The PlayStation VR2 is still a way away, but there are plenty of PSVR games you can play right now on the PlayStation 5. You’ll need the original PlayStation VR headset to play them.
The PSVR has held on as a surprisingly good doorway to a wide collection of the best VR games. It includes a number of Sony exclusives. So while you wait for the PlayStation VR2, you can hook up the existing PSVR to the PS5 and enjoy VR games. Some of them even benefit from better load times and graphics, too.
The PlayStation VR lives on with the PS5… and a few extra accessories.
Scott Stein/CNETSome words of advice: The PSVR headset is older tech that requires a complex, cabled box and an older PS4 camera, which will plug into the PS5 with an extra dongle adapter you’ll have to get from Sony. Also, most PSVR games won’t work with the new PS5 DualSense controller (with a few exceptions, like Star Wars Squadrons). For most gamepad games, you’ll need to dig up an older PS4-era DualShock 4.
Sony’s PSVR has other optional gear, too: wand-like PS Move controllers (which you need for some games) and a light-gun-like VR Aim controller. For the sake of keeping this list simple, I left off games that only work with those; below are some excellent titles that just need a DualShock 4 to work.
Also, a lot of these games also can work without a PSVR headset. They’re VR optional, but the headset adds a different level of immersion that’s often really compelling, with the downside of a lower-res display than you’d get on a 4K TV.
Media Molecule
Media Molecule’s browsable world of user-created things is impossible to explain, but you could build your own VR dreamscape here. Or explore others. Dreams will function without a VR headset, but VR just adds a whole new dimension to discover.
EA/Screenshot by Sean Keane/CNET
A pretty great Star Wars dogfighting game without a VR headset becomes even better with one. You can use your DualSense controller, since this game doesn’t track the controller’s motion in space.
Sony Interactive Entertainment
The best Sony VR exclusive game, and a must-play if you get a PSVR headset. The same team that made Astro’s Playroom — the game that’s baked into your PS5 that shows off the amazing tricks of the DualSense controller — also made this showcase for the PSVR headset. It plays like a wonderful VR version of a Mario-type platformer. I like it even more than Astro’s Playroom.
PlayStation
An art piece exploration puzzle game involving fantastic alien worlds, impossibly strange creatures and a simple interface that will have you exploring what to do. It’s a great game to soak in some atmosphere. And really, it’s so strange — and beautiful.
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Sony’s PS4 edition of the classic hovercar racing franchise works beautifully in VR, and it won’t make you too nauseous. The benefit of VR ends up being mainly about focus. (Sony’s Driveclub is another option.)
Hello Games
An infinite sci-fi space exploration game that’s gotten consistently better with age, No Man’s Sky now has VR support for the entire game (if you play the PS4 version). Recent updates have optimized graphics and load times, too. Again, you can also play this without a headset, or switch back and forth.
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