The incredible immersion that VR provides takes the survival genre to another level, creating some of the most intense and memorable gaming moments you’re ever likely to experience. This article is going to cover 18 of the best VR survival games you can play today for PC VR headsets, Quest 2, and PSVR.
I’ve tried every VR survival game I could find over the last few years, and have spent hundreds of hours experiencing everything that the genre has to offer. I’ve picked 18 of my favorite VR survival games for this list that I think are definitely worth playing. I’ve included a number of true survival experiences, as well as some horror survival games that will keep your heart pounding from start to finish.
1. Green Hell VR
Green Hell VR is a survival game set in the Amazon rainforest where you find yourself alone, without food or shelter, trying to survive in this harsh environment. You have to learn a range of survival skills to find food, water, and shelter, to meet your immediate needs, and use the well-designed crafting system to build a camp and tools to begin to thrive in difficult conditions.
You find yourself in an inhospitable place, with disease, injury, wild animals, and hostile enemies among the threats to your survival. Green Hell VR is an unforgiving game, and you will likely struggle a lot at first, but it is well worth battling through this learning curve as it is a highly rewarding and engrossing game, with the potential to provide many hours of entertainment.
Green Hell VR was released on the Oculus store in April 2022, with graphics that accommodate the limited processing power of the Quest 2. A PC VR release followed in June 2022, and this initially came with quite a few performance issues for PC VR headsets that detracted from the experience, but thanks to good support from the developers, performance is now much improved. The graphics on the PC VR version are fantastic, and the whole experience feels incredibly immersive.
If you’re looking for one of the most challenging VR survival games, Green Hell VR is a fantastic choice. You can get it on Steam for most PC VR headsets or on the Oculus store for Quest 2 and Rift headsets.
2. The Forest
The Forest VR is a VR survival game where you must meet your basic needs in the immediate aftermath of a plane crash on a tropical island. As the lone survivor, you must find a way to meet your immediate needs by scavenging through the wreckage and finding food, water, and shelter.
Once you’re able to meet your basic needs, you can explore what looks to be a peaceful, tropical paradise, as you try to build an existence for yourself and work out your next steps. The Forest VR is a stunning game, with a hugely immersive environment. The controls are satisfying, and the gameplay mechanics and crafting system are a joy to use. Nothing comes without effort, so you’ll be cutting down trees, hunting for food and water, and slowly but surely building all the things you’ll need to survive.
The Forest VR combines all the best aspects of a challenging VR survival game with an engaging story, that you can choose to follow, or not, depending on your preference. As you start to master the skills required for survival, it soon becomes clear that this island isn’t so much of a paradise, as a fiendish nightmare, with hostile enemies that will attack and put your very survival at risk.
This is a game that delights in making you feel constantly on edge, leaving you never quite sure where the next life-threatening and terrifying attack will come from. Having played this game both on a regular PC and in VR, I found the greatly increased immersion of VR to be amazing, and I could barely will myself to keep playing at times due to the trepidation I felt about the dangers that could strike at any moment.
The Forest was originally released as a regular PC game, with the VR update coming in 2018. Since then, there have been regular updates that continue to improve and polish this game into one of the best VR survival games you can play today. Having put a lot of hours into this game, and hugely enjoyed every minute of it, I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
The Forest is available on Steam for most PC VR headsets, but there is no version for standalone VR headsets such as Meta Quest 2.
3. Into The Radius VR
Into the Radius is a single-player VR survival shooter and a gem of a game, filled with the type of wonderfully immersive moments that can only be experienced in VR. Into The Radius VR tasks you with exploring the Pechorsk zone filled with surreal landscapes and dangerous anomalies, while defending yourself with a range of weapons, scavenging for loot and supplies, and slowly uncovering the mysteries held in this strange environment.
The survival elements of Into The Radius VR focus more on staying alive despite the hostile threat of enemies around every corner, rather than more traditional survival game mechanics. However, collecting and maintaining your weapons provides enough of a survival challenge, and the premise and gameplay combine to make Into The Radius VR one of the best VR survival games you can play today.
The physical interactions are superb, allowing you to interact realistically with so many things, from loading your magazines one bullet at a time, arranging the shelves in your hideout, eating food from a can with your combat knife, and a thousand other things that make this game feel so good to play.
Although the graphics aren’t particularly impressive, the combination of horror, action, tension, complexity, immersion, and lore in Into The Radius VR is breathtaking at times, This unique VR survival experience will keep you on your toes every second you are playing.
