Virtual reality is a fantastic technology that can make you feel totally immersed in video gameplay. When you put on a VR headset, it transports you inside the world of the game, making you feel like you’re really there. You can find thousands of VR games on the Oculus platform and in Valve’s Steam marketplace. But did you know there are also plenty of incredible open-source VR web games available?
What is Open-Source Web-Based VR?
The WebXR project (formerly WebVR) is an open-source platform that lets XR developers produce interactive VR content that runs on a browser. Firefox, Chrome, and the built-in browser on the Meta Quest 2 all support WebXR content.
The WebXR platform is hardware agnostic and supports both virtual reality headsets and augmented reality headsets. You can even access some WebXR content with your computer or smartphone.
We’ve sifted through the various games and WebVR experiences online to build this list of the best VR web games on offer. Best of all, all of these titles are free to play.
Best VR Web Games
1. Soundboxing
The rhythm game subgenre is scorchingly popular, and people love to play these games on every platform. When it comes to VR, there’s no disputing that Beat Saber is the king of the rhythm game mountain.
We’re happy to say that Soundboxing is an excellent alternative that’s actually better than Beat Saber in many ways. One major perk? Soundboxing takes its music content straight from YouTube, which means your music selection is practically unlimited.
2. Fit’n Punch XR
Fit’n Punch XR is a first-person VR boxing game for the Oculus Quest. It supports room-scale tracking, which means you can duck, dive, and dodge your opponent’s attacks while tossing fists back at their face. Fit’n Punch XR is also a great way to get some real exercise while you game.
3. Beat Knight XR
While Soundboxing can fill the rhythm game void, throwing a punch doesn’t always feel as good as, say, wielding a sword. If you’re looking for something closer to Beat Saber, you should play Beat Knight XR. The graphics don’t look like much, but you still get to hack and slash everything coming your way.
4. Krossa
Have you ever been so mad that you just needed to smash something? Krossa has got you covered! This browser-based VR game lets you vent your frustrations by hitting vases with a baseball bat. It sounds silly, but it’s oh so satisfying.
Krossa is accessible through almost any headset with 6DoF controllers, including the HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus Rift, and Meta Quest.
5. Silk Brush
Silk Brush is one of the most ambitious WebXR projects we’ve come across. This title isn’t necessarily a “game,” but it’s an app that you can spend hours playing around in. Silk Brush is a complete WebXR port of the incredible Tilt Brush VR art application.
The developer behind this project managed to bring each tool and brush from the original into the browser-based reproduction. Silk Brush is entirely free to use, and it even allows you to export .glb files of your 3D creations and do whatever you want with your work.
6. Up There
Up There is more of an interactive educational VR experience than a full-fledged game. This title is a virtual planetarium simulator with a night sky filled with more than 100,000 stars to gaze at. You can learn about a handful of specific stars, including Procyon, Barnard’s Star, and our own Sol. You can also filter the view to depict the constellations and the known exoplanets.
You won’t need any special equipment to try out Up There. The experience supports any VR headset, including basic Google Cardboard headsets. You can even try it out on your computer — but it’s way more fun to look around in a headset.
7. VRBlocks
VRBlocks is a virtual reality clone of Minecraft. But instead of hosting many separate worlds to visit, VRBlocks is one gigantic, persistent virtual world to explore and help design. It’s also the first VR multiplayer game on our list. Everyone who enters VRBlocks shares the same creative environment, though it’s a big enough world that you may never see another player.
Want to explore VR more? Read about all the other things you can do with your VR headset.
Feature image via Shutterstock
