Shooter games will always be popular, both for single-player and multiplayer content. To this day, first-person and third-person shooters dominate the market, which means that there's no shortage of these games on every platform.
While still niche, virtual reality has been steadily building up momentum over the last few years, and the Meta Quest 2 is among the more popular devices. Moreover, the FPS genre has proven to be a great fit for VR, and many of its biggest games are supported by the Meta Quest 2 (and Meta Quest 3). The best Quest 2 shooter games showcase the technology's potential and appeal.
Updated June 15, 2024: Although its successor has been out for a while by this point, the Meta Quest 2 is among the most accessible and cost-effective VR headsets on the market. As such, the hardware is still getting a lot of mileage. The article has been updated to include a few more of the best FPS games on the Meta Quest 2.
12 Into The Radius
Meta Store Rating: 4.8
Into the Radius should satisfy VR owners searching for a slower-paced shooter that emphasizes preparation above everything else. The survival game is set in post-apocalyptic Russia, which means a lot of eerie nothingness punctuated by shattered remnants of a dead society. Unsurprisingly, this setting inspires the worst of humanity to come forward, as people do what they can to see another day.
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Provided a player does not mind lackluster visuals and punishing difficulty, Into the Radius is a stellar experience that nails its environmental storytelling. The gameplay forces players to really own their weapons, as they have to maintain them or risk a technical malfunction in the middle of a firefight.
11 Contractors
Meta Store Rating: 4.3
Contractors
- Released
- December 3, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Caveman Game Studio
- Genre(s)
- FPS , Virtual Reality
Meta Quest has amassed a pretty decent selection of multiplayer shooters that, more or less, try to translate the magic of big names like Counter-Strike and Call of Duty for VR. Pavlov: Shack finally made its full debut at the end of 2023, and it is a viable option on the Meta Quest 2 and 3. The 5v5 shooter mostly apes Counter-Strike's formula, delivering fairly intense and precise gunplay while mostly striking to the tried-and-test modes. Although not without issues, Pavlov: Shack is a decent option.
The other "big" multiplayer VR shooter is Contractors, which has steadily blossomed into a pretty great game since its 2020 release. Smartly, the developer fostered a positive relationship with their community, encouraging and implementing mods that have greatly expanded the project's longevity. Beyond that, Contractors caters to quite a few audiences through its competitive and casual mods, co-op support, and even 4-player survival. While it does spread itself a bit thin, the game's variety is its strongest selling point.
10 Drop Dead: Dual Strike
Meta Store Rating: 4.3
Drop Dead; Dual Strike has been around for a while, and although the game shows its age in places, it is still among the Oculus Quest's most enjoyable on-rail shooters. Courtesy of Doctor Monday, the world has become infested by zombies, forcing players to pick up an arsenal of guns and melee weapons as they shoot and smash their way through an army of the undead.
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Feeling like a throwback to arcade shooters, Drop Dead is simple but effective, delivering over-the-top action along with a decent level of difficulty. The gunplay generally works well and is responsive, and the campaign has enough content to justify its price tag. The game also has a horde mode for players who want to continue their zombie-busting adventure after the credits roll.
In February 2023, Soul Assembly released Drop Dead: The Cabin , which is also an above-average shooter.
9 Blaston
Meta Store Rating: 4.4
Blaston
- Released
- October 8, 2020
- Developer
- Resolution Games
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
Virtual reality has proven to be a great medium for projects that emphasize brief play sessions. Blaston has a simple concept: two players spawn in a bright room filled with floating guns. Once the timer runs down, they have to quickly pick a weapon and shoot their enemy first. Easy to grasp but difficult to master, Blaston has a stellar gameplay loop that motivates players to always go for one more match.
While mainly a multiplayer experience, Blaston also offers the option to face AI opponents. This can be useful for beginners who are looking to get some practice before they jump into the leagues.
8 Bonelab
Meta Store Rating: 4.6
Bonelab is a physics-based shooter that encourages players to use mods. Although the package includes a short campaign, the game's main reason for existing is its sandbox maps, which give players the foundations they need to build their own unique experiences.
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As a single-player VR shooter, Bonelab is not that impressive; however, as an immersive project with endless potential for expansion, it is among the best options on the Meta Quest 2.
7 Compound
Meta Store Rating: 4.8
Wearing its retro influence on its sleeve, Compound is a lesser-known VR FPS that nails nearly everything it is trying to be. The roguelite tasks players with working their way through a tower's levels, gradually blasting their way through a corporation's minions en route to its CEO. Basic as it sounds, the premise is perfect for this sort of experience and does not get in the way of the action.