Into The Radius VR is available on Steam for PC VR headsets and on the Oculus store for Quest 2 and Rift headsets.
4. The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners
The Walking Dead: Saints And Sinners is a fantastic VR game where you must fight for survival in a zombie-infested version of New Orleans, where the odds are stacked against you. Danger lurks around every corner, both from the relentless undead, but also from other survivors who can often pose just as much of a threat, as well as the constant risk of hunger and disease.
Built from the ground up for VR, The Walking Dead: Saints And Sinners combines story-driven missions, survival mechanics, a well-designed crafting system, and enough tension and gut-wrenching choices to keep you gripped throughout the experience. It’s an incredibly well-made VR survival game, with fantastic attention to detail and satisfying gameplay. The developers have continued to provide substantial updates since it has been released, further improving on an excellent game.
The Walking Dead: Saints And Sinners is a genuinely scary experience, and there were times when I could hardly bear to keep playing. The world feels really cohesive and immersive, and the controls are some of the best I have experienced in a VR game, with really tactile interactions with the objects in the world.
The Walking Dead: Saints And Sinners is available on Steam for PCVR headsets, on the Oculus store for Quest 2, etc, and is also available for PSVR.
5. SURV1V3
SURV1V3 is a VR survival game that offers a compelling story-based zombie survival experience that has been designed from the ground up for VR and can be played solo, or with up to three other friends. It’s a seriously impressive VR experience that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. The objective is to survive a zombie apocalypse in a number of different game modes:
Story Mode – You find yourself in the middle of a zombie-infested area right after a car accident. You must learn how to survive, find weapons, food, and water, and stay alive, as you work your way through 18 single-player missions that provide many hours of engaging content.
Survival Mode – You can explore the whole city, fighting zombies, collecting loot, food, and weapons, crafting a wide range of useful equipment, and leveling your character as you thin out the zombie population.
Trials Mode – An objective-based mode that can be played solo or in co-op mode where you are tasked with completing specific objectives.
This is a really well-designed and produced VR survival game that combines the best elements of many other similar games. There is tons of content, engaging gameplay systems, and a level of immersion that makes the situation feel a little too real at times.
SURV1V3 is available on Steam for PC VR headsets and on the Oculus store for Rift headsets. It is not available for standalone headsets such as the Quest 2 unless you connect to a VR-ready PC.
6. Song In The Smoke
Song In The Smoke is a VR survival game that combines a true survival experience, crafting, combat, and an interesting narrative thread that is woven through this fantasy world. It has a unique and beautiful art style and gameplay that provides a significant challenge without being frustrating.
There are a wide variety of resources to collect, but they aren’t abundant, and you’ll need to think carefully to prioritize what you need to survive. The crafting system is extensive and lets you make all the tools and items you need to survive, from making torches and weapons to cooking food and making healing elixirs.
This is a game that never lets you feel comfortable for too long, as you’re usually urgently in need of at least a few things to ensure your survival. Hunting animals is challenging, and it can be tense when you are down to your last few arrows, and missing a shot can mean the difference between starving and sustenance. The world is also filled with dangerous enemies, who will hunt you down, and you must make a choice between running to hide, or facing challenging combat to stay alive.
Song In The Smoke is an underappreciated gem and one of the best VR survival games you could hope for. It is available on Steam for PC VR headsets and on the Oculus Store for Meta Quest 2, Quest 1, and Rift headsets.
7. Subnautica
This is an open-world survival game that was initially released for PC but now has well-integrated VR support. It is perfectly suited to VR, providing an immersive experience, polished gameplay, and a range of survival mechanics that can be adjusted depending on how much challenge you like.
Subnautica begins with you crash landing on an alien underwater world in your life pod, and from there you must explore and take immediate steps to find food and water, and craft a range of equipment that you will need to survive.
This is a massive game, with loads of underwater biomes to explore, from shallow coral reefs to deep, dark trenches filled with bioluminescent creatures. You can craft a wide variety of gear to help you explore and survive in this alien world, including diving gear, submersibles, weapons, habitat modules, and loads more. The game encourages you to venture further out into the depths to find rare resources that are essential to craft more advanced items and make progress in the game.
There are a number of modes so that you can tailor the difficulty of the survival mechanics, ranging from the most unforgiving hardcore mode, complete with permadeath, to standard survival mode, and creative mode, which lets you explore and play without any survival elements.
