Best VR Games for Kids: What Every Parent Should Know
Virtual reality (VR) is a growing market. Every day, a few VR games release on digital gaming platforms such as Steam. Sure, VR is great for slaying demons and immersing you in some of the scariest situations imaginable. But what are the best VR games for kids?
Kids are in luck when it comes to VR games. Plenty of games exist in virtual reality that are appropriate and fun to play. However, before talking about the best VR games for kids, you need to understand what VR is.
Virtual Reality Explained
VR brings you into a world that seems real. You use your hands, feet, and other means of communication to interact with an environment that surrounds you.
Typically, you place a VR headset on your head and can look around in 360 degrees. That’s what truly sets VR apart from other games. The game doesn’t just exist on a TV screen. It engulfs you. You possess the ability to reach out and touch the objects around you.
VR has several uses outside video games. From taking students around the world and showing them historical sites to safety training, VR has a multitude of applications.
You can buy different VR headsets and accessories from Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. Other places sell these headsets, but these are the easiest places to find them.
How We Chose the Best VR Games for Kids
Image by PublicDomainPNG from Pixabay
The benchmarks for choosing the best VR games for kids include if the game is kid-friendly and if the game is easy to use. By kid-friendly, we mean no overt violence, no swearing, and no sexual content. We also looked at the user reviews. If 75 percent of user reviews were positive, then the game was available for us to choose.
The Best VR Games for Kids
Below are the best VR games for kids. Some of them are part of established franchises, while others are newcomers that show off the impressive technology of VR. Each game gives the player something different. Whether it’s having fun playing mini-golf or creating an out-of-this-world contraption, you’re guaranteed to have fun with any of these titles.
Read on to find the best VR games for kids.
Hanging out with friends and talking helps kids develop their socialization skills. While this is true in the real world, it’s also true in the virtual one.
“Rec Room” allows your kids to meet others from around the world and engage in a variety of activities. Does your child enjoy paintball? “Rec Room” offers VR paintball. How about dodgeball? “Rec Room” also has you covered as well.
What if your child wants to communicate with other kids? They can do that too, as each user can create a room full of activities to do. Create a place that suits your interests and visit other rooms to find neat and fun activities.
Ninety-three percent of user reviews were positive on Steam, and many mentioned how the developers consistently support the game. They fix bugs and generally improve the experience. However, a negative to note deals with the platforms where the game is available. You can find this one on the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and the Windows Mixed Reality platform, but it’s also available on non-VR platforms. According to negative reviews, non-VR users have a hard time creating quality rooms.
When “The Lab” first released in 2016, it showed the true potential of virtual reality. It’s still considered one of the best VR games for kids. Based on the fictional company from Valve’s popular Portal series, Aperture Labs, “The Lab” gives you all you could ever ask for in a VR game.
“The Lab” presents you with a series of short “room-scale experiments.” For these experiments, the majority of your room will be needed to ensure you have enough space to move. An Oculus Sensor helps track your movement if you use an Oculus Rift.
Essentially, each small “game” is a different experience. One game has you gazing down at the Earth and traveling to some of the most beautiful places on the planet. Another small game lets you humorously repair a robot.
“The Lab” is perfect for both kids and adults alike. That shows in the reviews, as 96 percent of user reviews on Steam were positive. They praised the ingenuity of the title. A negative mentioned in the reviews dealt with the game crashing on the Windows Mixed Reality platform. But, it has since been patched and works just fine.
“The Lab” is available to play on the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and the Windows Mixed Reality platform.
When playing the best VR games for kids, you need to remember to have fun. Sometimes, you can get caught up in a game and forget to have fun. Lucky for you, it’s hard to stop having fun while mini-golfing in virtual reality.
“Cloudlands: VR Mini-Golf” allows you to play mini-golf on a variety of virtual courses. No experience with mini-golf? No problem. Once you start the game, you swing the club with your arms, and off you go on a wonderful little mini-golf adventure.
The physics work well, and it feels as if you’re on a mini-golf course. The game offers one full mini-golf course, but you have the opportunity to play it in three different seasons (summer, autumn, and winter). You can also enjoy the music of the game with an HTC Vive Deluxe Audio Strap. The strap makes sure the headset stays on and lets you hear the VR world in crisp detail.
