eleven Table Tennis Logo

While there are a few VR table tennis games out there, none does multiplayer VR ping pong better than Eleven Table Tennis.

If you want a game of Ping Pong in Virtual Reality, then Eleven Table Tennis is the best game for that on the Quest 2.

With a few different environments to play in and costumes to wear, there’s some customization available, and even music that plays as you play.

Mostly though, Eleven Table Tennis shines as a multiplayer VR game both through its support of multiplayer VR table tennis, and the quality of the experience.

The physics of this game function very closely to the physics of an actual Ping Pong table.

The multiplayer has great connectivity and few bugs. Overall if you want a multiplayer VR table tennis experience then there’s none that have more polish than Eleven Table Tennis.

Multiplayer VR Sword Fighting - Broken Edge

The Broken Edge Logo

Want to sword fight another person in Virtual Reality? Well then the multiplayer VR game for you might be Broken Edge.

In Broken Edge you face another person in a VR sword fighting match. Though the rules are a little different from a real life sword fighting match.

Whenever you block your opponent’s blade both of you lose a part of the sword depending on where it’s cut. Basically, you want to use the very top of your blade to cut the bottom of theirs to cut off more.

If a player runs out of sword then they’re basically defenseless. Alternatively you could just go straight for the kill by attacking the other player’s body, though this only works if you’ve been pointing your sword at them for a few moments first, so no easy sneak attacks.

There are a bunch of different characters to choose from in Broken Edge with a variety of weapons and offhanded support items.

Be a knight with a sword and shield, or a samurai with a katana and two wakizashi, or a duelist with a rapier and dagger, or many others.

The rules make the game differ from an actual sword fight, but the overall experience is very skill oriented and balanced between the different classes.

If you want a multiplayer VR game to fulfil your sword fighting cravings against a live opponent, then Broken Edge is the best way to satisfy on the Meta Quest 2.

VR Co Op Horde Shooter - After The Fall

The After The Fall Logo

Ever wanted to know what a game like Left 4 Dead, Vermintide, or Darktide would look and feel like in Virtual Reality?

Well this VR Co Op game will show you because that’s exactly what it is.

After The Fall is a Co Op VR action game where you are a survivor in a snowy apocalypse in a world inhabited by icy zombies.

You and three other survivors go out from the shelter of your underground home to scavenge for resources by mowing down hordes of these zombies.

Shooting into a crowd of zombies in After The Fall

Just like in other horde shooters there are a lot of different specialty zombie types to spice up the gameplay. Also you can heavily customize your loadout with a huge variety of weapons, stims, grenades, and gadgets.

The more you play the more different options you unlock, and harder missions you can try for greater rewards. After The Fall has a great progression system alongside great VR Multiplayer Co Op gameplay.

If you want to fight hordes of the undead with your friends, or want a horde shooter experience like that found on the flat screen in Left 4 Dead, then After The Fall is the game for you.

Multiplayer VR Social Deduction - Among Us VR

The Among Us VR Logo

Among Us is infamous as a smash indie hit that took the world by storm. The version you may have already tried on a computer of phone had you control a little 2D sprite spaceman as you tried to complete your tasks aboard the ship and find out who the impostor is.

Well now you can have the whole Among Us experience in a multiplayer Virtual Reality game with Among Us VR!

This VR version of the original game enhances the social deduction experience by removing the top down view of the original and putting you directly in the shoes of your blobby spaceman.

Do your tasks with your actual hands to pull levelers and knobs or to push buttons. Peer through the actual corridors of the spaceship and keep watch around corners, the impostor might be lurking there.

Accusing another player in Among Us VR

The experience of accusing somebody you can actually look at and point to enhances the Among Us experience greatly.

All of the things that made the original great are here in Among Us VR, but made even better by the immersive nature of VR, and the ability to interact with the ship and other players with your hands.

Whether you’re the impostor or a crewmate, multiplayer VR social deduction is even better with Among Us VR.

VR Multiplayer Social Hangout - VRChat

The VRChat Logo

VRChat is the most famous (and infamous) VR chat application out there. It was one of the first to ever exist, and is still the most popular out there.

If you want to meet some friends in a purely social space then VRChat might be the multiplayer VR game for you.

In VRChat that’s all that you do, hang out and chat. You can go to a number of public worlds to meet people, and even make or join private worlds for smaller communities of people.

Talk as long as you like, and change your look to be any kind of avatar that you can think of. You can be anything from Mario to a big dragon. One of the most entertaining aspects of VRChat is your ability to look like basically anything.

If you want a fun social experience in Virtual Reality, then there’s no more classic multiplayer VR social game than VRChat. All you have to do to get into it is join a public world and introduce yourself.

If you want to make some friends online and just chat and hang out, then VRChat is still the multiplayer VR game for you, and it’s free on the Quest 2!

