During the holiday season, board games are a popular choice when you want to have fun with loved ones, or even a festive movie night can bring everyone together. If these sound dull, you might prefer to play video games together this year.

Related: The Best VR Games For Parties

Even the quietest family members can get fired up and show their competitive streak once the controller is in their hands. Step this up a notch by playing VR games, an immersive experience for everyone. Delight in seeing their amazement at being transported into virtual worlds. With a range of games for all ages, these are the best VR game for family gatherings this holiday.

Update on December 18, 2022, by Branden Lizardi: With VR gaming continuing to grow and become ever more accessible, more games have entered the industry that would be perfect for showing off to friends and family this holiday season. As such, we've updated this list with some new multiplayer and cooperative titles that you shouldn't overlook this year.

14 Star Trek: Bridge Crew

A view of the Star Trek command deck, full of crewmates.

This game will have you working together as a team to complete objectives. You play as the crew of a Star Trek ship which you must manage together as you take on missions. Roles you can play as include captain, tactical officer, and engineer.

Through teamwork, you'll gather your forces to fire at enemy ships and patch up the damage when they retaliate. Fans of Star Trek in your family will be thrilled at being put on a Starfleet ship.

13 Job Simulator

A Screenshot From Gameplay of VR Game Job Simulator Showing Some Customers Waiting To Be Served.

A game that recreates the experience of working might seem like the last thing you want to play during your break. However, Job Simulator, with its wacky art style and chaotic gameplay, is great fun to play together. Take turns to see who can perform the best in jobs such as Gourmet Chef, Store Clerk, and Office Worker.

You must use your hands to complete tasks relating to your job, such as serving customers and making food. The unpredictable personalities of the robot monitors you interact with give this game a certain charm.

12 Resident Evil: Biohazard

A Screenshot From VR Gameplay Of Mia From Resident Evil 7 When She Is First Found In The Baker's House.

The VR experience of Resident Evil Biohazard is not for the faint of heart, which means it can be an entertaining game to get the scaredy-cat adults in your family playing. Just the intro itself can be as fun to watch from the sidelines as it is horrifying to experience for the wearer of the headset.

Related: How Long Does It Take To Beat Resident Evil 7

In this installment of the Resident Evil series, Ethan Winters ventures to Louisiana to find his missing wife, Mia, after receiving a message from her three years after her disappearance. This game is a great way to test if you and your loved ones are as brave as you think. Have fun guessing who among you will be brave enough to take on the Baker family and the horrors that lurk within their home.

11 Pupper Fever

A Screenshot From VR Gameplay Of Puppet Fever.

Laughter and hilarity will ensue once you start up Pupper Fever. Play with hundreds of puppets and props to put on a show for friends and family. Play charades and tell stories until late in the evening. The possibilities are endless with this simple yet amusing gameplay.

With local multiplayer, you can even put on shows together with an additional headset and combine your creative ideas.

10 Spaceteam VR

VR Gameplay Of SpaceTeam VR Showing Players Dancing Together In A Spaceship

Spaceteam VR is like if Star Trek: Bridge Crew took itself a bit less seriously. Play with up to six players locally to tackle complicated tasks and get your ship through space. Interact with robot friends roaming the ship and test your communication skills as you enjoy your time in space. Avoid threats and find the fun in stressful situations.

You'll certainly bond with your family as you combine your efforts to evade danger.

9 Astrobot Rescue Mission

A Screenshot From VR Gameplay Of Astrobot Rescue Mission Showing The Beach Level.

This platform game is free with PlayStation VR and a great first experience for those who might be new to VR. You play as a single Astro Bot on a mission to recover his friends after they have been scattered across the universe.

The stranded bots are sometimes difficult to spot as you work your way through levels. Having your family watching to point them out can be a lifesaver, and it doesn't hurt to have the extra support as you face challenging bosses.

8 Beat Saber

A Screenshot From VR Gameplay Of Beat Saber.

One of the most simple VR games you can play together is this rhythm game. An extremely fun challenge for both children and adults, Beat Saber challenges you to keep your focus and hit the obstacles as they approach you. Exciting musical tracks and bombastic visuals will excite anyone donning the VR headset.

Related: The Funniest VR Games

This game tests your timing and persistence as you work to keep up the pace. And once you get tired, you can pass it on to the next family member. Grandma's hip isn't THAT old.

