These 7 virtual reality fitness games will have you sweating in no time

Updated on July 16, 2022 14:58 PM by Andrew Koschiev

San Francisco State University

A number of virtual reality fitness experts, including personal trainers, have shared their top recommendations for virtual reality games that are both fun and challenging. If slicing orbs to the beat of your favorite song, jumping over and ducking under laser beams, or sword fighting orcs in the middle of a forest sound more fun than logging miles on the treadmill, keep reading. According to Jimmy Bagley, Ph.D., an associate professor of kinesiology and research director of the Strength and Conditioning Lab at San Francisco State University, who studies virtual reality health and exercise, "you can break a sweat and burn some serious calories from the comfort of your living room." Furthermore, the games can be a lot of fun.

Dr. Bagley’s words

According to Dr. Bagley, "Virtual reality games aren't always marketed as exercise," but according to the findings of his research, "when you play them, some can deliver the workout equivalent of walking on a treadmill or cycling on a stationary bike." You'll need a virtual reality headset to get started with VR fitness. Some popular options include the Meta Quest 2 (formerly known as Oculus Quest 2), the HTC Vive Pro, and the PlayStation VR. After that, you'll have to download a few different games.

VR fitness games

Remember, if you have a health issue or injury that may impair your ability to exercise safely, you should consult your doctor before beginning any new workout program or trying virtual reality (VR) fitness games. We questioned Bagley and a few other VR fitness experts about the games that they enjoy playing most when they are in the mood to get a workout in. You'll get up and move around when you play these games, and they'll even get your heart rate up. The following is a selection of their top choices:

VR Health Institute

The VR Health Institute, an independent research organization that was founded in 2017 to study the effects of virtual and augmented reality technology on fitness, selected Supernatural as their top pick. Bagley and Aaron Stanton are the founder and directors of the VR Health Institute. (For research projects, Bagley and San Francisco State University have collaborated with the VR Health Institute.) It's a subscription-based workout platform that currently has over 500 works and adds new ones on a daily basis. You can practice yoga, Pilates, boxing, and other sports with a virtual instructor in a variety of stunning locations around the world, from the Bolivian salt flats to an Icelandic volcano.

Supernatural's signature game

The flagship title of the Supernatural franchise, Flow, is a full-body workout in which players use their controllers to slam targets in time to the beat of a song while ducking, lunging, and jumping to avoid oncoming shapes. The flow was developed by Supernatural. The average duration of a workout is somewhere between 10 and 30 minutes. According to Bagley, time goes by more quickly than you might think, and before you know it, you've worked up a sweat and completed your allotted amount of physical activity for the day. If you find that you are falling behind, try not to let it discourage you.

Addictive yet healthy

Bagley uses the word "addictive" to describe it. You will use a controller that looks like a lightsaber sword to slash at oncoming shapes in time to the beat of the music. You will have a red and a blue controller in each hand. Your task is to use the appropriate sword to cut the shapes, which will either be red or blue depending on their color. You'll need to duck and dodge any obstacles that come into your path as well.

VR games that bring revolution to fitness through virtual reality

It makes me think of the older versions of Dance Revolution games. "It has the potential to turn into a fairly strenuous workout," says Bagley. Beat Saber can be played on a variety of platforms, including PlayStation VR headsets and Meta Quest, amongst others. At retail, you can expect to pay about $30 for it. If you've ever been curious about how well you'd perform in a boxing ring, download Thrill of the Fight and put on your virtual reality headset.

The thrill of the Fight

According to Stanton, researchers at the Virtual Reality Health Institute determined how many calories players of a variety of games, including Thrill of the Fight, burned while participating in those games. The team found that the sparring game required one of the highest amounts of energy outputs per minute when compared to the other games they examined. The number of calories burned by players ranged from 9.74 to 15.32 per minute, which is comparable to the number of calories burned during a standard rowing workout.

A National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer has taken virtual reality exercise to the next level

During the course of a match that lasts five minutes, you throw punches on a consistent basis while squatting and ducking from side to side. The workout might be difficult for some people. Stanton believes that after a few matches, you will have aching arms and be covered in sweat. Tim Donahey, a personal trainer based in Ohio who is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, began using virtual reality fitness in August 2016 to assist him in losing weight after he had gained weight earlier in the year. Holoball was one of the four games that were included in his daily rotation. (Donahey made a commitment to engage in virtual reality (VR) exercise for one hour, five days a week for the next fifty days, and he will be documenting his progress on Reddit.)

A room with special specs is needed for the VR

The gameplay of holoball is comparable to that of virtual racquetball in the sense that players compete in a room filled with vibrant colors while hitting neon-colored balls against the walls in front of them. Holoball was created by HoloLens, a company that specializes in creating immersive sports experiences. "Because it is so simple to grasp, participating in the game will feel like a natural extension of your day-to-day life," the author says. This will, according to Donahey, cause your heart rate to rise into the zone considered to be appropriate for warming up, and it will keep it there once it reaches that point.

Aspects of Holoball

Holoball is playable on a variety of platforms, including Meta Quest, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, and Steam. It ranges in price from $9.99 to $14.99. (Depending on your platform). Look to Holopoint if you want to try your hand at archery. You play an archer, drawing a virtual bow to hit blue targets that approach you. According to Mathias Sorensen, an ACSM-certified personal trainer and curriculum manager at the American Fitness and Nutrition Academy in Pasadena, California, every time you eviscerate a target, it fires a blue laser beam at you that you must avoid. Sorensen, an avid gamer, claims to have first used VR fitness games in 2015.

Variety of movements in the VR fitness games

Sorensen takes pleasure in the game's many different types of action, which include sprinting about your living room and firing arrows from a variety of positions while jumping and ducking to avoid being hit by laser beams. Sorensen wants you to know that as you continue through the stages, you will come across ninjas and samurais who are armed with their own laser beams and swords. FitXR comes highly recommended by Sorensen if you are the type of person who enjoys a wide range of exercise possibilities. Boxing studios, dance studios, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) studios are some of the options that are available to you on the site. There is a library of on-demand classes, and fresh workouts are continually being added to it every day. You have access to a wide selection of musical styles and workout settings to choose from.

A VR fitness game with the perks of real fitness activities

Sorensen enjoys the portion of the platform that focuses on boxing training the most. "If you want to get in your best or better shape, this is one of the most strenuous cardio games you can play." He explains that throughout the entire match "you're throwing punches, ducking approaching attacks, and you're revved up." To Take Pleasure In It is only available through Meta Quest. A monthly subscription will set you back $9.99 every month. Goalkeepers in soccer are put under a great deal of pressure throughout games. If you want to experience what it's like to be a goalkeeper for a day without the strain of the real world, Donahey recommends you try Goalkeeper VR. According to Donahey, being able to keep the soccer balls from getting through the net will need concentration, coordination, and the capacity to react swiftly. You should be prepared to spring, lunge to one side, or slide on your knees in order to deflect balls with your hands, feet, and even your forehead.