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15 best Samsung Gear VR games
Affected – The Manor
Price: $2.99
Affected – The Manor is a psychological horror with some thriller elements. The game also features puzzle and adventure elements as well. You basically move about a haunted manor with a bunch of jump scares and other scary stuff. Jump scares in VR are just so much more delightful than they are on regular mobile gaming. The controls are rather simple. You either walk forward or look at stuff. Looking at stuff triggers various events and opens up doors. The simplicity of the controls with the terrific animation and creepy atmosphere make Affected – The Manor an excellent horror game for fans of the genre. It’s also relatively inexpensive. Dreadhalls is another great game with a very similar premise.
Along Together
Price: $9.99
Along Together is an adorable adventure game in VR. You play as an imaginary friend to a couple of kids. Their dog goes missing and you help and defend them along the way. They move about the game map without too much input from you. However, you’re the one that moves platforms and opens doors and such. You also find toys, explore various game environments, and there are some light puzzle mechanics as well. This is colorful, fun, and enjoyable on almost every level. It’s also great for older kids. The game runs for $9.99 and that’s a bit expensive, but we have no real complaints with this one. Good luck finding Rishu!
Augmented Empire
Price: $9.99
Augmented Empire is an action-strategy game with tun-by-turn combat elements. You play in a high tech future with a serious class problem. The combat system reminds us a lot of X-COM games. You move about a map, use cover, and shoot at your opponents. However, it’s not quite like a third person shooter. It’s a colorful and fun game with some more mature elements. You also get some RPG mechanics as well. The game play mechanics and controls are rather simple to figure out once you get used to them. This is also the same developer of Esper, Esper 2, and A Night Sky. Those are all excellent games for the Gear VR.
Drop Dead
Price: $9.99
Drop Dead VR is a VR shooter with horror and zombie game elements. The game features a variety of weapons, plenty of zombies to shoot, and three different timelines to play through. Additionally, there is multiplayer, a survival mode, and a bunch of other little gadgets. This is definitely a more mature experience and we don’t recommend it for younger kids. It’s also not the scariest game despite the horror elements. Still, it’s a fairly competent shooter with a bunch of game play elements mixed with decent arcade action. It may not be worth the $9.99 price tag, but we’ll leave that for you to decide.
End Space
Price: $7.99
End Space is one of the older Gear VR games on the list. It’s still one of the better and more competent space shooters, though. You pilot a space ship, fly around expansive space environments, and dog fight with other fighters. You get massive explosions, a fun cockpit style HUD, and even a bit of story line to play through. Players engage in a war between the Tartarus Liberation Front and the United Trade Federation. It uses the motion controller on the Gear VR to excellent effect and players get several different weapons to choose from. This is an action shooter that should please many. It is fast and quite intense, though, so those who like slower games may want to pass on this one.
Face Your Fears
Price: Free
Face Your Fears is a VR thriller by Turtle Rock Studios, developers of the popular Left 4 Dead game on Steam. Face Your Fears is a horror-adventure game with plenty of stuff to freak you out. That includes robots, ghosts, and other monstrous creatures. You use motion controls and head tracking for most tasks within the game. To be honest, it’s a bit more simple than most games on the Gear VR platform. Other Gear VR players call it a delightfully scary time and it plays a little bit like Dreadhall and Affected – The Manor. Those who like scary stuff should definitely try this one. It’s also one of the best and most popular free Gear VR games.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Price: $14.99
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is another older Gear VR game that people really like. It’s a multi-player puzzle game. Players work together to diffuse a bomb before it explodes. The has an expert as well as a defuser. The expert explains how to diffuse the bomb to the defuser and the defuser turns off the bomb. It’s an excellent party game and local multiplayer is the preferred way to play. However, you can use something like Discord or Slack and play online as well. This is such a great little game. About our only problem is the price. You can play with multiple players with a single copy, but $14.99 makes it one of the more expensive Gear VR games on the list.
Minecraft VR
Price: $6.99
Minecraft VR is another extremely popular and extremely good VR game. It plays basically like the normal Minecraft game except it’s in virtual reality. You can still mine, build, farm, fish, and all of the other fun little activities you normally can. The VR aspect is fairly typical. You can simply see around yourself in 360-degrees. The controls are about the same as are the movements and combat mechanics. It’s not much different than playing the 2D version. It does support 3D audio, though, and we thought that was pretty neat. It even costs the same as the mobile version of Minecraft at $6.99. This is also kid friendly. Some people have reported bugs, though, so keep an eye out for those.