Subnautica is an intriguing game that I think a lot of VR users overlook due to it taking a long time to get good VR support, but I would highly recommend it. The sense of scale and immersion you feel when swimming in the depths, with alien sea creatures and vegetation all around is breathtaking. There is always something to do in Subnautica, and the game constantly encourages you to explore. The further into the game you get, the more interesting and scary it becomes, so you never get complacent or bored while playing.
Subnautica is available on Steam and supports most PC VR headsets. You can play it seated or standing, and with either a gamepad or Steam-compatible VR controllers.
8. Freediver: Triton Down
Freediver: Triton Down is a really unique and interesting VR experience, where you embark on an adventure into an ancient underwater cavern as a freediver in a single-player story-based experience. Using a natural swimming action with your controllers, you must navigate dangerous and narrow underwater passages, complete interactive puzzles, and try not to run out of breath as you swim between pockets of air.
This is a game that gripped me from the start, with the intriguing premise, immersive environment, great storytelling, and excellent voice acting. The controls feel so natural after only a few minutes, and it really helps you believe you are swimming underwater.
Although it will only take you about 1-2 hours to complete, it is priced appropriately, and I would thoroughly recommend you pick this one up if you like story-focused VR survival games. Freediver: Triton Down is available on Steam for PC VR headsets.
9. Cosmodread
Cosmodread is a procedurally generated VR survival roguelike game where you are trapped in a dying, alien-infested spaceship that you must explore and escape from while dealing with the horrors that you will find. Right from the start, Cosmodread is a completely terrifying experience, making you feel tense and anxious about everything you see and hear.
Having to deal with the stress of limited oxygen, health, and ammo, as well as the disturbing surroundings, and constant fear of a sudden alien attack will have your heart pounding and your hands shaking. Cosmodread feels like a great combination of Dead Space and Alien Isolation, but with the added immersion of VR, it takes this experience to another level.
I loved the game mechanics and controls, and it felt natural to use and reload weapons, use my inventory, and interact with objects in the world. There is an excellent crafting system that allows you to make a variety of things to help you make progress through the game.
Whilst you will be exceedingly cautious and scared during your first play-through, I would encourage you to persevere, as each time you die you will gain knowledge about how the game mechanics work, how enemies react, and a better understanding of what to do. You will also retain knowledge that you gained from finding blueprints in previous runs, allowing you to craft more equipment to help you to survive future attempts.
This is one of the best VR survival games I have played in a long time, and although it won’t be for everyone, if you don’t mind being temporarily terrified, this is a terrific game. It’s available on Steam for PC VR headsets and also on the Oculus store for Quest 2 and Rift headsets.
10. No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky provides a terrifically immersive VR experience, with a limitless universe to explore, stunning visuals, and complete freedom to have your own adventure. It’s filled with interesting locations, characters, and enemies, and you can forge your path as an explorer, fighter, trader, or pirate.
While you can play No Man’s sky in normal mode, there is a specific survival mode that provides a challenging survival experience, requiring you to manage limited resources and a hostile environment to survive, and build your life in the universe. Survival mode can be unforgiving, with death resulting in the loss of your inventory and damage to your ship, but it provides just the right level of challenge and tension as you fight for survival.
A deep crafting system allows you to create upgrades for your Exosuit, weapons, ships, etc, and produce products from blueprints found throughout the universe, which adds a huge dimension to character progression.
Although initially released as a regular PC game, the VR implementation of No Man’s Sky is exceptional, and the development team has continued to add content on a regular basis, with No Man’s Sky developing into one of the best VR survival games I have played.
No Man’s Sky is available on Steam for PC VR headsets. It is not possible to play it on standalone VR headsets, but you can play it on Quest 2 by connecting to a VR-ready PC via Quest Link (USB cable) or wirelessly (Air Link).
11. Paradox Of Hope VR
Paradox Of Hope VR is a story-driven VR survival game that feels like a VR version of the Metro games. You must explore the dark and atmospheric tunnels of the post-apocalyptic Moscow metro, using a combination of stealth and combat.
There is a story-driven single-player experience and a Raids mode which is an endless game mode with procedural level generation that really tests your survival skills. You’ll have to collect valuable loot, ammunition, weapons, and first-aid kits as you negotiate this tense and dangerous environment.
The general gameplay involves you exploring dark and dangerous tunnels while searching for valuable loot, killing enemies, and making it to the next safe room, where you can stock up on equipment and upgrade your gear.