Players loved this game on Steam. Eighty-four percent of reviewers loved it, and positive reviews remarked on how fun the game makes the multiplayer mode feel. A few negative reviews did mention that the game contains some bugs. But, the last negative reviews recorded were in January of 2018, so the game may run smoother now.
“Cloudlands: VR Mini-Golf” is only available on the HTC Vive.
Spatial awareness is crucial for kids to develop. Some VR games do a great job of harnessing spatial awareness, and “Tilt Brush” is one such game. Unleash your child’s imagination with a virtual paintbrush and canvas.
“Tilt Brush” lets you create whatever you want in a 3D environment. You wield a paintbrush and all the tools needed to create some of the most beautiful and fantastical art pieces you’ve ever seen. Created by Google, “Tilt Brush” expands your child’s mind and is a virtual reality experience you need to immerse yourself in to believe.
Gamers agreed, and 93 percent of people who left a review on Steam gave it a favorable one. Many players enjoyed the sheer amount of choice you have in the game. They liked the dozens of paintbrushes available. Though, a negative review noted that the game doesn’t explain its systems well.
“Tilt Brush” is available on the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and the Windows Mixed Reality platform.
Popular in the 1970s and 1980s, video games in the home have slowly replaced the concept of the arcade. But, the “Pierhead Arcade” VR game encompasses much more than video games. Taking place on a pier, it’s more of a boardwalk arcade.
Boardwalk arcades have much more than video games. Whack-a-Mole, basketball, bowling, and even Super Punch are available in “Pierhead Arcade,” and every one of them is a blast to play. You also get unlimited tokens to spend, so you never have to worry about running out of currency.
Finally, a multiplayer option means your kids get to socialize with others and share the magic of the boardwalk. Players also liked this magic. Ninety-four percent of user reviews on Steam are positive, and many happy gamers pointed out how all the mini-games available in “Pierhead Arcade” help you get accustomed to VR and how to move around in that environment. A negative review mentioned the multiplayer services and how they were challenging to use.
When playing the game, make sure to be safe. Use accessories like the TrackStrap to keep the headset firmly in place.
This game is available on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
The best VR games for kids encompass a variety of genres. Some of them are puzzle games, while others are action-adventure games. “Candy Kingdom” VR is an FPS (first-person shooter), but it isn’t violent. Instead of shooting people, the player shoots candy.
Not only are your targets candy, but you also shoot candy from your candy gun as well. A simple game, it’s fun for the younger kids, and the whole family can watch and let them know which targets the player missed.
Short and sweet, 77 percent of user reviews on Steam are positive. The ability to adjust the difficulty was something people loved about the game. But, a negative review mentioned that the gun sometimes points downward even if the player is aiming upward.
It’s available to play today on the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
The best VR games for kids expand the mind, and building objects is the perfect way to do this. “Fantastic Contraption” challenges you in more than 50 official levels. Each level requires solving in a ton of different ways. The only way you lose in this game is if you don’t think outside the box.
It’s an excellent way for kids to grow their critical thinking skills. Seventy-five percent of user reviews on Steam liked the game. Positives mentioned in the reviews included the fact that the game is fun for both spectators and players. However, a negative brought up deals with the objects themselves. By tweaking a component just a little bit, it can completely change how the contraption works.
If you build up a sweat during your gaming sessions with this game, have no fear. If you have an Oculus Rift, an Oculus Rift Facial Hygiene Kit helps clean out the sweat from the headset.
The game is available on the Windows Mixed Reality platform, HTC Vive, and the Oculus Rift.
Download and Play with Your Kids Today
VR is a new frontier when it comes to technology. It’s on the cutting edge of jumping from its infant stages to becoming something more advanced. When the technology evolves, so will the games.
The games immerse you in unfathomable worlds. It transports you into a realm where anything is possible. Whether it be a candy kingdom or a boardwalk arcade, the VR experience is something special that should be cherished.
It’s important to know what your kids are playing, so make sure you understand what each game brings to the table. You need to screen the games they play to make sure they’re age-appropriate, but these games also provide an important bonding opportunity.
You only have one chance at building a relationship with your kids when they’re young, so take advantage of the VR experience. You’ll be so glad you did.
What’s your favorite game on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured Image: Image by Prashant Sharma from Pixabay