République VR
Price: $9.99
République VR is a VR variant of the popular mobile, PS4, and PC game. It’s a puzzle-adventure game with point-and-click mechanics. You play as Hope, a girl trapped in a dystopian future. You play the role of an omnipresent force that helps Hope avoid cameras and detection to reach the various points of the story. It’s a unique premise with some fun game play. The game is a little bit older than most, but it worked fine on our test device. This is a long game with a decent narrative and fun game mechanics. It has the occasional bug, though, so do look out for that.
Rush VR
Price: $7.99
Rush VR is easily one of the funnest racing games we’ve ever played. You and a bunch of other players race along tracks, hit check points, and try to finish in first place. You basically fly the entire time and that adds a send of wonder and intensity to the proceedings that you don’t get with a grounded racer. The game features over 80 tracks, multiple game modes, and multiplayer with up to three of your friends online. It’s more challenging than it looks and it feels like a console game with an extra virtual reality element to it. It runs for $7.99 and, while pricey, it’s also quite fun.
Smash Hit VR
Price: $2.99
Smash Hit VR is a virtual reality version of one of our favorite infinite runners. Smash Hit VR is a first-person runner with some shooting elements. You run forward infinitely much like any endless runner. However, the game tosses various glass panes in your way. You look at them with head-tracking and shoot metal balls at them to break the panels. The number of balls you have also denotes your life total. It’s game over if you run out of balls. We would’ve liked to use a controller for aiming as the head tracking gets a little tiresome after a while. Otherwise, this is among the best infinite runner experiences in VR along with games like Temple Run VR.
Splat VR
Price: $5.99
Splat VR is an arcade game similar to Frogger, Crossy Road, and other similar games. Players control a little animal as you cross roads, streams, patches of grass, and other places. You must do so without being run over, run into, or falling into the water. The game also features dynamic weather seasons, and plenty of weird things that occasionally chase you. The mechanics aren’t difficult and they’re also kid friendly. Anyone who’s played Frogger, Crossy Road, or similar arcade games know what’s coming at them. This is a newer game and it worked fine in our testing, but you may want to test it inside of Oculus’ 14-day return period.
They Suspect Nothing
Price: $7.99
They Suspect Nothing is the second game on the list by Coat Sink. It’s an adventure game with some puzzle elements. You are greeted by a colorful and quirky game environment where players engage with a bunch of mini-games. The game boasts 20 total mini-games, some humorous dialog, and five different levels. You can also create a customized avatar, pass-and-play multiplayer, and even leaderboards. It feels like a complete game and we especially enjoyed its quirky and goofy nature. The game runs for $7.99 and there is a DLC pack included in that price tag. It’s one of the newer games on the list as well.
Virtual Virtual Reality
Price: $9.99
Virtual Virtual Reality one of the most popular and highly-rated games in the Oculus Store. It’s a narrative-driven adventure game with some puzzle game elements. You play in a world transformed by artificial intelligence. The AI gives you a bunch of extra stuff to do because you’re a human and that’s what humans need to feel satisfied. Players can play the mini-games or break from the pattern and try to reclaim their own humanity. It’s almost like Portal, Wall-E, and the Matrix all mixed together. This is easily one of the most satisfying games on all of the Gear VR (and Oculus) platform. We strongly recommend it.
The Well
Price: $4.99
The Well is the second game on this list by Turtle Rock Studios. This is a rare RPG for the Gear VR platform. It plays like a next generation jRPG. It features turn-by-turn combat, massive dungeons to explore, gear and loot to find, and a story to play through. Players recruit allies for the fight, survive enemy encounters, and defeat the Tesh before they destroy everything. It’s nice to see the slower, more relaxing jRPG style represented in something as advanced as virtual reality and we’re certainly glad for it. Some have complained about the controls and the textures, but honestly we couldn’t see any problems with them. It’s a big game and a positive overall experience.
Thank you for reading! Check these out too:
- 10 best augmented reality apps and AR apps for Android
- 10 best augmented reality games and AR games for Android
If we missed any great Samsung Gear VR games, tell us about them in the comments below! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game news!