The mechanics feel really solid, with manual reloading of guns, and interactions with items that feel authentic and immersive. The darkness of the environment really adds to the tension, and having only a lighter at the start to see what’s ahead of you makes things incredibly tense. The weapons are satisfying to use and it is possible to upgrade your weapons with a range of sights, suppressors, and lights to make you more effective in combat. The stealth mechanics are well executed, with an indicator on your watch letting you know whether you can be seen or not.
Paradox Of Hope VR is an early access game, and the single-player story is short and incomplete at present, but the Raids mode provides a lot of fun. I’m hugely impressed by what the lone developer of Paradox Of Hope VR has achieved so far, and I hope that this VR survival game continues to progress towards completion. Paradox Of Hope VR is available on Steam for PC VR headsets.
12. Fallout 4 VR
Fallout 4 VR has endured a rocky road on its journey towards becoming a quality VR experience, and you should only consider getting it if you are prepared to install some mods to fix the issues that the base game comes with. If you are prepared to put in a little work, Fallout 4 VR has the potential to be a terrific VR survival game and one of the best VR RPGs you can play.
Fallout 4 VR puts you in the shoes of the sole survivor of vault 111 as you enter a world destroyed by nuclear war. After you leave the vault and enter the post-apocalyptic environment, you have complete freedom to play exactly as you want, following the main story, or setting off to make your own adventure. There are hundreds of locations to explore, loads of characters to interact with, quests to complete, things to collect, and enemies to fight.
I’m a big fan of the Fallout games, and I can’t get enough of the atmospheric and immersive experience that this game provides, as I put myself in the shoes of a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, battling against the harsh environment and exploring this fascinating world.
Despite everything the developers got wrong when they released Fallout 4 VR, it is still my favorite way to experience Fallout 4. The level of immersion you can experience is truly breathtaking, making you feel like you are actually inside the world of Fallout. If you do want to play Fallout 4 VR, the quickest way to mod it into a good state is to follow this modding guide.
Fallout 4 VR is available for PC VR headsets via Steam. I’ve played it on the HP Reverb G2 and also on Quest 2 via Airlink and I’ve really enjoyed it despite many hours of frustration to get it working well.
13. Propagation VR
Propagation VR is a free VR survival horror game available on Steam that provides a fast-paced wave-shooter experience where you have to keep waves of terrifying undead enemies at bay. Although this is a relatively short game, the production values and game mechanics are terrific, and I guarantee it will have your heart racing as enemies close in from all around you and you desperately try to fend them off with your weapons and your bare hands.
Whilst Propagation VR doesn’t have traditional survival game mechanics, the feelings that it evokes are exactly the same as those you get when you are fighting for your life in a great survival game. The graphics are terrific and the controls are superb, with manual reloading of your weapons feeling realistic and immersive.
The setting of Propagation VR is a dilapidated subway station, where you find yourself alone, and it’s not long before the undead notice your presence and start their advance toward you. You have the choice of shooting the enemies or punching them if they get too close, and you need to be constantly vigilant to attacks from all sides as you have nowhere to hide.
This is one of the best free VR games on Steam, and I was left seriously impressed by the quality of the experience on offer. If you are looking for a good VR survival game, this is an easy one to recommend. Propagation VR is available on Steam and can be played on most PC VR headsets.
14. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR allows you to experience this legendary RPG in virtual reality, and with a few caveats, it is a tremendous VR experience. You can create a unique character and enter the province of Skyrim to start an adventure that you have complete control over. Whilst there is an interesting and immersive main story, you can set out and create your own adventure if you like.
This is always a game I recommend to anyone interested in a great VR survival game as it combines so many elements of what makes this genre appealing, in a package that can’t currently be matched by any true VR survival game currently. Whilst the official survival mode hasn’t made it to Skyrim VR, there are a number of mods that can transform your experience into one much closer to a traditional survival game.
With so much content to explore in Skyrim VR, including hundreds of NPCs, quests, player-built housing, engaging combat and magic systems, in-depth skill trees, and loads of interesting mechanics, this is a game that provides something for everyone.
Although the basic version of Skyrim VR has a lot of gameplay, UI, and control issues, the good news is that there is an active and enthusiastic modding community who have produced countless mods to fix all of the issues and loads more to improve an already awesome game. VR elevates Skyrim to one of the best games I’ve ever played, and I’ve put hundreds of hours into this game, so if you want to play one of the best VR survival games, this is a great option.
