You don’t need an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift to strap impressive VR experiences to your face – Samsung’s Gear VR does it at a fraction of the cost.
Sure, they’re not all exactly on the same level, but the Gear VR requires a much less expensive overall investment, especially if you already have a recent Samsung flagship phone (like the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy Note 8), and it has more than 1,000 apps and games to check out in the Oculus Store. There are plenty out there that support the current-generation Gear VR, too – including its bundled motion controller for more immersive experiences.
From games to 360-degree VR videos, there’s plenty to dig into – and we’ve got some favourites, naturally. Here are the 25 Gear VR games and apps you ought to start with.
STAR WARS: DROID REPAIR BAY
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Like Hitman Go, the Gear VR-exclusive Augmented Empire doesn’t really need to exist in virtual reality. After all, you’ll spend most of the game looking down at a grid board, moving characters around and waging turn-based battles.
Even so, this is an incredibly cool game that you can only play on Gear VR, and it might sate your urge to use the headset for something deeper. This cyberpunk-meets-steampunk tactics game offers up great graphics, voice acting from the likes of Kate Mulgrew and Nick Frost, and about 10 hours of gameplay to savour.
Price: $2.49 (₹499)
Download Augmented Empire here from Oculus
THE WELL
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VR is absolutely the best gaming platform for horror experiences, and while the Gear VR lacks Resident Evil 7 and Paranormal Activity found on other headsets, it does have Face Your Fears. And Face Your Fears is headlined by a Stranger Things experience right now.
Expectedly, it’s pretty eerie. You’ll explore a couple of spaces from the Netflix smash, with creatures attacking through the walls and creeping around in the dark. Face Your Fears has other spooky non-licensed levels that you can buy, as well, but Stranger Things is the star attraction if you like the idea of being terrified with a phone strapped to your face.
Price: Free
Download Face Your Fears here from Oculus
MINECRAFT: GEAR VR EDITION
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Smash Hit VR is adapted from a pretty great mobile game, but it’s even better when you’re immersed in this wonderfully destructive experience. As you’re automatically nudged through rooms filled with minimal geometry, you must toss balls to shatter the glass panes and sculptures peppered along the way.
It’s an arcade experience, really: continued play requires careful aim and smashing every last piece of glass, which gives you extra balls with each toss. In VR, it’s a dazzling experience, full of satisfying thrills and beautiful sights – and amazingly, it’s totally free too.
Price: $2.29 (around ₹200)
Download Smash Hit here from Oculus
HITMAN GO: VR EDITION
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Land’s End shares some visual commonalities with Monument Valley, the stunning mobile puzzler, but ustwo’s first VR effort is much simpler in approach than that earlier game. Rather than twist around the environment to solve brain teasers, you’ll look freely around the sparse, beautiful terrain and use your gaze to progress through breezy puzzles.
While not especially challenging, Land’s End is a delight to take in, as it creates a real sense of atmosphere in the calming, natural terrain – and has just enough mystery to keep you pushing ahead to each new landmark.
Price: $5.99 (around ₹400)
Download Land’s End here from Oculus
BLADE RUNNER 2049: MEMORY LAB
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VR might shut you off from the outside world, but it doesn’t have to be a completely solitary experience. In fact, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes might be the most hilarious example yet of how to put that awkward scenario to brilliant use.
With the headset on, you’ll stare at a randomly generated bomb covered with wires and buttons – and your nearby friends are looking at a manual, either printed out or on another screen, and must walk you through the disarming process as you describe a bomb that they cannot see. Who knew one VR headset could power an awesomely social party game?
Price: $7.49 (around ₹500)
Download Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes here from Oculus
WITHIN
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VR is all about breaking through the limits of flat screens – and amazingly, that’s true of painting as well. Paint VR opens up the 360-degree environment around you for your virtual brush, but you won’t be limited to walls or canvasses: you can paint right onto the air.
And then you can move around a bit and turn your initial brush strokes into the 3D masterpiece of your dreams. It’s best with the Gear VR Controller, which doubles as your brush – and while Paint VR isn’t as expansive as Tilt Brush on the Vive and Rift, it’s less than two quid.
Price: $1.99 (around ₹128)
Download Paint VR here from Oculus
RANGI
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Samsung’s own 360-degree video portal has some neat highlights, including trippy animated clips and other short films, not to mention a super slick hub for everything. But the real highlight is Gone, an original series from the creators of The Walking Dead TV series.
Gone tells the story of a young girl who suddenly vanishes from a public playground, and you’ll have to piece together what happened across several episodes, zooming into highlighted areas to examine clues. It’s a bit creepy and totally unsettling, but it’s a nice glimpse at the very new and exciting form of immersive and lightly interactive storytelling.
Price: Free
Download Samsung VR here from Google Play
EVE GUNJACK
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Most VR apps are short and sweet, but the best of them stick with you long after the credits roll. That’s the case with Colosse, a mesmerising visual experience that’s like a jaw-dropping cartoon come to life. You don’t do much but look around, but the sights make it well worth your time.
It’s a simple story of a spear fisherman startled by a lumbering giant, which quickly leads to a series of events, and there’s a really amazing sense of depth to the world: it’s just a few minutes’ worth of looking around, but that’s well worth savoring. Colosse is an ideal VR showcase for friends, too, since it is so eye-poppingly beautiful.
Price: Free
Download Colosse here from Oculus
DARK DAYS
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If you haven’t played a zombie shooter in VR, have you even played VR at all? Thankfully, Drop Dead makes it addictively easy to get shooting, with its look-to-aim immersion and action-packed gameplay.
The green undead coming at your face might be thoroughly cartoonish, but that doesn’t stop Drop Dead serving up its fair share of scares, not to mention a combat system that makes accuracy fun. Who doesn’t love lopping off zombie body parts?
Price: $9.99 (around ₹668)
Download Drop Dead here from Oculus
SKYLIGHT
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While developers continue to explore the possibilites of VR, the basic jump scare remains an obvious example of its make-believe-made-real tech – which is something Affected: The Manor knows well.
For anyone who’s played the likes of Resident Evil, Affected doesn’t do much new as you creep around the archetypal haunted mansion setting.
All the same, its blend of terrifying torchlight exploration and randomised ‘boo’ moments make it a nerve-wracking way to play with your Gear VR.
Price: $2.29 (around ₹200)
Download Affected: The Manor here from Oculus
OCEAN RIFT
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Source: Stuff