Multiplayer VR PvP Bullet Hell Shooter - Blaston

A Blaston Free To Play Logo

Blaston is another game that is very unique to VR, and can really only be done in VR. It is a VR Bullet Hell shooter… that is also a multiplayer VR competitive shooter.

In Blaston you face off against a single opponent just a few feet in front of you.

You have a little platform to move around on by physically moving your body, about the size of a typical room. When the match starts your weapons will spawn on the edges of your little platform, within arms reach.

So do your enemy’s weapons. So you grab your weapons and fire at your enemy, while they fire back.

A crazy match of Blaston

Blaston mixes intense dodging and bullet hell gameplay, like that also found in Pistol Whip, with the need to also aim at your opponent and fire back.

This makes for extremely intense and competitive gameplay as you try to deplete your opponent’s health before yours goes to zero.

There’s a ton of weapons to choose from and try in your loadout, and a competitive ladder mode. If you want a multiplayer VR bullet hell shooter that pits you against another player then you won’t find anything else like Blaston.

Oh, and you should also know that Blaston is free!

VR Multiplayer Flying Game - Warplanes: Battles Over Pacific

The Warplanes: Battles Over Pacific Logo

If you’ve got the itch to get high in the sky in your very own World War 2 era aircraft, then there’s no better way to experience that thrill than with Warplanes: Battles Over Pacific.

This game lets you fly a huge variety of World War 2 era propellor aircraft in the Pacific theater. Each aircraft has an intricately modelled cockpit, and there are a huge number of missions to fly. Best of all this is also a VR multiplayer game!

There is a small community actively flying missions in Warplanes: Battles Over Pacific, and you can join in for some dogfights and strafing runs of your own.

Attacking a bridge in Warplanes: Battles Over Pacific

You and your teammates fight as hard as you can to achieve a number of objectives in any of the numerous missions in this game.

As far as multiplayer VR flying fun, it doesn’t get much better than Warplanes: Battles Over Pacific, so if you want to fly a combat mission yourself in VR with some friends then definitely pick up this game.

Open World Multiplayer VR RPG - A Township Tale

The A Township Tale Logo

A Township Tale isn’t quite a VR MMORPG, but it certainly isn’t singleplayer, though you can also play it solo if you like.

Still, the real magic of A Township Tale is being part of a bustling town in this multiplayer VR RPG. You can group up with other players, explore the world, and contribute to a variety of building projects.

There’s combat, and even a huge dungeon-like mine to delve into. Though most of the enjoyment of the game comes from exploring the majestic world with others and discovering what lies out there.

Crafting a backpack in A Township Tale

To make equipment and explore as much as you can though, you’ll need to gather resources to create items and build bridges over obstacles.

The crafting system can be a little hard to handle at first, but that’s what makes it the best crafting system on the Oculus Quest 2. The more things you make then the better you get at making them.

You don’t just throw a bunch of ingredients into a pile and out pops a finished product. No, you need to add them one by one, wrap bindings, and hammer in nails yourself.

If you want to experience a great crafting system while you explore a huge world with others, and don’t mind doing some rock mining and tree chopping as well, then you should give A Township Tale a try. It is a fantastic multiplayer VR game.

Multiplayer VR Extraction Shooter - Ghosts of Tabor

A Ghosts Of Tabor Logo

Ever wanted the heart pounding, mouth drying rush you get from Escape From Tarkov, but in Virtual Reality? Well Ghosts of Tabor is, in short, VR Escape From Tarkov.

Like any extraction shooter out there, you equip yourself with a variety of military gear, pick a map, and load into a raid.

Each raid is timed, and you have to gather supplies, fight human and NPC enemies, and get out alive before the timer is up by making your way to one of a number of extraction points on the map.

What makes this such an intense experience is that you have something to lose each time you enter a raid, namely your equipment.

Fighting with a Pistol in Ghosts Of Tabor

You get some weapons, backpacks, ammunition, and armor when you start the game, but you only have so much. Each time you go into a raid you risk losing what you brought in.

Not to mention you also risk losing whatever great stuff you managed to find. The gunplay is fantastic in this game, and you’ll feel genuinely nervous and shaky because you have a really big incentive to not lose.

If you want to try out the extraction shooter genre in VR, or want to play a game like Escape From Tarkov in VR, or just want an intense multiplayer VR shooter with some RPG elements in it, then try Ghosts of Tabor. It’s fantastic.

Multiplayer VR Golf - Golf+

The Golf+ Logo

If you want to enjoy a relaxing game of Golf with your buddy in Virtual Reality, then there’s no better all around golf simulator than Golf+.

Whether you want to golf a full 18 holes or just spend a little time hanging out and talking while smashing balls down the driving range, then Golf+ has that.