7 Waltz Of The Wizard: Natural Magic

A Screenshot Of VR Gameplay Of Waltz Of The Wizard Showing A Selection Of Spells And A Skull Held By A Hand.

Does talking skulls and potion-making sound like your idea of fun? Waltz of the Wizard: Natural Magic has both of these things and more as you are given the powers of a wizard. With the power of magic in your hands, cast spells in a vibrant world that feels like it really exists.

This experience is memorable for its detailed environment, unusual characters, and tricky riddles.

6 Ballista

A Screenshot From VR Gameplay Of Ballista Showing Wand Training.

Ballista is all about defending strongholds in a fantasy land under attack by unrelenting evil. Relying on physics, you must break through defenses with your ever-growing army of followers. This game is perfect for some light-hearted, casual action gameplay that everyone can enjoy.

With dragons and magic wands, this is a fantastic game to immerse yourself in if you're looking for a charming fantasy experience.

5 Moss

A mouse leaps across a gap in a overgrown ruins following a glowing orb

Moss is perfect for family members of all ages to play. This whimsical puzzle game lets you control Quill the mouse as she battles evil and fierce enemies on an adventure to save her uncle. Turning the pages of a book in a library, the player is transported into Quill's world. This game is single-player but is a joy to spectate due to its fantasy environment.

Related: The Best First-Person Shooters On The PlayStation VR

The setting and story fit for any age, though younger players may find a new favorite in Moss.

4 Panoptic

Panoptic: Getting Caught By The Giant Overseer

In a way, Panoptic embodies one of the biggest challenges parents have when managing a family: keeping track of their kids. The concept is simple: one VR user controls a giant mask in the sky, while the other person has to sneak around an elaborate structure unseen. The goal is to reach the top of the structure before the giant mask can successfully identify you from the similar-looking NPCs.

The game compresses all of the fun of a hide-and-seek game into a stylized environment and far shorter time commitment. A few rounds of this, with family members swapping out the respective roles, will surely result in a fun and mischievous game night.

3 VR Giants

A stone golem extends a hand to a small human

Compared to the last entry, VR Giants offers a more cooperative but potentially far more frustrating experience. Another 'big guy, little guy' scenario, a small platforming human has to coordinate with a VR-controlled golem to solve a variety of puzzles. The giant golem can lift heavy blocks, move obstacles, and even pick up the little human themselves.

The real magic of this game comes from the struggle of working together. No one knows each other like family, right? Communicating with each other should be easy, right? So what if your aunt doesn't know what "yeet me" means? What's important is that you're spending time together. Put the human's perspective on the TV, and then the whole family can help try to brainstorm solutions.

2 Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes

In-Game Screenshot From Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes

We would be fools not to mention the OG of cooperative VR games: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. There's a reason it's considered one of the best VR games for family gatherings. One of the earlier examples of the creative potential VR as a platform has, it offers a very different take on how a game is played. One player in VR sees a box in front of them full of weird gizmos and puzzles. Everyone else in your family will see a bomb defusal manual with instructions on how to disarm each puzzle on the box. The two sides need to effectively communicate the complex circumstances of each attempt, guiding the bomb handler toward a successful defusing.

Quirky miscommunications, complex ideas, and an ever-ticking timer cultivate a fast-paced and exciting group experience perfect for hosting family VR games. Available on almost every VR platform, this makes it tremendously easy to access. Scream, panic, laugh, all of this will happen with every attempt. And when someone gives you a hard time, let them take the VR chair. Not so easy now, is it?

1 Walkabout Mini Golf VR

Mini Golf Course In Walkabout Mini Golf VR

is there any better family game outing more fitting than a good old-fashioned game of mini golf? Sure, it's harder to organize a round of the mini back nine when your uncle moved across the country. Don't fret, though; Walkabout Mini Golf VR has the answer. Like what it says on the tin, this is a mini golf VR game. But it offers a more refined experience. Colorful, stylized settings and responsive putting controls provide one of the more authentic virtual reality experiences.

Best of all, it features online multiplayer; you don't need to take turns with Grandpa. Invite your intended players together, and you can all participate in a miniature adventure together. Walkabout Mini Golf is already one of the best family VR games. And with both an online multiplayer option and a high ranking on the Meta/Oculus Quest marketplace, it's one of the best and most accessible Oculus family games you're going to find. Besides, there's something hilarious about watching your father's avatar rage over a virtual double bogey because the pagoda got in the way.

Next: The Best Multiplayer VR Games