Skyrim VR is available from Steam for PC VR headsets and also for PSVR. You can also play it on Quest 2 via the Link Cable or Airlink.
15. A Township Tale
A Township Tale is a deep and engaging VR game that provides an open-world RPG experience with some survival elements that fans of the survival genre should enjoy. You’re completely free to explore the world and take part in a wide range of activities, including gathering, crafting, mining, cooking, blacksmithing, trading, exploring, and combat.
There are some survival mechanics, such as having to maintain your health and energy levels by collecting, growing, or killing your own food, but these are very much part of the wider game, rather than the focus. I still think this game deserves to be on this list due to the wide variety of gameplay mechanics that are common to many other great VR survival games.
A Township Tale does have simplistic graphics, but it’s a deep and challenging game, and this more than makes up for the rather underwhelming visuals. The crafting system is impressive, with a highly tactile process that has you physically hammering nails, chopping down trees, and combining components to make a wide range of useful tools and items.
A Township Tale is available for PC VR headsets from the developer’s website, or you can get it from the Oculus store for Quest 2 and Quest.
16. Arizona Sunshine
Arizona Sunshine is an excellent VR survival game that has been around since 2016 and still stands up well to games that have been released years after it. It is another co-op zombie survival game that allows you to play solo, or with up to three other people as you take on hordes of zombies in the canyons of Arizona.
It has really solid VR controls and gameplay that thankfully isn’t as terrifying as some of the games on this list. It has received a ton of updates and bug fixes over the years and it feels well polished and loads of fun. The pacing is just right, the weapons are satisfying to use, and ammo is scarce enough to make you worry about what you’ll do when you run out.
Arizona Sunshine is available on steam for PC VR headsets and on the Oculus store for Quest 1 and Quest 2, as well as Rift headsets.
17. Resident Evil 4 VR
The VR version of Resident Evil 4 is a Meta Quest 2 exclusive game that provides a strong argument for picking up a Quest 2 if you don’t already own one. RE4 VR is a polished, VR-optimized version of the classic arcade horror survival game that you may well have played on another platform since its original release.
The VR remaster of Resident Evil 4 on Quest 2 is a must-own title, and I consider it to be the best version of the game ever. The added immersion and tactile control mechanisms of the VR version breathe new life into a game that was originally released way back in 2005.
You play the role of Leon Kennedy, sent on a mission to recover the president’s daughter, who has gone missing, kidnapped by a mysterious group. Things soon turn ugly and you’ll soon be fighting for your survival, fending off hordes of enemies.
Generally, the gameplay is a total blast, but there are a few things that don’t translate desperately well to the VR version, such as the multiple cutscenes, which temporarily pull you out of first-person view, negatively impacting the level of immersion.
Small negative points aside, this is an awesome VR survival game, and if you own a Quest 2, you should definitely pick up a copy at some stage.
18. After The Fall
After The Fall is a co-op VR survival shooter that allows you to team up with friends and take on wave after wave of ferocious undead enemies across 5 levels, that can be played repeatedly across a range of difficulty levels as you upgrade your gear and improve your skills. After The Fall is a bit like a VR version of Left 4 Dead, so if you like that type of gameplay, you will enjoy this game.
The basic gameplay loop is to work through each level with up to three other friends or AI teammates, defeating hordes of undead enemies, to make it back to a safe room, where you can upgrade your gear and regroup, before heading out into combat again. It does feel a little light on content, but there is plenty of replayability for the content that is here.
After The Fall is a really solid VR survival game with fast-paced action, satisfying VR controls, and a reasonable amount of content. After The Fall is available on Steam for PC VR headsets on the Oculus store for Rift and Quest 2, and also for PSVR.
19. Project Terminus VR
Project Terminus is a VR survival horror game where you must explore post-apocalyptic Paris in a story-driven adventure. It’s packed with atmosphere and suspense, the pacing is excellent, and the gameplay mechanics are varied and interesting. It’s an early access game by an indie developer, so is not completely without bugs, and only two of the three story-acts have been released so far, but overall, this is a really solid game.
The graphics are fairly basic on Quest 2, but a bit better when playing on a PC VR headset. However, the atmosphere and gameplay compensate well for any deficiencies in the visuals. You can play solo or in co-op mode with up to three other players, and you can even play cross-platform.
Project Terminus is available on Steam for PC VR headsets and on the Oculus store for Quest 2, Quest, and Rift headsets.