With a huge number of courses and fantastically smooth multiplayer VR gameplay, Golf+ simply offers the game of golf in its most realistic and easiest to use form on the Quest 2.

So if you want to play a game of Golf when the weather is bad, or you’re a country away from someone to play with, give Golf+ a try.

Multiplayer VR Poker - Pokerstars VR | Poker VR

The Poker VR Logo

If you’re a fan of online poker, but want to actually be able to see and look at your internet opponent, then there’s no better substitute than Pokerstars VR (or Poker VR).

These two games have some small differences that, if you’re interested, you should try out for yourself to discover. Since both games are free, trying both won’t cost you a dime.

Mostly though they both boil down to the same thing, a game of online poker where you and your opponents all have a virtual avatar that follows your head and hand movements.

Now you can play online poker while still getting to interact with the cards and your opponents. All of the extra impressiveness and immersiveness of Virtual Reality makes the game of Poker even better, and more of an immersive experience when playing online.

So if you want to up your online Poker game, give Pokerstars VR or Poker VR a try for free.

Highly Moddable Multiplayer VR Shooter - Contractors

The Contractors Logo

Contractors on it’s own is a good VR shooter. Still potentially good enough to make it on this list of the best multiplayer VR games even. What makes it a truly fantastic multiplayer VR game though, is how moddable it is.

The base game of Contractors plays sort of like a Call of Duty in VR. Lots of modern weapons to choose from, quick movement, and fast turnaround from death to being back in the fight.

With mods though, Contractors becomes a ton of fantastic shooter games in one. Want to play Team Fortress 2 in Virtual Reality? Contractors has a mod for that. Battlefront 2 in Virtual Reality? (Star Wars clone troopers vs Battle Droids) Contractors has that too.

Clones and Droids fighting in an amazing Contractors Star Wars Mod

There are more mods being made all of the time for this VR multiplayer shooter. So really Contractors is a ton of multiplayer VR shooter games in one. If you want a wide variety of experiences, then give Contractors a try.

Even the base game by itself is really fun too. Also, if you’re wondering what sorts of mods there are to try, then check out this article with 5 of the best.

VR Battle Royale - Contractors Showdown

The Star Trek: Bridge Crew Logo

Want a fantastic VR Battle Royale experience on the Meta Quest 3? Well, there’s always POPULATION: ONE. Of course if you don’t want to play VR Fortnite then don’t worry because there’s an alternative in the VR Battle Royale Contractors Showdown.

Contractors Showdown takes a lot of inspiration from Call Of Duty: Warzone and also the weapons, equipment, and modern military setting of the original Contractors VR game.

Contractors Showdown feels like Contractors, shoots like Contractors, and looks like Contractors. Except it’s also a Battle Royale where you jump out of a plane and float down to an island to duke it out with other players in teams or Solo.

There are an absolute ton of different weapons, equipment, and even support call ins like airstrikes and mortar barrages to collect and try across the island. Of course, you’ll have to stay one step ahead of the barrier that will slowly close in and restrict the play area at the same time.

If you want to read more about Contractors Showdown then check out the only VR Battle Royale games worth playing. Just imagine Call Of Duty: Warzone in Virtual Reality and you’ve got the picture.

Well, there you have it, the 17 Best Multiplayer VR Games on the Oculus Quest 2. Hopefully a few of the items on this list seem interesting to you. We’ve covered a wide variety of multiplayer VR genres, and no matter what you’re interested in, there’s probably a VR multiplayer game for that on the Quest 2.

Vertigo 2 VR Review - The Best Singleplayer VR Game of 2023

You might wonder how an Indie game made by a solo developer, a VR game made by a solo developer even, managed to get almost 1000 reviews on Steam with an Overwhelmingly Positive rating, and little marketing other than articles like this one talking about how great it is.

The 5/22/2023 reviews for Vertigo 2

Well I'll tell you, because Vertigo 2 is one of the most finely made VR singleplayer games out there. Here we'll go through a few of the big categories that, combined, make for a great singleplayer VR game when done well, and exactly just how Vertigo 2 knocks them out of the park.

Vertigo 2 Review - Weapons

Let's start with the weapons, and since Vertigo 2 is primarily a shooting game, weaponry is one of the most important categories. Vertigo 2 has a wide variety of weapons that fill different roles.

A revolver that functions as a long range precision weapon, a shotgun that does a lot of damage and is easy to aim but can only be used up close, and quite a few others that you collect over time. There are a lot of different weapons to choose from, and even some secret weapons that you can find if you're careful or google a guide. What's truly revolutionary though is how your ammunition works.

The antimatter shotgun is very effective at close ranges

You regenerate more over time. So you don't have to constantly be looking for ammo in your surroundings, and you can choose which weapon you want to use in any given situation without depending on what the game gives you. Since it takes time for ammo to regenerate though, you'll be forced to switch weapons in a prolonged fight. This keeps you from overly relying on a single weapon. You're forced to switch between them when one runs out of ammo.

