Virtual Reality is the future of gaming. That’s what some people claim. There are several VR headsets on the market with varying capabilities and degrees of performance. Many of these headsets and the software available have made it their mission to immerse players in a world beyond possibility, to make dreams a reality.
The headset and format can only be as good as the games and the software available. There are VR games of all shapes and sizes, from small experiences to big-budget, fully-featured games. There are also some big franchises in and out of gaming that have dabbled in the VR space. But also some that haven’t.
10 Assassin’s Creed
One of the big appeals of the Assassin’s Creed series is the unique world and time period in each iteration. For some of the Assassin’s Creed games, Ubisoft released an immersive, educational component called the Discovery Tour.
This Discovery Tour could be the basis of an Assassin’s Creed VR game. Players could enter the historical setting and get a sense of the place, the people, the lifestyles, and the culture. If that sounds boring, there could be some assassination involved too.
9 Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves allows you and your friends to get on a boat, explore the open seas, battle skeletons, find treasure and live out a pirate fantasy. It’s an open-world pirate simulator with a primary goal and purpose to immerse you into that fantasy.
This means that a VR version of Sea of Thieves would be a very cool idea. It would increase the immersion and allow full 360-degree views of your ship and environment. Many of the mechanics could fairly easily transition over to VR controls too.
8 Jurassic Park
Regardless of your thoughts on the direction of the movie side of this franchise, there is an appeal to dinosaurs and a world in which they exist alongside humans.
A Jurassic Park VR game’s big appeal would be the experience of seeing life-size dinosaurs. It could be an on-rails experience akin to sequences in the movies. You could sit and watch as dinosaurs pass by, mimicking the reactions of the movie characters. Or it could have more thrilling, interactive sequences, making it more than a visual showcase.
7 Metal Gear
Metal Gear is known for several things: its mix of action and stealth gameplay, its sometimes convoluted cinematic storytelling, its characters, and its giant mechs.
A VR Metal Gear game could do all of these things. It could operate primarily as a first-person action/stealth game, feature a cinematic story, and then end in an awe-inducing battle against a giant mech. A condensed VR version of the original Metal Gear Solid could work as a standalone VR game involving all these aspects. Famed creator Hideo Kojima would be a nice addition too, but that’s unlikely to happen.
6 Grand Theft Auto
The Grand Theft Auto series of games has evolved over the years. It started as a top-down, open-world game, transitioning to a 3D open-world game. After that, it pushed things forward with HD visuals and lighting. Then in Grand Theft Auto V, it pushed itself even further as an Online platform.
With the next generation update for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems, a new first-person perspective was introduced. It’s only natural then that the next step would be to turn that into a fully featured VR game. You could live in the world of Los Santos, drive cars, shoot guns, and do whatever the game and your imagination allow you to do.
5 Star Wars: Podracer
Star Wars has already invested in the VR space with games like Vader Immortal. They do an admirable job of immersing the player into specific worlds in the Star Wars galaxy and allowing you to experience what it’s like to go toe to toe with the likes of Darth Vader.
A VR Podracing game could do a lot of that and more. Not only would it allow you to sit inside a podracer and race against friends or AI opponents, but it could also mimic one of the best sequences from the first of the prequel trilogy of movies. You could explore different worlds and locations, experience the thrill and danger of the race, and get a fun game out of it too.
4 BioShock
The original BioShock is known for a few things: its immersive world with horror vibes and mystery aspects, its story, and its gameplay. A VR version of the original game could deliver on all of these elements while increasing your immersion into that world like never before.
The age of the original game could be the biggest hurdle. Graphically speaking, it may require a VR-specific remake or remastering rather than a simple port. But being able to traverse the underwater corridors of Rapture would be a cool experience for all fans of the original BioShock.
3 P.T. (Silent Hills)
P.T. was released as a teaser demo for Hideo Kojima’s take on the Silent Hill series. In it, you traverse a series of corridors, each one as creepy and as unnerving as the last. Along the way, you must solve puzzles, hold your nerve and escape.
Horror video games work very well in VR. The VR format allows the immersion and horror aspects to increase because of sensory deprivation. It makes you feel like you’re in the world far more than a standard game does. While P.T. is not likely to ever get a VR version (or an official release), it would be a most welcome, must-play VR game.
2 Pokemon
Nintendo and the Pokemon Company have not entered into the realm of VR all that much. They also don’t have a VR headset on the market either. But a VR Pokemon game would be a very cool and interesting prospect.
A VR Pokemon game would allow you to see life-size renditions of their favorite Pokemon. They would likely maintain their anime aesthetics, but a more realistic visual style akin to the Detective Pikachu movie could be good too. Being able to battle Pokemon or live in a world filled with them is the main appeal here.
1 Halo
Halo is a first-person shooter, a genre that has easily translated itself into the VR format. A potential Halo VR experience would not necessarily do anything new in this regard. It would be the Halo game you know and love, only in VR.
The big appeal is visiting the science fiction world, standing next to Grunts and Elites, and truly becoming the Master Chief. Plus, sitting atop a Warthog or flying in a Banshee would add more VR possibilities to the game.