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While death means a return to square one, players can unlock unique guns to take on their next missions, so failure is not the end of the world. The core gunplay is rock solid, and Compound incorporates a relatively involved reload system compared to other shooters.
6 Zero Caliber: Reloaded
Meta Store Rating: 4.4
The Oculus Quest 2 has plenty of first-person shooters, but most of the games have rather limited scope. There is nothing wrong with that since it is better to do one thing well than five things poorly, however, that also means there aren't many games that feel like complete projects. Zero Caliber: Reloaded is an exception.
Originally, the game launched with a single-player campaign that also supported co-op. This mode has a good selection of missions, fun weapons, and a few enjoyable set pieces. The visuals are not incredible, but they are passable as well. Recently, Zero Caliber introduced a PvP mode, adding a whole new dimension to the package. While somewhat rough around the edges, this VR shooter is worth keeping an eye on.
5 Ghosts Of Tabor
Meta Store Rating: 4.3
Ghosts of Tabor
- Released
- March 21, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Combat Waffle Studios
- Genre(s)
- FPS , Virtual Reality
Ghosts of Tabor caters to a very specific subset of the FPS genre: extraction shooters. Stating that fact should be almost enough for most people to determine whether this game is for them or not. If someone has positive memories of playing Escape from Tarkov and would like a similar experience in VR, they should check out Ghosts of Tabor.
Set on a fairly large map that is overrun by a hostile foreign force, players will pick a loadout and then be dropped into a random area, where they will have to scour through the streets in search of valuable loot to keep for themselves or to complete missions. Prioritizing realism and immersion, Ghosts of Tabor is pretty darn difficult and cutthroat since players will have to contend with each other rather than just AI enemies.
4 Superhot VR
Meta Store Rating: 4.7
Superhot is a popular PC and console game that originally came out in 2016. While the game went viral at the time, its true form didn't come out until 2019. Superhot VR is a Meta Quest 2 standalone version of the original game, and it enhances every aspect of the classic game in various ways.
First, this game works exceptionally well in virtual reality. Second, it is a great shooter with a fairly minimal art style, resulting in basically no major graphical downgrades. Superhot VR is one of the must-own Quest 2 titles, and it's all thanks to its movement-based gameplay.
3 Resident Evil 4 VR
Meta Store Rating: 4.7
Resident Evil 4 VR
- Released
- October 21, 2021
- Developer
- Armature Studio, Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Horror , Shooter
Who would have thought that the 2005 classic game would get remade for one of the best virtual reality headsets in 2021? For many, Resident Evil 4 VR is a dream come true for its stellar gameplay and incredibly well-optimized gunplay mechanics. While the old game does feel outdated, the virtual reality version feels like a brand-new experience.
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The story of Resident Evil 4 is pretty decent, which largely stays the same in the VR version. However, the gameplay is completely revamped, making it an unbelievable experience. In RE4VR, players can do whatever they could in the original, but with much more intractability. They can manually reload, knife in any direction, throw grenades precisely, and explore the scary village in first-person view.
2 Pistol Whip
Meta Store Rating: 4.8
Pistol Whip offers gameplay that works extremely well in virtual reality, making it arguably one of the best options to introduce newcomers to the appeal of VR gaming. Players who have already played Thumper or Beat Saber will easily get Pistol Whip's rhythm-based shooting gameplay.
Pistol Whip is extremely stylish and quick-paced. The shooter offers a variety of hand-crafted scenes, which range from situations like an uprising to a heist, and is guaranteed to make everyone feel like a superhuman.
1 The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Meta Store Rating: 4.6
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners isn't just a shooter, but a full-blown action RPG. This game encapsulates the best parts of the zombie genre and mixes them up with virtual reality gameplay that is an absolute blast; more importantly, the campaign is fully fleshed out, delivering roughly 15 hours of content set in an immersive world that features lively NPCs and genuinely terrifying hordes. Saints & Sinners is arguably a better horror game than a first-person shooter, but the latter complements the former well enough to warrant a recommendation for people craving either genre.
In Saints & Sinners, players will have to fight the horrors of the zombie invasion as they make hard decisions and see them play out. The game offers a variety of weapons, both melee and ranged, and is a pretty solid shooter on the whole. Out of all the FPS VR games, Saints & Sinners is arguably the most complete, even if it might not have the best overall gameplay.
The sequel is also a lot of fun and, arguably, has better gunplay. That said, the original game is a better-rounded experience, particularly for horror fans.
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