Still, most of the weapons are pretty versatile at different ranges, and so you'll never find yourself completely out of ammunition for an effective weapon in any given fight. While I tend to overuse the shotgun whenever possible. I've been forced a bunch of times to change to an alternative simply because I ran out of ammunition, or the fight became longer ranged. You can still completely ignore some weapons if you want to, and that's a good thing, because you'll still have choice.

Storming a castle with an AK-47

Not having to rely on ammunition pickups gives you that choice, and you have even more ability to decide how you want your weapons to work, and which favorite weapons to focus on, through the upgrade system. You'll find a few upgrades to improve weapons as you go on through the game, and which ones you choose to upgrade and which way you choose to upgrade them further defines and refines your playstyle.

There's a perfect balance struck here between your ability to choose how you want to play, and you not being able to play constantly in a single way by using a single weapon, which would inevitably make you bored with the game.

Vertigo 2 Review - Enemies

What enemies you face and how encounters are designed also reinforces this notion. Vertigo 2 does tend to focus on close to medium range encounters, thus why the shotgun is so easy to rely on for me, but it also switches things up and moves enemies further away by giving them powerful ranged attacks so that you can't rely on an up close fighting strategy all of the time, even if you try and close the gap with your teleportation ability.

Some enemies are dangerous up close too, and so you'll never fully be focused on keeping your distance or trying to close the gap. You can play one or the other way if you like too, risking it all by dashing more closely, or carefully taking aim from cover and winning a battle of accuracy.

A naval based gunfight

Sometimes you are forced to fight up close or far away by the enemies you face and the environments they are in, sometimes you have to fight from afar, but mostly you have a choice of which way to play it. Balancing your decisions, and occasionally getting you out of your comfort zone, is a careful balancing act that Vertigo 2 pulls off very well.

The look of the enemies is also constantly interesting, and in Vertigo 2 you run into new types of enemies all of the time, from different assortments of robots to a massive variety of aliens. None of them outstay their welcome either, and the opponents that you face change constantly as you proceed from place to place to match your environment.

A secret weapon

The different creatures of Vertigo 2's quantum reactor feel like a part of the strange world they are in, and will fight each other just as quickly as they'll fight you if they are hostile to one another. The enemy encounters are interlaced with the story of the game to not only vary what you're fighting, but where you're fighting and why you're fighting.

Vertigo 2 Review - The Story

The story of Vertigo 2 is strange, there's really no denying that, with some humor mixed in. Not everyone will like the story itself. It is a very overall pulp science fiction sort of story, but there is more character drama built in then you would usually find in a video game.

Nani

There were multiple occasions where I felt real emotion at what happened to different characters, especially those that helped me as the player. Not to mention you're not completely a character in the story that is purely acted upon. You have some moments of agency just like the other characters in the story do, and can make choices that affect what challenges you face, and what happens in sections of the story.

If you've got no tolerance for a little silliness then you might not like the story and just roll your eyes through it, and that's okay, because the story of Vertigo 2 not only creates reasons for why you're fighting, but also reasons for the constant changes of scenery.

A beautiful vista to introduce a new setting

There are some really truly impressive setpieces scattered throughout the game, usually to introduce a new area with new challenges, enemies, and weapons to acquire. Each place feels really unique, though there is occasionally an overreliance on industrial robotic corridors. Still, you're taken from different locaton to different location a lot. Not too often to get overwhelmed with constant change, and not too little that you get bored of fighting the same enemies in the same place.

Vertigo 2 Review - Pacing

That leads us to our final component of what makes Vertigo 2 a fantastic singleplayer VR game. This is a very well paced game with highs and lows all over. Combat is intersperced with periods of quiet, of rest. There is hardly ever too little or too much action. It can be hard to notice while playing, but Vertigo 2 is a very well paced game. It even is in terms of these other categories.

Brian is a crazy man

Enemy types don't stay around too long until they get old, and what sort of opponents you are fighting change often. The story moves fast enough to change the scenery often enough, and you acquire new weaponry at a pace that gives you time to get used to the new piece in your arsenal before you get a new one. Pacing in a video game is a very fine balance, and Vertigo 2 strikes it very well.

A Game By Solo Developer Zach Tsiakalis-Brown

These are the reasons why Vertigo 2 is such a fantastic singleplayer VR game, and you can tell that a lot of creativity and a lot of love went into making this experience. So, my hat is off to Zach Tsiakalis-Brown for the monumental effort and skill it must have taken to create this masterpiece.

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• A Relaxing Farming Simulator VR Game - Across The Valley

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• VR Tarkov Is Great - Ghosts Of Tabor Review