Best VR indie games 2023

If you're looking for the best VR indie games out there, we've got you covered right here.

Some of the best VR games out there are made by big developers but sometimes, some rather cracking experiences can arrive from independent developers, whose games can be viewed as passion projects. If you've invested in one of the best VR headsets, then filling your library with fun indie titles alongside the heavy hitters can also help to provide a rounded collection of games.

Knowing what to play can be pretty difficult though, so we've done the legwork for you and picked out some of the best titles based on reviews, gameplay, and other features. There's everything available from fun arcade shooters like COMPOUND to cool mech simulators like Vox Machinae, and even the highly popular Beat Saber.

Let's get to it!

Best indie VR games

1. Beat Saber
2. SUPERHOT VR
3. VTOL VR
4. Racket: Nx
5. Art Plunge
6. Virtual Virtual Reality
7. Electronauts
8. Vox Machinae
9. COMPOUND
10. Dungeons of Eternity

Credit: Beat Games

Beat Saber

On the point of cracking VR indie games, there seems no better place to start than with Beat Saber.

What you're getting is a rather fun yet challenging experience based around the notion of hitting blocks that fly at you at a rate of knots, all whilst attempting to hit them in time to a song.

The music present makes sure Beat Saber is a fast-paced game, and therefore also one of the most fun games out there in VR, there's also a shedload of DLC packs for extra tracks to play from a variety of artists that have, in recent times, included Lady Gaga.

If you're after some more Beat Saber action, you can also check out our full review here.

Credit: SUPERHOT Team

SUPERHOT VR

SUPERHOT VR is a fantastic VR game anyway, but can also, therefore, be considered a marvellous indie game too, considering its developers aren't from a big studio.

Its time-bending movement mechanic works incredibly well outside of virtual reality in the base game, but putting that into VR just makes the shooter all the more immersive and engaging.

With this movement mechanic, it's your choice as to whether you want to take a slower and increasingly measured approach, or go all gung-ho and attempt to speedrun the game's levels.

Either way, SUPERHOT VR is quite a fantastic game and one we certainly recommend you pick up.

Credit: Boundless Dynamics

VTOL VR

For those on the hunt for a rather fun flight simulator, VTOL VR looks like a marvellous option.

Intriguingly, it's built from the ground up as a VR flight sim with proper support for VR motion controllers as opposed to relying on either joysticks or keyboard and mouse support.

What this should allow for is an exciting experience where you can operate key functions, shoot down targets with ease or just fly around aimlessly as you bask at how fantastic flight feels in VR.

Credit: One Hamsa

Racket: Nx

Racket: Nx certainly looks like quite an interesting game since it fuses the fun element of racquetball with more of a classic arcade art style that also makes it look fantastic.

Players are tasked with hitting balls against targets that sit on the walls of the game's 360-degree arena, all to a rather cool-sounding set of music. Think of it as a cross of tennis and Beat Saber.

You'll also find you can perform a variety of swings, ranging from lighter slices with spin or an all-out smash to try and grab yourself some bonus points before the orb bounces back, also, if you're looking for a decent workout, Racket: Nx can certainly provide.

Credit: Space Plunge

Art Plunge

If you want to wind down a little bit in VR, then Art Plunge allows you to do so by simply providing you with the opportunity to look at some paintings serenely.

As well as allowing you to have a look at some classic paintings including Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Botticelli's The Birth Of Venus, the game also allows you to step inside them.

This makes the experience a whole lot more immersive and can arguably help you to appreciate the wonder of certain paintings, even more, especially Renaissance art, and in a wider sense, allow you to relax if you've played some more intense titles earlier.

Credit: Tender Claws

Virtual Virtual Reality

Virtual Virtual Reality offers up a more comedic, narrative-driven game that allows you to explore over fifty different bright settings with all sorts of interesting tasks to complete.

These can range from blowing a tumbleweed with a leaf blower to spreading butter on toast, all within the game's sharp-looking worlds and behind a wall of well-written and comedic dialogue with impeccable timing.

As the game progresses though, things can become a little darker, but the same sharp wit remains and is sure to keep you engaged for the game's duration.

Credit: Survios

Electronauts

For those looking to create some banging tunes in a virtual world, then Electronauts may well just be the game for you.

What this will allow you to do is become a DJ in VR, either on your own, or with friends, and remix over eighty tracks with each song coming with its own set of backing tracks, vocals, and intriguing instruments, providing you with plenty of possibilities to have fun.

In addition, you pretty much get free rein with what you want to do with each song, whether it's creating loops or attempting to seamlessly transition from one song to the next. Whilst there aren't any specific objectives, Electronauts allows you to jam freely.

Credit: Space Bullet Dynamics Corporation

Vox Machinae

For fans of mech simulators, Vox Machinae should be right up your alley.

This bequeaths you the chance to control a mech with ease, although with a certain challenge to the controls that can make it feel like a simulator. That feeling is also reflected in the detail in the mech's cockpit with loads of interactive elements.

In addition, there is also the chance to fight against other mechs in an all-out war, which adds another element to this rather interesting game, and also means you'll need to be firing on all cylinders to ensure you win the battles.

Credit: Bevan McKennie

COMPOUND

COMPOUND looks to combine a bright and vibrant colour scheme with the fun of an arcade shooter.

It harks back to shooters of old with an eight-bit art style that makes you feel like you've been plonked into the original Wolfenstein, especially with how difficult the game looks to be.

Not to fear though as COMPOUND does provide you with a load of unique fun weaponry, including a bright green shotgun and pink assault rifle. To add to the fun, the world is also randomly generated, which should add another element of challenge to the shooter.

Credit: Othergate

Dungeons of Eternity

Dungeons of Eternity is an incredible dungeon-crawling game that is set in the future but has you raiding dungeons filled with weapons of the past.

Aside from being one of the coolest physics-based combat games out there, it's got a very satisfying gameplay experience where you're always gaining new loot and upgrades as you go. Plus, you can play the whole thing in multiplayer, and we love a good co-op game. That's especially true as you share your progress and don't have to worry about anything other than just having fun.

So, grab this, grab your weapon of choice, and then go ahead and lop the heads off of some skeletons.